Saturday Deluxe / 16 May 2015
It’s the weekend! SDE has had a rare lie in but will now kick back with some stories and updates from the past week, along with gossip and news from the weeks to come…
Phil Collins deluxe editions
Even I was surprised at the massive response at the news this week that we can expect all of Phil Collins‘ solo albums to be reissued as deluxe editions thanks to a new deal with Warner Music. Almost 100 comments left by your good selves, and apart from the odd naysayer, it was virtually all positive and enthusiastic. We know that Face Value and Both Sides are on the way, but let’s just hope Warners can match your ambition for these titles because you want 5.1 mixes, all the bonus remixes and b-sides and perhaps some demos! 2CD+blu-ray sets were mentioned a few times. So c’mon Warners, let’s not settle for Private Dancer style 2CD sets that have significant holes in the track listing!
There were a few raised eyebrows with the mention of EIGHT studio albums but it seems the 2010 Going Back is part of this new deal. It was a number one album in the UK, so fair dos. While we’re talking about chart positions five of Collins’ eight solo albums went to number one in the UK with two (No Jacket Required and But Seriously) transatlantic number ones. While America lags behind the UK in album chart-toppers it’s a different matter for singles; the guy was a hit-machine between 1985 and 1989 with SEVEN US number ones! Some serious respect is due and I share everyone’s enthusiasm for the forthcoming releases.
Read more about the Phil Collins-Warner Music deal
Paul Hardcastle talks
Paul Hardcastle‘s classic 19 single is being reissued next week as a 14-track remix album to celebrate its 30th anniversary. This one single transformed the career of both Hardcastle and music entrepreneur Simon Fuller who left his job at Chrysalis Music to mastermind the global success of 19. Fuller named his company 19 Entertainment after the single and of course is well known for masterminding the Pop Idol franchise (amongst other things).
I spoke to Paul Hardcastle on Thursday morning and we chatted about the single and this new anniversary album. I quizzed him on why he left some of the period remixes off and you can read the interview in full early next week.
Check out the details of 19: The 30th Anniversary Mixes
Rio: dancing on the sand… again
In a rather unusual move, it has been announced that the now out-of-print two-CD deluxe of Duran Duran‘s Rio is being reissued in June.
Although content-wise this double disc reissue is pretty good (demos, remixes, B-sides and most importantly the US-album mixes) the presentation was only okay. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think EMI ever got the packaging right for Rio reissues. In 2001 the label released the album in limited edition mini-LP style packaging which reproduces the cover more accurately than the 2009 set (the purple is much better) but for some reason it’s a gatefold and the original UK vinyl was never a gatefold. The content of this version is rubbish though, since it’s an ‘enhanced’ CD with just a few bonus videos and “live weblink”.
The 2009 ‘book’ packaging was quickly abandoned for subsequent Duran Duran reissues meaning the deluxe editions are a right old mish-mash of books, lift off lid boxes and for Arcadia’s So Red The Rose, old-style ‘fat boxes’. We can now add a fourth to that lot because the new Rio deluxe is a digi-pack! It remains to be seen if Warners (who now own DD’s back catalogue) will reissue the others in similar fashion.
Read more about the Rio reissue
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I wrote to Warner Bros. asking them whether they’re considering adding the 5.1 mixes to the upcoming deluxe editions. No answer.
We’ve still got a few months to go. If there’s so much enthusiasm and excitement here, are we making sure Warner is aware of it?
Paul, do you have any leverage with Warner? Do you know anybody there? Have you tried contacting them?
Who else here has written to them?
MDLP stands for meridian lossless packing. The reason why I still buy physical media, is the second hand value. If you buy a 24/96 download, (I assume you pay for it) then, what is it worth after you downloaded it?
The second reason is that, with the download you do not get any booklet.
Sometimes you get a pdf file, but on most occasions you get nothing.
If anyone owns a Patricia Barber mobile fidelity sacd, please check on amazon.co.uk what they are worth right now. And then, ask, if anyone would even consider, buying a downloaded file from you. Dvd has had it’s day in the sun, it should best be forgotten . Or then release music as YES has done, cd+blu-ray AND cd+dvd. That solves the problem. Another small technical difference between multichannel sound on dvd vs blu-ray is that dvd usually has 24/48 5.1 where as blu-ray has 24/96 5.1. Vinyl can not contain 5.1 and downloads usually do not come as 5.1 so my support still goes to physical media and that is blu-ray or sacd. For those interested in blu-ray 5.1 check out this: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/mando-diao-aelita-ltd/hnum/5647099 and it comes on vinyl and cd as well. :)
Ah, I’ve only known MDLP as MLP that I recall – that would be where I was confused.
