"Brian Wilson" to be reissued on vinyl.

[Andrew G. Doe]

P.S. Just picked up "Thank God For The Radio" and "Lucky Old Sun" vinyl albums.

Don't believe I've come across that particular title before - when was it released ? Is it any good ? Do I need to hear it ?

[MBE]

Vinyl reissues these days are merely CDs pressed on vinyl. They are all pressed in plants that are not up to the industry standards the US and UK had in the 70's and 80's. The 180 gram thing is a total scam, it has nothing to do with quality sound, it is only because the vinyl is so thick there is less chance of warpage (which means less money lost for the company).

Not with this label at all.

[MBE]

This should sound better than the original LP or CD.

Anything is better than the originals. When I listen to this album, I pull out the 2000 reissued remastered CD from Rhino. Has 15 boner tracks on it. Sounds beautiful. Press a button and you can skip through the preferred songs if you want. Much easier than carefully puuuuling the vinyl out of the sleeve, carefully puuuuutting in on the turntable, carefully liiiiiifting the tone arm and carefully plaaaacing the needle on the record. Too much trouble. Too many beers and it's a pain in the assterisk to do. It ain't worth it.

I might buy one just to look at and say I have it. Like Bgas does.

Funny I like the investment you put into playing records. Sound over ease any day for me.

[hypehat]

Already got a decent sounding second hand copy....

Dismissing vinyl reissues as an industry out right is dim. Sure, there are lazy indie companies, such as Plain (who did a bunch of crappy, overpriced Spiritualized reissues), or the majors, but plenty of reissues sound the business and are done properly - the recent VDP ones on Bella Union are amazing quality pressings, properly mastered and all.

[SMiLE Brian]

Already got a decent sounding second hand copy....

Dismissing vinyl reissues as an industry out right is dim. Sure, there are lazy indie companies, such as Plain (who did a bunch of crappy, overpriced Spiritualized reissues), or the majors, but plenty of reissues sound the business and are done properly - the recent VDP ones on Bella Union are amazing quality pressings, properly mastered and all.

Same here, got a mint copy from 1988. Thanks for warning me about the spiritualized LPs.

[Steve Mayo]

i want it for his "powerful hit single Love And Mercy ".........

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Sure, there are lazy indie companies, such as Plain (who did a bunch of crappy, overpriced Spiritualized reissues)

Don't get me started on Plain. Their Mr. Bungle reissues are an atrocity.

There are a few companies out there (such as Friday Music) which do nice work. I don't think anything being pressed these days sound as good as the "good old days" of true analogue, before the dark times...before computers got all up in there and stuff...but  I still buy some select titles just to keep my vinyl collection complete. HOwever, if given a choice between a vintage pressing and a newfangled one (even one pressed with such love and care by the good people at Sundazed) most often than not the original will have that 'something something' that  the new one doesn't. Not always, but often. It's intangible, but it's there. They just don't make 'em like they used to. That's the bottom line. But there are a few good ones slipping out amongst the garbage now and then. I'm sure they'll do a good job with this new BW reissue, but for me it's not  something I need to invest in.

[hypehat]

Already got a decent sounding second hand copy....

Dismissing vinyl reissues as an industry out right is dim. Sure, there are lazy indie companies, such as Plain (who did a bunch of crappy, overpriced Spiritualized reissues), or the majors, but plenty of reissues sound the business and are done properly - the recent VDP ones on Bella Union are amazing quality pressings, properly mastered and all.

Same here, got a mint copy from 1988. Thanks for warning me about the spiritualized LPs.

[derail]
The problem is with the Spiritualized records is that there are hardly any 'vintage' pressings out there, because it was the nineties and CDs were the main mode of transport, so vinyl pressings were scarcer/crapper. To this day, I don't think I've seen a 90's pressing of Lazer Guided Melodies or Pure Phase, or Let It Come Down or Amazing Grace at all. Got an Abbey Road EP, Feel So Sad and Stop Your Crying 12"s just by luck, really. Only Ladies & Gents ones are ridiculously overpriced in 2ndhand shops, and apparently the entire run is defective anyway. If I buy another copy of Ladies & Gents (inevitable, seeing as I love it so), it's gonna be one of those 12 mini CD pill packets. Best packaging ever (and apparently different mixes....).

