Has any Hendrix been done at 45? Maybe the estate won't allow it, or the license is prohibitively expensive.
No offense, but this complaint is more tired than the release titles themselves. You don’t think the reissue labels would like to do some other titles if they thought they could actually license them AND make money on them? Even if you wanted to do “surprising”, many of them would not only be “surprising” but actually “shocking” solely because you can’t actually license them (or license them at a profitable cost). The labels are tightening the screws on licensing, not loosening it. Complaining about the reissue folks’ choices is spitting into the wind. But if you actually want “surprising”, Intervention has some less conventional stuff on clearance.
Who knows? Maybe the estate wouldn’t allow them to break up the material for artistic reasons? Before you poo-poo it and think it’s overly pedantic, think about the times where stories have been related here about DCC, AF and so on wanting to use original artwork, bonus tracks, reissue credits, etc and they got nixed...
Some interesting historical info here: Michael Hobson Looking to Sell Record Store - Audionirvana.org
Absolutely none, you’re right. Would they really be expected to market it as such though? It’s just a theory. Chad bought Classic records. These UHQRs are all titles done by Classic. There are pieces that don’t fit just like any other theory. Still, you have to wonder. What’s the path of least resistance? Isn’t that the one most often taken?
What you say about the licensing business is true. There could be many reasons for what ever is going down. Still, MFSL is doing 45rpm one steps and sticking to it. Not, 33/3rd one time and the changing the next.
So far we know that the mono (and stereo by definition) aren’t the Classic cuts. That’s a small sample size, but 100% so far are not the old Classic cuts. Aqualung has been done previously by DCC, MFSL and Classic (am I missing one or more?). From all appearances, Aqualung isn’t exactly selective in her choice of partners, so it’s no surprise she’s easily available yet again. That’s the path of least resistance to me. Cutting a new lacquer is the easy part - and makes for good ad copy. Honestly, you have to put on a pretty sporty tinfoil hat at this stage to think there’s even reason to have such a theory. So far there’s really nothing but some pseudo dots to connect.
True but sometimes you take what you can get. And maybe AP is less of a gambler than MFSL. Or at $100 for a single disc and a box, maybe AP is dumb like a fox...
OK. You seem pretty sure. I guess I’m totally off base. Could not happen, no way. And you’ve compared the Classic and the UHQR monos yourself, right? How you knew I wear a tinfoil hat is beyond me. Lucky guess!
One way to find out is to check both run-out grooves and compare the inscriptions. Better yet, take photos of both.
1) the ad copy explicitly states: Newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original master tapes 2) at least one person who has both mono versions has noted on the Axis UHQR thread that the UHQR isn’t cut as hot as the Classic (as well as not one single person saying otherwise - a detail I can’t imagine wouldn’t have been noted by folks here) 3) the recent SACD was clearly a new remaster of both mixes so if you have the tapes, a vinyl recut is - as I said - the easy part once you’ve got the tapes. I’ll make sure to confirm the dead wax of both to be certain when I get my mono copy...hopefully soon. Anything is possible, but the only data point in your theory is Analogue Productions supposedly bought Classic’s metal. If they were going to try to re-use any of those cuts, I can’t think of worse time to do so than early in the introduction of a super premium product. Isn’t part of the path of least resistance not completely alienating your customer base?
I think it's a tough call-- there are certainly less well-worn 'classic rock' (or whatever label you want to put on it, at the time I was listening to Tull, before Aqualung was released, I never heard the term "prog" applied to them)-- but what's the market like for more obscure stuff at a hundred or more per album? There are lots of albums I'd love to see get the royal treatment but I doubt they'd sell more than a few hundred copies even if they were priced at 50 or 75 per. I have a shelf full of Aqualung, I burned out on it at different times over the years, but revisited it a couple years ago, and it is an important album. My personal preference in Tull is still Stand Up, if only because it was the template for the sound they developed-- the medieval ballad meets hard rock. But that's entirely subjective and has nothing to do with whether Aqualung is a great album. Sonically, the Steve Wilson is hard to beat for twenty bucks or whatever. The early US Reprise are terrific if you can find a good copy--some are better than others and the WLPs are typically the earliest. The DCC is very comparable to an early US Reprise WLP. I have the Classic 45 in both formulations. More detail, more modern sounding, but I wouldn't chase it for stupid money. Perhaps this is the better option for the money if someone wants an "ultimate" audiophile copy. So many records, so little time....
If we were to get one-steps from the Classic Records lacquers that would be fantastic, they could advertise it as such. But this is not that.
All good points. I actually find it unlikely Chad would be this foolish myself. In fact, your at least one person in point #2 refers to me I believe. I have both and have found differences. The Classic is hotter with perhaps less dynamic range but more energy. There may be more compression employed (I don’t measure this objectively) but I enjoy the Classic more as far as the mono ABAL goes. He’s probably just reissuing the titles Classic had in his own way. Let’s hope he makes some better.
Got an email from AS a few mins ago, card pending, mono and stereo are shipped now, receive by Thursday evening. Also MD, Bill Evan's, Potrait in Jazz One-Step, charge pending, shippable, and Bob Dylan's BOTT One-Step, backordered.
I have so many versions of this album... including the big box Aqua set with the Wilson vinyl but the botched cds... and I’m still considering this. But I could never buy something to sit unplayed. If its music... I play it... and if I won’t play it... I won’t buy it.
Have you checked the deadwax of the Classic and UHQR? I’d think the UHQR would have “UHQR002” or something in the dead wax since it’s also part of the catalog #. Mine doesn’t arrive until Friday...
Yep, UHQR 0002. Both the Classic and the UHQR have BG of course. The Classic Aqualung is CB which I had forgotten.
If there's any chance in Hades (or the darkest depths of Mordor) that AP could UHQR at 45 rpm all of the Zeppelin albums (and hopefully besting the prior Classic Records 45s) as separate albums (rather than one all inclusive "road case"), this would be the audiophile reissue event of the decade (especially for those of us who missed out on the Zeppelin road cone the last time around.) If these AP UHQRs truly walk the talk (like is being seemingly stated by initial reviewers over in the related Jim Hendrix UHQR Bold Axe LP thread), then sign me up now in pre-order land for the entire Zeppelin 45 holy mountain. Totally down for the upcoming Agualung set in the meantime.
And how long would it take them to press up all those Zeppelin UHQR discs? Look how long it is taking them to "manually" press the Hendrix discs one-by-one (to the point they don't even have every stereo copy pressed according to some posts in the Hendrix thread)? I will buy the Tull release, even though I have more copies than any human needs of Aqualung, but I don't put too much faith in AP getting that set out anytime soon!!
Analogue Productions has re-used the metal from Classic Records, The Dave Brubeck Take Five is a repress. Muddy Waters Folk Singer is another AP wax: CS 8192-A1-45 APJ-8192-45 A Bernie Grundman
