Simple Minds -Sparkle In The Rain: 5 disc deluxe edition (March 2015)

This has all gone into complete weirdness territory now but I totally guarantee our customers will come out of this with the correct discs somehow (even if it does seem that The God of Rock sent Soup a disc without telling us!)

Hey ho... I feel like I fell into a pit...

 

Got my replacement dvd and booklet.
Will be listening to check out the differences.

Still need a replacement for the bluray.

later
-1

 

looks like contacting the same person yielded information that will be sending a bluray replacement.

all is sorted out now.

later
-1

 

Maybe not my final assessment, but having now received my replacement Blu-ray disc and played it a few times, I have to say that this remix sounds truly horrible to me. I can switch between the original mix and either of the new 2-channel or multi-channel mixes, and both sound incredibly bass-heavy and murky. It's not even subtle.

I recently went through some of my other 5.1 discs, so this opinion is relative to the others. The 5.1 remixes of Dark Side of the Moon (a real benchmark IMO) and Wish You Were Here, for example, are tasteful, creative and immersive by comparison.

Having unwrapped and played the remix of Drums and Wires in the same listening session, I am now cautious about Steven Wilson's remixing. That one was not murky and bass-heavy, but still shows an aggressive, ostentatious style that I do not like.

 

Does the menu of your disc look like this?

 

Does the menu of your disc look like this?

 

It does, yes.

 

Got a shipment notice for the "awaiting repress" Blu-ray from Music Direct today.

 

Got my copy of the blu-ray from Music Direct which had been "awaiting repress" and it looks good. Stereo is definitely stereo, has the V3 matrix.

 

Steve - would love to get your thoughts on the "repress BR." I really want to pick this up - but there still seems to be a lot of confusion. Sounds like some people have received the corrected version but still state it is not good. I have yet to hear a bad Steven Wilson 5.1 - so really curious if your copy is the real deal. Thanks for any comments!!

 

Last SM fan to listen to the 5.1 mix and I'm in the camp that is enjoying it - seems to have less congestion and bombast to my ears, but I can see how purists would dislike that.

Now if only someone would remix this album in NGD style with MacNeil keyboards brought way up in the mix and all the guitars dialed back....

 

If it were remixed properly in 5.1, Mick would certainly be prominent in the rear/side channels.

 

Held off on buying this when it first came out for obvious reasons.

Thought that the local HMV or one of the other retail stores would get it in once corrected copies were released.

Just checked Amazon - $175 in the States, $292 in Canada. That's just insane.

It's as if EMI didn't WANT anyone to buy them.

 

Not sure if they deliver to Canada but Deep Discount has the box for ~$65

http://www.deepdiscount.com/sparkle-in-the-rain-2pc/602537973491

Burning Shed still has the box for about 40 pounds.

Not sure what's up with Amazon, that's nuts! Even Stuart S wouldn't buy it for that price, and he loves it!

 

Currently listening to Sparkle in the Rain. I've never heard one bit of this album ever and I'm loving it. I plan on getting one of the XTC Steven Wilson remixes. I've never heard their music before.

 

If you like a bit of New Wave punky quirkiness, get Drums & Wires. If you prefer your music Poppy and lush, Nonsuch or the upcoming Oranges & Lemons would do.

 

If you've never heard "New Gold Dream," hurry! NOW!

Not that "Sparkle..." is bad, it's amazing. But "New Gold Dream" is the apex of the Simple Minds catalog. I hope there are plans to remix "New Gold Dream." The DVD-A is a completely different mix but I'd like to hear what Steven does to it myself.

 

I agree - it is my favorite SM album by 1000 miles.

 

NO! I have a feeling NGD will buthered in his 90's style reinvention presentation. That would catashropic to a mastepiece that is New Gold Dream.

The DVD-A is almost perfection as it is except for the title track.

 

You don't have to buy it.

 

What is it, that you don't like about the title track?

 

On the DVD-A, Mels bass drum thumping masks Derek's deep low bass.
On the 2 channel original mix they are distinct and complimentary. Without Derek's prominent glossy bass, the song looses its luster.

 

I think it'd be great to hear what Steven Wilson could do with NGD, especially if they located the missing multitracks for the couple of songs. I also wouldn't mind if it were a 5.1 mix of the original album edits that we grew up with. I love the "new" extended versions but also love the flow of the original album as well. However, I would rather he remixed Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call since we already have an excellent 5.1 mix of NGD.

I doubt he'll touch another Simple Minds project with all the whining about his Sparkle in the Rain remix and Universal's screw ups with the release. I hope he and Universal prove me wrong though.

 

Unfortunately Universal have poisoned the well. Looking on the shelf at my copies of the 'deluxe' boxed sets for Songs From The Big Chair, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Crises, I'd say that we're getting past the point at which even a Steven Wilson surround mix can redeem these things. The fiasco over this Simple Minds set is pretty much the straw that has broken this particular camel's back.

 

Hmm...I'll go check that out sometime soon...