Agreed. I know of one person who was sued based on Amazon reviews. It was settled because the person couldn't afford to fight it.
I'm not commenting on the box, I don't have it. I was referring to the line of thinking that old men are no longer qualified to perform audio engineering. Is that a gentlemen's agreement in the industry?
That's weird I have a Pin-Ups which has a label saying "Maunfactured by Pye, Auckland, NZ with a ⓟ, (same as on Discogs, there are good pix: Bowie* - Pinups ) its non-gatefold with a insert sheet repro of the g/f pix in b/w.
A well-placed minder here and there wouldn't be a bad idea. I think it's been years since Jagger and Richards have been fit to sign off on anything sonically. But it's their ball, so they, like Dead David Bowie's estate, can take it and go home.
I actually quite liked NLMD at the time too; and still think it has a couple of good songs. It hasn't aged at all well. I think that's Bowie's albums in a nutshell. The classic run 60-83 gain gravity with every passing year. The stuff post that, well, its of interest to the hardcore fan and that's about it. I can't remember the last time I played Heathen all the way through without skipping a track.
"Heathen" and "The Next Day" are both too long. But bounty is about skipping the tracks you don't care for. Which is. Okay. Every major legacy artist has a hot streak that everyone agrees is genius. Then you have the long slow "descent" which is just the fact that not everybody in fan base [x] likes all the same things on the "outlier" albums. The Stones, Prince, Bowie, Dylan... It's no hanging matter. I can't imagine life without pivotal select tracks from late derided albums from all those acts. I might not listen to "Heathen" like I did "Aladdin Sane" when it was new, and I was ten, but I'm not ten anymore, so I'm not listening to anything that way.
Thank you - I should have made that clear, that post-merger when the labels say "Australia and/or New Zealand", the simpler way to tell if it's New Zealand or Australia is the 'p': "Check the label, look for the publishing 'p'. If it's bracketed (p), it's NZ made, if it's circled ⓟ, it's Australian." Pre merger (so original Australian or New Zealand RCA pressings up to and including Young Americans) labels state the country they were made in. There's no confusion or clarification needed. Your Pinups is pre-merger and the labels state Made in New Zealand. The 'p' doesn't need consideration.
Since I sent an email to Dr. Rhino about this Heroes volume drop issue before today, and then sent a follow-up about the fact that I would now like the replacement disc since they are providing one, I got a "canned" response from Dr. Rhino today with a case number. The body of the email was the PR release stating that they are replacing the CD/vinyl (as we now know) and additionally that I will be sent the digital file when it becomes available - and subsequent to that I will receive a replacement CD when that becomes available. I needed to send either my David Bowie store order number (I don't have one since I ordered via Amazon), or a picture and/or original receipt as a response to the email Dr. Rhino sent me and I will get the file and CD as they become available. Needless to say, I emailed my Amazon receipt as a PDF to Dr. Rhino so now the wait begins to receive both the digital file and the actual CD.
I agree with the idea that the catalog is in the wrong hands at the present time... But goodness would I ever PAY HANDSOMELY for most of Bowie's catalog were a boutique label in the spirit of MofFi, Music Matters Jazz, Speakers Corners, etc. to approach these recordings with sonic detail and sympathy toward the critical listener. They could be done album by album, in a limited numbered series, and issued in groups - if it took several years that would be fine with me as well. I would happily part with upwards of $50.00 per album for a campaign that coupled dynamic transfers of original albums along with relevant outtakes, singles, and rarities in a multiple disc version of each album, à la the Ryko LP reissues (in spirit, not in sound quality). I think that unless a smaller entity with some financial backing and a top flight mastering crew can arrange to buy access to tapes, existing artwork, and a limited-term licensing for the purposes of undertaking a comprehensive finite run, we will never see a new proper mastering of this catalog - ever. I have bought these boxes as an admittedly financially inefficient way to avail myself of some of the good work that is intermingled within each, to fill in a few titles that I did not own any copies of, and to enjoy the books periodically. I use them as I do my Ryko vinyl issues, my UK orange RCA originals, et al.: as part of a composite effort to approach a catalog that heretofore has rarely been mixed and mastered to a critical satisfaction that matches the performances and the high-art of much of the music. The new boxes are beautiful to look at, and in a way that is part of their downfall. From the very beginning of the Parlophone effort it has been clear that dazzling the uninitiated seemed to be part of the business model. Some of the success of these boxes and their individual releases - and no doubt the overall viability of such extravagant packaging - has been made possible by a reinvigorated vinyl market with a sizable group of younger listeners/buyers, many of whom through no fault of their own have little frame of reference with which to judge much of this music. Many of these new listeners/buyers have limited experience differentiating good, poor, or excellent sounding recordings. Those that listen to their "vinyls" on USB turntables and candy colored 200 dollar bookshelf speakers are not in an ideal position to learn to methodically gauge what is being presented either. The present hot market has trained young music fans that are buying wax to look for fancy packaging, reproduction art, 180 gram pressings, colored vinyl, limited editions, and so forth. If these exciters are in place, the jejune and functionally meaningless representation that a record is an audiophile pressing - as indicated on the hype sticker and pre-release info - is enough to convince many that the sound quality will be of a high order. No sense in my iterative take on the specific myriad issues with the present box (as we have 244 pages of this already), save to say that to me it appears that ~80% of the overall effort and expenditure with Warner/Parlophone was in the service of making these boxes extravagant in appearance, volume, technicolor glamour, and curb appeal. That is how you satisfy 80-90% of the market: with flash.