However, the latest ones (Songs In A&E, SHSL) are good pressings because vinyl came back in vogue by that point. So pick those up!
[/derail]

Whereas the pressings lack that 'something', I do love Sundazed for getting rarer records back into my price range. For instance, an original of the Gene Clark & The Gosdin Bros LP is going for £125 on ebay! I picked up the Sundazed one for about £17 or something. Or The Left Banke's first LP for not silly money, etc.

[SMiLE Brian]

A shame about the earlier albums, I hope somebody releases them properly on vinyl some day. Are the spacemen 3 pressings crappy as well?

[hypehat]

A shame about the earlier albums, I hope somebody releases them properly on vinyl some day. Are the spacemen 3 pressings crappy as well?

In short, I don't know scoured the Spiritualized forum and can't find much, only that Fire lost the mastertapes for The Perfect Prescription (noooooo) and so any vinyl reissue is ripped from a CD. They seem to rep for the original LPs on Glass, though. The only reissue I ever see in my local is Sound Of Confusion and that's pretty much the last one I'd buy - I want Recurring The Perfect Prescription or Playing With Fire or Taking Drugs over that. If I was you, I'd pick up the CDs actually - a lot of interesting bonus material on the Space Age reissues, esp PWF!

Speaking of S3, today I picked up the reissue of Spectrum's 'Soul Kiss (Glide Divine)' (Sonic Boom's first post S3 album, I think) and it's pretty f***ing brilliant!

[GuyOnTheBeach]

What always puzzled me (and hopefully someone can explain to me) is that when masters are lost why do people doing remasters track down a previously released source (L.P for example) instead of recreating the mix from the multis and going from there? is it a time/licensing thing or is it just laziness?, I'd have thought it would have lead to much better sound quality in the long run.

[Mikie]

P.S. Just picked up "Thank God For The Radio" and "Lucky Old Sun" vinyl albums.

Don't believe I've come across that particular title before - when was it released ? Is it any good ? Do I need to hear it ?

Yeah, you should check it out. It ain't bad.

Then try to type your posts after a coupla Margaritas with Petron silver tequila in 'em.  Little bit of a challenge, I tells ya!

[Mikie]

What always puzzled me (and hopefully someone can explain to me) is that when masters are lost why do people doing remasters track down a previously released source (L.P for example) instead of recreating the mix from the multis and going from there? is it a time/licensing thing or is it just laziness?, I'd have thought it would have lead to much better sound quality in the long run.

Maybe both, but I'd venture to guess that to run down the licenses and pay the fees probably takes time. Would be interesting to see if this new vinyl release was taken from the '88 CD or from the orginal '88 master tape or from the 2000 remaster tape/CD.

[Mikie]

What's a Bubba Ho-Tep, anyway??

Ho-Tep (ho-tep’) n.
1.Relative or descendant of the 17 Egyptian Dynasties, 3100-1500 B.C.  2. Family Surname of an Egyptian Pharaoh (king).
 
Bubba (bub’uh) n.
1.Male from the Southern U.S.  2. Good ole boy   3. Cracker, red neck, trailer park resident

Thanks for the explanation. Yeah, I'm very familiar with "Bubba". Have seen you post quite a bit in the Record Room and figured it was time to get the lowdown on the moniker. Every Friday on the radio station i listen to, there's a segment called "Bubba In The Balcony" where a guy who sounds exactly like Bill Clinton reviews and rates skin flicks. It's funny.

- White cracker honky cat (but not trailer trash) Mikie

[Mikie]

Think they're stretching things a bit with the promotion:

Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys) joins the team as well for one of the finest collaborative efforts ever between two legends with the beautiful Let It Shine.

Just read recently where Jeff had much more to do with the song than previously thought. "For this 1988 Brian Wilson album, Jeff Lynne gave the song "Let It Shine" to Brian Wilson in near complete form, with Wilson adding the chorus. Jeff Lynne also played on and produced "Let It Shine."

