Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink - Deluxe Edition remixed by Steven Wilson

About the Aqualung remix, this was all done at 96K and in particular the new stereo mix is something that I'm very proud of, since the recording was not done under the best circumstances (though what's on tape is better than the original mix would suggest). Having failed to get EMI to go Blu-Ray on this (which is the high res audio format I'm moving to for a forthcoming solo record), I'm still urging them to at least do a DVDA. The problem with the major labels is that although there are genuine music lovers still in these companies, they are beholden to the accountants who run things. This was not an issue with Crimson reissues because Robert owns all the copyrights, so we could do what we wanted with them. I'm going to pursue the idea of somehow trying to make the high res formats available if the companies won't do it, but don't hold your breath - there's a lot of bureaucracy involved.

At least the success of the Crimson reissues has led a to more and more artists from this era coming to the conclusion that a sympathetic remix (by which I mean one that is super faithful to the original mix in every respect, using the same balance, EQ, stereo placement, plate reverbs..etc..), can do what no amount of remastering the original mixes can do in bringing out sonic clarity. So in terms of the model of deluxe editions with the original mix, a new stereo mix, 5.1 mix, and mixes of previously unheard out-takes found on the reels, there are more of these kind of projects on the way, though I can't say more at present. I just hope that more often that not we can incorporate a high res format into these editions. Watch this space I guess...

SW

 

Great job on In The Court Of The Crimson King too, Steven.

 

Steve Wilson. thanks for posting in here, and I don't have my copy of Caravan yet as it's still on its way from amazon.uk to canada. I bought this title blind only because I saw your name attached to it as the care and attention to detail that I have heard through whatever you have put out or been involved in is beyond amazing so I am very disaapointed to hear that this title only has been done in DD.
I would buy a lossless download if that was only way to hear it properly but I am kind of old school as i do do prefer a physical copy if possible.

p.s.

Thanks again for all the amazing music you have put out. I had tickets to see Blackfield in Vancouver and this would have been my first chance to see you play live but concert cancelled for good reason as you needed to go home and be with your family. I was so sad to hear the news about the sudden loss of your father as I was in same life circumstance when my father passed away 2 years ago. Thanks again for sharing your musical gifts with us.....

peter

 

Glad to hear that you are attempting to move towards BD. That is the future of disc based high-rez I believe. I have purchased all the hi-rez surround that you have done and will continue to buy as many as you can get released even in DVD-A or 5.1 downloads. How about 7.1?

 

Welcome to the forum Steven!

That's good to hear! I've been waiting for a good sounding version of Aqualung since...err...since i first heard it, actually!

Not surprising, really. How many Blu-rays has EMI released anyway? Not too many compared to Universal. Heck, EMI even cancelled Genesis When In Rome Blu-ray because it was decided that there was not enough market for it.

Anyway, i really hope there'll be more Caravan deluxe editions like this in the future.

 

Please keep up the good fight!
(and thank you for sharing)

 

Yes, by all means! They could do so through HDTracks. It shouldn't be a difficult sell to them were you to persuade them.

 

Hi everybody including Steven, nice to have you here.

I have the new Caravan 3-disc edition with the DVD-Video since Friday. To be honest, even if compressed audio, it does not sound that bad to me. I happened to compare it to the SHM-SACD today, which I also own. To me both editions have their right of existence. The SACD is very analogue like, warm and detailed nevertheless. But only the 5.1 mix lets me feel to be inside the music. Especially "Nine Feet Underground" with the extensive organ is perfect, I feel like being in the room in which the guys recorded. Compared to that the SACD is two-dimensional only, obviously that's what it is.

Looking forward to more 70's classics in MCh. And don't you hesitate, I can play up to 7.1 MCh on Blu Ray ...

 

Exactly the case with me, too.
Welcome to the forum, Steve.

 

I have no interest in downloads, but then again, I'm not so uptight about lossy 5.1.

 

Great to hear that you think the Aqualung you've done sounds much better. It's what has been needed since the dawning of the CD era, and you are probably the best person to do it. I'm looking forward to it.

Regarding convincing the company to put out some lossless high-res version: is it possible to point out this website to some of the accountants? You can see that, to use an example, there have now been multiple threads about the Caravan Land of the Grey and Pink release already, and it's not even out to people's homes yet. But you can also see from multiple comments that there are a lot of people who say they will not buy this version now that they have discovered that it does not include lossless high-res. Surely, if only 20% of the people who would otherwise have bought the package do not do so because of the absence of the lossless high-res, the company has lost more income than they would have lost just by putting the extra pennies into including a DVDA, etc?

