Holding the Music in Your Hands ®
The Super Audio CD (SACD) format offers audio in higher resolution than on the standard CD (sometimes referred to as ‘red book’) and in many cases provides the opportunity to hear an album in multi-channel (5.1) surround sound.
Continue reading “Top 10: SACDs you can afford to buy”
The 1960s. Michael Caine. Len Deighton. John Barry. A perfect cocktail of talents shaken (but not stirred) into the memorable 1965 spy film The Ipcress File, directed by Sidney J. Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman (who also worked on the James Bond franchise).
Continue reading “Japanese CD of the Day / The IPCRESS File original soundtrack”
The Who have announced a 12-date arena tour of the UK and Europe. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will take the band back on the road to perform their 1973 Quadrophenia album in its entirety, along with a selection of Who classics.
Continue reading “The Who announce Quadrophenia European tour for 2013”
The 1977 mega-hit gets reissued across a number of formats, including a three-CD edition with two discs of previously unreleased material and a deluxe box set with four CDs, a DVD and the album on vinyl.
If evidence were ever needed of The Beatles‘ total dominance on the UK pop scene in 1963, then it can be found in the British album chart.
Until May 1963, the upper reaches of the LP ‘hit parade’ were taken up with soundtrack albums, such as South Pacific and West Side Story, and music from the likes of George Mitchell Minstrel’s Black and White Minstrel Show. Elvis‘ movie soundtracks were starting to appear regularly, and The Shadows and Cliff Richard were also becoming familiar names to record buyers.
Continue reading “The Beatles Vinyl Remasters: #2 With The Beatles”
Eighties pop group, The Blow Monkeys, celebrated the reissue of their first two albums by performing them both in full on 24 January 2013. Below is the performance of their worldwide smash “Digging Your Scene”. The band reformed around five years ago and have a new album out soon..
Due out on 4 February 2013, here we present some photos of the new Blue Öyster Cult: The Columbia Albums Collection box set. As previously posted this set contains 17 discs, including a DVD and also comes with a download code for additional live concerts.
Continue reading “FIRST PICTURES / Blue Oyster Cult: The Columbia Albums Collection”
Prince is back online! His new website can be found at the awkwardly titled 20pr1nc3.com which at the moment contains a new song Screwdriver, a teaser trailer to what looks like a new a new live video (Prince at Montreux) and and advert for latest protegé Andy Allo’s album Superconductor.
The new song is of most interest, and – inelegant toolbox/sex analogies aside (“I’m ur driver and ur my screw“) – it’s really rather good. The video (see below) shows a hooded Prince performing with an all-female backing band.
There are currently six empty content boxes on the webpage telling us to ‘Stay Tuned’ – so we will do just that…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9a6WwT9LNJw
A ‘reactivation’ of the 2010 two-CD deluxe edition of their 1980 album, this sees the same bonus disc with non-album singles and b-sides, John Peel and Kid Jensen radio sessions and five early demos. The packaging is rumoured to be simple double jewel case, but it’s a fair bit cheaper this time around.
We should point out that ‘audiophile vinyl’ is EMI’s description rather than ours. This contains the remastered audio (without bonus tracks) that were first released on last year’s 2CD reissues.
Adam Ant is back with his first album in 17 years, and there is even a companion movie (The BlueBlack Hussar) to go with it. Haven’t heard this but the reviews seem reasonably positive. Also on vinyl.
Pretty hard to complain about this line-up as Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Billy Joel and McCartney peform to help those unfortunate enough to have suffered due to Hurricane Sandy. It’s not the full concert though, and we should point out that the McCartney/Nirvana track Cut Me Some Slack is not featured.
Roger Waters‘ last studio album, 1992’s highly acclaimed Amused To Death, will be issued as a Stereo Hybrid SACD and 200-gram double LP later this year, by audiophile specialists Analogue Productions.
The album was originally mixed by Pink Floyd’s producer/engineer James Guthrie, and he will be mastering the new SACD from the original analog tapes. Renowned mastering engineer, Doug Sax, will work with Guthrie to master the LP.
Original vinyl pressings of Amused To Death sell for hundreds of pounds, thanks to a very limited production run, so this new vinyl pressing will be welcomed by many – an opportunity to own the album on LP without shelling out too many “dollars and cents, pounds, shillings, and pence”.
Analogue Productions also state that they will faithfully preserve the three-dimensional ‘QSound’ spatial effects present on the original recording.
Before you get too excited, this reissue has release date of 15 October 2013, although this is a ‘best estimate’ according to the label.
Roger Waters is thought to be working on his fourth studio album, with a working title of Heartlands, but no one is expecting anything anytime soon.
While we wait, there is a great value Waters box set available, which we reviewed in 2011.
Rhino have confirmed the details for the Stephen Stills four-CD Carry On box set.
It will now be released on March 26, a month later than originally thought, and will contain 25 unreleased tracks, live cuts, new mixes and career highlights.
Continue reading “Stephen Stills / Carry On box: official details and track listing”
In a world of increasing disposability, cut-price bargains, and cheap imports, it’s reassuring when you find people (and organisations) that specialise in doing things properly. Getting it right. Attending to those tiresome details that others don’t have the time or inclination for.
