13th Floor Elevators - "Sign of the 3 Eyed Men" 10 CD Boxset

Yeah, some of them are really painful. Especially annoying NR on their singles set. The latest needledrops have been much better.

 

Everything I've read on the internet is quite vague about what these 8-track masters actually are, but I'm guessing that they are not the multitrack reels recorded at the sessions (which are not masters anyway). I think they are the 2-track master reel used to press the 8 track cassette version of the album. Basically, it seems like a different master was used for the 8 track release than the LP, and this is the '8-track master' they found and are hoarding (can you think of a better word?).

It sounds like Kiloh intentions are good, collecting money for Roky and his family, but Paul went one step further didn't he. Did Kiloh and the Texas psych group conduct those interviews that Paul used for his book? I thought he credited every interview that wasn't his own. It's one thing to put out a fan cdr, but quite another to obtain permission.

 

Perhaps. Note, though, that despite their insistence to the contrary, I can't hear anything different going on in the "Attack of the 8-Tracks" collection...except, uh, for the fact that a huge portion of Easter Everywhere is transferred out of phase (and while Attack of the LPs sounds really good, channels are reversed on most of the material).

And re. the convoluted nature of the fan collections: OK, so most are straight upgrades. Then why keep the older collections around? It becomes just as impenetrable as the commercial semi-pirates, honestly; you end up with seventeen different copies of the Levitation backing track with no idea of which one comes from the "perfect" source.

 

Those $3 love offerings per disc add up...

 

I ordered the Bubble Puppy "Gathering of Promises" and the Golden Dawn "Power Plant" two CD bundle with 10 track promo from the upcoming 13th Floor Elevators box set very late in the day on Sunday Dec 14 2008. I am happy to report the package arrived Wednesday Dec 24 2008

I must admit I was a little wary of ordering from a (first time for me) out of the USA web site. I am delighted with the very prompt service. After currency conversion this set came to about $40.00 USD.

The link I used to purchase this set follows:

http://www.burningshed.com/store/internationalartists/collection/295/country/222/

I will open the package and listen later today.

Charlie

 

Burningshed have proved trustworthy, I purchased Uriel-Arzachel (steve Hillage psych earlier this year, no problems and rate of exchange was correct)


http://www.burningshed.com/store/eggarchive/

 

I'm interested in purchasing this, but will it not be for sale from online stores like Amazon? Shipping is $30 from I.A.

 

Could you let us know the stereo/mono content of the sampler?

 

I would have waited too but their web site says that it's only available from them and limited to 3000 copies. Yes, shipping is pricey.

 

Here is the mono - stereo rundown on the sampler. The web ad states the sampler is 10 tracks but the sampler disc actually has 13 tracks.

1. You're Gonna Miss Me (Take 6) from CD 1 Headstone: The Contact Sessions (mono)
2. Fire Engine (Take 8) from CD 1 Headstone: The Contact Sessions (stereo)
3. Roller Coaster (Live on Sumpin' Else TV Show) from CD 2 Live in Texas (mono)
4. Reverberation (mono 45 mix) from CD 3 The Psychedelic Sounds of (mono)
5. Tried to Hide (alternate stereo mix) from CD 4 The Psychedelic Sounds of (stereo)
6. You Don't Know (Live at the Avalon) from CD 5 Live in California (stereo)
7. She Lives (In a Time of Her Own) (mono LP mix) from CD 6 Easter Everywhere (mono)
8. Levitation (alternate stereo mix) from Easter Everywhere (stereo)
9. Livin' On (full take with original vocals) from CD 8 A Love That's Sound (stereo)
10.May the Circle Remain Unbroken (alternate mix) from CD 8 A Love That's Sound (stereo)
11. Barnyard Blues (remastered) from CD 9 Bull of the Woods (mono)
12. Shake Your Hips (live in 1973) from CD 10 Death in Texas (stereo)
13. You're Gonna Miss Me (take 6, vocal track only) from CD 1 Headstone: the Contact Sessions (mono)

The sound is a lot better than I expected -better than I have ever heard previously - much more clear and clean than earlier efforts. I hear a tiny bit of distortion on track 5 - not enough to create problems. I do not hear any modern day volume maxing and any other of the current day problem mastering techniques on any of the tracks. Track 13 - the Roky vocals only - is a quite interesting- a real trippy thing to hear - could have been an underground FM staple if released back in the day. Charlie

 

Thanks!