The target audience for these releases are people who have already bought these albums multiple times over the years, as LP, as CD, as remastered CD which sounded worse than original CD, as CD which corrected the remastered CD, etc. It's starting to wear thin. In contrast, the King Crimson releases you did were great. For a very reasonable price, you get a play-anywhere CD, excellent newly mixed stereo and surround versions, the old version, and lossless high resolution versions that seem to represent the final iteration, all you will ever need to have of the album. It feels like the final version, and feels like a very good deal, and it sounds great. When you take away the lossless high resolution component, it no longer feels final, it feels more like another in a long line, and it is much less attractive as a package.

By the way, I don't care at all which high resolution lossless they want to put out: DVD-A, Blu-ray, SACD, even DVD-V like Classic records used for awhile. They are all fine with me, and satisfy that urge. So whichever is cheapest...

I hope you don't take this as complaining. I hope it comes through that I really appreciate the work you do. Just trying to summarize the arguments from the music-buyers' perspective in a way that would be understandable to accountants and allow them to perceive the lost sales they are suffering by not doing this one thing.

By the way, I'm really glad that you say that the general idea of doing the sympathetic remix and creating the deluxe edition with original mix, new stereo, 5.1 included etc is spreading through the industry. When I got the first one of those King Crimson packages, I had the strong reaction of "my god, if only they would do all the important reissues this way, this is absolutely the way to do it"!

Best wishes

 

Ever since I bought the Aqualung remaster 8 years back, I was looking for an excuse to dump it. It sounds so aweful. Now I have got my chance.

Steve W. has already played some part in fixing a similar issue with King Crimson's Lizard and then provided some more (surround+hi-res+bonus)

 

I'm happy SW will do a faithful remix of Aqualung. Can't wait....

 

Steve, glad to have you here, and to have your ear.

I am primarily a vinyl buyer, but I purchased all the KC ri you did for the 5.1 mix and because quality speaks for itself.

I will be there for all the prog rock RIs you do that have a 5.1 mix, regardless of hi res or not.

Is Yes jumping on board the 5.1 bandwagon? I would buy all in 5.1 up to 90125.

Thanks for all the nights in surround.

 

Steve - any chance of any of the subsequent KC re-issues using Blu Ray?

The number of people who can take advantage of DVD-A will be much much less than Blu Ray. No to mention the opportunity for High Def video extras.

Was it a RF decision to use DVD-A?

 

Steven,

Thank you for the info on Aqualung. Nice to read. DVD-A is fine by me.

 

Steven, why not urge the record company to outsource a high resolution version to one of the audiophile labels (such as, Mobile Fidelity)? The SACD version of the upcoming re-release of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd is being done this way.

Also, I was under the impression that Ian Anderson now owns the rights to his masters--that is, the masters to his 70s era stuff. Am I wrong?

 

It would depend on the file format that was offered. The least expensive DVD-Audio creation software is CIRLINCA's DVD-Audio Solo for about $45 or HD-Audio Solo Ultra for $65. This would be needed at the very least for Multi-Channel disc playback. For stereo a DVD-Audio disc could be created, but the Hi-Rez audio could also be created and played back using the regular DVD-V format.

As mentioned, Hi-Rez could also be played back using a computer and there are freeware software options for playback in either Stereo or Multi-Channel, again depending on the file format offered for download.

There are also freeware tools which, I have not used yet, but create Blu-Ray discs that burn to a standard DVD, but play on many BR players.

 

Welcome Steven.

Watch this space? You'd better believe it!

 

Got my copy from Amazon UK today. Packaging looks great, didn't get a chance to listen to it though (spent the entire day on the golf course).

 

I know I can. Not sure how many others can but another alternative would be to stream it through a home system directly from a computer. I have all my DVDA discs saved as ISO files for burning to disc or just playing through my system.

 

Your loss. The 5.1 mix, presented in AC3, is excellent.

 

I asked a question in post 47 but everybody was so star struck having Steven Wilson on board that my question was overlooked. Anyway, I bought copies today of the Deluxe 'In The Land Of...' and the 40th of 'In The Court Of...' I already own both of these great albums in previous editions so I will find out when I play them later tonight if the expense was justified!? If not I'll be spitting tacks next time I post.

 

You know why that is?

It's because AC3 (and DTS) are pretty well-developed psychoacoustic codecs. They work. That means the actual audio quality that you hear depends overwhelmingly on the source, the mix, and the EQ choices -- just like any other remix.

Most people would NOT be able to tell modern AC3 and DTS (even the plain jane versions) from lossless 5.1, with most musical passages, under fair conditions.

The instant dismissal of an entirely new (and fine) mix, just because it is presented in a lossy (though psychoacousticly informed) format, is frankly: ridiculous.