I just ordered the latest CD reissues from Rubellan Remasters -- Repeat Repeat by Peter Baumann and the two Slow Children albums -- and I wanted a forum spot for RR fans to safely gather and effusively praise these reissues. And while I remember what happened last time (which doesn't need rehashing), I'm sure that RR v2.0 will be a smashing success, esp. with everything RR has in the pipeline. Speaking of which, from the RR FB page: Two new reissue clearances received today: Both expanded CD reissues, 20 tracks each, same band (and not one I've reissued before), album's originally released 1988 & 1990, first time ever remastered and reissued since the original release. Those who watched MTV's 120 Minutes during those years would definitely know the band. More details to follow... At the moment, Pleasure Victim by Berlin is my most-spun RR release, but I saw a lot of happy people on the Oingo Boingo thread that might have a thought. What are some favorites from the RR catalog, and what do you hope RR might bring back to life in 2022 and beyond?
I received my order from @Scott Davies in the usual RR manner -- quickly, well-packed, and intact -- so thanks as always for the attention to shipping detail! Scott, any possibility / interest in Romeo Void? And any further hints about the upcoming slate?
I've got Missing Persons - Spring Session M. It is the best CD version of this title ever. Plus, the bonus tracks include all other Missing Persons EP songs and "Action Reaction". The sound quality puts the previous One Way CD to shame, as does the artwork. It is absolutely perfect. If it were up to me, I'd love to see reissues of all The Waitresses' material and the US version of Somewhere In Afrika from Manfred Mann's Earth Band, but nobody asked me. Plus, Scott has indicated in other threads that getting clearance from the labels can be a bitch, even if the artists are cool with it.
I think I put Romeo Void on my wish list on one of the other Rubellan threads but I think Scott said it was no go, maybe because they are Sony? It's A Condition is a top 10 all time album for me. The Wounded Bird Romeo Void cds are a mixed bag, so a proper remaster program would be delightful. You could probably get thier whole discography on 3-4 cds. My favorite Rubellan releases are the Missing Persons cds. The 2nd and 3rd albums especially were a huge hole in my collection. I bought the Passions Sanctuary blind just because he remastered it and because he seems to have similar taste as me.... I had never heard them before. It is so good... The title track in particular is a lost classic. Can't wait to see what comes next.
I'm not joking when I say his CD sounds better than the first pressing UK vinyl. The other Passions albums are also good, too bad those weren't done through RR as well.
I think the problem is that Sony now requires all band members to sign off on reissues - at least third-party reissues - and the members of Romeo Void haven't been easy to track down. So if the members ultimately sign off, it could be a go.
wait.. @Scott Davies was able to get the Slow Children tapes?? I asked him about this last year and he said it was a no go.. guess something changed? Woohoo! Time to find my credit card... edit - I just checked the RR home page and damn, there they are complete with the extended remixes. Lots of other new stuff since I last checked. Good on ya Scott!
I've proudly purchased every c.d. release so far.....love the sound and care that goes into each and every title!.....I would love all of the ROMEO VOID Albums....and every one of the LET'S ACTIVE album's as well.....
Last I remember, a few complainers were unhappy that the slipcover for the Missing Persons box was cheap. Was there something more than that.
Don't count me as 1 of those complainers......the packaging/graphics matches the high quality audio on every single release....quite the feat!
Don't worry, I wasn't. I thought the whole thing was silly and overwrought. The individual CD releases have been very well done, and they've focused on a vastly underserved segment of the reissue space.
No it's all good....I just wanted to give my 2 cents.i have the wounded bird reissues of the ROMEO VOID.....glad to own them but they are lacking in detail....same goes for the LET'S ACTIVE reissues.....I believe they were issued by COLLECTORS CHOICE.....Again nothing to write home about but happy to have at least those....so rare to find in their 415/ I.R.S. original c.d. editions.
I have the IRS CD of Cypress/Afoot. While there is no loudness war compression, it could definitely be improved on with superior, dynamic mastering. Romeo Void I have on vinyl only - I don't know the band's whole catalog but It's a Condition would be nice for a great sounding CD release. While we are talking about 415, the first Red Rockers album is another one that's never been done properly on CD either AFAIK. If these are locked up due to the rights holder that's really too bad. I don't see a major doing much with these types of cult releases.
Great time for San Franciscan music!!.....ROMEO VOID......TRANSLATOR.......WIRETRAIN.....I love "415"....and I.R.S......I just found a bunch of first edition I R S. Japan for America ALARM c.d.'s!