 

This is getting more interesting all the time.

 

How does the Bubble Puppy sound?

 

Track #1 is actually in stereo - albeit in a very rudimental form. Basically the entire track is mono, but the jug overdub is panned to the left.

 

Sounds trippy with the headphones, eh?

 

I bought this package too, and Bubble Puppy sounds great. I had never heard them before, and man, they cook. Some great raw guitar. Overall packaging on it and the Golden Dawn albums are terrific. Really classy stuff. And yes, the Elevators sampler is cool to have. I'm really looking forward to the box.

 

I chickened out of the "total package" (as I dig some, but not all of Golden Dawn's album), but bought the Bubble Puppy CD today, as per everyone's recommendation. I already own it on CD, but it is nothing more than a glorified needle-drop put out by the sketchy folks at Sunspots. 24 dollars Canadian (incl. shipping) was a little steep (if fair), but there are no other options besides mail order. It will be all worthwhile when it comes to my door in c. 2 weeks.

 

Can anyone say if the new I.A. Bubble Puppy sounds better than the Varese Sarabande version from 04. The new one has the exact same track listing as the 04 release, so maybe it's the same mastering.

 

I don't really have an answer for you yet, but I just checked out the digibook version of "Hot Smoke and Sassafras" (as stated in the liner notes) on the December 2008 MOJO Magazine CD. It's pretty good sounding to my ears: clearer and devoid of the muddiness of previous issues. Whatever they were working with was/is a close relative to the original master.

 

Pre-ordered the box, and the Golden Dawn/Bubble Puppy combo deal so I can hear the promo cd. Let's hope it ships on time.

 

Any new news?

 

Just got the Bubble Puppy CD in the mail. Great package, and I'm willing to forgive the numerous spelling mistakes in the IA catalog (something like this would not have happened if it was put out through sundazed or collectors choice), but all in all the CD sounds pretty good. They must have been working with safety masters or something, I don't suspect NR but I could be wrong. The bonus tracks (the mono 45 mixes) sound kind of wonky (vinyl sourced?), but the album is a 100 percent improvement over previous issues. If they (Charly) had bothered to put out a release of this quality 20 years ago we would not be dealing with the messed up situation that the IA catalog is in today.

 

I'd like too hear (ha, ha) a SQ comparison of:
Charly 3 CD "T13thFE" Box
vs.
IA Epitaph for a Legend 6 CD Box
vs.
the new sampler

Are any tracks the same? Does anyone have all three?
BIG thanks.

 

BIG ED,
I just got the sampler in the mail. The material on the sampler, when compared to the previous Charly issues, blows it out of the water. Although the sampler only has 13 tracks, it's still a big deal. Is it compressed? A bit. However, the first two albums seem like they are going to be represented on the box set in both mono and "alternate" stereo editions, so I don't know if an A/B/C comparison would even be possible.

The only things that you could, theoretically, compare on the sampler would be "Barnyard Blues" off off Bull of the Woods (which sounds like it is sourced from some master, or sub-master), and maybe "Tried to Hide" off the first album (it says that it's in stereo, but it sounds like mono to me). The first track on the sampler is a remix of "You're Gonna Miss Me" from what sounds like a multi-track. It's great stuff, but it's honestly incomparable to the previous Charly box sets. About 80-90 percent of the sampler is alternate mixes, live cuts and previously unissued recordings.

See for yourself: http://www.internationalartistsrecords.com/

 

Any word on whether the albums will be released individually in the future?