Peter Murphy 5 Albums 5CD Book | Box Set (bauhaus)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by BlueSpeedway, Jun 22, 2018.

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  1. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    [​IMG]
    Out today, rather expensive in the UK (£30 in HMV). Nicely designed packaging of his 1986-1995 albums released by Beggars Banquet, RCA etc, with album themed envelope type pages, lyrics and a lengthy intro essay I haven’t read yet. Singles covers reproduced in colour thumbnails, original album artwork is larger. Disc faces have album themed graphics on them unlike the Cherry Red expanded reissues of the first two albums, which just had lame plain white discs.

    It says mastered by Matt Wortham and Andy Pearce so these are new masters for at least 3 of the 5 albums, as Deep, Holy Smoke, and (the superb, terribly overlooked) Cascade have never been reissued or remastered before, only selected tracks on the Wild Birds Best Of CD in 2000.

    Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986) is bassier and warmer than the 80s/90s CDs. This is a good thing IMO, my 1986 Japan CD is a cold thing, and the 80s synths etc need a bit of help. With no added amp or EQ, on headphones, this I think is the best I’ve heard the album. I don’t know if it’s the same remaster as the Cherry Red which I haven’t played for a while.

    Will listen to more and the bonus tracks later, but for now it’s a thumbs up :righton:, if you don’t mind paying that amount. Maybe it’s less outside the UK.

    Tracklists and more photos below:

    Peter Murphy / 5 Albums | superdeluxeedition
     
  2. richard a

    richard a Forum Resident

    Location:
    borley, essex, uk
    Looking forward to getting this set. Five terrific albums plus bonus tracks. Very nice.
    Good to hear that Should The World Fail... is sounding peachy. Keep us posted with your thoughts on the others please.
     
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  3. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Love Hysteria sounds similar to the 1988 UK Nimbus CD, but maybe slightly less bright and a bit more meaty, and therefore a bit better to me. These sort of albums that straddled the vinyl/CD/analogue vs digital studio era are interesting, it’s not like messing with something older, like say Bowie’s Low, almost a sonic sacred artefact to many people. Albums from this mid 80s to mid 90s period are a different kettle of fish (cakes). And a bit of careful mastering help can be good.

    The full Indigo Eyes album version has been reinstated. The Cherry Red reissue used the single edit in error.

    So, another thumbs up, albeit not as vivid as Should the World, which really is a great CD for Murphy fans. I don’t know what they did or sourced, but followers of the main Bauhaus and related artists thread might recall some of us raving about the 2009 Mask CD, which for long term deep listeners was a revelation compared to all previous CDs or LPs of it. Should the World is the same, even the tinny Blue Heart song for example, now has some guts about it. And I think I heard a tiny bit of extra music during the Never Man outro than prevously, but I’ll have to check to be sure.

    On to Deep now, which was a sonically stylish, but rather cold, clinical affair on its 1989 CD, let’s see what it’s like now... :)
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2018
  4. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Deep is pretty different to the 1989 UK Nimbus or US RCA CDs. Fans of the, er...very digital sounding, cold but smooth 1989 might find this too much. As well as some more bass, it sounds pretty full on in places, maybe some compression / mid range added. It’s far more analogue sounding now though, even though presumably it was a digital recording. Swings and roundabouts this one: mid rangey, pretty loud, but improved general EQ, bass and warmth. I’d rather listen to this one than the old TBH.
     
  5. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    The “essay” isn’t actually an essay I now realise. It’s actually a very emotional, interesting thing of great depth incorporating an unpublished seemingly recent meeting between the writer and Murphy in Istanbul. Ths isn’t some academic or music critic waffle. I won’t spoil it. It’s powerful stuff.
     
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  6. VeeDub

    VeeDub Senior Member

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Thank you for your thoughts so far! Have been particularly interested in how remastered Love Hysteria and Deep would sound vs. the original CDs.

    Have you or would you consider running DR numbers? I know these are an anathema to some, but they can help paint at least part of the picture - no substitute for your thorough descriptions, though.
     
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  7. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Someone in another thread pointed out a good price at the US Beggars site ($28 plus a few bucks shipping in the US): Arkive

    I received mine the other day and I thought they did a nice job with the set, especially considering the price. The DR numbers are a bit lower than the recent expanded editions of the first two albums but still fairly decent.
     
