Holding the Music in Your Hands ®
As we revealed the other day The Rolling Stones GRRR! hits compilation has been released as a Blu-ray audio disc in Europe. To recap, you get the 50-track version with three audio options, all 24-bit/96Khz. Here are some photos of the Blu-ray to give you an idea of the packaging and presentation.
Cherry Red have this week reissued the first two albums from British pop band The Blow Monkeys, best known for their 1986 international hit Digging Your Scene.
The band, who reformed in 2008 after nearly two decades apart, are fronted by Dr. Robert (Robert Howard), who writes all the songs and plays guitar. Their 1984 debut, Limping For A Generation, saw them garner some positive reviews for their rather individual ‘jazz-punk’ sound, and while early singles such as Go Public, Atomic Lullaby and Man From Russia didn’t trouble the charts, RCA saw enough promise to allow them to record a second album – 1986’s Animal Magic.
Continue reading “The Blow Monkeys / Deluxe reissues of the first two albums reviewed”
We recently put some questions to Dr. Robert (aka Robert Howard) about the reissue of the first two Blow Monkeys albums.
Responding via email, here’s what he had to say…
SDE: What are you thoughts on listening back to Limping For A Generation nearly 30 years on?
I couldn’t listen to it for years.. I was wrong. Its our finest hour in some ways. Untutored and rootless it floats in its own space…baby
Continue reading “An interview with Dr. Robert of The Blow Monkeys”
Our Christmas Advent Giveaway competition continues. We are giving away a prize every day until Christmas Day. Today’s gift to someone is Kite by Kirsty MacColl. This is the 2CD deluxe edition released back in October 2012.
This reissue contains a bonus disc packed with B-sides, remixes and other non-album tracks. A full review of all Kirsty’s reissues can be found here.
The winner will be announced at 8pm (GMT) tonight. Check back here tonight to see if you’ve been lucky. If you haven’t entered to be in the prize draw yet, you can do so here. Good luck to everyone.
Congratulations to Tom McNamara who has been randomly selected as the winner of today’s prize in our Christmas Advent Giveaway. Tom wins The Monkees’ Music Box 4CD set. Tom, we will contact you via email for shipping details!
Many more prizes to be won – remember a prize to be won every day until Christmas Day! We will announce tomorrow’s prize (Day 4) here at 8am…
If you haven’t entered yet, you can do so by following the instructions here.
Nick Drake’s seminal third and final album Pink Moon (1972) is now available in remastered vinyl form as a limited edition deluxe box from Universal Music Strategic Marketing (UMSM).
The album has been remastered by the original co-producer and engineer; John Wood at Abbey Road and pressed on audiophile virgin vinyl with the original gatefold sleeve, inner sleeve, paper labels, the promotional shop-poster and a facsimile of Nick’s handwritten lyrics to four of the songs, all gathered together in a box showing the original master tape box from which the vinyl was mastered.
This set also comes with a card with a code for a 24-bit download. Interestingly you get the album in three different file formats – hi-res FLAC files and standard MP3 (both of the remastered version) or ‘dubbed from disc’ MP3s – in other words a vinyl rip – of Nick Drake’s own copy of Pink Moon “played on a period record player for added authenticity”. Remarkably, as well as Pink Moon, the download code provides all three of Nick’s albums in digital form. So you get FIVE LEAVES LEFT, BRYTER LAYTER and PINK MOON as 24/96 FLAC, MP3 derived from 24/96 and the “dubbed from disc” MP3 sets!
This box set release will be followed in next year by Bryter Layter and Five Leaves Left in much the same formats.
Summary:
Our Christmas Advent Giveaway competition continues. We are giving away a prize every day until Christmas Day. Today’s gift to someone is The Monkees Music Box 4CD box set.
This repackaged version of the classic box set was released by Rhino back in October and offers 99 tracks across four discs, including all the hits, plus numerous rarities, alternates and single versions of some tracks. Photos and more information on this box can be found here.
The winner will be announced at 8pm (GMT) tonight. Check back here tonight to see if you’ve been lucky. If you haven’t entered to be in the prize draw yet, you can do so here. Good luck to everyone.
Congratulations to Alice Beaumont who has been randomly selected as the winner of today’s prize in our Christmas Advent Giveaway. Alice wins The Art of the 12″, Volume Two double CD compilation. Alice, we will be be in touch via email for shipping details!
Many more prizes to be won – remember a prize to be won every day until Christmas Day! We will announce tomorrow’s prize (Day 3) here at 8am…
If you haven’t entered yet, you can do so by following the instructions here.
