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Peter Gabriel / Half-speed mastered 45RPM double vinyl on the way

By Paul Sinclair

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84

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Peter Gabriel’s first four self-titled albums available are to be made available on half-speed remastered double vinyl in October this year.

All four of the albums will be cut to lacquers at 45RPM across two heavyweight LPs, with the aim of delivering maximum dynamic range. Matt Colton at Alchemy Mastering has cut the vinyl with Tony Cousins at Metropolis responsible for the mastering (overseen by Gabriel’s main sound engineer Richard Chappell).

Each album comes in a gatefold sleeve with images newly re-scanned from original artwork. These all come with download cards with a choice of digital download – hi-res 24/96 or 16/44.1. The sets are numbered and limited, with 10,000 of each available for the world.

These new vinyl issues can be pre-ordered at Peter Gabriel’s online shop for £22 each although SDE recommends the great-value bundle which gets you all four for just £70. For eight pieces of vinyl and hi-res downloads, that’s a great deal.

These four albums – and the German vocal versions of Peter Gabriel’s third (Ein Deutsches Album) and fourth (Deutsches Album) records – will be released on 2 October 2015.

Update: These are now all out of stock on Peter Gabriel’s site, so see other links below (Amazon Italy and Germany are competitively priced with most sets under £20.

  • • Pre-order vinyl at Peter Gabriel’s online shop [Out of stock]

Amazon:

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84 Comments

84 thoughts on “Peter Gabriel / Half-speed mastered 45RPM double vinyl on the way”

  1. Just don’t forget that 0 and 1 take you one more step away from the master. And in between the 0 and 1 is an uncompressed needle hitting vinyl. Slow it down to hit as many cavities as it can….

  2. Just saw some of them in 3 different shops. Just realised that there were some small differences in the packaging between the US & UK releases.
    Does anyone know if they sound the same or not?
    Pricing is also different. The US ones are cheaper.

  3. I bought the 6 albums in 2 bundles via Real World, and so far have played the English albums once each. The vinyl is the ebst I have heard from modern reissues. I’ve yet to detect even the slightest defect on all four of the ones I’ve played. The sleeves are all in tact too. The packaging wasn’t that good to be honest, so perhaps I was ‘lucky’ they arrrived in good shape?
    My only comment would be the design of the gatefold sleeve for the German version of Melt (PG3) could have featured the card insert that the album came with in 1980 which featured an explanation of how the album came to be and the lyrics in German, rather than a copy of the UK inner sleeve with lyrics in English. Other than that, an absolute top job has been done with these. If we are to get “So Us Up” in this format then I’ll have no hesitancy in getting them. Hopefully we’ll get these and the rest of his catalogue on vinyl, including the titles that never made it to the format in the first place (Long Walk Home, Ovo and Secret World Live (unlikely to be pressed at 45rpm I admit).

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  6. I just purchased PG 1 (Car) and PG3 (Melt) from HMV. I figured I may as well pick them up until they are no more. I am an incredibly huge fan of Peter Gabriel’s music. He has taken his prog rock credentials and added a greater depth and emotion… as well as theatrical rock shows.
    Along with David Bowie he is a pioneer. One of the first to wear make-up.
    I am tickled pink with these reissues and cannot wait to delve into them.
    I will eventually get 2 and 4… hopefully Santa Claus will remember me this year.
    I have been good…. promise.

    Paul you have a great site and are doing a wonderful job…. dedicating a site on people’s love of music and the physical media.

    Peace and love and great music to all readers

  7. My copies arrived on the 15th despite having an email on the 12th from pg.com/UPS saying they were on there way and would be delivered on the 13th. Two days later they arrived and the excitement quickly turned to horror – all the edges of each and every cover (all 4 sets) was damaged – not a little, this is damage with a capital D. Even though the packaging wasn’t damaged at all? Whats more, every inner sleeve had split where the record had moved around in transit. I’m currently waiting for a replacement set to turn up. The email from UPS say’s it’s supposed to be today. But so far we have a ‘no show’. UPS deliver to my area around about 2pm so I’m not hopeful. Happy bunny? Nope. Especially now I’ve also read about duplicate sides and quality issues.

