Great inteview, but I'm still wondering about 'Live'/'Hhai' - the Tomato CD had an unbroken 'Kohntark' ( and with less backgtround noise), which would seem to indicate that it's from an earlier tape source (?), whereas the remix 2CD on Seventh fades at the same point as the side 1 and 2 LP breaks. Can't help wondering if it was remixed from a later generation tape than the Tomato.
Thank you! I've asked him further questions about the other editions (Tomato, Charly, JVC K2), we will see if in fact those use the master tapes that mysteriously disappeared... For "Live", I'm pretty sure there is no lower gen tape source than the multitracks... Maybe the lack of background noise is due to noise reduction? as for the fades, maybe Christian wanted it to replicate the vinyl?
Squidco.com and ReR USA have 'em too! Well, it's not like you're under some kind of obligation now. I was just thinking out loud. 'Live' is the only one of the Seventh discs that makes me go "huh?".
I know, but I'd like myself to go to the bottom of things concering those CDs. I have yet to hear that CD, but it shouldn't take long as they have it at my local library. I'll give it a listen and report back.
Hey! Mr Linon answered my second batch of questions! Among other things he mentioned by himself there were plans for *possibly* releasing a couple more AKT archival releases, with the batch of 40th anniversary remasters coming 2009. Translation of the rest pending.
Honestly, I thought that both 'Udu Wudu' and 'Attahk' sounded identical on Seventh and Tomato. (I had heard rumors that the remastered MDK and 'Kohntarkosz' were copied from the Japanese A&M CDs, and I kinda assumed that UW and A were possibly copied from the Tomatos - but that was just a wild guess.) But I discarded my Tomatos before I picked up the Sevenths (foolish?, youbetcha!) so I never A/B'd them; just relying on memory. At the time I just figured that the Seventh editions were the "band approved" ones, even if that meant just the packaging and bonus tracks, so those were the ones I was obligated to own. And now I'm gonna have to re-buy the catalog once again for the 40th remasters? Here's hoping I win the lottery soon.
Okay, Mr Linon's answers were shorter this time, so I'll just report them in without further ceremonial. - Some of MAGMA's albums are going to be remastered in 2009 with possible bonus tracks. (nothing is settled yet) They're going to be in CD and downloads. (they already have a partnership since 2006 with http://www.believedigital.com/ ) - There was a mistake with Üdü Wüdü: apparently there's only one Seventh CD edition. It was not sourced from vinyl, and the track Emehnteht-Re (part 2) was part of the album originally. Mr Linon agrees that this particular CD doesn't sound very good and should be remastered. - Charly is not ashamed to continue issuing CDs without the approval of the band because they know any legal procedures would involve costs that are too high for the artists. That's why they prey on small, not highly profitable Prog bands. JVC, with its K2 and K2HD editions, is not paying what's due to the artists either. - When I told Mr Linon I hoped the new remasters will not be harsh sounding, EQ'd weirdly and compressed to squash all the dynamics an be over-loud, he simply replied: 'Not a chance.' That's all folks!
You're talking of the 2nd Seventh Records editions, right, not the JVC K2's? If so, I would believe Mr Linon when he says they were mastered from copies of the master tapes, not other CDs. Maybe it's the other way round, the Tomato and A&M are copies of the Seventh CDs? I don't know when they were issued respectively. (The first batch of Seventh CDs was 1988, the second batch was 1990.)
Yeah. I bought the first batch of Seventh discs that I came across first (1001 Centigrades, Merci, Mekanik Kommandoh, Mekanik Destriktiw Kommandoh and Kohntarkosz) and was naturally disappointed that the CDs of MDK and K were not exactly of an audiophile nature. I then heard about A&M putting out those two on CD in Japan from tapes, but was never able to get copies for myself. Not long after that, news came out about Seventh reissuing those two. Buying them was pretty difficult, however, because there's no way of telling the old ones from the new ones from the outside cover! I heard about the Japanese discs before I heard about the corrected Sevenths, but it's entirely possible that the Japanese discs came later. I recall some article (was it in 'Sound Collector' magazine?) at the time (which may also have been wild speculation) that commented on how Seventh had claimed that the French CDs were sourced from vinyl because there WERE no tapes still in existence, but then A&M Japan had no problem finding one. It's quite possible that they're both different masterings form the same set of tapes - I've never had the A&Ms to compare. I've never heard the K2 discs (and those came out MUCH later than the corrected Sevenths).
What about the mention of "Wotre Music" somewhere on the cover or the back, like Mr Linon suggested? I ask because I have never come across those 1st editions as the corrected ones are more easy to find here in France.
Really? Behind the obvious biggies like Yes, Genesis, ELP, etc, Magma seems to be the most adored prog act of all time in the prog circles I visit. Doesn't nearly every prog fan have MDK?
I don't but i will, thanks to this thread and wayside records (i know a lot of people who has heard about it, but very few who actually has it!)
Hardly ever seen anyone mention it on the internet, and very rarely on this forum! A lot of people I know are into Prog, and yet they discard MAGMA has being too weird or something.
The earliest set of discs I got were through Wotre Music (MPO plant #1, no bar code). The later sets are Harmonia Mundi (MPO plant #3, bar code). I've never heard that the two remasters match up perfectly with the change in distribution, though, so I wouldn't have known that that was a valid signifier. And, besides, I had to buy them mail order (and this was pre-internet!) so, unless someone identified them as being the corrected versions, it was a gamble .
Many years ago Magma played in London (1989 i think) being promoted by Steve Davis (the snooker hero from that time) who is a huge Magma fan in London. Spoke to a guy afterwards who was trying to set up a Magma forum, nothing came of it but he did send me an alternative version of MDK with NO vocals apart from the main chorus verse (Klaus Blasquiz & Stella Vander) on cassette tape. I still have this somewhere in my loft. If any forum members are interested I can arrange to find this and see if it still plays.
As much as I appreciate everything Magma'ish, recognizing the innovative elements and the bold statements made by Vander and his fellow music makers, unfortunately there are many things I find problematic with Magma: 1. The band released too many recordings. They have been around for years, true, but anybody producing close to 100 albums (not counting various editions and informal releases) has overdone it. 2. There is a great element of repetition in Magma's music. Many of the albums are quite similar to each other, contributing little, if at all, progress in their musical path. Strangely enough, many off-spring bands with ex-Magma members turned out to be much more interesting than the mother-band. Universe Zero is just one of those, but there are at least a dozen of them.
1.I have 11 Magma LPs of which 4 are live.I also have both the Univeria Zekt and FUSION LPs. I hope to aquire at least 6 more of which 4 are live and 1 is both studio and live.There are Merci and Les Voix which I don't want or need.That is a total of 21 albums between 1970 and 1985.Are there 70+ albums of live material out there released since 85? If so, is there anything of note that I might be missing by not aquiring these or is that your point? 2.Repetition.Magma's unique use of repetition owes much to composer Richard Wagner whom one either loves or loves less.Magma's use of this repetition is both original and extremely powerful bordering on the hypnotic, Trance-Prog if you will! I approach the live albums sparingly and judiciously and keep my ears fresh for the abundant variety I find in their studio work where no 2 subsequent albums sound very much alike. Though the live LPs do often repeat same works I find the intrumental musicianship to be amongst the very best in recorded history, especially the soloing which is as diverse as it is virtuosic. Magma's influence was very great and it should not surprise anyone that the off-spring projects were for the most part equally as great.I have and love many LPs by Eider Stellaire,Jean Paul Goude,Didier Lockwood,Shub Niggurath,Surya,Univers Zero,Weidorje,and Zao.