I've got 14 of the RR catalog: SPK: Machine Age Voodoo RUBY01CD Krisma: Fido RUBY02CD Trees: Sleep Convention RUBY05CD Visage: Visage RUBY06CD The Passions: Sanctuary RUBY08CD Visage: The Anvil RUBY09CD Visage: Fade To Grey - The Singles Collection (Special Dance Mix Album) RUBY10 Ric Ocasek: Beatitude RUBY11CD Berlin: Love Life RUBY12CD Divinyls: Desperate RUBY13CD Fingerprintz: The Best Of Fingerprintz - Bulletproof Heart RUBY14CD Berlin: Pleasure Victim RUBY15CD Divinyls: What A Life RUBY19CD Visage: Beat Boy [Cassette Remix Edition] RUBY30CD I want the Oingo Boingo reissues. Also the last Divinyls title. The latter was never a favorite, but why not have them all in their best versions? Getting the Oz tracks removed from "Desperate" in the Northern Hemisphere…on CD was amazing! but not as amazing as the first ever Fingerprintz CD!!!! I've been waiting 35+ years for someone to do that! From a music fan standpoint his Visage collection has thoroughly blown me out of the water. I made my own CD-Rs of "FTG" and "Beat Boy Cassette remix] since I was confident that it would never happen! And the best of breed bonus tracks he managed to fill those discs with were another two discs worth of vital Visage rarities. His addition of bonus materials to "Pleasure Victim" really elevated that CD into a much higher realm. I was never a huge fan but the CD he released changed my attitude! But the CD I treasure most of all was Trees. I had been searching for even the LP of that since it came out. He gave me a CD with another album's worth of followup as well! I have bought multiple copies of many of these to give as gifts. I've lost count on how many copies of the Visage debut I've bought! The new announcements are also must-have material. His taste is very congruent with mine.
OK, this is interesting. We'll see how things go, so here are some answers for you. RE: Romeo Void - Those who subscribe to my occasional newsletter have already heard this, but I had contact recently with Sony and they've stated that while they are open to third party reissues again, there's a really big roadblock. They will not allow any reissue request to go forward without ALL members of a band signing off on an authorization form stating they approve of the reissue being requested. In corresponding with another reissue label, they said they've found it very challenging to get full bands onboard because someone might still be disgruntled about something that happened 40+ years ago, so the best bet is single artists. But that still didn't stop me from attempting Romeo Void. I contacted the lovely and talented Debora Iyall on Instagram as a starting point. She politely said she was in the middle of a move and suggested I try to contact Frank the bass player on Instagram. I sent him a message but I found from my own Instagram account that if someone sends you a message it will end up in a message request folder and you may not see it for a year since there's really no alert given. I couldn't find him on Facebook or any other direct email, so I'm already at a dead end. RE: The Waitresses - I had a request in to do Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? on colored (red and white, of course) vinyl but it was promptly denied. I can't say why but I checked with Chris Butler, songwriter for the band, to see if he's one of the many who have applied to get the rights to their back catalog. He said he tried unsuccessfully. I don't know if his attempt threw the catalog into an 'off limits' status for an unknown amount of time, all I can do is try another request down the road and see what happens. Another band many have asked me about is Wall Of Voodoo. I had a request in for a long time to do the first two albums as a 2-on-1 CD but it was eventually denied. Again, I can't say why but each time I get shot down for a USA artist I wonder if they are trying for rights reversion, which is why I was denied for a couple of Motels reissues, because they are working on getting their albums back. I also recently reached out to Josie Cotton since she now owns her Warner catalog, as I was interested in licensing from her a Best Of collection since she's still an active artist and still doing great work. I exchanged a few messages with her manager who confirmed, ironically, that they have compiled a Best Of for the Japanese CD market, so I asked if I could license it for a USA CD and LP release. He ran it by Josie but she declined since she now has her own label and may do it here herself. I've got plenty of other reissue requests in at Universal so we'll see what approvals (and denials) eventually come my way. I have also been in touch with Warner in recent months but they're still not taking any reissue requests for non-USA signed artists (because UK licensing won't even look at them), and they seem to be open to little more than straight vinyl reissues. I do have a few vinyl requests in but I've kinda put them out of mind, as I heard from another label that even after they've received clearances on some titles, they have yet to be presented a contract in the better part of a year. Let's keep things civil, and let's keep the 'what happened last time' questions off the table. Best to move forward and focus on the new projects and updates as they happen.
Amen. Thanks for engaging with the forum again, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of ‘22 will bring for RR. Now I’m off to play the new CD’s…
Bottom line is Scott has done a masterful job of bringing some great 80's music back in print despite all the obstacles.