Live at the Roxy – 25th anniversary reissues on vinyl and CD

[Lowbacca]

Forgive me if this has been discussed already, I couldn't find anything through the search function.

I guess everybody has heard about the upcoming rerelease of Brian's Roxy live album: https://bio.to/Wilson25

I'm posting this to gather some opinions on which version to get: CD or vinyl (or wait for digital release). The fact that it comes out on vinyl was so exciting to me that I instantly preordered that version. I just love this album so much, it basically was the first Brian solo stuff I ever listened to back in the day. But the CD package comes with more bonus tracks... which I would love have, of course. The digital release will be pretty barebones.

Which version are you guys getting?

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

This should be cool! I missed it all the first time around but it sounds very promising. CD for me for sure.

[Bedroom Tapes]

I still support this release and am glad we're getting something, but I REALLY want a Paley Sessions set plus any and all remaining BW outtakes.  I'm much more interested in studio material.

[Lowbacca]

I still support this release and am glad we're getting something, but I REALLY want a Paley Sessions set plus any and all remaining BW outtakes.  I'm much more interested in studio material.

True, of course! Fans have been clamoring for a Paley sessions release for years, so maybe there's a chance we'll get those someday.. at least in digital format (à la 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow etc. releases).

[rab2591]

I’ll likely get the vinyl version - though at the moment I don’t have my player/stereo setup so I won’t be able to listen to it for a while. Regardless I’m so glad they’re releasing this.

Years ago, many of us BW solo fans clamored for a career spanning boxset that would have the Paley stuff, the Joe Thomas sketches (specifically all the material related to the life suite) and other demos that should be released. I’m hoping this release gets supported enough to where they’ll see a market for future releases. I believe there was talk of the Paley material being released recently so hopefully that’ll happen, too. Honestly I’m not the biggest fan of the Paley stuff, but I think that’s mostly because I’ve never heard a decent mix of any of the material. I like the songs and the production (in terms of instruments and harmonies), but the mixes I’ve heard left a lot to be desired.

[HeyJude]

The mixes for the Paley stuff are all over the place, even on latter-day official releases that include smatterings of tracks from those sessions. Some of the tracks included on that “Long Promised Road” documentary soundtrack sounded kind of wonky,  kind of messy and cluttered and too much reverb. I sometimes wonder if they definitely have all extant multitracks of every single track from those sessions, because sometimes what we get sound like rough mixes.

I get the vibe Paley was going for; he wanted a mid-60s vibe with some reverb/echo, so I don’t expect the tracks to be bone dry. But stuff like “It’s Not Easy Being Me” sounds better on the boots.

The mixes pushed onto Brian’s website a few years back are better, because I think they just dumped existing mixes on there. That’s the only place to get a pristine “You’re Still a Mystery” with Brian’s original 1995 lead vocal.