It must have been a terrible shock when the cancer came back in 2013.. After 21 years she must have thought she was in the clear. What was even more incredible was that after the cancer reduced, she spent the next 4 years working harder than she had done since her hey day.
Her strength and optimism really is inspiring. I thought it was a very balanced feature (all 40 minutes of it!) and succeeded in capturing Olivia's outlook as well as the challenges she has faced over the past year. The interview with Professor Cebon at the ONJCWRC was excellent too. His comment about defining what 'winning' over cancer looked like was especially thoughtful, and resonated most strongly as Olivia's MO for how to live well with the disease. I'm thrilled about her improved mobility and the reduction in pain and anxiety that the cannabis has brought about. That will no doubt improve her quality of life as she settles into enjoying what life away from her career brings her. Here's an outtake from the interview as well: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=490123778412921 x
Also right on the heels of losing Rona suddenly to a brain tumor. 2013 must have been a really odd year for her. Also even though she's no longer touring, as pointed out in the clip Chris Sydney posted, she's slowed down,but she's still working,just turning the focus away from touring and making music. She's been doing almost nonstop,TV,radio and print interviews since the start of the year. Promoting the Gaia beauty retreatment line,doing this exhibition of her costumes, and of course working to raise funds for her hospital etc,all while dealing with the day to day ups and downs of stage four cancer. Pretty extraordinary. I'm still astonished that her 2013 diagnosis was kept secret and no tabloids got wind of it. I sort of wish for her sake she didn't have to disclose her 2017 diagnosis and could have kept this private as well. It must be more than a little annoying to have interviewers constantly bring up her illness. She handles it all with positivity and grace,but I still wish she could have just gone into semi-retirement without the constant need to come out every six months to a year to reassure everyone the latest Enquirer and Radar Online stories announcing her imminent demise are bunk. She is 70 years old so no one would have really questioned her wanting to quit touring. Anyway, it is what it is and she's making the best of a tough situation and is indeed thriving. Bless her.
I was perusing the local used CD store and came across a copy of "Physical". It was apparently reissued in the EU in 2001. There are several unusual things about this disc. The front cover is one of the better prints - much better than the Festival version. The back cover is plaid - the common version used on many early MCA CDs. The barcode matches the early MCA budget release too. The graphic itself has a moire to it - a scan of the original back cover? The MCA logo is not the 70s/80s version, nor the early 90s logo. It is the "traditional" Music Corporation of America logo. The booklet features two of the beach shots on the inside spread, and black text (songs and writers) on a red background on the back page. The case has a clear tray, the inset says "Also Available" and features the front covers of "Come On Over", "Making A Good Thing Better" "Physical" and "Soul Kiss". There is also mention of "Sound Enhanced 48 bit processing by Hiltongrove, London". The disc face has the same design as the budget MCA CD, but with the updated logo. I have compared the mastering to my other discs - it sounds okay but it has been brickwalled. Here is what I find most interesting about this disc. "Come On Over", "Making A Good Thing Better" and "Physical" were all originally issued by EMI in Europe if I am not mistaken. "Soul Kiss" was on Mercury IIRC. At some point MCA in Europe gained the rights to these discs. Just thought that I would shed a little light on these discs.
I have this and the Soul Kiss disc from this series. Oddly, the front cover to SK is quite poorly reproduced.. To be honest, although it’s jacked, I rather liked the sound of Physical. Preferring it to the Festival 1998 remaster. Until the SACD came out in 2012 it was my go-to disc when listening to the album. Think these titles stayed in print for about 5 years.
How many copies of Physical do you own? Your CD collection must be absolutely huge and take up tons of space
5 CDs. I SACD. 2 LPs. I also threw a couple away years ago as I’d worn them out. I cassette. I VHS video album.
I think you've got me beat there as far as CDs go. To the best of my recollection (without going downstairs to look) I have four Physical CDs -- the original MCA, the original Japanese, the 1998 Festival remaster, and the 2010 Japanese SHM-CD. Plus the SACD, of course. I have at least three LPs, though -- the original U.S. LP, a Japanese pressing, and the MCA Half-Speed Mastered LP. Cassette and VHS as well, and the LaserDisc version of the video, too! Does anyone know if an 8-track was ever issued? Discogs doesn't show one, but sometimes Columbia House or one of the other record clubs would do 8-track releases for albums in the early '80s, even if the record labels themselves weren't releasing 8-tracks. EDIT: Yes, I see that Physical was issued on 8-track. That's the one format I seem to be missing. I have an 8-track player, but no real desire to spend any money on a copy of the album...
