Surroundablog

Ringo Starr 5.1

Ringo Starr 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection Release Date: March 04, 2008 Label: Koch

Ringo Starr was so enamored with The Beatles' "Love" that he wanted to do a vaguely similar release of his own disappointing catalogue. Instead of encapsulating his entire set of yawn inducing solo work he settled on his favorites from his Koch years....anyways...apparently someone is excited...

"A selection of highlights from Ringo's latter-day albums for Koch, 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection is designed as a sampler for audiophiles and it should please most of that crowd...(except those that wanted true DVD-Audio instead of Dolby Digital).  This concentrates not on his steady stream of live recordings but rather his strong latter-day solo albums -- records that draw heavily from the lush sound of latter-day Beatles, so they lend themselves well to being opened up via Surround Sound. Of course, this is not a necessary purchase for listeners who don't enjoy immersing themselves with 5.1 sound, but for those who do, it's a nice experience." Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Black Sabbath The Dio Years MVI

Before you too get too excited...it's a stereo release. Another "why not multichannel" especially considering the quadrophonic release of Paranoid some 35 years ago...

 

• 2-DISC RELEASE
• MVI + CD Featuring the Entire Dio Years CD, High Resolution PCM Stereo Mixes, and Digital Files
• Plus Videos for "Neon Knights," "Die Young," and "TV Crimes"
• Photo Gallery, Create Your Own Ringtones, Buddy Icons, Wallpapers & More

This first-ever Black Sabbath compilation spotlighting the legendary band's Ronnie James Dio-fronted era just got a whole lot heavier with its release as an enhanced Music Video Interactive (MVI) Disc. Spanning 1980-2006, the sixteen thundering tracks that appeared on the original CD release of this collection (which is included as a bonus disc) are now also presented in Advanced Resolution PCM Stereo mixes. Videos and other interactive bonus content make BLACK SABBATH - THE DIO YEARS (MVI) an experience that truly rules.

MVI is an innovative DVD-based music format that, in addition to offering all the benefits of an audio disc, delivers leading-edge video and interactive extras, plus a one-click capability to save digital music files onto a hard drive. Choice video content on BLACK SABBATH - THE DIO YEARS (MVI) includes footage of live performances of “Neon Nights” and “Die Young” from 1980 and a promo clip for 1992's “TV Crimes.” The MVI Disc also features the URTone ringtone application and ringtones for “Heaven And Hell” and “The Mob Rules,” plus a photo gallery, buddy icons, wallpapers, weblinks/ROM and a complete booklet PDF.   

When Ronnie James Dio took over lead vocals for Black Sabbath in 1979 after Ozzy Osbourne's departure, he'd already won fans worldwide as front man for Elf and Rainbow. The creative spark ignited by Dio's arrival - joining original Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice - delivered the 1980 metal masterpiece Heaven And Hell. A Top 40 album considered one of group's finest, its title became the name of the reunited Dio-fronted Sabbath that toured internationally to sold out crowds throughout 2006. 1981's The Mob Rules followed, continuing Sabbath's resurgence before Dio left for solo superstardom. 

A decade later, Dio's one-off return to Sabbath, 1992's Dehumanizer, whetted fans' appetite for more, something not realized until THE DIO YEARS, featuring the best of Black Sabbath's past Dio incarnations, plus three tracks recorded in '06: "The Devil Cried," "Shadow Of The Wind," and "Ear In The Wall." Vintage classics include "Neon Nights," "Lady Evil," "Children Of The Sea," "The Mob Rules” and “Heaven And Hell.”

NIN Ghost of what it could've been

And now for something completely different. As previously reported, the hard release of Trent Reznor's instrumental opus ships with the double cd...an additional DVD and Blue-ray. Earlier descriptions of content were somewhat foggy...but after careful examination it looks like the Blue-ray disc is a 96-24hz STEREO release with a slideshow. See HDAD....with a slideshow...curb my enthusiasm...