Whilst the expensive Super Deluxe Edition box set version of The Rolling Stones’ GRRR! hits compilation was horrible, the band have recently put out a Blu-ray audio edition which dispenses with the giant boxes and useless books, and concentrates on the important stuff, like the music.
The blu-ray offers the 50-track version of the compilation as used on the three-CD editions.
There is no video at all – this is an audio-only release – but the music is offered in three different audio formats:
All of those represent lossless hi-res audio and although the “2.0” indicates just stereo and no surround sound, the blu-ray can be bought for less than the price of the three-CD version on amazon.co.uk at the time of writing (£11.20) – that’s only about a pound more than the 2CD version!
If sound quality is your main priority, rather than gimmicks and packaging, and you have the appropriate set-up at home, this could be well worth picking up.
Nick Cave’s new album with the Bad Seeds is due in February 2013 and will be called Push The Sky Away.
Continue reading “Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Push The Sky Away super deluxe edition”
Can: The Lost Tapes was released as a 5LP vinyl box set this week. Here we bring you first pictures of this set, which was also released on CD earlier this year.
Continue reading “FIRST PICTURES / Can: The Lost Tapes vinyl box set”
Our Christmas Advent Giveaway competition continues. We are giving away a prize every day until Christmas Day. Today’s gift to someone is a copy of the ’80s two-CD remix compilation The Art of the 12″, Volume Two.
This treasure trove of remixes was released by Salvo Music in February 2012 when this blog described it as “an essential document of ’80s musical (re)invention”. It includes rare and acclaimed period remixes from Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Art of Noise, Propaganda, Scritti Politti and many more. Full review can be found here.
The winner will be announced at 8pm (GMT) tonight. Check back here tonight to see if you’ve been lucky. If you haven’t entered to be in the prize draw yet, you can do so here. Good luck to everyone.
Congratulations to Lar Duffy who has been randomly selected as the winner of the first prize in our Christmas Advent Giveaway. Lar wins the Doors CD. Will be be in touch via email for shipping details!
Many more prizes to be won – let’s do this all over again! We will announce tomorrow’s prize (Day 2) here at 8am…
If you haven’t entered yet, you can do so by following the instructions here.
The greatest greatest Christmas song never to get to number one? Quite probably. The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl peaked at number two in the UK in 1987 with Fairytale Of New York, kept of the top spot by the Pet Shop Boys massive selling Always On My Mind single.
Rhino are celebrating what is the 25th anniversary of the record by reissuing it, but as well as the usual digital versions (single, instrumental and video) they have also issued physical version in the shape of a limited edition seven-inch vinyl, with some fine new artwork and the physical debut of the instrumental version of the track on the B-side.
This seven-inch is limited to just 2000 copies and is out today available from Rough Trade Records. The digital versions can be found on iTunes.
We have a copy of the vinyl to give away – leave a comment to enter and we’ll pick a winner on Monday 10th December.
In the meantime, why not join the Facebook campaign to get Fairytale of New York to number one this Christmas.
A massive box set to celebrate the double album from 1995. This set is unfortunately very expensive to get hold of currently retailing at £140 on amazon.co.uk., as is the 4LP vinyl box, which was available for $26.99 on amazon.ca at one point. Details and various buying links can be found here.
Excellent four-disc set from 2009 which devotes a disc to each of the Gibb brothers, now packaged in a CD sized case rather than the previous ‘bookset’. Only a tenner on amazon.co.uk, so it seems rude not to pick this up. More here.
Superb two-CD sets from this rather underrated 1980s pop band. Animal Magic features their breakthrough hit Diggging Your Scene and both reissues are packed with remixes, demos and B-sides. More here.
All of The Jam’s albums collected together in this stocking-friendly box set. Available for less than £20 in the UK. More here.
Blur’s summer Hyde Park gig available on double CD, DVD and five-disc deluxe casebound book box set. More here.
Unbelievable 63CD set containing 59 albums covering Cash’s Columbia years from 1958-1990, plus three bonus discs. We have an extensive photo gallery of this set. More here.
This new issue of the album comes with a bonus disc of contemporary remixes. More here.
Five 180g vinyl records with a 28-page booklet in this box set of unheard recordings. More here.
Today is day one of the SuperDeluxeEdition.com Christmas Advent Giveaway Competition!
For the next 23 days we will be revealing a prize each morning at 8am (GMT), with a winner being selected every day at 8pm (GMT). If you want to be in with a chance of winning a prize, you can enter here.
Today’s prize is a copy of The Doors’ Live At The Bowl ’68 on CD. This live set was reissued back in October 2012.
Check back at SuperDeluxeEdition.com at 8pm to see if you’ve been lucky! Good luck.
