Esoteric 2010 Releases

PFM "Photos of Ghosts" review

Who remastered?

 

A friend brought over the original Love CD of 'Being' and I did a quick comparison of the song "Pedagogue" at about 4 minutes in where the electric piano begins. I am not an expert but to my ears it sounds much more like a mixing issue then the piano track 'being out of time'. It seems weird that could even happen to begin with but I guess it's entirely possible when mixing in the digital realm. The original does sound much better mix wise. The other most noticeable difference is the bass! Holy cow the original is completely anemic compared to the remaster. Does this mean it's goosed? It would definitely appear to be a modern choice when they remixed in '01. My friend like the depth and resolution of the new one compared to the original. It does sound muddy in comparison. Just my 2 cents.

 

Ben Wiseman.

 

I personally like the sound of the remix better, but the timing thing is a bit annoying.

BTW "Being" was the only record where you can hear Pekka Pohjola playing a Rickenbacker bass. He purchased one because Chris Squire used Ric, but noticed very quickly that it didn't fit his finger technique. He used WEM bass on the earlier Wigwam albums and Fender Jazz Bass after Being on on his solo records - until he got a customized bass guitar in the early '90's IIRC.

 

I am not into symphonic prog all that much, more into freak-out and jazzy stuff. But I am getting to the point where I am very curios about all and any krautrock stuff that I do not have I need to get me some of them SFF albums

 

I have an original copy of Symphonic Pictures that I bought when it was released back in the day. I think it's pretty essential stuff. Great Mellotron, analog synth and bass pedal sounds.

Cheers,
Chris

 

I don't have the Esoteric remaster or the vinyl, but my CD on Great Expectations is probably the most dynamic rock CD in my collection (Atlantic's Trilogy is a close second).

I don't know how it compares to any other version, so take that FWIW...

 

Rickenbackers are hard to play, I used to have a fretless one..Fender Precisions are also very unwieldy, the Fender Jazz is the best bass there is I'm still kicking mysel for pawning my 1973 sunburst that I bought for $300...

 

Kingdom Come - Spirit of Joy

Didn't want to start a new Arthur Brown/Kingdom Come thread, but I have a question. Does anyone have the 45 single of Spirit of Joy? If so, how does it differ from the album version? Is it a unique mix or just an edit of the album version?

 

Yes, you do! SFF were pretty unique; Their first two albums, Symphonic Pictures and Sunburst, are absolutely fabulous. No freak-outs, it's all very disciplined, prog as approached from a classical angle, if you like. But still unconventional and exciting, with a few jazzy elements here and there. Tons of mellotron and moog but also lots of piano, guitar and bass (Fröhling actually built his own double-neck from a Les paul guitar and a Rickenbacker bass), and drums of course. Top notch musicianship.

I hope someone will post about the new masterings of these albums. I have the Nordsee Records "Collected Works of..." double cd, probably identical to the Laser's Edge edition that rcdupre mentioned, and it's a really good mastering done by Bob Katz. Very dynamic and well balanced. (A couple of tiny and inexplicable glitches, but nothing to get hung up about.) In this day and age I'd be very surprised if Esoteric can top it.

The same goes for Soft Machine's Bundles, as my old See For Miles cd sounds wonderful. Hopefully someone will chime in about this one, too.



(Who knows, maybe we could even risk posting some peak levels and waveforms, ... although we'd probably immediately be pounced upon by The Ears-Only Police... )

Cheers!

 

You should hear the vinyl! Katz did a good job but I find his mastering a bit tinny and crispy compared to the Brain vinyl of Symphonic Pictures. That album has sensational engineering.

Anyway ... I agree that the chances of Esoteric topping the Laser's Edge release are probably minimal.

 

Anybody have the Esoteric reissue of Flash (S/T)?

Also, will most of the Esoteric reissues (Flash, PFM, Soft Machine, Wigwam, etc.) be available through regular online retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, etc.)?

 

I do and I am very happy with it. It's a tab better than the "Friday Music" release. The will be doing the 3rd Flash title soon.

Rick A.

 

All of their releases will be readily available through Amazon UK. The exchange rate is very good these days. Take advantage of it!

Cheers,
Chris

 

Anyone know the difference?

 

Can anyone comment on the sound of the Ken Hensley remasters?

 

Anyone get the PFM Photos of Ghosts and The World Became The World remasters yet?

 

Has anybody picked up the Sam Gopal Escalator disc yet? It was slated for release in May. I have the old Edsel edition and wonder if there's any differences or improvements with this new version.

Cheers,
Chris

 

Just a little thread bump.

Anything new to share, anyone? Opinions, comparisons, etc.?

 

I listened to most of the recent PFM releases of COOK and CHOCOLATE KINGS.

I plan to post more in the COOK thread specifically, but I'd say these are improvements over the RIVER OF LIFE comp and the PHOTOS OF GHOSTS discs on their label, but they still leave a little to be desired as far as sound quality goes. The live sets included sound great though and are real treasures, so I'd recommend those releases to PFM fans who already own the original albums. In fact, I'd say COOK is worth the price just to have the full concert on discs 2 and 3.

Still, there are some issues with the first disc of COOK (the original LP) and the CHOCOLATE KINGS LP. Ben Wiseman still appears to have used noise reduction in spots unnecessarily on COOK, and there is a painfully noticeable cut in "Celebration" which I've never heard be so obvious before (though I haven't done a direct comparison yet since hearing this new release). Made me wonder if the tape wasn't damaged here and Wiseman had to do his own edit.

As for CHOCOLATE KINGS, it's pretty bright in spots, but at least there are no signs of noise reduction finally. I'll give Wiseman a pass on this one though, because that album has always had a wonky mix. Too midrangey overall, which causes the drums and bass to stand out while the lead instruments end up more in the background. Some folks here are more sensitive to bright mastering than I am, so this may not appeal to everyone, but I'd rather take that over an NR'd disc personally.

It's just too darn bad the PHOTOS OF GHOSTS disc couldn't have had a better mastering job done. I doubt I'll ever play that one again.

 

The remaster of Chocolade Kings sounded ok for me. A bit bright, but still listenable.

Agree. The remaster is absolutely horrible.

Anyway, the Cook set is wonderful for the complete Central Park show alone.

 

I think the old RCA CD of Chocolate Kings sounds smiley-faced and lacks midrange. But it's mainly the bass that sounds goosed. The top end is pretty good to my ears.

I've heard different LP cuts of this and including one that was super bright, but nothing that I recall being as weird and wonky as the Esoteric remaster. That thing sounded like the upper midrange was really boosted. To be honest, I could hardly even listen to this album that way. My expectations were actually low, as I just wanted to hear the new version of my favorite PFM album, but the approach on the Esoteric doesn't work for me.

The original Italian Numero Uno vinyl sounds fantastic and my favorite version of those I've heard. Imagine the RCA CD with a more pleasant bass. The old RCA CD just sounds too boosted in the bottom end to me, but if the vinyl rolled that off, I think it worked. As far as digital, the RCA still beats any version I've heard.

 

Jeff, I assume you're not a big fan of Esoteric soundwise? The only one I got so far is Kingdom Come 1972 s/t and it's pretty compressed IMHO. Nice highs however.

 

The only Chocolade Kings CD that I have is old K2 mini. Don't care much for the sound of it, but I'm not crazy about the music either.

 

I'm not Jeff, but IMO, the Esoteric discs I've heard are kind of hit or miss. Nice packaging though...

I do have to say that most of the Hawkwind CDs I've heard from Esoteric's sister label Atomhenge sound pretty good though. The only one I found somewhat harsh (bright) was "Quark, Strangeness & Charm".