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Sony to issue Roger Waters Amused to Death on CD+blu-ray and 2LP

By Paul Sinclair

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39

Almost 27 months to the day when Analogue Productions announced their intention to reissue Roger Waters‘ 1992 album Amused to Death on SACD and vinyl comes the news that Sony will themselves will now re-release the former Pink Floyd bassist and songwriter’s third solo album on a CD+Blu-ray deluxe package with hi-res 5.1 and as a heavyweight double vinyl edition.

The concept album, which spawned one single What God Wants Pt. 1, is generally regarded as Waters’ best solo work and has been out of print on vinyl for decades, with the original two-LP pressing (a very small production run) commanding massive prices on the used market. This is why there was such excitement when Analogue Productions stated their intention to reissue the album.

The situation now is that the licensor (RCA/Legacy/Sony) has stepped in and is now doing we thought the licensee (Analogue Productions) was going to do. Sony will issue a CD edition, a CD+Blu-ray edition with the James Guthrie 5.1 mix and there will be two double vinyl editions: a 2LP black vinyl and a 2LP limited picture disc.

However the SACD will still be issued (details to be confirmed) and Sony/Legacy have collaborated with Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds in the US on this, and the release of the 2LP 200 gram vinyl which will be pressed on 200g vinyl at Quality Record Pressing (owned by Analogue Productions).

All editions come complete with new artwork updated for 2015 by Sean Evans, the creative director of Waters’ 2010-2013 The Wall Live tour.

Amused to Death will be reissued on 24 July 2015.

atd_cd_blu-ray

CD+Blu-ray deluxe with hi-res 5.1 surround mix

atd_lp_black

2LP Black Vinyl Edition

atd_lp_pic

2LP Limited Vinyl Picture Disc Edition

 

 

Track listing

1. The Ballad Of Bill Hubbard
2. What God Wants, Part I
3. Perfect Sense, Part I
4. Perfect Sense, Part II
5. The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range
6. Late Home Tonight, Part I
7. Late Home Tonight, Part II
8. Too Much Rope
9. What God Wants, Part II
10. What God Wants, Part III
11. Watching TV
12. Three Wishes
13. It’s A Miracle
14. Amused To Death

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39 Comments

39 thoughts on “Sony to issue Roger Waters Amused to Death on CD+blu-ray and 2LP”

  3. Dear Paul,
    I just got a new Blu-ray player, a Pioneer BDP-180.
    My old Onkyo SACD-player couldn’t handle Bowie’s Heathen SACD, this one can.
    However, I’m having problems playing Roger Waters’ Amused To Death Blu-ray Audio.
    It only plays in stereo, not 5.1.
    Used to work fine on my former Blu-ray player, a Philips BDP3100 (which didn’t play SACD).
    The Pioneer is hooked up to an Onkyo receiver, TX-NR646, via HDMI.
    Everything plays flawlessly on the Pioneer: CD, DVD, regular Blu-ray, DVD-audio.
    The receiver automatically switches to the right setting
    For instance, with Bowie’s Young Americans when dts is selected, the ‘dts’ and ’96/24′ signs light up on the Onkyo screen.
    I just can’t seem to get it work with Amused To Death in 5.1 surround.
    Do you think it’s the player?
    I hope that you can shine a light.
    Thanks very much in advance!

    Kindest regards,
    Bart Peeters

  4. “Paul Sinclair says:
    April 15, 2015 at 16:02

    There’s no VHS either… But seriously, if you’re interested in surround sound music then you should upgrade. Blu-ray audio is effectively the format of choice now for most major labels. We’re not talking a £1000 investment, you can pick players up for less than £50…”

    Got one now, although the right one cost me £299!!!!!

  5. Looks as though the record company Sony is stitching us up again! All these big record companies have fucked up their industry but still they won’t let go! I would much prefer Analogue Productions to have done what they promised originally and pressed a top class vinyl edition but instead Sony are doing what they want to do in order to maximise their profit! Such a shame!

  6. Pingback: How to buy: Roger Waters' Amused to Death vinyl and hi-res reissues | superdeluxeedition

  8. I actually like the jade effect but think it should have been available as both.

    I’m interested in this and would welcome Pros and Cons reissued like this as well.

  9. Do we know if both EU and US pressings are being pressed at Quality record pressing? I’ve been reading up on this on a few other forums and the fact that there’s a significant difference in price between both versions (£37.99 for Sony/legacy EU version and £65.30 for AP version on amazon UK at time of writing) might suggest otherwise.

