14 Beach Boys albums coming to vinyl/SACD

[Alan Smith]

Time to cherry pick methinks... And that UK shipping and thus customs charges prospect terrifies me...

Christmas gifts for years to come!

What are they quoting for shipping to Olde England?

[bgas]

Time to cherry pick methinks... And that UK shipping and thus customs charges prospect terrifies me...

Christmas gifts for years to come!

What are they quoting for shipping to Olde England?

I can only imagine it's out of this world! The least expensive US shipping option for Holland was $10.19 for 2 day shipping, where I'd be happy for standard 1-2 week for $4...

[Alan Smith]

Time to cherry pick methinks... And that UK shipping and thus customs charges prospect terrifies me...

Christmas gifts for years to come!

What are they quoting for shipping to Olde England?

I can only imagine it's out of this world! The least expensive US shipping option for Holland was $10.19 for 2 day shipping, where I'd be happy for standard 1-2 week for $4...

For international, AS site  doesn't calculate a rate straight up, you have to "enquire" about it when you place your order.

Then AS will find the best rate available, they say.

The site does, however, calc the package weight, so I could assume UPS slow boat rates + 20% handling, phaps.

[lee]

*deleted*

[lee]

.

[Jesse Reiswig]

I have to say, I am very excited for these releases. It's quite unfortunate that Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20 aren't included, though I can understand the business sense behind that.

But, given Acoustic Sounds' reputation (I was just reading amazing reviews of their transfer and new release of Duke Ellington's 1951 Masterpieces album, for instance), these hold promise of finally representing these records the way they're supposed to sound. I'll wait to see Stephen Desper's response, but I hope they will manage to capture, for instance, more of the original intended sound of Sunflower .

[Micha]

I have to say, I am very excited for these releases. It's quite unfortunate that Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20 aren't included, though I can understand the business sense behind that.

But, given Acoustic Sounds' reputation (I was just reading amazing reviews of their transfer and new release of Duke Ellington's 1951 Masterpieces album, for instance), these hold promise of finally representing these records the way they're supposed to sound. I'll wait to see Stephen Desper's response, but I hope they will manage to capture, for instance, more of the original intended sound of Sunflower .

The last pressing that I bought a few years ago was a definite improvement in sound over any CD release so far. Can it really sound even better?

[Jesse Reiswig]

I have to say, I am very excited for these releases. It's quite unfortunate that Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20 aren't included, though I can understand the business sense behind that.

But, given Acoustic Sounds' reputation (I was just reading amazing reviews of their transfer and new release of Duke Ellington's 1951 Masterpieces album, for instance), these hold promise of finally representing these records the way they're supposed to sound. I'll wait to see Stephen Desper's response, but I hope they will manage to capture, for instance, more of the original intended sound of Sunflower .

The last pressing that I bought a few years ago was a definite improvement in sound over any CD release so far. Can it really sound even better?

Yes. I am relatively new to the audiophile world, but I have discovered that there is a big difference between an average consumer release and what a label geared to audiophiles does. Half-speed mastering and other techniques which take great care to capture as much sonic information on the original master tape as possible are the norm with these specialty labels (MOFI, Acoustic Sounds, etc.).

I would be very surprised if this release of Sunflower, for instance, doesn't sound significantly better than the 2009 vinyl release. You will likely hear increased separation and clarity of individual instruments and an increased sense of presence. And I suspect the difference between this and the 2009 vinyl will be bigger than the difference you heard between that and the CD.

I could be wrong, but I suspect (and hope) I'm not.

[Awesoman]

Always enjoy Beach Boys remasters but isn't this a bit of overkill?  Weren't most of these albums just re-released two years ago?  The SACD remastering should be nice, but there are only so many times I'm willing to repurchase the same album...

[Jesse Reiswig]

Always enjoy Beach Boys remasters but isn't this a bit of overkill?  Weren't most of these albums just re-released two years ago?  The SACD remastering should be nice, but there are only so many times I'm willing to repurchase the same album...

See my previous statements above. These are specialty releases and are targeted toward a different audience; they are not Capitol products and they have a different reason for existing. They will be superior in terms of sound quality to average releases. That interests some people and not others. All fair.

[Dave Modny]

Always enjoy Beach Boys remasters but isn't this a bit of overkill?  Weren't most of these albums just re-released two years ago?  The SACD remastering should be nice, but there are only so many times I'm willing to repurchase the same album...

