Surroundablog

Pink Floyd Immersion....

EMI is making yet another trip to the Pink Floyd well......and they're unleashing a deluge of previously unreleased live material, alternate cuts and......a surround sound version of "Wish You Were Here"!

The "Discovery Series" consists of the entire catalogue of remastered albums in one box set (or individually) hits the market on September 27. All 14 original Studio albums have been painstakingly digitally remastered by James Guthrie (co-producer of The Wall), and are reissued with newly crafted packaging and booklets created by the band’s long-time artwork collaborator Storm Thorgerson. These ‘Discovery’ albums are designed as an introduction to the artist, with all booklets including full album lyrics.

The "Experience editions" are expanded versions of classic albums in a Digipak bonus disc format. Included are the original remastered album, a disc of additional material and an expanded CD booklet. Experience editions:

The "Dark Side of The Moon" Experience boxset (September 27)
Includes a 2nd disc of a live performance of Dark Side of the Moon at Wembley in 1974

"Wish You Were Here" Experience boxset (November 8)
Includes a 2nd disc of previously unreleased studio and live recordings

"The Wall" Experience boxset is a 3 disc set (few details so far) (February 28, 2012)

And then the "Immersion" series.....Immersion Editions present the complete artistic experience. Lavishly packaged in a sturdy 29cm square box, the sets contain remastered, previously unreleased and audio-visual material, plus much additional content – reproduced memorabilia, brand new graphics, art prints, collectors’ items, lavish booklets and more. It looks like the boxes will be a mixture of dvd and blu-ray with more info to come....but so far...

The "Dark Side of the Moon" Immersion box features 6 discs of audio and video content with many previously unreleased segments of 5.1 Concert Film footage from the early '70's. I suspect one of the discs will be the discontinued sacd version and maybe we'll get the Alan Parsons version too (fingers crossed). It too comes out Sept. 27th.

The "Wish You Were Here" Immersion box features 5 discs of audio and video and includes the quad mix as a special bonus. It's out November 8th

"The Wall" Immersion contains 7 discs of studio and live performances and will probably include a remastered "Is there anybody out there" set. Further details are sketchy but hopefully the set will also include previously unreleased video footage and live cuts...

All editions are available for preorder on Amazon....see www.whypinkfloyd.com for more info...

 

 

 

Surroundagoth.....

 

Paradise Lost (Draconian Times: Legacy Edition) CD

The album has been fully re-mastered and has SEVEN previously unreleased bonus tracks added. These comprise two demos from the original 1994 sessions and five live tracks recorded on the original European tour in 1995. The second disc is a DVD and comprises a brand new 5.1 mix of the original album. Additionally, the DVD features the promo videos for the singles Forever Failure and The Last Time plus Hallowed Land (recorded live at the 1995 Dynamo Festival). Disc 1: CD – remastered album + SEVEN previously-unreleased tracks 1. Enchantment (6.03) 2. Hallowed Land (5.03) 3. The Last Time (3.27) 4. Forever Failure (4.18) 5. Once Solemn (3.04) 6. Shadow Kings (4.41) 7. Elusive Cure (3.21) 8. Yearn for Change (4.20) 9. Shades of God (3.55) 10. Hands of Reason (3.58) 11. I See Your Face (3.17) 12. Jaded (3.29) 13. Enchantment (5.03) * 14. Last Desire * This song never previously released in any form) (3.10) * 15. Forever Failure (4.21) ** 16. Shadow Kings (4.49) ** 17. Once Solemn (3.05) ** 18. Hallowed Land (5.11) ** 19. The Last Time (Live Germany 1995) (3.41) ** Disc 2: DVD – original album mixed to 5.1 + 3 bonus promo videos 1. Enchantment (6.03) 2. Hallowed Land (5.03) 3. The Last Time (3.27) 4. Forever Failure (4.18) 5. Once Solemn (3.04) 6. Shadow Kings (4.41) 7. Elusive Cure (3.21) 8. Yearn for Change (4.20) 9. Shades of God (3.55) 10. Hands of Reason (3.58) 11. I See Your Face (3.17) 12. Jaded (3.29) Bonus video footage: 1. Forever Failure (4.48) 2. The Last Time (3.36) 3. Hallowed Land (5.15) ** * Demo from 1994 ** Live in Germany 1995

The tale of a slow rush to surround...

