I need to give Analogue Productions a fresh look (I have bought a few of their rock SACDs in the last year but haven't paid attention to their jazz titles, and honestly I'd rather buy Joe Jackson or Billy Squier or Erasure or BAD or Marshall Crenshaw or The Church or Matthew Sweet than Ted Nugent or Steppenwolf or Eddie Money...). I'm wondering if MFSL/MoFi could be winding down operations as well, as Audio Fidelity recently has. Either that or they're letting the backlog of announced titles be released catch up, and then they're only going to announce titles when they're ready to ship? I'm genuinely hoping for the latter, but it is curious that they haven't announced more than a handful of new/upcoming titles in ... about 18 months? Regardless, with the exception of a few Patricia Barber titles, I've bought the entire "2.0" series of MFSL SACDs, and quite a few of their LPs as well. So I'm going to stick with them as long as they stick with us. Anyway, in my opinion IR and D-V are the two leading contenders for audiophile labels on the rise, while AP and MFSL don't excite me as much in recent months, and may be showing showing signs of slowing down (especially MFSL). Craig.
Though I strongly prefer SJBs, they impart a look and feel of quality IMHO, a decent JB is all that’s really needed. But please don’t bother with slipcases, they look nice but add nothing to the overall package (other than increased visibility at retail, you could spot the AF discs a mile away. But how many of us are buying these at retail so that’s probably a non factor).
IMHO it's a very minor point. I just flipped mine over and it looks just fine. I wouldn't really worry about this too much myself. I mean, honestly, for me it's about the music and the artwork being on good paper. The rest is incidental.
I don't think they are winding down. I think this has more to do with catching up with titles that were announced way before they became available. They get a lot of criticism from folks for announcing stuff or other sites announcing it for preorder and then it takes two years for the product to come out. I also suspect that they are gaging how the even more limited releases are going to do sales wise (the Richard Thompson was announced for 3000 rather than the customary 5000 for example).
That's not too bad. I owe my daughter a car because she got so sick of seeing record boxes on the porch she said, "the next time a record shows up you owe me a car". The next day...
Shane, your records are unbelievably awesome. I'm almost caught up with getting them all. Judee records will be next. And the Crenshaw.
Oh yeah, the Judee Sills albums are perhaps my favorite reissues Intervention has done (not only for the sound quality, but because they were kind of unexpected discoveries for me).
I agree. I do really like the super jewel cases. But if using a regular jewel case means you can get more stuff out or avoid delays, go for it. Don't really care about slipcases at all and would prefer they not be there. When they are, then I feel like I need to get poly sleeves to protect them, when they don't really add anything to begin with. Got my Gene Clark SACD a few days ago and listened through a few times yesterday. I didn't know any of the music, so I can't comment on the sound quality compared to anything else, but I liked what I heard.
I consider Gene Clark's White Light probably his second or third-best solo album, easily an essential album of its period. Having now digested IR's SACD for a few days, it's nothing less than wonderful and a real touchstone for long-suffering Gene Clark fans thirsty to hear one of his best albums in impeccable fidelity. It easily surpasses the 2002 European CD's sound quality from Universal, which wasn't a bad CD by any stretch.
I would like this as well, but hasn't this album been reissued multiple times on vinyl even as recent as the last year or so? It probably would sound excellent on IR records, but would he be able to get the license so soon after it has already been reissued.
Perhaps it could be done if released like Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" (different features on vinyl - bonus tracks, double albums, etc.) - that had been fairly recently released on vinyl by Plain Recordings, cut with digital files. I was a little surprised that IR got the go-ahead due to those releases being pretty close in time, but I'm glad it happened. EDIT: I forgot that MOV also put out a version of "Girlfriend" on vinyl last year. Guess we ought to doubly thank IR and Matthew Sweet for licensing these reissues, and doing them properly.
Have been a happy purchaser of the Joe Jackson and FBB issues through retailers. First direct dealings with Intervention for the Matthew Sweet series. Shane has gone above and beyond in helping me sort some issues re shipping to my side of the world - a gentleman and a scholar.
Would love to get Bobby Keys' 1972 solo album in good quality. The CD from Warner Japan is bricked and the CD from Wounded Bird sounds like a cassette dub of a needledrop. Though, if possible, it would be nice to solve the mystery of the titles - they're different on the CD and LP, and both of them could be completely wrong. Plus, I want this one on LP but don't want to break the bank for a good-condition original.
Received the Gene Clark and am listening to it now, I own other versions on CD from Germany and a recent Japan reissue, this SACD is a home run. Thank you very much for this one and other Clark titles would be welcome. Can @IR Shane provide a summary of confirmed future SACD releases to save this lazy Canuck combing through the thread? I do have the 3 Matthew Sweets on order, any others?
I'm announcing The Flying Burrito Bros' Burrito Deluxe on Monday or Tuesday on LP and SACD. Field Day is still coming at some point and there are more announcements to come. Just about everything I'm licensing for LP I'm doing on SACD too, so more SACDs are definitely coming. Stay tuned!