Beyond the formats themselves or any related inherent advantages, I think some are simply excited by the notion that someone *else* is doing the mastering besides ML. This isn't a dig at Mark, but, like anyone, his work is going to be seasoned with his own personal tastes and style -- EQ choices, gear, other processing/plug-ins, etc. And that may not always line up with a particular listener's tastes.


Here, again beyond the formats, we're just getting another sonic viewpoint for a rare change. Comparable to the situation with the Mo-Fi, Pet Sounds SACD release. If one is an audiophile, that in itself is fairly monumental in the Beach Boys world these days. I'm looking forward to hearing the results...at least what I can afford.

[lee]

I absolutely agree. I've passed on the more recent releases in the hopes that someone would do audiophile releases of these albums at some point. These are being produced to give fans the best listening experience possible. Not just a rerelease cash grab.

[Alan Smith]

Bullmoose.com  are listing the next slew of Capitol/UME vinyl reissues (Carl and the Passions to '85), targetting late Feb if I'm reading things correctly.

Might start a new thread to.avoid confusion once the APs discussions start rolling in.

[The Shift]

Bullmoose.com  are listing the next slew of Capitol/UME vinyl reissues (Carl and the Passions to '85), targetting late Feb if I'm reading things correctly.

Might start a new thread to.avoid confusion once the APs discussions start rolling in.

They're reissuing 85 on vinyl??

[Amazing Larry]

I have to say, I am very excited for these releases. It's quite unfortunate that Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20 aren't included, though I can understand the business sense behind that.

But, given Acoustic Sounds' reputation (I was just reading amazing reviews of their transfer and new release of Duke Ellington's 1951 Masterpieces album, for instance), these hold promise of finally representing these records the way they're supposed to sound. I'll wait to see Stephen Desper's response, but I hope they will manage to capture, for instance, more of the original intended sound of Sunflower .

The last pressing that I bought a few years ago was a definite improvement in sound over any CD release so far. Can it really sound even better?

Yes. I am relatively new to the audiophile world, but I have discovered that there is a big difference between an average consumer release and what a label geared to audiophiles does. Half-speed mastering and other techniques which take great care to capture as much sonic information on the original master tape as possible are the norm with these specialty labels (MOFI, Acoustic Sounds, etc.).

I would be very surprised if this release of Sunflower, for instance, doesn't sound significantly better than the 2009 vinyl release. You will likely hear increased separation and clarity of individual instruments and an increased sense of presence. And I suspect the difference between this and the 2009 vinyl will be bigger than the difference you heard between that and the CD.

I could be wrong, but I suspect (and hope) I'm not.

I sure hope they tone down the massive treble on Sunflower and give it a more natural tone.

[The Shift]

Also seemingly due out this month, Pet Sounds on Blu-ray audio:

http://www.amazon.ca/Sounds-Blu-Ray-Audio-Beach-Boys/dp/B00PF7S3B6

This has been scheduled previously but put back for some reason… suddenly we're about to be swimming in high-res audio versions of the album.

[Alan Smith]

Bullmoose.com  are listing the next slew of Capitol/UME vinyl reissues (Carl and the Passions to '85), targetting late Feb if I'm reading things correctly.

Might start a new thread to.avoid confusion once the APs discussions start rolling in.

They're reissuing 85 on vinyl??

Saving the best 'til last.  Guessing it may come with a bonus download of 8 bit midi emulator samples, via a 14.4kbp/s link.

Wonder if the masters were D/A'd to analogue tape or U-matic video tape?

[Stephen W. Desper]

I have to say, I am very excited for these releases. It's quite unfortunate that Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20 aren't included, though I can understand the business sense behind that.

But, given Acoustic Sounds' reputation (I was just reading amazing reviews of their transfer and new release of Duke Ellington's 1951 Masterpieces album, for instance), these hold promise of finally representing these records the way they're supposed to sound. I'll wait to see Stephen Desper's response, but I hope they will manage to capture, for instance, more of the original intended sound of Sunflower .