  9. Anyone else get two copies of Sides 1 & 2 for their PG4? ie. No Sides 3 & 4.
    There may well be a bunch of customers with two copies of Sides 3 & 4 in their packages.
    Swap shop, anyone ?

  10. I posted on the Out This Week page, but will repeat her. My copy of PG2/Scratch sounds terrible on side 3, though just for the first song. Otherwise the audio I’ve so far heard is fantastic. Not sure if I’ll be able to get the dodgy LP replaced though. Now wishing I’d bought the agerman albums when the bundle was available.

    I dowloaded the 96/24 wav files for home listening then bounced them down to CD quality for the car. I hadn’t realised I could download both!

    1. Yes Michael, you’re absolutely right. I just instinctively put FLAC & MP3 down for some reason. As you say, 16/44 AIFF and 24/96 WAV files are delivered. I’ve just downloaded all the albums myself and am happy to report that contrary to what the cards say in the albums, you can actually download both formats :)

  12. So, my albums started arriving yesterday, with the German editions arriving first, and the regular versions following today. I’m currently two thirds of the way through them and I am fast running out of superlatives to describe how good these are.

    The biggest thing, as you’d expect, is the audio quality. I’ve never heard vinyl this good before. It is staggeringly dynamic and full of depth and presence. I am incredibly familiar with these albums and yet they sound so fresh and new. Tony Cousins and Matt Colton have done a fantastic job.

    The quality of the packaging is superb. None of your dodgy Björk-style scans here. The Hipgnosis artwork looks as if it was created yesterday.

    Everything about this release oozes care and quality and they are indeed worth every penny, even if, like me, you already own these albums in whatever format. Yes, these will be of the greatest interest to vinyl fans, but these are some of the finest sounding versions of these albums ever made, regardless of format.

    When you consider the cost, particularly the packages that Real World offered, these are even more mind blowing. I’ve seen and heard utter crap for twice the money. Whether you buy them individually at £21.99 or you get them for £17.50 each in the box sets, for this degree of quality, it’s a bloody steal! How much was that ‘Rumours’ 45rpm pressing going for? I seem to remember it being £35-£40? The bottom line is, you don’t have to buy them. If you’re happy with the CD or digital versions, or even the original vinyl, that’s fantastic. That’s the beauty of choice. But as a devout fan of this man and his work, I can categorically state that these are the finest versions of these albums I’ve ever heard. I prefer them over the SACD’s, for sure.

    My only quibble? PG4 came with an incorrect download code but that’s in the process of being fixed. Oh, and you can only download one version of the downloads. FLAC or MP3, not both. Not quite sure why that is as it will hardly deter file sharers who can easily convert down to MP3. Odd.

    And now for the rest of his albums. Peter’s FB page posted a short video of the ‘So’ 45rpm half speed lacquer playing yesterday, so I expect that’ll be coming up soon. Will it be followed by ‘Us’ and “Up’? I think it will. Will they do all the soundtracks (Birdy, Passion, OVO, Long Walk Home)? I do hope so. I’d happily give the Scratch my Back stuff a swerve but I’d kill for ‘Plays Live’ ;-) And let’s not forget the new album which is in the works!

  13. This update just in via email from petergabriel.com…

    “If you have ordered the albums from the Real World Store, then your package has already been picked up and is now winging its way to you via UPS. We hope, that in pretty much all cases, your album(s) will arrive with you on Friday. If not, it will be very soon after.

    Unfortunately, we have discovered that Peter Gabriel 2 (aka Scratch) is missing the intended lyric sheet insert. If you ordered the album from the Real World Store then we are pleased to say that we have been able to include the lyric sheet in with your order. However, if you have pre-ordered Peter Gabriel 2 from another retailer or if you buy the album over the coming weeks, then the insert will be missing. We were very disappointed to discover this news, so we have agreed with our distributor Caroline International, that anyone who has bought the album but finds that the lyric sheet for Peter Gabriel 2 is missing can have the insert sent to them. We will send you full details on what to do to claim your insert in the next day or two.

