Out This Week / on 27 July 2018

Art of Noise / Moments in Love (2CD)
BMG are launching a new series this week called under the moniker, ‘The Master Collection’. These are budget two-CD sets from artists such as Art of Noise, Thomas Dolby, Mike + The Mechanics, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Status Quo and more.
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Art of Noise
Moments in Love - 2CD set
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Mike + The Mechanics
Silent Running - 2CD set
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Thomas Dolby
Hyperactive - 2CD set
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Lucky Man - 2CD set
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Status Quo
Pictures of Matchstick Men
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Uriah Heep
Easy Livin - 2CD set
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Just got the Thomas Dolby release AT his new “Evening Of Music and Storytelling” tour, which I caught in Atlantic City yesterday, and it was an AMAZING show…it was just like auditing one of his courses he holds in Music & New Media at Johns Hopkins University, without paying the $65K tuition costs(!!)…he was quite entertaining and articulate, had loads of interesting stories in the music biz over the past 30 years…one of the best was with Bowie and he had the video to prove it. Another which got a reaction involved the hot sister of video director Steve Barron, who was supposed to direct one of Dolby’s videos, but was commissioned to the US to direct Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” instead. Hmmmm. Anyhoo, this hot sister said he had some great ideas and should direct his own vidclips instead, but he had no clue what to do, so she offered to show him the ropes while she directed some of her own, including one by the Human League(!!)…anyhoo, after falling head over heels in love with this woman and “following her around like a puppy dog” (his words), she proceeded to dump him for the lead singer of Curiosity Killed The Cat…whom Tom was miffed by and without reflex, called them CRAP…was just cracking up, haha. Anyhoo, he has a new book out and based on this night and the handful of entertaining stories…coming to NYC at age 18 with his first band, Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club is another…is prob a real cracking read…what a killer resume he has!!
As with this collection…I didn’t have any Dolby in mine, so I bought it at the show ($12) and he signed it, really nice guy…but no booklet at all and just barebones info under the CD trays in the double digipack, which explains why it’s so cheap…prob the others in the series are the same type of package with no booklets. BUT the sound quality is great, both discs filled up over 60 minutes each…and the track selection/sequence is great (wish it has the 12″ version of “She Blinded Me With Science” over the regular 7″ version) …and having heard it in full on the roadtrip home, is a nice crashcourse in his catalogue…Tom said BMG wants him to do a new record and they might reissue his back catalogue, have to wait & see…
The Two Towers has just shipped from the US with a confirmed (all taxes included) price of £108.19.
UK price is still a rock solid £159.99. So it’s basically a £51 gamble that it’ll make it in one piece. Which with the current poor packaging I see, is what every amazon Vinyl order is.
A strip of 7 air-pillows randomly chucked into a large box with another smaller box is not packaging!
Exactly what the world needs. Another compilation of early Status Quo material.
C’mon BMG, give it up and give us proper expanded versions of the early albums instead, with all available bonus material!
The definition of “Single use plastic” and that is being kind.
The Bob Dylan set is cheapest (£7.99) at HMV at the moment. If you’ve pre-ordered from Amazon UK (lowest price to date £8.75), it might be worth letting them know via the “Would you like to tell us about a lower price?” link on the item page – and maybe they’ll reduce the price before Friday.
Styx the mission on bluray audio 5.1 mix also this week
“Hello,Friends!”
(one for us fans) ;-)
Disappointing that SF Sorrow, like Odessey and Oracle, lacks a proper high resolution digital version.
Just a warning about that Mike & The Mechanics compilation as it mostly uses the 2014 remasters which are horrible and ear bleeders. Better of with Hits or buying their albums individually.
Hi Paul, you must know about the Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake 50th Anniversary issues but what do you know about the mastering?
But the best thing out this week is Big Big Train’s Live album, Merchants of Light……
Also coming out this week: Polydor’s Moody Blues vinyl reissues. Anybody know why they’re not reissuing In Search of the Lost Chord?
Pretty Things – S.F. Sorrow 50th Anniversary Edition is out this week. Great Band – Great Album. Yeah I know you`ve got this album already, once, twice, three or more times. Well so have I. These guys ain`t rich unlike Rubber Lips and His Band of Wrinkles, they are having to stop touring due to members` ill health. So they are welcome to my order and a REAL THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC GUYS.
https://burningshed.com/the-pretty-things_s-f-sorrow_50th_edition_boxset?filter_name=The%20Pretty%20Things&filter_sub_category=true
Well said and very true. I live on the Isle of Wight as does Dick Taylor who plays from time to time.
I have got this album numerous times, but well worth getting, as is Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky.
As you say, thank you for the music guys.
The Dolby release is really just a mish-mash of the late noughties CD re-releases and some of the cheaper ‘best of’ type compilations. From a quick scan of the Amazon listing I can’t see anything of particular interest if you are already even a vague Dolby collector (please forgive me if I have missed something or Amazon update their listing).
Unless you are a completist, that is.
In line with the comments re the Dolby release, the Mike & the Mechanics 2CD is a rather odd combination of a smattering of hits with a lot of ‘deep’ cuts (or less charitably, ‘filler’).
Rather like those motorway service station CDs calling themselves ‘The Best Of’ where you only recongnise the first 2 songs on the album….
And bit like the number of road signs an increasing number of motorway drivers can only recognize…and I don’t drive.
(sorry)
Also out on Friday is the Live at the Troubadour release from Michael Nesmith & The First National Band Redux on the always-reliable 7a Records. It’s the show form January this year.
Shame the Dimitri album has only got 3 new mixes on it and a load of instrumentals I will probably never play as the rest are all on Chic box already
‘The Master Collection’ CDs are actually featured in hmv’s 2 for £10 offer, so even more of a bargain!
I know you cannot possibly list every release but I would have thought the Moody Blues reissues on vinyl this week might have merited a mention.
Not a criticism as this is my favourite website on the internet , apart from the fact you have cost me a fortune !
Sorry for not mentioning, but thanks for bringing them to people’s attention, Tony :)