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

Seems many fans should in theory have one or more reasons to enjoy this set. If the concert sound is only average soundboard at best, if the cd or vinyl remasters are not much better than earlier ones, there are still the studio outtakes, some demos, hi rez stereo option, surround option, and a book. I wonder if the bluray will have some interesting visuals to accompany the music? There's a book too. For just $40 and change I assume some of the above options are bound to offer value and enjoyment to many folks here. Will know soon enough. A little impatient for a concert audio preview though...

 

If someone like me can't find a reason to get the set they are in trouble.

 

There are very few of the super deluxe..deluxe or whatever one wants to call them that I can find much reason to get excited over. Village Green and maybe the Blood On The Tracks. Many of these big packages that weve dreamt about as having all the booty just dont prove to be the case and fall short.

Unfortunately there are just too much good stuff that is not being included for whatever reason. Im not as hot on the trail for outtakes/demos and such like I use to be. But if they are finally making this the Super Duper Definitive Electric Lady Land then there should be no holding back on the grails.

Having said that, I may still pick this up. The determining factor for me would be sonics. I was disappointed that AP wasnt doing ELL. So it would be nice to have a great sounding digital version of this material. If the sonics stand out somewhat above the other releases of ELL then Id purchase.

Hey, Im getting a collection of these 5.1 jobbers so maybe its time I try it also.

 

I think that's the key thing to keep in mind, though I still think the live show is nothing but filler to justify a higher price tag.

 

Sorry, clunky phone phrasing, I had a feeling it was going to be misunderstood after I posted it. Tried to avoid it with the quotes. The 5.1 will be based on the stereo mix, not going back to the original tapes and changing levels or adding or subtracting tracks. You'll be hearing the same mix, some things will just be in a different place.

 

Well, if ever there WAS a time to exploit the outtakes...

 

For $42, just the blu-ray and remastered CD would justify the price.

 

Agree, sonics and GOOD rare tracks. After collecting every single boot I could lay my hands on for over 40 years of the Byrds and the work of the individual members I came to the realization the artists really knew what they were doing by not releasing a lot of the material. They knew when the work was substandard.

 

Dude, I gotta ask, where are you getting this from? You've already heard the mix? Are you still making this assumption based on those comments from that thing in march? You seem (again) to state this as fact.

Why in the world would someone make a 5.1 mix based on a stereo mix? And how in the world do you do that anyway? There are 3 extra speakers. "The same mix, some things will just be on a different place."

"... not going back to the original tapes..."

Wha...?? Undoubtedly, they will go back to the original tapes, the multitrack masters. Thats how you make a 5.1 mix. You still think its going to be the stereo mix, "just moved around a little"??

The whole point is to open up the mix, make it creative. I mean when you hear Kramer say he had some joystick thing, what are you imagining? That he took meticulous notes about the panning of guitars and then used this joystick to copy those pans in 5.1? Why bother? And how do you do that anyway? A left to right pan becomes a rear left to front left to front right to rear right pan? Just a "wider pan"? That's the kind of thing you think we'll hear on this?

 

In my view, not always but generally, out takes are out takes for a reason. Sometimes however there are true gems. Some of the Zeppelin bonus tracks from the most recent reissue series come to mind, and are, in my view anyway, worthwhile. Most of the time for me the outtakes are a curiosity listened to a few times at first and rarely again.

My main interest is upgraded sonics e.g. hi res stereo and 5.1. Prefer the Steven Wilson style with a flat transfer of the original master, remixed stereo and an adventurous 5.1 presentation. In this case, I’m still pleased that the album is in 5.1 and hi res stereo, although I would have preferred a hi res stereo remix on the BD and CD as well. However, perhaps they believed the hi res stereo of the original mix could not be improved.

 

I'm sticking with this as the EL disc I have is the one that came with the DVD documentary. Mastered LOUD, IMO so hopefully this one will sound better.

 

Eddie Kramer have said that it is remixed from the original 12-track multitrack masters.

 

Eddie says on the promo video that the 5.1 mix was tricky because they had to go back and figure out how to duplicate what they did 50 years ago. Which is the point: they're trying to redo what they did, just with a wider audio canvas. Not create a "remixed" version which may have different vocal and instrument levels, different elements mixed in and out, etc.

 

It still is remixed though.

 

Why don't you just use the term, staying true to the original? "Not remixed" is just plain confusing.

 

I think what Eddie was saying, is that the 5.1 remix is as respectable to the original mix as possible. As it should be, in my opinion. Technically it is a remix, as it is remixed from the multitracks.

 

Every Hendrix studio album after Rainbow Bridge (1971) has consisted of outtakes. You're telling us they are all useless?
Hendrix didn't work like Page. Jimi experimented wildly and was a far more creative and improvisational musician, like, a jazz musician.

 

Ah, just posted my other one when yours show up . A remix to me is what Steven Wilson does or what they did with the Genesis albums, going in and creating a completely new version of the old favorite where things sound notably different than they used to. This is still the old favorite with a new presentation.

 

That's basically it. They specifically mentioned back in the March 7 NY appearance that they weren't looking to do Steve Wilson type stuff. The ELL 5.1 is looking to do what they did back in 1968, just with 5 speakers instead 2.

 

That's why you're a doctor, perfect diagnosis.

 

A remix is a remix, whether it's true to the original or not.

 

The intention of this one is to sound like the original, that's the main point...where's the fingers crossed emoji?

 

Most 5.1 reissues are remixes from the original multitracks. Why? Because the albums were originally released in mono or stereo; with Quad releases being the exceptions. You either like remixes or not.

 

I think you're reading quite a lot into a couple little comments.

Perhaps, they hadn't even considered making the 5.1 mix of ELL at that time and their opinions have changed. Perhaps they didn't understand completely understand the question. To me, that statement does not equal, "This will sound like stereo ELL, but in 5.1" .

So Kramer says in the video they were "trying to figure out all the complexities of duplicating what we had done 50 years ago." Again, that does not necessarily mean that this is going to be ''stereo but in 5.1" He could easily be referring to things like 'which effects did we use during mixing?, what reverb?, what echo?, how much?, which parts did we fade at which times?' and so forth. Things like that he'll want to try to duplicate, sure. But I don't believe this is a stereo mix on a "wider audio canvas" as you say.

I expect adventurous panning, things swirling around. When we go down, and down and down in 1983, I expect some panning effects to take us, down and down and down. I don't believe anything has been said that means that this has to sound like the stereo mix in a 5.1 setting (which would be a big waste of time anyway.)

 

That doesn't make sense, sorry. Steven Wilson stays true to the original stereo mix, in fact, he first remixes in stereo and goes from there to the 5.1 mix.

Unless this new remix is just ambiance in the rears like many of the crappy live 5.1 concert films...