Al Stewart - Original Album Series, Vol. 2

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Albu...1-1&keywords=al+stewart+original+album+series

My long departed copy of the Just Yesterday box set had given me a taste for Mr. Stewart's material from Russians & Americans and Last Days of the Century, so I jumped on this set in a hurry when I saw it available for pre-order.

It includes:

-24 Carrots
-Live at The Roxy Los Angeles 1981
-Russians and Americans
-Last Days of the Century
-Famous Last Words

So far, I've spun 24 Carrots and Russians & Americans. Now, I haven't heard some of these tracks in a few years. Rumours of War is one of my all-time favorites of his and it sounds vastly different than I remember it from the box set on the disc I just received. It's hard to pin down since I obviously can't A/B the two, but it just sounds very full. There's nice bass response, but it doesn't feel exaggerated.

24 Carrots sounds phenomenal, especially what would have been the "A" side on vinyl. I don't know if these are new-ish masters or the original CD masters. Whatever the case, my impression so far is favorable.

Has anyone else picked this one up or the prior entry in the series? I've been in the market for copies of Time Passages and Year of the Cat and was eyeing up the other OAS box to secure them.

 

It's a fine back catalogue that Mr Stewart has given us. I don't have the box set per se but pretty much have most of his albums.

Gary

 

You can get both sets for £20 from Amazon UK, absolute bargain.....

Gary

 

Have most of the original albums, except for R&A. If this box set supplies the mastering of the original EMI CD of 24 carrots, you're in for a treat. I always thought that album sounded phenomenal.

I have a truncated version of the live album, which omits the studio side that was originally on the 2LP set. Curious if these tracks appear on this edition. IIRC, there was a later issue of a certain CD album (it may have been the Collector's Choice reissue of 24 carrots, but I'm not sure) that had these studio tracks tacked on it as bonus tracks.

EDIT: Just checked - it WAS the original EMI disc that contained those bonus tracks. If those tracks would be the same on this package, chances are they contain the original masterings.

 

I was very stunned by the sound quality on 24 Carrots. Fingers crossed it's the master you're thinking of, but I'm pleased in any event!

I think the live version is truncated. I'm not seeing any studio sides on this one and the artwork looks modified to only reflect three sides of vinyl rather than the expected four. Hmm.. I'll have to see if I can find any comps that include those tracks as 24 Carrots doesn't include them as bonus tracks as far as I can tell. Shame too as I always liked Delia's Gone in particular.

So we've got a bit of a mix so far.

 

I did a bit of casting around and wasn't able to find any (inexpensive) sources for the studio tracks originally released on Live/Indian Summer. Is anyone aware of comps or the like which include them?

Apparently, they were bundled on the release of 24 Carrots back on '07 to keep the studio and live albums distinct affairs, but that CD is going for beastly money at this point.

 

I have all his albums in different variations. Nearly all those released by Collector's Choice, the EMIs, Rhino's PPaF. And 24 Carrots with the bonus tracks from the live album and the one with the three bonus tracks from Collector's Choice. Love the man!