  8. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    I’ll have to leave that to someone else. I guess the 1986-1995 CDs had very high DR though? Beggars CDs for many artists in that era were good, although all these years later and with fresh ears and better gear, sometimes those flaws I mentioned like clinical, cold, blah blah, I wouldn’t have noticed or thought about when I first bought the UK CDs when I was 14 (1986) to 23 (1995). I’m OK with lower DR for such a better listening experience for me for Should the World, or to give Deep a bit of grit :)

    BTW my “old CD” comments refer only to UK CDs unless stated. Other territories gets weird, eg I have a Canadian Vertigo Love Hysteria CD that sounds like it was made from a copy tape and is pointless to use to compare. I only bought it cos it had the proper artwork (the original UK CD changed the design and color from the superior looking LP, for some reason, despite being released on the same day!)
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2018
  9. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    I haven't had a chance to do any real comparisons except for one track so far. I was sampling a few tracks and was curious which version they were calling "A Strange Kind Of Love (Remix Edit Version)" and it turned out to be fairly rare version released late in the album campaign only in the US and Canada (I think). There's something weird going on with it though. I don't know if it's overdone NR or tape mistracking but the acoustic guitar is kind of garbled compared to the US promo CD.

    DR numbers for STWFTFA for those who care:

    foobar2000 1.3.15 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
    log date: 2018-06-20 19:51:08

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Analyzed: Peter Murphy / Should The World Fail To Fall Apart {5 Albums}
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DR Peak RMS Duration Track
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    DR10 -0.26 dB -11.48 dB 4:47 01-Canvas Beauty (Romance Version)
    DR9 -0.26 dB -10.31 dB 3:17 02-The Light Pours Out Of Me
    DR9 -0.26 dB -10.76 dB 5:41 03-Confessions
    DR9 -0.26 dB -10.53 dB 4:50 04-Should The World Fail To Fall Apart
    DR10 -0.26 dB -13.84 dB 6:15 05-Never Man
    DR9 -0.26 dB -10.56 dB 5:50 06-God Sends
    DR10 -0.26 dB -11.12 dB 4:28 07-Blue Heart
    DR9 -0.26 dB -11.18 dB 6:28 08-The Answer Is Clear
    DR8 -0.26 dB -10.78 dB 3:56 09-Final Solution
    DR10 -0.26 dB -11.78 dB 5:35 10-Jemal
    DR11 -0.26 dB -13.25 dB 5:11 11-Canvas Beauty (Up Version)
    DR10 -0.26 dB -12.10 dB 4:35 12-Should The World Fail To Fall Apart (Version 3)
    DR10 -0.26 dB -12.30 dB 4:53 13-Stay
    DR9 -0.26 dB -11.17 dB 5:31 14-Final Solution (Club Mix Version 1)
    DR8 -0.26 dB -10.27 dB 6:29 15-Tale Of The Tongue (Extended Version)
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Number of tracks: 15
    Official DR value: DR9

    Samplerate: 44100 Hz
    Channels: 2
    Bits per sample: 16
    Bitrate: 950 kbps
    Codec: FLAC
    ================================================================================


    foobar2000 1.3.15 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
    log date: 2018-06-20 19:48:44

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Analyzed: Peter Murphy / Should The World Fail To Fall Apart {Expanded Edition: CD1}
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DR Peak RMS Duration Track
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    DR13 -0.81 dB -16.52 dB 4:44 01-Canvas Beauty (Romance Version)
    DR13 -0.28 dB -15.20 dB 3:16 02-The Light Pours Out of Me
    DR12 -1.34 dB -16.35 dB 5:38 03-Confessions
    DR12 -1.58 dB -15.69 dB 4:48 04-Should The World Fail to Fall Apart
    DR12 -2.93 dB -20.25 dB 6:12 05-Never Man
    DR12 -0.67 dB -16.42 dB 5:48 06-God Sends
    DR12 -0.87 dB -15.27 dB 4:25 07-Blue Heart
    DR13 -0.66 dB -16.65 dB 6:26 08-The Answer Is Clear
    DR11 -0.48 dB -15.31 dB 3:55 09-Final Solution
    DR11 -3.29 dB -16.47 dB 5:31 10-Jemal
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Number of tracks: 10
    Official DR value: DR12

    Samplerate: 44100 Hz
    Channels: 2
    Bits per sample: 16
    Bitrate: 633 kbps
    Codec: FLAC
    ================================================================================


    foobar2000 1.3.15 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
    log date: 2018-06-20 19:49:09