COMMENT: No one has contacted me. "The original intended sound," as you call it will not be provided in these new releases. You will hear it soon with the release of the next study-video.  As to representing analog recordings by using digital methods still remains an incomplete story. They don't call it sampling for nothing. It is just that. A sample of the complete waveform. IT'S A SNAPSHOT of a slice of time.  It is not complete. The computer makes up (guesses) what goes in between the sampled slices of time. Why bother?  Just listen to the original LP. That has the complete sound story -- no sampled segments -- no computer guessing -- and the original Sunflower LP was Mastered and Approved by Carl Wilson. Why depend on someone who never met or worked with the man himself. Why go backward? You're going in the wrong direction if you want to stay with the original. The wrong direction is to re-do everything. The original mixing and mastering is there for the playing on the LP issue. Any other attempt to "improve" on the original is just so much floobydust.  You are not going to improve over Carl Wilson. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Don't remove Carl from the production. That IS a step backward! If you want original sound, it was issued in 1970 by Brother Records on Warner Brother's Record # RS-6832. It contains complete waveforms, is totally a Beach Boy production, and if you think the LP record comes up short on sound, you are wrong. The LP is quite capable of containing all (ALL) of the sound from any Master Analog Tape. It does not add noise, distortion or limitation to the signal on the master tape. The real listening experience, that is the one that sounds most musical, is the LP. Going back and re-doing what Carl did in Mixing and Mastering is a slap in the face. Nothing has improved in professional audio that much to warrant replacing the original artist and his intentions with a counterfeit rendition. If you are a collector, they've got your number and will keep issuing bogus "original" and so-called "improved" copies. I suppose the fake remakes do have some collector value, but their value is in the eye of the collector, not in the ear of the audiophile. If you really want the real thing, so far the original LP is the pot of gold at the end of the Sunflower rainbow. ~swd

[Stephen W. Desper]

I sure hope they tone down the massive treble on Sunflower and give it a more natural tone.

COMMENT:  Me Too. If you want to hear a balanced sound, listen to the original LP, mastered by Carl Wilson and myself at Artisan. ~swd

[Micha]

Unfortunately, there is no way for me to get an original LP, so I settle with the last LP pressing, which is at least better than the 70s one I stumbled upon first - that 70s pressing has a terrible sound and is definitely not a first pressing as approved by CW and SWD, as you can tell from two songs being in the wrong order.

[drbeachboy]

Unfortunately, there is no way for me to get an original LP, so I settle with the last LP pressing, which is at least better than the 70s one I stumbled upon first - that 70s pressing has a terrible sound and is definitely not a first pressing as approved by CW and SWD, as you can tell from two songs being in the wrong order.

In this age, there is always a way if you want it bad enough.

[Jesse Reiswig]

Interesting comment from Steve Hoffman himself, over at the Hoffman forums:

"I hope they have a really good line producer for these, a real expert. Kevin Gray is a world-class mastering maven but research is not his strong point (nor should it be, he's an engineer). If it's just Chad and Kevin with no producer in the middle, it's going to be very iffy. Why? I'll tell you:

I remember those mono BB tapes are very tricky. Some of the good stuff isn't on the LP reels but reassembled on to various phono single reels, EP reels, Greatest Hits comp tapes, etc. The LP reels have MANY inferior versions of some of the songs, really crappy sounding, phase problems, muffled, just bad replacement dubs to take the place of the correct versions moved to other reels. It will take a really good detective to find all of the correct versions of every song and to reassemble correctly. On the Nat Cole's I worked on it took YEARS to find every correct version of every song.

I hope they have someone who knows their stuff.. "

[drbeachboy]

Interesting comment from Steve Hoffman himself, over at the Hoffman forums:

"I hope they have a really good line producer for these, a real expert. Kevin Gray is a world-class mastering maven but research is not his strong point (nor should it be, he's an engineer). If it's just Chad and Kevin with no producer in the middle, it's going to be very iffy. Why? I'll tell you:

I remember those mono BB tapes are very tricky. Some of the good stuff isn't on the LP reels but reassembled on to various phono single reels, EP reels, Greatest Hits comp tapes, etc. The LP reels have MANY inferior versions of some of the songs, really crappy sounding, phase problems, muffled, just bad replacement dubs to take the place of the correct versions moved to other reels. It will take a really good detective to find all of the correct versions of every song and to reassemble correctly. On the Nat Cole's I worked on it took YEARS to find every correct version of every song.

I hope they have someone who knows their stuff.. "

With Alan Boyd this should all be documented and not a problem. If ever there is a time to be able find the correct tapes and reels, it is now. Hoffman really shows his disdain for Mark's work. He is always gently knocking his work. If you read on, I told him to ask his buddy Kevin about it. He should have done that before posting what he did.

Also, he tried to incite a riot on there by trying to claim that the mono tapes were being remixed due to some wording on the Acoustic Sounds advertisement.

