New Rhino Audiophile series announced: High Fidelity (inc. The Cars, John Coltrane) *

Rhino and Kevin Gray announced a new audiophile series. Pressed @ Optimal, AAA, and cut by KPG. First two titles are The Cars S/T and Coltrane's Sound. Will be announced this Friday. An absolute pleasure to meet Kevin Gray.

 

Hmm. The Cars S/T. I have an original LP somewhere in LA, a CD from 1983, a DCC Gold CD from 1993 and a recent colored vinyl from the box set cut by Ryan K Smith.

Well . . . . OK, I'll buy it.

 

Coltrane's Sound

 

So, apart from Kevin Gray on the right who are the people in the picture?

 

Pretty exciting.

 

Well this is a really positive development!

 

I'm surprised Rhino would even care about audiophile quality sound from all the remastered reissues of iconic bands like Chicago's 2002 CTA reamaster where all they did was apply a limiter to make it louder.

Let's hope they don't convince Kevin Gray to do the same.

 

Add the word "Audiophile" to any releases and you can double (or more) the price. Id be happier if there was more effort put into standard priced vinyl releases.

 

RoFi?

 

Have the BG-cut reissue of Coltrane’s Sound, so likely won’t spring for that again but PLEASE Kevin do a stereo cut of Ole’ Coltrane!!!

 

Great news!

 

That would be great! Which labels are available for Rhino to do? Sorry if this is obvious...

 

Great news, especially Coltrane's Sound, as this is one of my favorite Coltrane's album. "Ole" in stereo would be superb as well!

Wonder if "Raw Power" gonna get audiophile treatment as well?

 

Of course I just bought the MOFI Cars S/T LP - I wonder how it will stack up to this one?

 

This is interesting; what changes here? Rhino are already responsible for a lion's share of the best-pressed, best-mastered, most affordable AAA reissues in the last 20 years. Many mastered by either Kevin Grey, Bernie Grundman, Chris Bellman, and Doug Sax (before he passed).

Maybe the way they are marketed and released, like the Tone Poet/Blue Note Classic series, Acoustic Sounds/Impulse-Verve Series, Craft/OJCSeries, etc? Two a month or so? Maybe a bump in price (I hope not to that $38 price point...)? They have access to the Warner and Atlantic Catalogs, among others...could be very exciting!

 

This sounds a lot like the series that was started in 2007/8. In fact @Steve Hoffman had announced it, saying he and Kevin were going to be doing lots of remasters for them.

I can't find the thread (maybe it's gone?) but the series did get started. Joni Mitchell's Blue, ZZ Top Tres Hombres and Fandango, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison's Street Choir and Moondance and of course the 45 RPM Fleetwood Mac Rumours were all part if it at the time, maybe more.

Here's the thread on Blue:

So, how do you like the new WB/Rhino RICKIE LEE JONES and ZZ TOP FANDANGO LP's?

 

Coltrane's Sound... wow. Sign me up. Had been considering springing for Heavyweight Champion, but some individual Atlantic Coltrane albums changes things, if well-done.

Unfortunately, if this is being called "audiophile," that probably means a $30+ price point, even if nothing else is actually different from the usual (high standard) Rhino reissues.

 

I like this very much.

 

Go Rhino!

 

So are they going to be pressed on 180g vinyl and feature Stoughton tip-on jackets? If I'm going to be charged a premium price, I think it's reasonable to expect not only a AAA mastering chain (check) and a top notch mastering engineer (check), but also premium vinyl and premium packaging.

As other people have noted, Rhino has been down this road before. I expect Rhino to abandon this project prematurely, as they've done countless times before. I presume Chad's just too busy, but this seems like the kind of project that would be tailor-made for Acoustic Sounds. And the Rhino calaogue is so deep, this could easily have done multiple audiophile reissue series devoted to rock, soul, and jazz.

 

I only have a standard CD (although I have the DCC gold disc of The Cars Greatest Hits, and it sounds fantastic) and a standard early vinyl pressing. This would be welcome.

 

I haven't been dialed in lately but wasn't Kevin going to launch his own label? Is this what was being referred to or just what ended up happening? Either way, he's the busiest man in the business!

 

OLE COLTRANE PLEASE

Also Kevin did a phenomenal job with Curtis Mayfield Live & America Today — would love to see Sweet Exorcist next

 

Why can’t it just go to 10, and make that louder?

 

Doesn't he run both New Land (reissues) and Cohearant (new recordings done in his studio)?