What we are talking about here is quality, with a capital ‘Q’ – examples that come to mind might include the cut of a Saville Row suit, the brilliance of a Tiffany diamond, or the craftsmanship of the burr walnut dash and hand-stitched leather trim in a Bentley motor car.
Continue reading “Norah Jones / The Vinyl Collection: seven-LP audiophile box set”
Suede‘s first album in over 10 years, Bloodsports will be released on 18 March 2013.
The sleeve design is clearly looking to suggest a lineage back to the successful Coming Up era, and persuade the audience that this is classic Suede. Whether is is or not, remains to be seen. We were not particularly convinced by Barriers, the track made available by the band last week, but will reserve judgement until we’ve heard the whole album.
It’s rather unfortunate for Brett Anderson, that a week earlier another former androgynous pop star will be releasing his first album for over 10 years as well, but them’s the breaks, as they say.
As well as standard CD and vinyl (see below) two different deluxe bundles will be available, but it looks as if they will only be available on the Stereo Boutique website – at the time of writing the Suede content looks incomplete.
Bloodsports track listing
British indie band The Primitives will soon be releasing a new compilation through Cherry Red Records entitled Everything’s Shining Bright – The Lazy Recordings 1985 – 1987.
Continue reading “The Primitives / The Lazy Recordings 1985-1987”
Stephen Stills will release a four-CD career-spanning box set on 26 February 2013.
There is currently no artwork or track listing available, but Stills told MuiscRadar last year that the set, entitled Carry On, “was supposed to be three discs, but I don’t want to have to do it again, so I said just do four“. He added, “There isn’t much more left off that I care about.”
There is thought to be much unreleased material across the four discs, making this a must-buy for fans. More details on this set when we have them.
Eight months on from Paul McCartney‘s fine reissue of his and Linda’s RAM album, what appears to be a recent re-recording of album track Heart Of The Country has emerged.
The song, with its scat singing and typically effortless McCartney melody, has been a fan favourite for years, but this new version is very different, as you will hear.
The song (a short edit) and animation was uploaded onto the YouTube account of ‘Linda McCartney’ on 11 January 2013 and is thought to be for an advertisement for Linda McCartney foods.
Leave a comment and let us know what you think of Paul’s new version of this song.
The superb RAM deluxe box set is still available:
Eric Clapton‘s 1977 album Slowhand was one of the last super deluxe edition box sets to be released last year when Universal snuck it out in mid December.
The big box doubles the standard deluxe edition’s two discs, by including a DVD with hi-res stereo and 5.1 surround sound (not lossless), and including the Hammersmith Odeon gig from 27 April 1977 in its entirety. It also comes with a 12-inch vinyl version of the album (full spec here).
Continue reading “IN PICTURES: Eric Clapton / Slowhand Super Deluxe Editon”
RCA/Legacy will release another Elvis Presley 40th Anniversary concert reissue on 18 March 2013. Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite is the soundtrack to Presley’s 1973 concert which was broadcast by satellite around the globe.
This Legacy edition brings together a remastered version of the original 24-track album, with a brand new, remixed and remastered edition of the rehearsal show (which was released separately in 1988 as Alternate Aloha). Additionally, the audio from a five-track audience-free private show, recorded in the early hours of the morning for broadcast on US TV, is included on the second disc.
Elvis was at pains not to duplicate much material from his Live At Madison Square Gardens shows that took place the previous year (released as Prince From Another Planet in 2012) and he was also keen to avoid material from his film Elvis On Tour which was doing brisk business, and would go on to win a Golden Globe. This lead to a set which included The Beatles’ Something, Sinatra’s My Way, Johnny B. Goode and the rock ‘n’ roll medley of Long Tall Sally/Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On.
Track listing
Disc 1: The “broadcast” [second] show recorded January 14, 1973 (originally issued February 1973, as Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite, RCA 6089)
Disc 2: The “dress rehearsal” [first] show recorded January 12, 1973 (originally issued June 1988, as The Alternate Aloha, RCA 6985)
Bonus songs
On 4 Februrary Sony are launching a new music release series with the moniker Music & Photos.
In a clear attempt to entice music lovers to purchase physical product by offering that little something extra, these Music & Photo releases will combine two-CD hits packages with ten quality photo prints, all contained in an oversized hardcover book. We are not talking about postcard-sized prints either. These are large photos, almost the size of a vinyl sleeve (actual dimensions large – 11″ x 12.5″). The book will be similar dimensions to a vinyl sleeve to accomodate the photos, although slightly taller.
Continue reading “Pin-ups: Sony to entice fans with music & photo deluxe packages”
Having originally been touted for a late autumn 2012 release, 14 January finally sees Edsel Records’ reissues of Robert Palmer’s four EMI albums Heavy Nova, Don’t Explain, Ridin’ High and Honey.
The initial excitement around the reissues was somewhat tempered by the fact that Edsel has taken the decision to release these four albums as two double-CD sets, rather than individual deluxe editions. That is two for the price of one, or “two-fers”, as they are sometimes known.
Continue reading “Best of Both Worlds? Robert Palmer EMI-era combo sets miss the mark”
