King Crimson 30th Anniversary vs 40th Anniversary editions

I have the 30th anniversary editions of Red, Starless and Bible Black and Larks Tongue in Aspic. A promo copy of THRAK rounds out my collection.

I need to get a copy of Discipline and now I have to choose between the 30th Anniversary edition and the 40th. I do not own a DVD-A player and do not plan to buy one. I do not have a surround system and do not plan to get one. So DVD-A and surround sound are not a consideration for me.

I have read that some 40th versions are remixed by Steven Wilson and although that sounds intriguing, I don't know if I need to pay $20 for another copy of the three discs I own. However, I am not sure which version of Discipline (and any of the others) to get.

Can someone outline the differences between the 30th and 40th anniversary versions of the King Crimson catalog, preferably album by album? I understand that Red was not remixed for the 40th, is this true? Was Discipline remixed? Are the remixes improvements? How is the sound quality of the 30th vs the 40th? Do all the 40ths include high-res stereo and do they sound considerably better than the 30ths? etc.. etc...

Thanks for any and all help..

 

The 40th of Red uses the 30th mastering for its stereo mix, so given what you mention, you can probably cross that off your list unless the bonus things are important.

I like the remix of Court, but I'm not sure I'd rank it above the 30th.

Lizard 40th I don't like. Too much compression.

Islands 40th is good, but I think the 30th is just maybe just good or better.

SaBB is a tossup for me. I'd probably take the new remix as it is a little less bright. The drums and bass are sometimes way too loud in the mix though.

I don't have any others.

 

30th Discipline is a compressed mess.

 

The best Discipline is the early West German Polydor EG disc. It's smooth and balanced, sounds really good cranked, and isn't compressed vs the other editions.

 

I have Bruford's solo stuff on EG and it sounds great. Is the 40th edition of Discipline compressed as much as the 30th or less so? I love the Discipline album so I wouldn't mind popping for the 40th but if it is the same mastering as the 30th I may decide to save the money.

 

Hard to compare apples and oranges. The 40th is a brand new mix, and it's pretty different. The 30th mastering is also included as a bonus feature on the DVD, but at a lossless higher resolution.

 

Steven Wilson at the mixing desk = Must Buy.

 

It's also the only CD with the original mix of 'Matte Kudasai' in its rightful place. The DE is missing it entirely and the 30th (and 40th DVD) requires you to program tracks 1, 2, 8, 4, 5, 6, 7 which is kind of annoying.

 

I don't think so.

More like = Might Be Good.

 

So if this is the case:

Then this:

is a rather odd development, a high-res version of a compressed mastering.

 

Glad to hear this since it's the one I own.

 

what did he do to receive your disdain ?
i knew that you'd put bad comments on his work... but i have no explanation ...

 

What sort of things do you listen for, to "hear" the compression? Is there one passage in particular? I'm asking because I have the 30th (which is HDCD) and am now wondering if the 40th (CD only) will be worthwhile.

 

Nope, = must buy....

 

New mixes are better all around. You wont be let down. The 30th versions are included anyway, enjoy. John M.

 

Disdain? I like some of his work a lot! I defended his Aqaulung remix and I generally like his work. You might be confusing me with someone else.

I just don't rank his remixes as "must buy" by a long shot. And a big part of that is who masters his remixes. Like Lizard, I am okay with his remix but it has a bunch of compression added by Simon Heyworth and Robert Fripp. And the the deletion of mellotron parts on thesopening of "Prince Rupert" when Jon Anderson's vocal comes in annoys the heck out of me, even if maybe that was Fripp's decision?

Anyway, I'd say I usually like his work! Just think each release has to be evaluated on its own. I don't buy something just because his name is on it.

 

I don't understand the seemingly immediate love for new remixes. A lot of times in preference to the original mixes, which most of us have owned, listened to, and really enjoyed for years.

IMO, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the original mixes.

And it's been proven at least twice that SW's remixes have been dynamically compromised in the mastering stage after they left his hands before they ended up on disc.

I do find SW's remixes of King Crimson's material interesting and a good alternative listen to the original mixes, but for me, the original mixes will always be the reference.

Multi-channel is different though. I say, the more the merrier.

 

re 40th kc issues -‘drop a glass full of antique cher’ wtf? the missing last syllable on ‘the great deceiver’ from starless and bible black kinda irks me still…steve wilson has done a great job on the 5.1…DGM mentioned ‘tape deterioration’ when i posted asking what the deal was…so if that part was unusable, what else was left out? if the tapes are that bad why even bother, just use the 30th!

 

Yeah, this is very annoying. I thought Fripp finally said it was an oversight and just something people had to live with? Never heard the story about tape deterioration. That could explain it.

 

The 40th Larks' Tongues In Aspic remix finally corrects the bass distortion in Book Of Saturday. Hooray!!! Nice sounding release!

 

Hello, I bought the 40th anniversary editions from Court to USAto get started because I didn't have any of the albums and they were already out by that time However, I started reading comments about the not so subtle changes made on these new mixes. So, I decided to give a listen to the original UK vinyl and got stunned. Above all with Poseidon and Lizard. Don't know which I prefer but I tell you I enjoy listening to both. Are the EG and 30 anniversary diferent enough from the original UK vinyls to give them a chance too?

Do you know if they are going to remix Earthbound? Really like that one.

Thanks all of you.

 

Perhaps I'm in a minority here, but how I wish there was a better mastering of 'In The Court ...' Steven Wilson remix

It doesn't sound right to me. Cold, analytical, clinical. Without any warmth

On the other hand, the new Red 2 CD set sounds wonderful

 

Earthbound was recorded from the mixing board on a stereo cassette. No remixing is possible. If you want to hear more (and better recorded performances) from this version of the band, investigate the King Crimson Collector's Club.

 

By the way, 40th Anniversary editions DVD contains 30th Anniversary editions mixes in high resolution.

 

Ah, yes here in Uruguay a single edition containing only the cd apperead for a short time.