While listeninhg to the remaster of Rush's epic "Moving Pictures" in 5.1 this morning I did a quick search of the news in hopes of uncovering details of forthcoming Rush multifun releases. I came across this month's article from Sound and Vision....

 

 

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/2011/04/rush-fountain-surround

Emerson Lake and Palmer Legacy Editions

This month's edition of Prog Rock contains the following tidbit..

"It might only seem like yesterday that another raft of ELP reissues appeared but the recent sale of the band's back catalog from Universal to Sony means this year will once again see the band's majestic past raked over. What will undoubtedly thrill any ELP fan wil be the news of impending Legacy editions of, initially, "Tarkus" and "Pictures at an Exhibition" which will come with new 5.1 remixes (rumours currently suggest at the hand of Steven Wilson), extensive sleevenotes and bonus materials ...!

 

Addicted to that Rush....1 remaster at a time...

Finally.....these have been hinted at for a couple of years now...bring on the '70's "2112", "Fly by Night", "Farewell to Kings", "Hemispheres", the debut......I'm feeling dizzy now.....

The reissue of this seminal album will be available in two formats: (1) a digitally remastered CD plus DVD and (2) a digitally remastered CD plus Blu-ray. For this Deluxe Edition, the DVD & Blu-ray discs will feature the album and three bonus music videos, "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight" and the previously unreleased clip "Vital Signs," in both a stunning 5.1 surround sound mix supervised by the band's Alex Lifeson using the original multi-tracks and in newly remastered stereo from the original analog master tapes. Both DVD & Blu-ray formats will boast the 5.1 surround sound and stereo audio in 96kHz/24-bit high-resolution audiophile playback which offers 256 times more resolution than CD audio, providing the listener with the closest experience you can have to what the artists hear in the studio. The DVD is playable on both DVD-Audio and DVD-Video players, the latter players will include DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and PCM stereo playback. The Moving Pictures experience has never sounded better or been more moving. Also included in the package is an extensive gallery with previously unreleased photos from the original recording sessions, new liner notes by renowned music journalist David Fricke and 30th anniversary artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme.

Disc: 1
1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight
5. The Camera Eye
6. Witch Hunt
7. Vital Signs
Disc: 2
1. Tom Sawyer (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
2. Red Barchetta (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
3. YYZ (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
4. Limelight (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
5. The Camera Eye (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
6. Witch Hunt (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
7. Vital Signs (Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo)
8. Tom Sawyer (Music Video - 5.1 & Stereo)
9. Limelight (Music Video - 5.1 & Stereo)
10. Vital Signs (Music Video - 5.1 & Stereo - Previously Unreleased)

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Another King Crimson ProjeKct on DVD-A and Vinyl...

A King Crimson ProjeKct, A Scarcity Of Miracles is the debut release from (Jakko) Jackszyk, (Robert) Fripp, and (Mel) Collins.

Featuring a dream rhythm section comprising Gavin Harrison and Tony Levin, ASOM is a sonically rich and detailed collection of surprisingly accessible and heartfelt songs which boasts a seductive, widescreen production.

Echoing elements of King Crimson's unique vocabulary, while presenting a unified group sound far removed from anything previously released under the KC name, A Scarcity Of Miracles manages to be both intimate and epic, complex yet immediate.

Honouring a great band's legacy, whilst undoubtedly taking it somewhere new, ASOM is the Crimson related album your wife and ballad loving friend might just fall in love with!

'One of my favourite albums of those where I am a determining element. It has the Crimson gene, but it is not quite KC.' - Robert Fripp

The album comes as a standard cd, a heavyweight 200gm gatefold vinyl edition and in a deluxe cd / dvda version (which features a 5.1 mix, 24/96 stereo, the ASOM video, and an album's worth of alternate mixes and improvs from the original sessions).

Pre-order for 30th May release.

Circles out now in multifun edition..HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A new webpage for the Kscope edition of Circles, the second album from Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison and the multi-instrumentalist, singer and extended range bass player 05Ric, is now online at: www.kscopemusic.com/gavinharrison. The site features info about the album along with audio samples of some of the tracks.

For this Kscope edition the album has been extended to a 2CD set that includes the original album plus a 5.1 surround mix. It is available in stores now, as well the Kscope store. Click here to order your copy.