[DonnyL]

I have to say, I am very excited for these releases. It's quite unfortunate that Wild Honey, Friends, and 20/20 aren't included, though I can understand the business sense behind that.

But, given Acoustic Sounds' reputation (I was just reading amazing reviews of their transfer and new release of Duke Ellington's 1951 Masterpieces album, for instance), these hold promise of finally representing these records the way they're supposed to sound. I'll wait to see Stephen Desper's response, but I hope they will manage to capture, for instance, more of the original intended sound of Sunflower .

COMMENT: No one has contacted me. "The original intended sound," as you call it will not be provided in these new releases. You will hear it soon with the release of the next study-video.  As to representing analog recordings by using digital methods still remains an incomplete story. They don't call it sampling for nothing. It is just that. A sample of the complete waveform. IT'S A SNAPSHOT of a slice of time.  It is not complete. The computer makes up (guesses) what goes in between the sampled slices of time. Why bother?  Just listen to the original LP. That has the complete sound story -- no sampled segments -- no computer guessing -- and the original Sunflower LP was Mastered and Approved by Carl Wilson. Why depend on someone who never met or worked with the man himself. Why go backward? You're going in the wrong direction if you want to stay with the original. The wrong direction is to re-do everything. The original mixing and mastering is there for the playing on the LP issue. Any other attempt to "improve" on the original is just so much floobydust.  You are not going to improve over Carl Wilson. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Don't remove Carl from the production. That IS a step backward! If you want original sound, it was issued in 1970 by Brother Records on Warner Brother's Record # RS-6832. It contains complete waveforms, is totally a Beach Boy production, and if you think the LP record comes up short on sound, you are wrong. The LP is quite capable of containing all (ALL) of the sound from any Master Analog Tape. It does not add noise, distortion or limitation to the signal on the master tape. The real listening experience, that is the one that sounds most musical, is the LP. Going back and re-doing what Carl did in Mixing and Mastering is a slap in the face. Nothing has improved in professional audio that much to warrant replacing the original artist and his intentions with a counterfeit rendition. If you are a collector, they've got your number and will keep issuing bogus "original" and so-called "improved" copies. I suppose the fake remakes do have some collector value, but their value is in the eye of the collector, not in the ear of the audiophile. If you really want the real thing, so far the original LP is the pot of gold at the end of the Sunflower rainbow. ~swd

AMEN ... thank you Mr. Desper. I also wish that they would use original "works in progress" or alternate mixes when they do these archive releases instead of the endless remixes. I would much rather hear what you and 'the boys' were hearing in the studio as a fly on the wall, than a modern re-interpretation. It also bugs me that they continue to include newer remixes instead of original mixes on box sets and compilations. The original vinyl SUNFLOWER is just right ... particularly the sonics on "At My Window" and "Tears in the Morning".

There is a book that mentions something like 20+ mixes made of "Add Some Music" ... it would be nice to listen to some of those, not as a definitive statement but as a step on the way to the final master.

[Alan Smith]

Interesting comment from Steve Hoffman himself, over at the Hoffman forums:

"I hope they have a really good line producer for these, a real expert. Kevin Gray is a world-class mastering maven but research is not his strong point (nor should it be, he's an engineer). If it's just Chad and Kevin with no producer in the middle, it's going to be very iffy. Why? I'll tell you:

I remember those mono BB tapes are very tricky. Some of the good stuff isn't on the LP reels but reassembled on to various phono single reels, EP reels, Greatest Hits comp tapes, etc. The LP reels have MANY inferior versions of some of the songs, really crappy sounding, phase problems, muffled, just bad replacement dubs to take the place of the correct versions moved to other reels. It will take a really good detective to find all of the correct versions of every song and to reassemble correctly. On the Nat Cole's I worked on it took YEARS to find every correct version of every song.

I hope they have someone who knows their stuff.. "

With Alan Boyd this should all be documented and not a problem. If ever there is a time to be able find the correct tapes and reels, it is now. Hoffman really shows his disdain for Mark's work. He is always gently knocking his work. If you read on, I told him to ask his buddy Kevin about it. He should have done that before posting what he did.

Also, he tried to incite a riot on there by trying to claim that the mono tapes were being remixed due to some wording on the Acoustic Sounds advertisement.

IMO, He was more  questioning the blurb wording of "mono mixes supervised by Brian Wilson" as opposed to stirring things up. It's a fair question to seek clarity on exactly what sources are being used, and one I had myself on reading the A/S copy.