Bowie signed up with WMG 2013 or so for these 1969-1990 rights. I have no idea what his WMG/Parlophone deal looks like, but his deal for this stash prior to that (EMI) was for 15 years. Just sayin'...
OK, now we know where he got that "best since Scary Monsters" quote. I would actually read real reviews. I don't remember the Spin review, although I was a charter subscriber. I was a big fan, and enjoyed the Spider Tour at the Forum (or maybe it was the Sports Arena) so I was disappointed by the reviews.
When my companions and I walked into the stadium for the '87 tour opener in Philly, and saw the Scary Spider for ourselves, we immediately laughed our behinds off. When I saw the tour at Madison Square Garden later on, DB rocked my face off. Scary Spider now. Scary Spider forever!!!!
We'll, as a factual matter, it might be true of everything from Outside on. Unless you think that Tin Machine is better than Let's Dance. All I know is I was one of the few dozen actual Bowie fans left in the US after Tin Machine, and I was always saddened by both the lukewarm reviews and his lack of sales. I actually think that over time, his reputation in the US as an artist of consequence has improved, with the advent of sites like Pitchfork, the reassessment of his post-NLMD work has been positive, not negative. It's true of his Berlin period also, no matter what Wikipedia says today. Some people forget, but as great and iconic today as "Heroes" is, it never even charted in the US and the album did very poorly. I don't have bandwidth to check everything, but I'm sure of it.
I thought it was overblown but fun, and it was a pretty long show. although as I said, I remember all too clearly the negative reviews of both the tour and album.
I would say with confidence that Let’s Dance was his best album since Scary Monsters, Outside was his best album since Let’s Dance, and Heathen/Reality/The Next Day/Blackstar we’re all consistently good, if not entirely reaching the heights of Outside. Meanwhile I’ve been listening to a mix of RCA CDs and UK first needle drops of Bowie’s classic catalog and it makes me so sad most people can’t hear his albums this way.
I loved that '95-'97 run so much. I can't imagine a world without "Strangers When We Meet" or "Afraid of Americans".
In my view, although the albums were indeed a bit too long, Heathen, Reality, The Next Day and Blackstar represent an amazing late-career run of albums, that I believe can stand with the Ziggy and Berlin periods. Right up there with Dylan's late 90's/00's return to form, and Neil Young's Early 90's comeback.
What email address is Dr. Rhino? I remember having to email Rhino a few times in the past but I have forgotten all the contact details.
"Gone, gone. The water's all gone." It's this tragic tale/myth and you can't do anything but LOL. True enough.
I'm in for a set! It wouldn't happen at this point, but moreover, it appears the analog tapes may not be in good enough condition for an analog remaster from the reels to the lathe cutterhead.
some proper research could surely unearth a safety copy or three... i also have a hard time believing the deterioration happened so recently (e.g. the 1969 album). some tape damage has been there all along (US Ziggy, all TMWSTW), but i'm unconvinced Parlophone did sufficient legwork.
I have a vinyl copy of The Stranglers debut album, Rattis Norvegicus. The opening track on side two is perhaps my favorite, Hanging Around. However, long ago my copy acquired damage, and there are two loud bits of white noise that ought not be there. I know it's a fault. On the other hand, I anticipate it every time I hear the track, just as I do the music itself. it's just part of the experience now. We should grow to love imperfection.