    We’re also sorry to confirm that the release date for the albums in the USA has had to move back to 30 October. This is the result of a manufacturing delay. We have done everything possible to try and keep the US release date in line with the rest of the world but, unfortunately, it has not been possible. If you are based in America and ordered the LPs from the Real World Store, then you will still receive your albums this week. The change of release date only relates to US based retailers (including Amazon.com).

    All the albums have been Half-Speed Remastered and cut to lacquers at 45RPM, across two heavyweight 180g LPs to deliver maximum dynamic sound range. They come in gatefold sleeves, utilising imagery from the initial first LP pressings, sourced and re-scanned from original artwork.

    Here’s what the reviews have been saying about the 2LP re-issues so far:

    “… scrupulously repurposed as sonically superior 180g double-vinyl 45rpm sets” – Record Collector

    “We are told that they have never sounded so good, and Prog are delighted to say that on listening, they truly never have” – Prog Magazine

    “It sounds like Gabriel is there, stood right next to you, singing, whispering and imploring. It’s hard to fault Gabriel’s unwavering commitment to his craft” – Q Magazine

    “These are significant records. Gabriel’s personal and professional re-birth” – Uncut Magazine

    “In just five years [Gabriel] had built a solo canon to rival Bowie himself” – Classic Rock

    We very much hope that you enjoy these re-issues.

    Happy listening.

    All the best from petergabriel.com”

  14. Can I address the comment: “SDE recommends the great-value bundle which gets you all four for just £70”.

    You rally do have to hand it to the record industry, whenever they find themselves in real trouble, they find a way out of it. I’d applause if it weren’t so pitiful.

    So four albums of material – which at the time of writing can be had on CD for around about £4 a piece – for £70 now constitutes “great value” does it? Wow.

    Yes I know they’re Vinyl, yes I know they’re mastered at 45 RPM. But man, Vinyl lovers sure d0n’t mind paying way over the odds. It’s absolute madness that these recordings are going for this much. People were up in arms about the So Deluxe a year or so ago – but it contained a whole lot more than this. We really are being fleeced, but this time we’re doing it with a big smile on our faces.

    The music here is excellent, no doubt. From the cover shot – since they’ve gone with double-albums (that should be fun, changing sides every two songs) – the original cover art is bastardized too.

    I consider myself an audiophile (others might disagree), but the world has gone mad. I’m sorry.

    1. Hang on a second… you’re getting 8 heavyweight vinyl records. They are all pressed at 45RPM and packaged in gatefold sleeves. And you get hi-res downloads for each album. Qobuz are charging £8 each for CD quality downloads of these albums, so just the downloads of hi-res are likely to cost you around £40-ish. Which means all that physical product costs you £30.

      Even forgetting about the downloads, an ‘audiophile’ pressing of a double album, with high-end packaging for £17.50 is a pretty good deal. You can buy virtually ANY album on Amazon from Marketplace sellers for a few pounds or even pence. I don’t really see how that is relevant.

      Why bother buying a new car, when your old one still basically does the job? People enjoy luxuries if they can afford it.

  16. I recall that 45 RPM 12″ Singles were louder and had more base than standard 33 RPM versions because the grooves were wider spaced and deeper and you were getting more information. They will probably sound better. However, they will never sound better than the master tapes or high resolution audio at 24Bit 96kHz or 192kHz. The listening experience will suffer because you will be up and down every 12 minutes. But hey, you can always needle drop it to your computer at 24Bit 192kHz.

  17. BEWARE SPOILER ALERT . lets not forget as great as these hi res reissues are hyped up to be ? after that needle rips into that virgin vinyl for that first time . its never going to sound the same there after . ? cd always .

  18. I’ll say what I always say when newly re/mastered albums are re-released… it doesn’t matter how much budget has gone into the fancy sonic repackaging if the vinyl is badly pressed.
    Any intel on which pressing plant is handling these would be greatly appreciated.

  20. Wonder if it really worth it. Double LPs on 45RPM speed. Didn’t bother checking or reading all the comments, but with most or all the albums at 46 minutes or less, even if the 4th LP side was blank, that would mean at most about 15 minutes a side or if actually on all 4 sides, at most 12 minutes a side, that is a lot of LP flipping.