The project is the result of a chance meeting between the two which led to one of the most interesting and complex musical collaborations in recent years. 05Ric has developed a fresh, exciting, style of singing and virtuoso playing, which blended with the extraordinary drumming of Gavin Harrison has produced some unique results.

Circles picks up from where their debut Drop left off. The 10 songs feature Ric's amazing extended range bass and haunting vocals - along with Gavin's mind bending rhythmic designs and unusual expressions on the drums.

Tracklist
Disc 1 CD / Disc 2 DVD-A
1. Circles
2. Source
3. Last Call
4. Crisis
5. Faith
6. Scar
7. Break
8. Beyond The 'A'
9. Eye
10. Goodbye

For more information and audio samples from Circles, visit the web page at: www.kscopemusic.com/gavinharrison

The Best Of Aretha Franklin (Quadraphonic)

The Best Of Aretha Franklin (Quadraphonic Coming this August from Rhino Handmade.....Aretha's out-of-print 1973 Quadraphonic album released for the first time ever on DTS DVD! It features four channels of 24-bit, 96 kHz audio (down-scalable to 24-bit, 48 kHz).

It consists of 12 tracks including an extended version of "Rock Steady" and a rare version of "Chain Of Fools"...
Released on 08/17/10

Whew....I for one am glad that Rhino has jumped on the Quad-wagon. This release will be a nice complement to to the Chicago Transit Authority Quadtastic presentation of earlier this year...

For its second Quadio release, Rhino Handmade gives “Respect” to one of the greatest singers of all time with a reissue of The Best Of Aretha Franklin, a collection of stone-classic soul music that was released in 1973 exclusively in Quadraphonic. Out-of-print for decades, this music-only DVD features unique quad mixes by legendary producer Tom Dowd that have not been available since the original release.
 
Featuring four channels of 24-bit, 96 kHz audio (down-scalable to 24-bit, 48 kHz), this DTS DVD is to be played in a DVD player with Surround Sound in order to enjoy the Quadraphonic mix as intended. The release does not include a two-channel stereo mix.
 
THE BEST OF ARETHA FRANKLIN (QUADRAPHONIC MIX) contains 12 tracks, including an extended version of “Rock Steady” with music by the Memphis Horns that was cut from the stereo version and can only be heard in this Quadraphonic mix. The disc also includes a rare version of “Chain Of Fools” with an extended introduction. This version was released in stereo in 1995 as part of Rhino’s expanded edition of Lady Soul.
 
These songs spotlight Franklin during her white-hot run with Atlantic Records and capture the singer at the pinnacle of her hitmaking prowess. The collection opens with “Respect,” a song that topped both the Pop and R&B charts in 1967 and went on to become the singer’s signature hit. The disc gathers many of the Queen of Soul’s crown jewels and accounts for no less than eight #1 R&B hits, including “Baby, I Love You,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Don’t Play That Song, “Call Me,” and a cover of the Simon and Garfunkel ballad “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
 
One of the earliest offerings of what would later be known as Surround Sound, Quadraphonic sound uses four channels and speakers placed in four corners of a room to create signals that are independent of one another. To learn more, visit Rhino Handmade’s primer on Quadraphonic sound at www.rhino.com/global/what-quad .

2nd Round of SHM-SACDs just announced...

Here comes round 2 of what promises to be an exciting marrying of Super Audio with a new manufacturing technique known as Super High Material. Speaking from my own experience and ears I can say that the stand alone SHM titles already in rotation sound considerably fuller, warmer, image better and thus more closely represent the listening experience of vinyl'd analog. Although I haven't been able to audition the first series of SHM-SACD yet I can say with all humility that I'm making room on my shelves for more....more....

Coming on August 25....Kiss "Destroyer"10CC "Original Soundtrack", Black Sabbath "Paranoid", and debut releases from Dire Straits and Blind Faith!

The Who and Steely Dan AND Velvet Underground SHM-SACD....!

 

We've just received word of 3 brand new soon to be highly sought after SACDs coming out of Japan. The first is The Who's extraordinary "Who's Next"  and Steely Dan's"Aja" AND The Velvet Underground and Nico. All 3 will be released in the new SHM-SACD format which will of course play on an SACD player but will NOT play on a regular cd machine. 

At press time we are unable to confirm if these are stereo-only or multichannel releases. Since Aja was remastered for quadrophonic play it would not be surprising to hear this remarkable album shimmer once again in multichannel...