Police SACD remasters will be hybrids (in Europe that is)

Some interesting news from the official Sting website:

http://www.sting.com/newspress/latestnews/index.html

We have further news about the Police Remasters...

As previously reported the albums Outlandos d'Amour, Reggatta de Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta, Ghost In The Machine and Synchronicity; the double live album Police Live!; and the compilation Every Breath You Take - The Classics have all been remastered in both CD Audio and SACD.

In North America each album will be released on 4 March in SACD format in jewel case boxes, and in CD Audio format in Digipaks. The exception is Every Breath You Take - The Classics will be released in hybrid SACD/CD Audio, meaning it will be play in both formats.

In Europe and Japan all seven albums will be released on 17 March in the hybrid SACD/CD format in a limited edition Digipak for the initial run, and thereafter in SACD Super Jewel Case. In June, the CD Audio remasters will be reissued in jewel case (as opposed to the Digipak format in North America).

SACD Stereo requires a SACD player; CD Audio can be played on CD players. The hybrid CDs will play on a normal CD player.


So...that's good news for us Police fans over here in the UK and elsewhere in Europe (and Japan of course). Interesting that N America is ONLY getting SACD or redbook CD's whilst over here we'll get (for the initial run anyway) the hybrids.

I wonder why the decision has been made to issue the hybrids only in Europe and Japan? And even then as a limited edition 'first issue' release only? Seems kinda strange to me.

Still, I won't be complaining...hybrids all the way for me


Kipper

 

Europe charges more, but their stuff in general is better. Great, cheap vintage jazz reissues, for awhile the definitive Stones on CD, now this...

 

List price is looking like $15.98 on the US single layer SACD's.

 

This really sucks.

 

Who is mastering the new SACD disks?

 

It's the "Univer$al" way. This way, they can make all the hardcore Police collectors buy it twice.

If I had any interest, I'd get the Europe hybrids. (If I can get them really cheap on eBay, like I did with the Peter Gabriel mini-LP reissues, I may go for it.) I see nothing wrong with my Message In A Box, so I won't be rushing to get any of these. I'd rather buy new music I haven't heard yet.

I would like to see the Synchronicity concert video on DVD, though. I played that one daily for weeks on end.

 

Great. Just like what is going to happen with Peter Gabriel.

 

I do feel for you guys over there on 'the other side of the pond'. Doesn't seem right to me that Europe and Japan are getting a better deal here.

It's of course good news for us Police fans in the UK and elsewhere in Europe but it's still a daft decision. I will be forced to snap up the hybrids pretty darn quick, otherwise I will be forced down the SACD or redbook path and SACD-only discs are about as useful to me at the moment as a Betamax videotape.

Marketing eh? Don't you just love it

 

I've already decided that I'm not buying any new-fangled discs unless they are hybrids. I have too many CD changers, car players and portables that I need my discs to play in. Heck, I don't even know if I can make a digital dub of an SACD to my MiniDisc deck.

 

that's crazy... but I doubt I will buy the Peter Gabriel remasters again

 

Hybrids all the way!!! Forget the screws they're attempting to put on N. America. They should feel bloody embarrassed! Don't these people in charge realize that in our ether-world nothing can get by the public eye and nothing is out of reach anymore? Sheesh!

 

a while ago someone on Audio Asylum tipped the people over there about a mistake made on amazon.co.uk, both Synchrononicty and Every breath you take are available on the website for around 5 pounds.
They have clearly mis priced them but I put in an order for both anyway.
The order was confirmed an it's still open, I have not yet been informed of a change in the price so I'm still hoping they will deliver them for said price.

Here is a nice cut and paste job.

Items Ordered Price

1 of: Every Breath You Take [SACD]

£5.06


- Gift options: None

1 of: Synchronicity [SACD]

£5.06


- Gift options: None
Item(s) Subtotal:
Postage & Packing:

Total Before VAT:
VAT:

Grand Total: £10.12
£2.59
-----
£10.68
£2.03
-----
£12.71

The 2.03 pounds are for shipping, US customers won't pay VAT.


Maybe it's worth giving it a try?

 

Marc, thanks for the tip, but amazon.co.uk now has those Police SACDs for £13.99. That's still not too bad a price. Those of us in the US would probably pay much more if they were available as imports through a US dealer.

 

Rudy said:

No, you can't do that. You can only record from SACD in the analog domain. First, your SACD player cannot pass a digital signal through the digital outputs. Second, your minidisc player cannot decode a DSD bitstream (a DSD-to-PCM conversion would be necessary to record to minidisc).