Kinks: What is the best way to hear "Something Else" on cd?

Sorry to sound dumb...

what CD versions of Somehting Else are there? And do they have the mono or stereo mix?

DId I get this right so far?

Essential/Castle CD from 1998 - album in mono plus 8 bonus tracks - sound not so good
Sanctuary/Zomba CD from ???? - track listing? mono? sound?
Warners/Reprise CD from 1990 - no bonus tracks, good sound, mono?
Phantom UK Mini-LP CD from ???? - no bonus tracks, stereo, best sound

 

It's been a long time since I got rid of mine, but isn't the Warner/Reprise in stereo?

 

You're close.

The Essential/Castle CD from 1998 is indeed mono, and heavily NRed. Not too good sound.
The old Reprise, Castle, and PRT discs are stereo, although certain issues have problems re. truncated song intros and endings.
The Japanese Victor issues are stereo, and quite nice as well.

The Sanctuary mini-sleeve is stereo, and fixes most (but not all, if I'm getting my information in order) of the song intro problems. Right?

In other words, mono is the exception, not the rule.

-D

 

The intros are all correct but as jbohdan mentioned above it has the abridged version of Situation Vacant.

 

Does that mean you'll have to search for this homemade box (which by now is probably in a landfill somewhere) in order to get the proper sound out of the tapes?

And BTW, aren't tracks like Death of a Clown and Waterloo Sunset mono-only? What's with the stereo version(s) of SE?

 

The Essential Something Else disc was the first time I really noticed bad mastering straight off without even trying to listen for it. I put it into the CD player and immediately thought 'cripes - this is so tinny'. I'd already bought Arthur (the least bad of the Essential series) and thought I'd be safe.

Some SH-mastered SACDs would therefore be wonderful.

 

Steve, you once said that any time you talk about a possible project, it doesn't happen. WHY? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY DID YOU SAY IT??

Sorry.... had to get that out.

Seriously though, this is great news. Even though it's post-1967, I hope you can work your magic on "Village Green Preservation Society." I'd love to finally hear "Picture Book," "Animal Farm," and "Johnny Thunder" the way they were meant to sound!

 

Well, this would be paradise. I'd love to hear Steve-mastered Kinks. Just adding my voice ...

 

Face To Face
Something Else
Village Green
and
Arthur

are four of my all-time favorites. If this happens I'd buy an inexpensive sacd player and for the first time have an acceptable alternative to my original LPs!

 

DITTO!

 

No, they are very, very stereo, IMHO both stereo versions kill the monos, esp. Death Of A Clown, one of the BEST stereo tracks from that era (many things audible that can't be heard in the mono mix).

Steve, if you do these LPs, PLEASE use the stereo mixes (or both, of course, if possible)!

 

Every track on the Reprise CD is "true" stereo. This includes "Waterloo Sunset" and "Death of a Clown". There are some major differences between the mono and stereo mixes of this LP.

I suppose the Reprise CD sounds better than the Sanctuary CD, but neither of them sound very good. I usually listen to the Sanctuary version, just because I think the mono mix is so much better. It is indeed a horribly tinny, processed mess, but until I can afford a UK mono LP pressing, I'll have to live with it.

 

How about some pushin' over on the AF forums? Worked with the Seeds SACD.. I think .

 

And that never made sense, as "David Watts" sounds just fine (relatively, that is) on Reprise's Kink Kronikles CD. On Reprise's Something Else, it sounds like the album master either had oxide flaking off, or got eaten by a machine at some point. Couldn't someone have substituted the intact version from the compilation?


Here's hoping that Steve gets a shot at these tapes. I'd buy them again in a minute, that era is some of the greatest music I've ever heard.

 

"This is a master!"

 

Sorry to say, I have UK mono and stereo vinyl of "Something Else", and though they sound better than the cd's out there, they're not that much better- still somewhat tinny but with ok bass.

 

What about Two Sisters?

 

EVERY TRACK!

 

Sorry, what did you say?

 

That would be great!!! I hope that Ray says yes!