My CDs ; US MCA Festival 1998 remaster 2002 Japanese edition 2001 UK remaster as discussed earlier 2012 SHM CD My cassette and VHS are the UK ones. LPs are the UK EMI and the US MCA (with poster)
I feel deprived... All I have is the 2010 SHM version, which is not a good version of the album, and the SACD, which is. Too bad it wasn´t a hybrid. Then I would have got rid of the SHM CD version.
The 2010 SHM is probably the worst sounding but best looking version out there. If you wanted a good CD version I’d go with the US MCA. People also say the original Japanese edition is excellent, though I don’t own that one.
If you can ever get your hands on one of the '80s releases -- the U.S. MCA or the Japanese black triangle CD -- those are the ones I like the best. The mastering on those two is very similar. They are, unfortunately, rather pricey, as I'm sure you're aware.
And getting pricier by the year, I expect, unless they are re-released in some way. Which I doubt they will be in the near future...
On the whole, the SACD meet 99% of my requirements. The only reason I need a CD is in case I want to include a track from the CD on a compilation. So far I have only used "THE DOLPHIN SONG", and I had that on a compilation. I´ll keep your advice in mind in case I need to buy the CD version.
If you want the audio quality, but are willing to sacrifice the physical format (or willing to burn your own CD) - the FLAC tracks on 7Digital are from one of the MCA releases. I also purchased "It's So Easy" from "Have You Never Been Mellow" - the same. This makes this an affordable option for those willing to forego factory pressed discs.
The mastering on those two Physical is very very very very very similar I would add... I know some people here swear by the Black Triangle moniker but in this case it is splitting hair for sound quality. IMHO of course.
I agree with you -- they're almost identical, possibly exactly identical. I do have some Black Triangle CDs that are indeed better than their North American or European counterparts, but the Physical CD isn't worth spending extra money on. Thankfully, I didn't spend a ton on it (maybe $20-25), but it really isn't necessary to get it if you have the original MCA CD.
I don't think they're identical but the DR numbers are very similar. Without the DR value numbers I would have thought they're the same, they sound that close.
So....how many copies of Physical do I have....hmm... Three LP copies ,two North American MCA's and a UK press. One of the USA copies has the poster of her in the tan shorts.... Two cassettes,both MCA issue. One with the original artwork the other missing it. Two CD'S ,one the original MCA print with the original artwork fold out and tray inlay. The other a later budget issue with the plaid back and basic foldout And just aquired today. .. The 8 track at a local flea market...just because. I don't have a working 8 track player but luckily the guy selling the 8 tracks had a working machine on premises to test it. Works fine and doesn't sound bad.
I remember being really thrilled to get the Physical CD on import in 1986. It would be my third Olivia title on the format. I loved the artwork and the heavy case the disc came in. Was always very careful with the fold-out artwork. Didn’t want it to get ‘worn’ looking.
Unfortunately when I first unfolded the similar style foldout in the soul kiss CD,I had a mishap and ended up with a tiny tear along one of the folds. Thankfully it's barely noticeable,but I near had a heart attack when I heard that sickening "rip" sound! You definitely have to take great care with those fold outs!
Yes, they were never a great idea, were they? I have the Soul Kiss one. I think I’ve opened it up once! I actually only have 4 CDs and one LP of Soul Kiss. I must be slipping!
I have two LP's (one sealed ) , a cassette and CD of Soul Kiss,so you still have me beat. I think the fold outs were an attempt to reproduce the original LP artwork in a slightly larger than CD booklet format at a time that LP was still the main consumer format for purchasing music. However the fold outs were ultimately impractical for the reasons listed above. It would have been a smaller format,but it probably would have been a better idea to just reprint the pics and lyrics in a standard CD booklet.