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Analyzed: Peter Murphy / Should The World Fail To Fall Apart {Original Release}
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DR Peak RMS Duration Track
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    DR13 -0.90 dB -16.27 dB 4:47 01-Canvas Beauty (romance version)
    DR13 -0.18 dB -15.53 dB 3:17 02-The Light Pours Out of Me
    DR13 -1.28 dB -16.25 dB 5:42 03-Confessions
    DR14 -0.14 dB -15.83 dB 4:50 04-Should the World Fail to Fall Apart
    DR11 -1.82 dB -17.94 dB 6:08 05-Never Man
    DR13 -0.99 dB -16.35 dB 5:51 06-God Sends
    DR13 -0.29 dB -15.39 dB 4:28 07-Blue Heart
    DR14 -0.41 dB -16.89 dB 6:29 08-The Answer Is Clear (album version)
    DR13 -0.75 dB -16.56 dB 3:57 09-Final Solution
    DR12 -3.28 dB -18.26 dB 5:35 10-Jemal
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Number of tracks: 10
    Official DR value: DR13

    Samplerate: 44100 Hz
    Channels: 2
    Bits per sample: 16
    Bitrate: 619 kbps
    Codec: FLAC
    ================================================================================
     
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  10. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    I've always wondered about the different artwork! I've only had the US CD which has that more reddish tint to it. So, the UK vinyl and Canadian CD had the more gold tone and the UK CD had the reddish tone?
     
  11. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Never Man DR is higher on the two remasters than the original, everything else lower, weird.

    I noticed that odd sounding Strange Kind of Love remix too. Yet on the same disc another bonus track, the extended Devil’s Teeth, sounds terrific quality. I was saving my bonus track waffle until the end, but while we’re at it, the Tale of the Tongue edit version sounded a bit weird to me too, although I don’t personally have any need for it, it’s just a butcher job.
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2018
  12. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    It’s the borders design and everything, as well as the color. The UK 1988 CD is a horrible pinky beigy wishy washy looking thing. The UK 1988 LP is more tan, more clear, and has a green and yellow canvassy coloured border, and very nice brown and white labels with Murphy’s face on them, the CD disc face is totally silver with only artist and title on it.
     
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  13. VeeDub

    VeeDub Senior Member

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Agreed; ultimately it's personal/subjective; thanks!
     
  14. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    That's funny because I was just comparing the extended Devil's Teeth to the US promo CD and I thought that sounded good on the new set too.

    Speaking of Tale of the Tongue, I missed buying the Expanded Edition CD of Should The World and now it's crazy priced. But, I noticed the FLACs are available for about $11 on Qobuz the other day and it has the 7" version of Tale as an extra track not found on the physical edition.
     
  15. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Here you go James... UK 1988 CD

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    ..and accurate mini LP CD, can’t find the LP in decent quality online, the difference in real life is even more pronounced, front and back.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Ah, that looks much better!
     
  17. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Sometimes low DR can add problems to a job I find bad (Bowie Low 2017), but sometimes a mastering does something for me despite lower or low DR (some of the 2016 Lou Reed Arista RCA CD box which I loved and preferred a lot of to my old Reed CDs) :)
     
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  18. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    That’s interesting. Presumably the 2CDs of World and Hysteria will disappear everywhere now, online too?
     
  19. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Yeah, it's weird because it seems like the Should The World 2CD went out of print fairly quick but you can still find the Love Hysteria 2CD for sale at the usual outlets. I always thought it was a far better album so I guess that's not a bad thing. I wasn't nuts about the album but I couldn't keep Final Solution off my turntable when it was released!
     
  20. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Crap... (in reference to 'A Strange Kind of Love')
     
  21. cb70

    cb70 Senior Member

    Any reason why Cherry Red never did a Deep Expanded set? Was really looking forward to that and thought it was a given it would happen.
     
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  22. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    ..well Holy Smoke and Cascade seem to be mastered like Deep to me. Fuller, less laid back. Less digital. Than the old UK CDs. It works very well with some tracks (eg Kill the Hate, or Gliding Like A Whale’s analogue synths). Nothing sounds brickwalled or bad to me, or smashed. Defeat / bypass your bass EQ though, if you have it. They don’t need it.

    It’s certainly a set Murphy fans should have alongside their old CDs IMO, even if you take the nice packaging or bonus tracks out of the equation.
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2018
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  23. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Beggars wanted to do this instead. There’s some words on how this set came about, in its content pages. Interesting and surprisingly personal / private!

    Maybe a Deep deluxe will come later?
     
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  24. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    I took that deal that James posted yesterday as Amazon US pushed it back to July.
    Looking forward to the bonus tracks and the book presentation :)
     
  25. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc Thread Starter

    Location:
    England
    Goodnight for now, lovely Murphy fans. I have to bail for now but look forward to reading others’ opinions.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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