  21. I appreciate that these are finally available in good sounding vinyl releases but how about gathering up all of those stray singles, b-sides, extended CD releases, remixes, son dreck contributions and finally putting them out in a good sounding CD, Blu-Ray, DVD and vinyl release instead of reissuing older stuff again and again?

    I’m getting burned out these deluxe reissues where I have to rebuy an album I already have just to get the stuff I don’t. The industry needs to listen to the consumer or this will crash again just like it did when digital downloads first became available.

  24. The claims made in the promo film are ridiculous, at the end of the day it all depends on how good your hifi is. I especially had to laugh at “it sounds better than the master tape”. That just sounded like desperation. What this film tells me is not too buy any other 33rpm reissues because they don’t sound any good.

  28. Hi. I have just ordered the 4 LP bundle on the Peter Gabriel website (having been unable to yesterday) for the £ 69.99. So if you are interested, it seems to be back in stock.

  30. Getting a bit fed up now of expensive new vinyl reissues – I have lots of old vinyl, and it does me just fine. If there were some Peter Gabriel CD/Blu-Ray reissues with some rare/unreleased tracks included I would be in like a shot. But I’m going off the idea of buying the same tracks over and over again just because they are remastered.

  34. They will be back in stock at Real World sometime today I am reliably informed and Amazon UK will be listing them too at some point.

  35. In the end I placed my order through Amazon.de for the four British albums. Works out about a tenner more than the (out of stock) vinyl, but should they become available (more cheaply) on AmazonUK then I’ll switch my order.

    Not really too concerned about paying a little extra to go through Amazon – the last couple of times I purchased vinyl through RealWorld the packaging was, frankly, rubbish.

  37. This on the Real World website answers my first question….

    “DUE TO HIGH DEMAND WE ARE CURRENTLY UNABLE TO TAKE ANY FURTHER PREORDERS OF BUNDLE 1-4 or INDIVIDUAL 1,2,3,or 4.”

    Pre order from Amazon de for the four English language titles works out with postage €112 /£81 so not too bad

  38. Now showing as ‘out of stock’ in red writing for the bundle and the individual english language PG 1-4. Anyone know if that’s it for the official store quantities? Are the ones Amazon.de selling identical to the official sit? ie numbered and come with download cards?

  39. The German version of PG4 has a number if differences compared to the English version – Kiss of Life and Wallower are the most notable differences in the actual tracks used. There are differences in the mix across most of the album.
    BTW Realworld are aware of the glitch with the orders and will address the issue. Keep trying though.

    1. Ha, Baward, exactly what I was thinking. Security in particular used to sound very 8-bit dull in places. I remember when Jarre’s Zoolook came out & everybody was “how’d you get a Fairlight to sound that bright?”. Looking forward to hearing the anti-aliasing in all its true fidelity. Algeron?, pass me the remastering book that deals with serious EQ tweaking.

  41. Can I also say how pleased I am that he has treated his first four albums this way – physical and hi res digital copies, and all four available as a bundle for less than the cost of the So box set.

  42. Also getting the “not enough stock” message for the four album bundle.

    The two album German bundle is also good value (£35), but I have the German 3 album already. It has a much longer version of Biko than the English version. Anyone know of any significant differences on the German 4 album.

  43. I had not issues ordering yesterday. I hope he does this with all his LP’s, including soundtracks, etc.

    Being a life long fan, I have great affinity for every era of his solo career. I purchased the (very expensive) Classic Records Clarity Vinyl 45RPM boxed sets and I look forward to hearing how these new LP’s stand up against them.

  45. One piece of information which is conspicuous by its absence in the press release – are these albums cut using a completely analogue chain from the original master tape, or are they sourced from hi-res digital files? Kinda defeats the purpose of an analogue playback system if it should be the latter…

    1. He had a DAW open on the video, but who knows if that was related. Cutting half-speed from digital is not necessarily a bad thing, as I believe tape (or tape heads) can have difficulty producing the very low frequencies that are more apparent at half speed. Apparently for analogue 2/3 speed cutting is optimum.

      1. I’ve always heard that 1/2 speed cutting enhances the high frequencies because they were the most difficult to cut. Isn’t that how the RIAA curve originally came about?