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  12. Q-sound is done during mixing, so in order to remove it, they need to remix the hole album. There is no words on that they have done that. So my guess is, that the q-sound is present, on the 2 track master. The interesting thing is how did they do the 5.1 mix. I am hoping it is good.
    Cheap blu-ray players are available out there. The more expensive ones play besides CD-Blu-ray also: DVD-SACD-DVD AUDIO and HDCD.
    I recently bought the Pioneer BDP-LX88 it plays everything, even files from a hard drive.
    But you might also need a new amp and a new TV. Another Q-sound album is Richard Wrights: Broken China. Why have they not done that on CD-blu-ray yet?

    1. The first time I watched the video, I thought RW said they were remixing the stereo, but I watched again and he may have been referring to the 5.1 mix. It’s a bit ambiguous. He does go on about Q sound towards the end of the video, so I guess he must be keeping it.

    2. I’m guessing lower sales figures and Wright’s lower profile as a solo artist likely means we’ll never see reissues of his stuff. There’s just not enough money to be made by doing them.

  15. The SACD is on Amazon UK and most others so you don’t have to buy it from AP.
    I’m slightly confused by the vinyl, are US sales 200g black vinyl from AP’s Quality Record Pressing and the rest of the world Sony regular pressing and not as good quality? Also how limited is the picture disc version? I read 2500 worldwide and if that were true it would have sold out instantly.

  16. I also pre-ordered LP and SACD in sept 2013, been waiting for this. Looking at Accoustic Sounds, it looks like the SACD will be a US release instead of the BD one. Question is, should one order the BD version as well?

  18. Fantastic news. Not so happy with the “Poltergeist” cover art, but what the heck…… I have always loved this album, it’s truly a great work. To have a surround sound mix is just great, and therefore my pre-order is in!

    As for the DVD/Blu-Ray debate….. it’s certainly time to switch. Blu-Ray players are cheap, backwardly compatible, and provide better visuals than DVD. It’s a bit of a no-brainer I’d of thought.

  20. I’m glad to see that the SACD is still in the works. I pre-ordered in September 2013. I guess I’ll order this as well and see what happens.

  21. I’d be curious to know if the Qsound processing was retained for these reissues. For all its promise of an enhanced listening experience, it ended up being little more than a modern-day equivalent of mono reprocessed for stereo, making everything it was applied to sound like crap. (Sting’s The Soul Cages and Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection come to mind.)

  22. Looking forward to this release. A little sorry to see there’s no bonus audio (single edits and the like), but I don’t recall there being many/any off-cuts from this album.

    The massaged audio and surround mix should be sublime.

  23. RW refers to ‘we’ – I wonder if that means Patrick Leonard was involved in the new version?

    I can’t wait for that missile explosion in 5.1…

  24. Paul –

    Do you know if there will be any video on the Blu Ray? He did make promo videos for “What G-d Wants part 1” and “Three Wishes.” It would be great if those were included.

  26. I anticipate most ‘Deluxe’ releases nowadays with the fear of how my hopes of a defining product will be dashed by laziness, amateurism and poor quality control.

    Prove my fears unfounded Roger and Sony.

  27. Interesting. This is about the only solo Waters release I could conceive of buying again, just for the 5.1 mix. While I’m contemplating ditching my CD collection almost entirely, it seems the my box set collection steadily grows…

    1. There’s no VHS either… But seriously, if you’re interested in surround sound music then you should upgrade. Blu-ray audio is effectively the format of choice now for most major labels. We’re not talking a £1000 investment, you can pick players up for less than £50…

  29. Both “The Bravery of Being Out of Range” and “Three Wishes” saw commercial releases as CD singles.

    The original version of this album was mixed in “Q Sound” which gave a simulated surround experience. The first few times I listened to it, I thought the barking dog was coming from the neighbor’s house next door! Can’t wait to hear the 5.1 mix.

  30. That video is a real cut and paste job. He could have said anything between those edits.

    Looks like the new recording will be significantly different to the original, so anyone whose got the original vinyl or cd, they should hold their rarity value.

  31. I know it’s early days, but by chance do we know if the Blu-Ray Element is Region Free?

    The reason I ask is that it’s so much cheaper on Amazon Canada to order at the moment than all the other Amazon Regions.

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