Jeff was asked about it:

"It was a tiny bit difficult, yeah," he frowns, and shoots a meaningful glance out the side of his shades, "but only because of the way it was structured, with all the doctors and that stuff, and you have to go through this chain of events before you do anything. Like you’d lay down a tape, a little rough thing of a song that I wrote with him, and suddenly someone’s got a copy of it and they’re playing it to the record company saying, Look at this! What’s he trying to do!" "No foresight whatsoever. I knew what I was going to do with it, but it’s like giving somebody an unfinished thing that only you know what it is. It’s a cryptic sort of thing. They tried to cut it off at the pass but I finally got it finished and it was really good. I was proud of that piece of work; his singing is good and everything. "They’re all nice guys. Brian’s lovely. It’s a shame he’s got so many problems with all these people messing him up."

I remember Brian said he couldn't make eye contact with Jeff because Jeff always wore sunglasses in the studio. Guess he wasn't sure he could communicate with him.

[Andrew G. Doe]

What always puzzled me (and hopefully someone can explain to me) is that when masters are lost why do people doing remasters track down a previously released source (L.P for example) instead of recreating the mix from the multis and going from there? is it a time/licensing thing or is it just laziness?, I'd have thought it would have lead to much better sound quality in the long run.

Maybe both, but I'd venture to guess that to run down the licenses and pay the fees probably takes time. Would be interesting to see if this new vinyl release was taken from the '88 CD or from the orginal '88 master tape or from the 2000 remaster tape/CD.

There is no original '88 master tape. That's why the reissue had a few odd mixes. Mark explained at the time of the Rhino reissue that there was no banded master prepared, rather the songs were handed in piecemeal. Hence, in 2000, a couple of incorrect masters were pulled from the vault.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Think they're stretching things a bit with the promotion:

Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys) joins the team as well for one of the finest collaborative efforts ever between two legends with the beautiful Let It Shine.

Just read recently where Jeff had much more to do with the song than previously thought. "For this 1988 Brian Wilson album, Jeff Lynne gave the song "Let It Shine" to Brian Wilson in near complete form, with Wilson adding the chorus. Jeff Lynne also played on and produced "Let It Shine."

Jeff was asked about it:

"It was a tiny bit difficult, yeah," he frowns, and shoots a meaningful glance out the side of his shades, "but only because of the way it was structured, with all the doctors and that stuff, and you have to go through this chain of events before you do anything. Like you’d lay down a tape, a little rough thing of a song that I wrote with him, and suddenly someone’s got a copy of it and they’re playing it to the record company saying, Look at this! What’s he trying to do!" "No foresight whatsoever. I knew what I was going to do with it, but it’s like giving somebody an unfinished thing that only you know what it is. It’s a cryptic sort of thing. They tried to cut it off at the pass but I finally got it finished and it was really good. I was proud of that piece of work; his singing is good and everything. "They’re all nice guys. Brian’s lovely. It’s a shame he’s got so many problems with all these people messing him up."

I remember Brian said he couldn't make eye contact with Jeff because Jeff always wore sunglasses in the studio. Guess he wasn't sure he could communicate with him.

Not entirely correct - Brian added the opening/closing vocal round. Which, yes, I know, is essentially the chorus.

[Mikie]

Wow. So no master tape with the whole '88 album on it.

I know on that 'other' board there was a discussion about the song mixes on the 2000 reissue and their differences compared to the '88 release, but I can't find it now. Maybe somebody else can find it.

The liners with bonus track and demo info:

http://albumlinernotes.com/Brian_Wilson__Reissue_.html

[bgas]

Wow. So no master tape with the whole '88 album on it.

I know on that 'other' board there was a discussion about the song mixes on the 2000 reissue and their differences compared to the '88 release, but I can't find it now. Maybe somebody else can find it.

The liners with bonus track and demo info:

http://albumlinernotes.com/Brian_Wilson__Reissue_.html

  I seem to remember discussion of the same thing on this board; but how to use the search function to find it is way beyond me.

[I. Spaceman]

Vinyl reissues these days are merely CDs pressed on vinyl. They are all pressed in plants that are not up to the industry standards the US and UK had in the 70's and 80's. The 180 gram thing is a total scam, it has nothing to do with quality sound, it is only because the vinyl is so thick there is less chance of warpage (which means less money lost for the company).

Not with this label at all.