I’ve been a Phil Collins/Genesis fan for 35 years, and am incredibly happy that PC’s catalogue is finally getting some attention. As already mentioned, we know the material is out there and already complete (eg. Allen Sides 5.1 mixes, demos, etc), so why not release a definitive package with as much material as possible? If the man himself has resisted the opportunity til now, surely he wants to present his entire solo catalogue with the care and quality that it deserves.
This is the first time PC’s albums have been given this treatment, so if my hopes come to pass then Blu-ray is the only format that will hold that amount of data (unless spread over 2 DVD’s, or edited down CD/DVD package). The brilliant XTC re-releases have shown the way in how to present these albums as they should be released, with the kitchen sink thrown in (due to Andy Partridge’s TLC and diligence). Sure DVD’s were available for those who haven’t upgraded yet, but they were missing material. Phil Collins is an incredibly successful artist, surely the resources are available to bring us the best possible product given that this is the first chance for a conclusive collection.
I am a Blu-ray owner and love the clarity and quality that the format gives and consider it the best we have for now. As Paul has mentioned, I hope for news regarding the best we can get from the music and packaging that we all obviously love and is the reason we come to this site. I know it’s fairly obvious but the thought of ‘In The Air Tonight’ in 5.1 (for a start), is enough reason for me to keep my fingers well and truly crossed for the best.
My support goes to vinyl and 24/96 FLAC download, physical digital is just not required in my opinion once you have an audiophile streamer why bother with CD, DVD-A or Blu Ray!
DVD-A has a capacity of 4.7 GB. With double layer it has 8.5 GB. DVD-A can not hold 5.1 in full quality. It is encoded as MDLP. The same goes for SACD 5.1. It is also packed in a space saving format. Blu-ray on the other hand, can store 25 GB in a single layer. So 5.1 can be stored on blu-ray as full 5,1 PCM without any smart packing. I resently bought the Pioneer bdp-lx88 blu-ray player. I also own the Sony scd-777es heavy duty player that plays cd and sacd in stereo. But, the pioneer sounds more open and beats the sony player even on sacd stereo. So in some cases a blu-ray player is the only player you need. I have stopped buying dvd:s back in 2009. But sometimes a deluxe edition still contains a cd+dvd, so that is when I get some dvd discs anyway. But I do not want them anymore. So my support goes to CD+Blu-ray combos.
Assuming the .1 is encoded full bandwidth (which I suspect it isn’t) a dual layer DVD-A can store just short of 82 mins of plain uncompressed audio. I’m not sure what the MD of MDLP stands for, but the LP is lossless packing, therefore in terms of sound quality is irrelevant.
As for SACD on different players, that could simply be down to analogue stages, or the amp using (more) on board settings via HDMI as opposed to analogue in. For some reason my AV amp seems to abandon speaker EQ settings when using the multi-channel analogue input.
As soon as people voice their opinions on these reissues, there is always someone who comes along to say that people should stop whinging. Well no actually, they shouldn’t. They have a perfect right to express an opinion and they are valid. It is the so-called whingers that have managed to get the record companies to listen and improve upon their plans. So, stop whinging about the whingers, because in fact they are the people who are improving things!
The XTC & Yes Blu-Ray/CD sets are an example of the best for everyone. The price is fair. The packaging fits in with the rest of one’s CDs. The Blu-Ray provides the highest quality audio, both original and remastered stereo, 5.1, and even a “needle drop” of an original LP. Plenty of bonus material. Nobody can accuse these two groups of a money grab. In order to call an album super deluxe, the minimum the artist should insist upon is to provide the best sound. A quality mastering from an original mix and/or a remix is the MINIMUM a super deluxe should contain. As we see from the XTC & Yes sets, Blu-Ray and CD satisfies everyone and can be done inexpensively. Big boxes, books, posters, photographs, scarves, marbles, sunglasses, etc. are not what the music is about. They are fun, but ultimately the music should take precedence. The Sticky Fingers Super Deluxe, using a “brick walled” CD is an example of everything wrong with a Super Deluxe release. Let Universal, Warners, Sony, etc. know!
They can put things out on as many formats as they please, but just get them right! CD, SACD, DVD, Blu-Ray, 5.1….so long as they’re quality checked and not fouled up.