The accompanying DVD contains the multitracks for the release in wav form...in English; you too can deconstruct and restructure the elements into your own nifty creation. But where is the multichannel mix ala "With Teeth" and "The Downward Spiral"? Reznor was pissed when "Pretty Hate Machine" was remastered as a stereo-only product....so why didn't he master "Ghost I-IV" with multichannel in mind?

porcupine tree - lightbulb sun (remaster) (cd+dvda preorder)

A brand new edition of the long out of print 2000 studio album by Porcupine Tree. The album contains the original studio versions of PT classics such as Shesmovedon, Russia On Ice, Hatesong, and Feel So Low, and has been lavishly revamped into a definitive 2 disc set. Disc one is a CD containing a pristine remix / remaster of the album, while disc two is a DVDA (playable on any DVD player) containing the album remixed into 5.1 surround sound (in DVDA and DTS versions), as well as a 24 bit high resolution version of the stereo mix and the original 2000 mix/master. Also included are 5.1 mixes of bonus tracks Disappear, Buying New Soul, and Cure for Optimism, which were recorded during the same sessions. This is the definitive version of one of the essential albums in the PT catalogue.

How to Make $750,000 Overnight, by Trent Reznor

Editor's note: It's looking like this experiment in artist-direct is an absolute success...albeit a slow download. I finally managed to pull in the 36 tracks yesterday after 1 and a half hours of cachunk ca-chunk ca---ch-unk. I went for the 75 buck option that will ship with a multi-track dvd...I suspect Reznor will better his take-home revenue from "With Teeth" many times over. The following is from digitalmusicnews.com

Trent Reznor is already counting his money from an online, direct-channel sales initiative. Reznor is now packaging music from the latest Nine Inch Nails albuminto a mix of free and paid options. And according to the page, the high-end, $300 premium packages of Ghosts I-IV are already sold out. The top-tier option was limited to 2,500 copies. "We have SOLD OUT of the 2500 Limited Edition Packages," the site declared in bold red.

The development is the latest twist in a quickly-unfolding, do-it-yourself sales experiment, one initially spearheaded by Radiohead. Radiohead also offered a high-end option, albeit at a far cheaper price tag.

Reznor has not disclosed early-stage results on other aspects of the initiative, though the artist businessman has been fairly open with results in the past. If the Radiohead experiment is a guide, Reznor will experience a high volume of free downloads, though paid transactions are already sending serious paychecks to the artist.

NIN Experiment Gets Off to a Slooooow Start

Trent Reznor is enjoying his post-major label freedom, but independence carries its own baggage. On Sunday, the NIN creator launched an experimental album release, one that includes both free and paid elements. That echoes an earlier, groundbreaking concept by Radiohead, one that yielded mixed results.

The offer was godsend for die-hard NIN fans, though the site started buckling under the pressure. By Monday evening, the site was pulled down for maintenance reasons. "We thought we bought enough beer but too many of you showed up for the party," Reznor apologized.

But fans have other options for grabbing the content. That includes Amazon MP3, which nabbed a semi-exclusive on the album download. The complete album, available for $5, was fed to Amazon via TuneCore. Elsewhere, Reznor also seeded BitTorrent with the first part of the four-volume collection. And a traditional, physical release is slated for April 8th, according to one knowledgeable source.

Stop the presses...NIN download doesn't work

I just tried to download the latest NIN album...the site is incredibly busy and the subsequent download completes immediately and is completely corrupted. Everyone is to stop downloading NOW...so I can get it...

NIN Injecting Steroids Into Radiohead Model

I just received this from digitalmusicnews.com...now I'm going straight to the download site...Inch Nails identity Trent Reznor is now injecting steroids into the Radiohead, name-your-price sales model. Reznor started offering copies of his latest release, Ghosts I-IV, on Sunday night with a range of free and paid options.

Fans can download the first nine MP3s of the collection for free, complete with a 40-page, PDF booklet. The larger, 36-song collection is $5, a package that includes various formats.

A number of physical configurations are also offered, coupled with digital versions. A double-disc digipak, which includes a 16-page booklet, is available for $10. A four-disc version, which includes a data DVD and Blu-ray video content, is positioned for $75.

An ultra-premium version is also available for $300, in a limited edition. The numbered top tier is a four-vinyl, four-disc collection, and includes special prints, packaging and a Reznor autograph.

More information at ghosts.nin.com.