Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (50th Anniversary Edition) 4-CD Box EH/Sony Nov. 9

That'll be my 45 bucks right there.
Everything else is gravy, now.

 

Been waiting for Rainy Day. Hope it's "put together".

 

Oh man that Hollywood Bowl show sounds horrendous.

 

But it is probably better than alternates of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” and “Come On.”

 

When I get this set, that will be the first CD I sample just to see what the sound is like.

 

There are some awesome alternates in the Voodoo Child (Slight Return) session! Why they weren't included on this is completely baffling.

Also note that the CD remaster on disc 1 is smashed to hell as well, including some clipping and distortion in parts (the opening vocal on Gypsy Eyes for example)

Well that was a waste of a perfect opportunity for a decent remaster. Let's hope AP does an SACD in a while....

 

Yikes, you've listened to it?

 

As much as I could stand. I totally concur with @Oatsdad, it's a distorted mess.

 

Seems like my entire purchase is now based on hearing a few real studio outtakes I could otherwise download from a digital store for a few bucks and also a default downmix to stereo from the 5.1 that is 'a shot in the dark'...yikes.
At this point seems like I should just cancel the pre-order (of cd's with blu).

 

Great...

 

I like the way you think but don't give EH any ideas.
They might start charging us by the outtake.

 

I'm half way through the 5.1 mix as I'm writing this at the moment. MAN, unreal how fun this is to hear Jimi this way. This is the first surround album I've listened to in my new 7.1 home theater room and it sounds AMAZING!

 

I'm doing my best, trying to cope.
("Look on the sunny side...", and all that sh#t.)

This Hollywood Bowl thing is agitating me anew.

 

Nice to read something positive finally about this 50th set. I’ve just streamed the sampler that’s available on Amazon while travelling on a bus from Can’ Tho’ to Saigon (Vietnam). I really liked the outtakes of Rainy Day & Long Hot Summer. Looking forward to the rest, When I will get a chance I’ll try to download the rest. That’s it for now though it’s back to Son House - The Complete Father Of The Delta Blues 1965 Sessions.

 

Just got home and it’s here. Everyone is asleep!
Book is much larger than usual type release.

 

Probably more interesting than the totally uncirculated Record Plant master take of Tax Free. The one Jimi thought enough of it to overdub several guitar parts and mix.

 

When thinking about squashed DR numbers on the stereo mix of the Blu Ray one must consider the possibility this may have been done intentionally to make the 5.1 mix sound that much better. I find this to toally be the case on the Jimi Plays Woodstock Blu Ray. I cant stand to listen to the native stereo mix on that one and always downsqmple from the 5.1 if I choose to listen in Stereo. I think the Douglas Laserdisc has the best stereo sound for Woodstock. The newest EH Blu Ray version of Jimi Plays Woodstock has a phenomenal 5.1 mix but I find the stereo mix subpar. We may have the same situation here. Will find out more tomorrow.

 

Any vinyl reviews of the actual album yet?

 

Distortion, clipping, mess - 3 words that I was hoping NOT to see in this thread today

 

Rainy Day alternate take is good. Long Hot Summer Night is just a basic track, but nice to hear Al Kooper's piano clearly.

 

You got my attention. I'd love to hear a brief sample of a Woodstock 5.1 down mix. Never occurred to me to seek that out.

Mastering aside I prefer the EH because it is by far the best mix of the material. The Woodstock Blu-Ray is wonderful. Big props for including the b&w footage. For the 50th Anniversary they need to add Gypsy Woman. Arguably Jimi's best playing that day. I understand the recording is flawed with the unexpected stage rotation for songs Larry Lee sang but no reason not to include it on the Second Look feature.

 

I try to listen like that fwiw for all those kinds of options for these types of releases too, but I don't understand that tech premise why 1 would adversely affect the other? I'm not that smart.

Apologies for the larger text...
I think a main reason a downmix 'can' sound 'better' than simply the stereo mix being remastered in or for 'hi rez' is because when making the 5.1, using voices and instruments from individual tracks, or multiple instruments, voices on said tracks, at least each separate track can be re- eq'd, and even 'fixed' or even 'tuned' etc. if necessary, when preparing the 5.1 mix, and if done well, that therefore also then allows the default downmix stereo 'track' to ensure that its audio source is not only more likely derived straight from the multi-track source recording, used to create the 5.1, but also can have the benefit of enjoying, if applicable, specific eq to the specific recorded track(s) used for the 5.1 mix, so there can be a few benefits sonically (source, fidelity, etc.) and of course also mix-wise as far as an 'alternate stereo mix' as opposed to possibly what may be an afterthought such as a broad swath of a careless or smashed remaster of the original stereo mix just done in hi rez. It's a crapshoot at any rate and what do I know but I'm interested in your thoughts about the downmix if you get a chance to listen to it...

 

+1
All I really care about is how this new Bernie Grundman cut sounds. Because, hopefully, they’ll release it as a stand alone.

 

Six tracks from the demo/outtakes disc are now on Spotify.

1983 (demo)
Voodoo Chile (demo)
My Friend (demo)
At Last... The Beginning
Long Hot Summer Night (take 14)
Rainy Day, Dream Away

LHSN and Rainy Day sound great. The demos sound better than I have heard them before. At Last... is interesting. Similar to the album version, a little longer.