    2. Some of the albums are digitally recorded I think, so impossible to keep an wholly analogue chain. My assumption is that these are from digital files.

  46. Anyone else think the US is being overcharged? £58.33 = $91.32, €87.49 = $96.70 and USD = $139.99. Maybe I can order in British pounds sterling.

  47. Amazon Germany is selling them all for 26.99 euros each. The German editions are cheaper than on PG’s site. Also why are the German editions more expensive?

  48. Price for the 4 album bundle is $139.99 USD after VAT is removed, $74.99 for the German language set. But couldn’t get an order in either, looks like I might have to wait 2880 minutes. They could have just said 48 hours.

  49. I had issues yesterday, all day, trying to order the PG1-4 set. It was showing as in stock, but when I proceeded to the check out I got the error message about being unable to fulfill the order. It was only when the PG FB page posted an advert, that the process worked and I was able to order and pay.

    I’d also like to commend PG for the pricing on this. Double 45rpm, half speed masters often command a price premium. I’ve seen Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” 45rpm version in stores for £45. For PG to sell his at £21.99 (although first thing yesterday, they were showing at £20.99) and the bundle of all 4 for £69.99 is incredibly welcome.

  50. Hi Vince,

    Regarding the speed, a groove cut at 45 rpm has more room to capture the finer details of the audio. The natural downside of this is fewer tracks per side. If you listen to a 12″ single on vinyl, cut at 45rpm, you will notice the wider and more dynamic frequency range. This worked brilliantly for the type of music that 12″ singles were created for, i.e. dance music (disco etc.)

    Half speed mastering entails the master tape and the cutting lathe running at half the normal speed, giving the cutter more time to cut a more precise and detailed groove. Combined with the 45rpm playback, this formula has been shown to produce the finest quality playback on vinyl.

    As some have said, it involves fewer tracks per side, and therefore more manual handling, but for me, vinyl is all about that interaction :-)

    It is worth pointing out, however, that the actual mastering engineer has to produce a quality master, specifically for the destination carrier format, otherwise you’ll just be cutting rubbish, but in a high quality way! ;-)

  51. Vince – there’s a ton of information/debate to be found on the internet about 45 rpm vs 33 rpm. Try here for starters – http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/33-1-3-rpm-versus-45-rpm.244564/

    The down side for me is that you have to turn the album over more times at 45 rpm. Vinyl at 33rpm means a 20 minute listening experience per side (approx) and some albums were sequenced to work that way deliberately. Your best option is to get 33rpm and 45rpm copies of the same album and see if YOU notice a difference.

  52. How many times does Peter want to sell us the same stuff all over again? You can find good quality originals for just a few pounds if you look around.

    Make something new Peter!

    1. There are pictures of PG in the studio in recent weeks on his website working on a new album. But we know his rate of output of new material is snail like. Even including OVO we have had just 2 albums’ worth of new material in the 23 years since US was released.

  53. I honestly do not like the double 45RPM vinyl format. It may sound better, but I am listening to the record, not re-recording it. It’s bad enough when artists with 55 minute albums master it across 4 sides, making the play time about 11 minutes per side. Then have to lift and play next. That is still one thing that CD, DVD, BR and FLAC have over LP, longer time plays. LP meant Long Play at one time. But I still think that artists need to master 20 to 23 minutes per side and leave a blank side like the Decemberists did with their most recent album. It provide the best listening experience and an opportunity for a band to provide some amazing etched vinyl art.

    1. It kind of doesn’t produce the best listening experience, because dynamics will be affected cutting 20-23 mins at 45rpm, and also if the album was originally created as a two part experience the end of the first part playing continuously into the beginning of the second part can lose some of the original sequencing effect. (As can splitting the original sides to be fair.)

  55. As a casual reader of this great site, and as someone who has never bought any vinyl, could someone perhaps explain the benefits of 45 vs. 33 and half–speed remastering. Maybe put up a separate post with some terminology and explanation?