Where does the label have their releases pressed?

[I. Spaceman]

Already got a decent sounding second hand copy....

Dismissing vinyl reissues as an industry out right is dim.

I'm not dim, I'm Alex. Watch it. Personally, I have been burned by bad pressings from all the majors, Capitol, Sony, etc., as well as Sundazed, Norton and all the others. Several times each, in fact. Whereas I can count on about three fingers the times I bought a factory-damaged bad pressing in the 70's and 80's. There is always at least one digital step in the vinyl process these days, and to me, that negates the purpose of the thing to a large degree.

[SMiLE Brian]

Already got a decent sounding second hand copy....

Dismissing vinyl reissues as an industry out right is dim.

I'm not dim, I'm Alex. Watch it. Personally, I have been burned by bad pressings from all the majors, Capitol, Sony, etc., as well as Sundazed, Norton and all the others. Whereas I can count on about three fingers the times I bought a factory-damaged bad pressing in the 70's and 80's. There is always at least one digital step in the vinyl process these days, and to me, that negates the purpose of the thing to a large degree.

My friend just pours money into new vinyl when we go to LP store, while I always try to buy analog pressings.

[Mikie]

Wow. So no master tape with the whole '88 album on it.

I know on that 'other' board there was a discussion about the song mixes on the 2000 reissue and their differences compared to the '88 release, but I can't find it now. Maybe somebody else can find it.

The liners with bonus track and demo info:

http://albumlinernotes.com/Brian_Wilson__Reissue_.html

  I seem to remember discussion of the same thing on this board; but how to use the search function to find it is way beyond me.

I can understand why.  Those who spell "alot" in a sentence usually have a tough time doing a lot of things....

[bgas]

Wow. So no master tape with the whole '88 album on it.

I know on that 'other' board there was a discussion about the song mixes on the 2000 reissue and their differences compared to the '88 release, but I can't find it now. Maybe somebody else can find it.

The liners with bonus track and demo info:

http://albumlinernotes.com/Brian_Wilson__Reissue_.html

  I seem to remember discussion of the same thing on this board; but how to use the search function to find it is way beyond me.

I can understand why.  Those who spell "alot" in a sentence usually have a tough time doing a lot of things....

  Perhaps you can do the search since you're such an "ace"!
 
and while you're touching on your pet peeve, perhaps you can teach the rest of us to spell along with you. It should be MOST revealing... 

Ida was great! I really liked her. Asked good questions - great personality.

Surprised Ida touched on Brian's other projects right off the bat and Brian didn't hesitate to point out (twice) that he'd written for Jan & Dean. Brian knew all the single A & B sides up to that point and didn't miss a beat. House cleaning music! And just like the Beatles, girls were jumping over the fence to get to them. The Boys seemed to get alomg real good. Very humorous and happy. Al fit right in. A reveiling interview - one of the best!

 

[Mikie]

There was an offer to send in the 2000 re-issued Brian Wilson CD to Rhino in exchange for a corrected copy. I never returned mine for an exchange. I heard that a couple of others sent their copies of the CD in and received a different copy of the same thing! Did anyone here send their original 2000 copy in and get a "corrected" copy?

Notes to self (from other posters) when I started a thread years ago about the differences between the original 1988 and 2000 resissue mixes. The 2000 Rhino version:

1, A part right after the bridge on "Love And Mercy" is different. And, the remastered CD is a lot louder than the original.

2. On "Love & Mercy" there seems to be a part missing right near the beginning, the instrumental part before the vocals start, kind of an echoing of each instrumental line, mixed a little lower volumewise. The high "ahhh ahhhs" in the closing fading are missing.

3. Love & Mercy - during the bridge, when it's supposed to be quiet, there are a few stray synth notes on the Rhino Version.

4. "Melt Away" - the high "ahhh ahhhs" in the closing fade are missing.

5. Let It Shine" - another track that is somewhat different on the 2000 remaster, but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head how.

6. When the CD was reissued in 2000, it was immediately obvious that at least two tracks were slightly, but notably, different mixes. Mark's (Linett) explanation was that as no assembled master for the album existed, but rather the songs on individual tapes, he pulled what he thought was the 1988 master for each one from the racks.