Why anyone whinges at the availability of the most modern format simply because they’re not onboard yet confounds me. Is it all about you? If you don’t want in on the best available media at the moment fine, but don’t begrudge others for keep pace with technology. I know you’re asking for CDs here, which are of course, a 35 year old media, but that it might include a disc you don’t listen to seems like having *my* cake and not eating it either. Why do you care? That it costs an additional fiver? I don’t even like Phil Collins save for one song, but I would rather the best resolution be available than not. After all, we’re asking for the availability of music on CD that is otherwise found on cassette and vinyl. Does it make anymore sense to complain that its being put out on CD? So it’s okay that it’s modernized, just not too much?
Bit angry sounding! An audio upgrade to blu-ray could be circa £400 for an average quality AV amp and player – that’s quite a lot to hear a surround mix that might not be enjoyed! DVD-A is capable 24/96 in 5.1 which is easily enough resolution, and can still be played on BD players. The current seperate BD disc that Universal have been issuing is a good idea. There have been issues with playing SACD via HDMI too. I’m open to both formats, but not Blu-Ray at the expense of DVD.
I can live with old-fashioned stereo, just properly mastered and without any glitches/errors/wrong tracks etc. Sometimes I think the basics are being lost/overlooked with releases (ie simple quality control and proof-checking) in the rush to make ever swankier, complex and “impressive” deluxe editions.
Ambition is good, and completism is too, but too many reissue projects over the past year or so have been a total balls-up in one way or another. I’d like to feel more confidence in a product when it goes on sale, without having to wonder what’s gone wrong this time!
As others have said, a great recap of a busy week on SDE!
I have an Insignia BD player bought in 2011. I still had an analogue TV then, but I got the player for the enhanced audio. (And it also has region free capability). I do have another ‘better’ player. Some of the Pure Audio discs are amazing. SACD then dvd-a follow with standard dvd far behind. I prefer an original quad mix over current surround version.
…going, not doing…
Dunno why there is such an anti-DVD thing going on here. Any videos filmed in the 80s will not have been archived in HD anywhere, so why bother doing to the trouble of putting them on a blu-ray disc? DVD is perfectly capable as a medium for both video and any surround mixes from that era and anyone falling for the snake oil that is hi-res digital music needs their bumps felt!
Blu-ray does offer lossless surround which is better than anything a standard DVD-V can offer. DVD is perfectly ‘capable’ as you say, but my observation is that people who visit SDE tend to look for ‘the best’ when it comes to things, including music box sets. Blu-ray is simple ‘better’ than DVD – when it comes to video and audio. That’s a fact, not an opinion. I”m not anti-DVD, or anti-VHS, or anti-Betamax or anything else for that matter. Not withstanding Mike the Fish’s point about amps (which is a very fair point), I just don’t ‘get’ any resistance to upgrading. I guess most of us here spend what most people would consider to be a horrifying amount on music, so what’s £50 to upgrade to blu-ray?!
You are Paul the sound quality of Blu-Ray is excellent, the picture quality ain`t too shabby either.
Should say `You are right Paul`.
Come on Warner, let’s see those 5.1 mixes you know there is interest for. Standalone Blu-ray or CD+BD sets are fine by me, no interest in DVD whatsoever.
Nice catch up Paul. Good to browse what I sometimes miss through the week. The comments on The Jam post were interesting to say the least. Can’t remember you ever terminating comments before and would be greatly disappointed if SDE was invaded by net trolls so “here here” to PS for nipping it in the bud. Re DD I want Warners to finish the deluxe editions for the EMI albums before they start again THEN fix the mess EMI made out of most of them. Looking forward to ALL the Phil deluxe editions,his catalogue has been neglected for too long. Also looking forward to reading your interview with PH re 19.
My absolute pet hate is when a record company releases an artists back catalogue in a motley variety of mish mash packaging a la Duran and T.Rex. I think it shows a total lack of respect for the artists work and history. How difficult can it be for a record company when planning a reissue programme, to sit down and actually think about what type of packaging to go with, and stick with it.
Do they really think that the people who buy the product do not care?
At the expense of DVD, I mean.
No cd & blu-ray sets please. Too niche.
I don’t think blu-ray is ‘niche’ and I can’t understand why everyone who has/had a DVD player hasn’t upgraded. They are cheap, you get backward compatibility and you’re not locked into a 20-year old format (DVD). The benefits of upgrading in terms of both picture and sound are massive.
Blu-ray is niche – you need only look at the space the discs are given on the high street. It may not even stick given the increase of HD streaming.
Also in terms of audio, it’s not necessarily just upgrading the player as not all AV amps take HDMI in, not all players have multi-channel analogue out, etc.