    1. At 45rpm, there is longer amount of distance travelled per second, which allows more space to cut something complicated, it’s a tiny bit like the analogue equivalent of increasing sampling rate. A half speed cut means that higher frequencies can be cut with more ease (and less cutter head wear) as a 15kHz signal is being cut at 7.5kHz. It’s like drawing something very carefully rather than a quick sketch. Approximately cutting the programme length in half per side (approx 3 tracks per side) allows more space to cut the groove without crossing what was cut on a previous resolution, which allows a louder cut, and a better signal (music) to noise (rumble/click/surface) ratio. Realistically cutting at 45rpm with half the length of material buys approx 1/3 more space per side, so hopefully greater dynamics can also be combined with not cutting so close to the end of the side (less of a problem with 45 rpm anyway as the music is not cut in such a confined space.)

      Does any of that help or make sense?

  56. I`m having trouble placing any order.

    Click proceed to PayPal and it just takes me to the top of the page despite everything being completed correctly.

    1. I hear you Liam. These are actually showing up on JB Hi-Fi for about $60 each pre-order. I’m going to grab ‘Security’ for sure, with the first album as a ‘maybe’.

  59. You’ve really got to hand it to record companies who have pulled a rabbit out of a hat and successfully resurrected physical media when all looked lost with digital downloads. Now we’re back to that old chestnut of 45 RPM, and half speed. Strange times. What’s next, quad is better than 5.1?

    The decision to release the first four albums is also to be congratulated. These were all made before Gabriel completely sold out for chart success, and began his steady decline with So. Inspired!

    1. although I don’t agree with your assessment of Gabriel’s post 4 output- (are you really suggesting US is sub-standard for instance?), I do agree that record companies have grudgingly accepted that not everyone is a mug and will pay good money for something that does not actually exist. it took a bit of time- but now they are actually getting their head round that a bit of effort is required in order to rejuvenate back catalogue and to entice punters. certainly been looing forward to these classics being given the treatment they deserve.

      1. Of course it went downhill with US AND sO !They were his opening assault on the phil collins market, from cult artist to pop star!

        1. different approaches for changing (mtv) times. at that level burying head in sand is the sign of being unwilling to embrace new challenges. that’s my take on it.

    2. Completely sold out for chart success? Solsbury Hill, Games Without Frontiers and Shock the Monkey were all hits in the UK or the US. PG3 was a No. 1 album in the UK! Sledgehammer was just on a different level because by then opportunities for marketing were greater and he had a new record company behind him to get his music to a wider audience. So is undoubtedly an easier listen than 4 but the same effort and care went into the making of it. A different producer (who was then on a roll) gave the finished material a different sheen to some of Gabriel’s previous works and this helped the record commercially.
      He followed So 3 years later after touring his backside off (largely for humanitarian causes) with an un-commercial soundtrack (Passion) to a highly controversial film and then produced an introspective solo album (US) that spawned a few minor hits. Barely a sell out I’d say.
      The income from So helped Gabriel to launch Real World Records and Studio and keep WOMAD afloat which created opportunities for musicians from around the world to be seen and heard by millions of people. I may be in a minority but all of this was fascinating to someone who was prepared to open their eyes and ears to a lot of music that otherwise would have passed me by. Alongside all of this of course PG produced Long Walk Home (even less commercial than Passion!) and Up (even less commercial that US!) and then tried a whole new approach with his covers album Scratch My Back and the accompanying New Blood. Rather than selling out I’d say Gabriel has consistently moved on, doing things he wants to do and at his own pace with little or no consideration for how successful these would be in the market.

      1. completely agree, PG is overall an altruist which is quite rare for an artist who reached his level of commercial ‘success’.- you have put what I couldn’t be bothered to explain to people who use the lazy term ‘selling out’ which is often used by musical snobs and social hypocrites. fair do’s – people can dislike certain albums of an artist they have previously supported, no problem. but stock statements regarding an implied nefarious strategy are not really legitimate argument. bit sixth form.

  60. Anyone else having trouble ordering this? I keep getting “Sorry, we do not have enough “BUNDLE OFFER – Peter Gabriel 1-4 (2LP Half Speed Remaster) PRE-ORDER” in stock to fulfill your order right now. Please try again in 2880 minutes or edit your basket and try again. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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