Massive Attack - Mezzanine 20th Anniversary 3lp and 2CD edition on the way

https://thevinylfactory.com/news/massive-attack-mezzanine-20th-anniversary-vinyl/

 

Pricey.

 

Yeah it is a bit expensive to add a few remixes, will probably just get the cd edition as I already have the first lp reissue

 

Ordered. The vinyl factory always deliver very high standards like Heligoland.

 

Where have you ordered it from? Can't see a link on that page?

 

Mezzanine - Super Deluxe [2018 Remaster]

 

Thank you

 

One 'undred pound? For 3LPs? lol

This was originally mastered at Metropolis, wonder how much louder they can make it? I would just about give a bollock to have this album mixed into surround sound, so much going on, great low end, easily the best Massive Attack album in my book and really matured from the song-writing direction found on the excellent Protection.

Will definitely pick up the 2CD set for the remixes.

 

Can't believe this is 20 years old.

 

One of my favourite albums of all time.

 

Vinyl pricing has gotten a bit insane (see Depeche Mode 12” series). The “man” is alive and well...

 

Absolutely amazing album. Is the lp different from previous cuts?

 

I was wondering why it was so pricey, now I see it’s the Vinyl Factory. I was bummed when they did the last few Air albums too. Just give me a regular vinyl issue please. Way too steep for me when all I want is the third disc.

 

Yep, I agree way too expensive and only want the Mad Prof disc. Why repress a few years ago and now release this. Surely should of been done the other way round? I brought the 2013 repress why would I pay £100 for one disc. Boring!

 

I'm glad the Mad Professor mixes are finally getting released, we approached Massive Attack and tried to licence them about four or five years ago, I'm going to go for it, just not sure where the money's going to come from, hopefully someone will have it a lot cheaper than Universal.

 

Glad to see this, one of my favourite albums, getting a deluxe reissue (although tinged with regret that I bought the last vinyl press just a month or two ago).

The extra tracks are a little confusing, though. When I read that it includes all the previously unreleased Mad Professor dubs from the abandoned remix album idea, I assumed it would (mostly) be the tracks we didn't already have Mad Professor versions of. But, non-album tracks aside, it's just the ones with already released mixes, with only Exchange new. So we'll have multiple Mad Professor dubs of the four singles & Group Four, but none of Dissolved Girl, Man Next Door, Black Milk & Mezzanine.

(I'll get it, format depending on the price, but that is a little disappointing.)

And yes, let's get deluxe versions of Blue Lines & Protection too. And, in time, the post-Mezzanine albums too.

 

My colleague was shown a copy of the Mad Professor mix, I assume it was a DAT tape, when we were trying to licence something from Ariwa, the way it was described by the Mad Professor was it was a remix of the album, just like "No Protection", unfortunately he didn't get a track listing as it was just something that happened in passing and not why he was there, although he did realise the significance, we then approached Massive Attack's management in the very forlorn hope we could licence it as they appeared to have forgotten about it, they said no, but that they would likely release it. This was a few years ago, but that's my recollection so I'm surprised it's not a complete "No Protection" style album remix unless the Mad Professor had by that point forgotten exactly what he'd done or they decided to reject some of his mixes.

We've already had a sort of deluxe "Blue Lines" and the singles box sets on both vinyl and CD which cover those albums as well, having the unreleased Mad Professor mixes made this an obvious choice for the deluxe treatment, but I guess we can't rule anything out.

 

Blue Lines is featured album in this months Classic Pop mag (Rick Astley on cover).

 

Thanks for all that info on the MP dubs.

For the first two, the singles boxes are long out of print (I have the cd one, purchased in 1999 when I was a poor student!) and missed a handful of mixes anyway. The Blue Lines reissue didn’t contain anything beyond the album itself (remixed). I was just hoping we could get something else for each of those two: early versions of tracks, unused remixes, live material where there is any. I know we’ll never get six-disc sets featuring loads of out-takes etc, but I’d like to think there’s something out there that could add to those albums.

 

It would be nice to get a multi disc version of "Blue Lines", not sure if any of your suggestions are possible, but maybe, I'm not sure how they worked and even if there were rough mixes who might have kept them, but maybe they exist, as far as I recall there were tons of remixes on the early 12"s so it's definitely possible there were some unused ones, again assuming somebody was keeping them safe, there's definitely later live shows, not sure about for "Blue Lines", I can't remember them playing shows for the launch, not saying they didn't I just can't remember although I do remember the "Protection" launch gig and after show, even the cake, having said that there's a lot of Wild Bunch and Daddy G tapes so I'd be surprised if they didn't run a cassette of their early shows at the very least.

There are a couple of loose ends that could conceivably be added to it, although technically they aren't Massive Attack, the two Wild Bunch singles which are conveniently also owned by Universal then there's Grant's "Any Love" which was the first record credited to Massive Attack although it's actually Grant, Carlton and Smith and Mighty rather than Massive Attack, but 3D has done things as Massive Attack so there's a precedent, it would be nice to give those wider exposure.

One more thought, they could reprint all the promo stickers from Blue Lines and put them in the release.

 

Just ordered the CD minutes after finding this thread! A very quick internet search says a guy called Tim Young is remastering it, who has been quoted that he dislikes modern loud remasters as they take out the light and shade of music.... could be interesting, I so hope this is a good one. The original had great dynamics and of course bass, but an extra oomph of clarity would be excellent!

 

Just as well I bought the previous reissue in standard form. Why the need for coloured vinyl?

 

The original CD does have great bass, and although it doesn't sound too bad, I don't think it has great dynamics. I do hope the remaster has more dynamics. The music is great off course!

 

Fantastic album. and sorely tempted here.

However, I agree 100% with @Riccardo2 : I think the sonics of Mezzanine are excellent, but it's not a very dynamic album. If most or all of the compression is baked in to the mix, then there's little a new mastering can do about that. If, however, the digital limiter was ridden moderately hard during final mastering, and Tim Young doesn't like loudness-war mastering, and the band/del Naja lets him master it without much limiting, then this could be an epic remaster just for the sonics.

But for the moment I remain on the fence - $20US is cheap for the 2CD version, but I'm not a humongous fan of remixes, so I'd need to hear something about the main album (re)mastering before deciding whether or not to pull the trigger.

And finally, I'm curious about the Leaping Dub version of "Wire" - Wire is an unjustly ignored song in their catalogue IMHO. Not sure what the Leaping Dub version will sound like, but it's intriguing.

Regardless, great to see them reissuing this - one of the very best albums of the '90s in any genre.

 

I got the last repress and it sounds great. However, if this tops it, I’m in. I love this album. It was a time of change for me as I was about to break up with a girlfriend (she got the mini-LP version of the album that I really wish I took off of her) before being footloose and fancy free for a couple of months. Then I met my now wife.