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED***
No one can accuse this blog of being Scrooge-like as we head into the festive season. We’re entering into the Christmas spirit with our biggest ever competition – possibly the biggest music blog competition ever seen – with the SuperDeluxeEdition.com CHRISTMAS ADVENT GIVEAWAY.
Every day from tomorrow, 3 December, until Christmas Day, we will open our competition advent calendar ‘window’ at 8am GMT and reveal the prize for that day. 12 hours later at 8pm GMT a winner for that prize will be randomly selected from everyone who enrols to be part of this prize draw and announced on the blog. ENTRY IS FREE. To enrol and automatically be entered into all 23 prize draws simply do the following:
That is all there is too it! Each day the prize is randomly selected, as is the winner. The nature of this competition is that you don’t know what you’re going to win until you win it. Please enter into the spirit and no complaining – if you’re lucky enough to win something that you don’t like (or need). You have the option to inform us that you don’t want it, or why not just give it away to someone you know!
Regular readers of SuperDeluxeEdition will know that we cover a broad spectrum of artists and eras, and will also be aware that we give away GREAT prizes.
To give you an idea of the quality of the gifts behind the 23 advent ‘windows’ in this giveaway here’s some of the prizes included: Pink Floyd/The Wall 7-disc Immersion Box Set, Emerson Lake & Palmer (2CD+DVD-A Deluxe Edition), T. Rex/Electric Warrior (2CD Deluxe Edition), The Doors Live At The Bowl ’68 (CD), Led Zeppelin/Celebration Day (2CD+Blu-ray), Frankie Goes To Hollywood/Frankie Said (CD), Elvis/Prince From Another Planet (3-Disc Deluxe), Kirsty MacColl/Kite (2CD Deluxe), Jesus And Mary Chain/Darklands (2CD+DVD Deluxe Edition), Propaganda/Wishful Thinking (CD) and many more!
This competition is open to everyone with no restrictions. Good luck – it all starts tomorrow at 8am GMT!
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED***
We have a copy of the superb Elvis deluxe release Prince From Another Planet to give away.
This set documents Elvis Presley‘s performance at Madison Square Garden in 1972, with two full sets on two CDs and a DVD containing fan-filmed footage of one of the performances as well as a documentary about the concerts. A full review of this release can be found here.
To enter the competition, simply visit our Facebook page and follow the instructions on the Elvis post. Good luck!
Vinyl records continue to experience a boom in popularity amongst audiophiles and record collectors. The industry is responding to this with a wave of releases and reissues over the autumn/early winter period.
With labels often making the effort to cut from original analogue master tapes, press onto 180g heavyweight vinyl and replicate original packaging, it’s easy to see the appeal for the turntable-owning music lovers.
Here’s our pick of the best of recent and forthcoming vinyl boxes and reissues.
All the albums pressed on heavyweight vinyl, lovingly tweaked from the original 2009 remasters to ensure superb sound on the vinyl medium. More here.
Superb pressing from the original master tapes of Little Feat’s second studio album. This comes in a gatefold sleeve as per the original release. These features the classic Willin’.
Out next week, this remastered vinyl of the Mellon Collie album features the original record spread out over 8 sides (4 LPS) for the first time to ensure optimum sound and it comes housed in 12×12 rigid slipcase with two books containing personal notes, new collage artwork, and lyrics. More here.
All the Who studio albums remastered for vinyl, with original packaging in a sturdy rigid box. More here.
Pressed on 180g BLUE vinyl, this classic record is cut from the original analog master tapes and has never sounded better. Order here (UK) or here (Germany).
Heavyweight vinyl boxed: Albums within are A Trick Of A Tail (1976), Wind & Wuthering (1976), And Then There Were Three (1978), Duke (1980) and Abacab (1981). More here.
The three Beat albums on vinyl plus an exclusive ‘Dub’ 12-inch vinyl selection. More here.
All of Elbow’s albums to date, on seven heavyweight vinyl double gatefold LPs.Comes with a USB stick holding all the albums as high resolution WAV files. More here.
This five-LP box set is out next week on 3 December 2012. It comes with a 24-inch square poster and a 28-page booklet with sleeve notes by Irmin Schmidt and Ian Harrison. The records will be pressed onto 180g heavyweight vinyl. More here.
A set containing vinyl replicas of all three studio albums with printed inner sleeves, a B-sides collection and a double live album from 1994. More here.
Nine albums from the Ozzy-era remastered from the original tapes, with original packaging and inserts. Download code for all content included. More here.
All seven of Blur’s albums (no bonus tracks) collected together in this limited set. Order this set here for the UK, here for US, here for Canada or here for Germany.
