Expanded Procol Harum reissues (2015)

Got the new expanded first album today, too, from Amazon. Agree that it sounds good on first listen. Great liner notes, and nice package - yes, if you don't mind digipaks!

 

Here's a write up on the series:

http://theseconddisc.com/2015/07/07...off-deluxe-reissue-campaign-for-procol-harum/

 

does anybody think there will be more releases ? of is this it ?

 

According to Burning Shed there are more to come.
https://www.burningshed.com/store/progressive/product/99/6671/
https://www.burningshed.com/store/progressive/product/99/6672/
Though I don't see Broken Barricades listed.

 

I'm not buying these albums again. Nice notes, good bonus tracks, good sound were already available twice before for each album (Westwood and Salvo). The speed issue on Shine on Brightly is a very easy fix for anyone who is so inclined, so my money is staying in my wallet this time. They can keep tossing and churning the catalog from label to label all they like -but I'm out now.

 

You know you really want these

 

Any thoughts on whether these will achieve a hi-rez release?

 

Well I never said I wasn't tempted.

 

I want to get these but I'd love some confirmation that the sound quality is an improvement over the Westside . . . and how do the BBC tracks sound? I assume they are from vinyl sources at least for the WSOP tracks.

 

OK, I gave in and ordered these - the mono mix of Shine On Brightly was too much to resist. The 2cd debut and the 3 cd Shine on, both from Bullmoose for $41.94, no tax and free shipping! That was a better price than at amazon.uk, not including shipping, which surprised me!

 

I gave up on Amazon UK for the first album reissue and have ordered it from Amazon us. Should arrive Monday

Did listen to some of disc three of the new shine on brightly. So far the audio quality is good.
I will check I once I hear more. I know they "got it" with shine on brightly and speed issues so I expect good things.

Only about twenty percent of listeners took issue with the first album (self titled) on salvo so that really is a personal take on what is correct or not. I will weigh in when that arrives

 

I have had a chance to listen a bit more to the new release of Shine on Brightly and wanted to share a few quick thoughts (but these are not my final thoughts).

No doubt about it. The speed of the primary original stereo album is back to the way we know and love the album. Salvo begone!

The mono album so far is not revelatory. It was released on Vinyl at one point, but never CD. I do not get the sense this is like the way Beatles in Mono was very different than Stereo; but I am early into my listening.

The bonus tracks are essentially a superset of the Westside and Salvo discs; plus some BBC tracks. On the BBC tracks, I went back to my old collector copies. The quality of what has floated around in collector land is pretty good it turns out. The collectorland versions have some pops and ticks from transcription discs; the CDs sound cleaner. I have not read the liner notes to figure out why yet. I suspect that the BBC cuts and the mono version of Magdalene from disc three have enjoyed some carefully implemented declicking. There is much less in the way of DJ introductions on the official release. I suppose that many of the DJ introductions from collectorland versions were added after the performances.

Interesting point of note. It strikes me that Gary's voice on the live BBC cuts is a bit higher in terms of pitch. Now I am wondering if the albums as we know them were slowed down too much for official release, and that the fast versions perhaps reflected the original artist intent? Just a theory and I have not done extensive listening.

I had never really focused on the pitch of the vocals on the BBC tracks before. My collector land versions also seem to be at a higher pitch on some tracks, but not necessarily exactly the same pitch as what is on this release. I wish I had somebody with perfect pitch around to help out in making sense of this. Anyway the tracks are enjoyable and fairly clean sounding.

For the studio cuts, everything sounds uncompressed. I do think we can hear the limitations of 1967 / 1968 recording technology on these tracks, so perfection should not be expected. The older mono version of Magdalene on Disc Three is the best I have ever heard it.

Somebody asked about whether the Procol re-release series will have hi res versions. I do not think that will happen in 24-96 due to low demand volume and I am not sure that the quality of the base recordings will merit anything beyond standard redbook. The Japanese will likely eventually put out the K2HD versions just as they did with the Salvo released. To my ears the K2HD Salvo versions did not sound much different than the non-K2HD versions. Maybe Grand Hotel, Exotic Birds, or Procol's Ninth may benefit from the hi res treatment from an audiophile perspective. I think Procol's Ninth was the best recorded album, but I think the Ninth is only a so - so affair in general.

 

so the obvious question is...which tracks are STILL unique to either the Westside or the Salvo reissues now that these are out?
is there a list somewhere??

 

For what it's worth, Henry Scott-Irvine posted this on the Procol Facebook page:

 

I don't believe there is such a list yet. Someone reported that the Monsieur Armand on the Salvo release has a different vocal than on the new one. And only Salvo has a backing track to In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence.

 

This is beginning to remind me of Small Faces reissues.

 

How?

 

Now that the first album is out, can anybody verify that it's devoid of compression and NR, as I suspected it would be based on Esoteric's recent work?

 

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/small-faces-most-overcomped-band-ever.36956/

and elsewhere.

 

I bought the first album and Shine On Brightly, but so far have listened to only the mono SOB. It is not mastered loud, and does not sound as though noise reduction was applied.

 

OK, just compared the Salvo bonus tracks with the ones on the new set. As mentioned, the new set doesn't have the instrumental version of Sixpence that the Salvo has. And Monsieur Armand is slightly different. I think those are the only ones missing from the new set.

Other than that, a few songs on one set may not have the count-in that the ones on the other set have but are otherwise the same as far as I could tell. The ending of 'Gospel According to..." may be a bit longer on the new set.

As I've said, the Salvo tracks may be a bit louder, possibly brighter, but I'll leave that for others to verify. There's not all that much difference.

I'll check it versus the Westside when I get a chance.

 

going by track title only (I haven't heard the new reissues yet), this is the list I came up with.

procol harum:
salvo
14 Good Captain Clack [Single Version]
15 Il Tuo Diamante [Italian Single; Promo Version]
16 Understandably Blue
17 Pandora's Box [Version 1: Backing Track]
19 Conquistador
20 She Wandered Through The Garden Fence
21 Homburg [Album Version]

plus
14 Salad Days Are Here Again (Earlier Alternate Version)
16 Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) (Earlier Alternate Version)
17 Something Following Me (Earlier Alternate Version)
18 Magdelene (My Regal Zonophone) (Original Version)
19 Quite Rightly So (Earlier Undubbed Version)
20 Shine On Brightly (Earlier Alternate Version)

shine on brightly:
plus
11 In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence 3:01
12 In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (Alternate) 3:00
13 Quite Rightly So (Take 4) 3:30
14 Quite Rightly So (Take 6) 3:34

salvo
18 Shine On Brightly [Early Version] [Mono] 3:19
21 Monsieur Armand [Backing Track] 2:39
22 In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence [Backing Track]

 

I was going to get the single-disk first LP at Amoeba today but the two-disc set was only $3 more so there it is! Looking forward to hearing and comparing to the Salvo. SHINE is not an album I care about at all save for a couple of tracks but I am glad they apparently have remedied the speed issue.

 

Is anyone actually enjoying these reissues?

 

I am! I spent some time with the 1st album tonight, and did some A/B'ing with the Salvo. No contest: the Esoteric is clearly superior imo. The Salvo is louder, glassier and appears to have boosted bass. In contrast, the new one is smooth, natural-sounding and quite crankable. It's a keeper; the Salvo goes in the sell pile for me.