Although by different channels you mean the left and right ones being swapped right? Just making sure, I don't have my original CD to compare with the other two, however if we are talking about purely the left and right channels being swapped, they can't all three be different right, at least one of them has to have the same left channel as another since there are 3 of them? It is times like these I wish I didn't ditch my CD right after I bought the HDTracks version so I could have all three here lol
I agree that the Prince Estate and both labels (WB and Sony) have been doing a superb job. Really hoping that we'll see something special in terms of deluxe treatments for SOTT and The Gold Experience. Heck, just having The Gold Experience on vinyl would rock my world...
The story goes that the channels were switched to match the original LP. The channels were accidentally switched on the CD version and on most releases since then. This remaster reinstates the correct order.
Thanks for the info on that! Definitely a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, and thankfully the remaster itself sounds so much better than the remaster of Purple Rain, with no clipping and great low end that I don't mind the channels being swapped from what I was used to
Mine just arrived today from Import CDs and it is a thing of beauty, although I was a bit disappointed by the lack of plastic inner sleeves for the cds. But it's a minor quibble with such a good looking set. I've played bits of disc 2 so far and it sounds pretty decent.
I think I still have my original vinyl. I would use that as the standard. If the digital option I have has the channels reversed, I can easily fix that with software. I'm glad too. It's a good thing that the initial family in-fighting didn't ruin these deals. Really hoping that we'll see something special in terms of deluxe treatments for SOTT and The Gold Experience. Heck, just having The Gold Experience on vinyl would rock my world...[/QUOTE] And have them include the hit version of "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", though I was able to fix that on my own.
Has anyone compared the 24/44 HDTracks 1999 Super Deluxe Edition to the 16/44 remastered CD? How much better could the HDTracks version sound? $88 for the SDE HD FLAC set seems exorbitant considering the Houston '82 DVD and physical items are not included. I bought the 1999 SDE CD set from ImportCDs 3 weeks ago for just under $43 shipped. I'm happy with the sound quality. 1999 (Super Deluxe Edition) | HDtracks - The World's Greatest-Sounding Music Downloads
If anyone actually admits to spending £95 (equal to $125) on a digital download from HDTracks, I will openly laugh at them. It's simply ridiculous
Before he died Warners where doing very well with their reissue program. After he died, Prince tax was applied to all products, which means it costs upwards of £10+ extra on each item (vinyl).
37 Years Later, Prince's '1999' Leaps to Top 40 of RS 200 Unsurprisingly, the whole thing is not cheap — this week Amazon was selling the CD version for around $70, while the vinyl set cost upward of $200. But fans shelled out, with more than 95% of purchasers choosing a physical version of the “super deluxe” 1999 rather than a digital one.
On vinyl there was yes, got up to Lovesexy and The Black Album to be released next, but when he died they where cruelly pulled.
That's awesome news. Maybe the estate will spoil us with Originals 2 and not one, but at least two deluxe sets. If Parade is indeed next, I'd have to think SOTT would follow. I could be wrong, though, maybe they'll give us three sets!
ah. I remember years ago first getting into Prince’s catalog and wanting to get into his post ‘80s catalog, but trying to find them was so daunting because most of them were oop and being sold second hand on ebay for ridiculous prices so I gave up. Now there is so much new stuff and plenty of his post ‘80s stuff is getting rereleased, it’s actually become exciting and I buy almost every new release that comes out, mainly cause I was never able to find them before. It’s unfortunate he’s not around to oversee all of this stiff, but of he was I’m sure he wouldn’t be interested.
I don't know about UK retailers, but Amazon US is selling the CD set for $55.99. And some retailers are selling it for about $10 less. I got mine for $45.99 from Deep Discount. That's actually pretty reasonable for 5-CD's and 1 DVD. But the vinyl is pretty pricey over here as well. $225 on Amazon US. Which is why I've held off on the vinyl. That's just a bit more than I can justify. But compared to similar sets from Bowie, Floyd, and The Beatles, this thing is a steal.
TGE is the jewel in Sony's crown right now. But at the moment, the album is on indefinite hold, until the Italian lawsuit over TMBGITW gets resolved. I've got the original limited edition translucent yellow vinyl numbered pressing. But as is the case with most clear vinyl - especially of that era - it's quite noisy. I would love an upgrade to the purple vinyl Sony's been using on its other Prince reissues. Those things sound fantastic. They've actually changed my mind about colored vinyl in general, which I didn't think was possible.
honestly never been a huge fan of that album, but da*n! That boxset makes it love it more and more every time I listen to it! he really is missed...
I have compared International Lover from the HDTracks 2013(?) 24/192 release to the 2019 SDE 16/44 remaster. The HDTracks version is MUCH quieter and more relaxed than the 2019 16/44 remaster. I'm not a fan of overly compressed remasters, but the 2019 version sounds better to my ears. I am able to pick-up new details I couldn't hear before. My playback source is a 2015 Fiio X5 2nd gen FLAC player and Audeo PFE 232 earphones.
As noted, they're not even able to include the album version (at least not on terms they can agree on).
Thankfully, the original CD single, as well as the 12” that contains the single version, are dirt cheap on the used market.
