Jesusetc84 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 So today I found myself browsing FYE with a few extra bucks, and what do I see? Van Morrison has begun a reissue campaign, remastering all 29 of his albums (at least a good 10 or so of which are essentials.) I of course freaked out, as I'd just been bitching about the shoddy mastering on Van's CD releases to my friend. So I pick up It's Too Late To Stop Now (Van's 1974 Live record) and it knocks me on my ass. It's punchy, clear, and dynamic, without sounding too tampered with. The sound isn't overly hollow (see the Rolling Stones Between the Buttons reissue for that kind of hollow sound that overuse of noise reduction can leave you with.) I also saw Tupelo Honey there. All the albums have one or two extra bonus tracks; far from Pavement style, 36 bonus track reissues, but that's far from the main objective of these releases; the reissues are for those of us who've been suffering with those unmastered versions of Astral Weeks, St. Dominic's Preview, or Veedon Fleece. It's going to be nice to have Van albums that sound as well mastered as my Dylan reissues. All of the albums should be out by the end of the year from what I've read; so I guess rejoice and discuss Van! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 So I pick up It's Too Late To Stop Now (Van's 1974 Live record) and it knocks me on my ass. It's punchy, clear, and dynamic, without sounding too tampered with. The sound isn't overly hollow (see the Rolling Stones Between the Buttons reissue for that kind of hollow sound that overuse of noise reduction can leave you with.) I also saw Tupelo Honey there. Wild - my friend's been IMing me tracks from this all day. Amazing stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jesusetc84 Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Wild - my friend's been IMing me tracks from this all day. Amazing stuff. I can't wait to have Van's albums blasting crystal clear in all their glory out of my speakers :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 he's also got a new album coming out this year. i know it has the word simple in the title.craig Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mkush001 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 well son of a bitch, lets hope they're not the same crappy warner bros cds that can get somehow scratched on top of the cd even though you take extra special care of your cds and then it f-ing skips in the middle of cypress avenue and then you get another copy but then your copy of 'into the music' starts skipping on troubadours cause of the same god damn thing, and then hey what do you know, astral weeks starts skipping again so we gotta buy another copy of that too, son of a bitch. let's hope they're not like that again. i've had bad experiences. ps, i dare them to try and slip some bonus tracks on the end of astral weeks and/or veedon fleece. put em on a bonus disk like a real record company so i don't have to race for the stop button in order to preserve my album listening experience. pps, haven't they already remastered a lot of those, including 'it's too late to stop now'? i swear i remember stickers saying that on most of his 70's/80's cd's when i bought them in the late 90's. ppps, i apologize. looking forward to a cd of astral weeks that sounds as good as the original vinyl. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZenLunatic Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 pps, haven't they already remastered a lot of those, including 'it's too late to stop now'? i swear i remember stickers saying that on most of his 70's/80's cd's when i bought them in the late 90's. Yes there were already some remastered versions on cd, but most of them have been out of print for awhile now. Now all will be back in print with bonus tracks, which also I agree with you should just be put on a diff disc to perserve original album. I wonder if these new remasters are better than the previous ones. In any case, I had trouble finding some of Van's albums such as Avalon Sunset at a decent price so I am really glad these are coming out. I am finally gonna complete my collection of all his studio albums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I hope they are better than the Dylan remasters. I think those are mixed WAY too loud and sound far too "bright" to my ears. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jesusetc84 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 well son of a bitch, lets hope they're not the same crappy warner bros cds that can get somehow scratched on top of the cd even though you take extra special care of your cds and then it f-ing skips in the middle of cypress avenue and then you get another copy but then your copy of 'into the music' starts skipping on troubadours cause of the same god damn thing, and then hey what do you know, astral weeks starts skipping again so we gotta buy another copy of that too, son of a bitch. let's hope they're not like that again. i've had bad experiences. ps, i dare them to try and slip some bonus tracks on the end of astral weeks and/or veedon fleece. put em on a bonus disk like a real record company so i don't have to race for the stop button in order to preserve my album listening experience. pps, haven't they already remastered a lot of those, including 'it's too late to stop now'? i swear i remember stickers saying that on most of his 70's/80's cd's when i bought them in the late 90's. ppps, i apologize. looking forward to a cd of astral weeks that sounds as good as the original vinyl. Glad to see another Veedon Fleece lover...what a beautiful record...One I've never bought due to the availability factor...I spent 40 bucks on Saint Dominic's Preview and decided "Fuck it, I'll wait for reissues for Veedon Fleece". One thing that should definitely make the Astral Weeks bonus disc is the complete "Slim Slow Slider"; the version on the cd is just the tip of the iceberg...it goes into a freeform jam for like 15 minutes...you can hear the jam as the song starts to fade out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mkush001 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 wow, i had no idea there were availability problems with these albums after they'd been remastered once. when did this happen? what a crime. some of the best art ever created. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 hmmm, so should i stick my veedon fleece, saint dominic's preview, hard nose the highway & his band and the street choir on ebay now, before it's too late? does anyone have exact dates of the new releases - i'd like to get them, but would like to pay for them by selling the old ones. by the way, i think the old cds sound fine to me, not hollow sounding.edit - i just looked at my cds and they all say they were remastered, so you must be talking about an older version Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheMaker Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Glad to see another Veedon Fleece lover...what a beautiful record...One I've never bought due to the availability factor...I spent 40 bucks on Saint Dominic's Preview and decided "Fuck it, I'll wait for reissues for Veedon Fleece". Whoa, are these OUT OF PRINT?! I've also never been able to find them on sale new, and I've always wondered why. These records are so essential that it never once crossed my mind that they might be unavailable from the distributor. Wow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jesusetc84 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Whoa, are these OUT OF PRINT?! I've also never been able to find them on sale new, and I've always wondered why. These records are so essential that it never once crossed my mind that they might be unavailable from the distributor. Wow. Yes... I know. It's a fucking crime that people can't go out and discover the joys of St. Dominic's Preview or Veedon Fleece...Especially in recent years, as both albums reputations have grown tremendously with critics (both recieved 5 stars in the last RS album guide, and have gotten a little more attention in critical essays etc.) The only ones prior to this that were in print were: The Bang MastersAstral WeeksMoondanceHis Band & the Street ChoirGreatest Hits and like his last 5 or so releases. I guess they got enough people bitching about the availibility of Tupelo Honey, St. Dominic's Preview, It's Too Late to Stop Now, Veedon Fleece, and tons of other albums to finally reissue them. I'm satiated. Van was among my holy trinity for artists who needed complete remasters; Beatles and Zeppelin, I'm waiting on you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyMike Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 So I pick up It's Too Late To Stop Now (Van's 1974 Live record) and it knocks me on my ass. It's punchy, clear, and dynamic, without sounding too tampered with. I picked this up recently as well. Great live album! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I only have Astral Weeks and Moondance - both bought used with someones initials written on the cd. I wouldn't mine hearing those re-done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I'm satiated. Van was among my holy trinity for artists who needed complete remasters; Beatles and Zeppelin, I'm waiting on you! Didn't Page remaster all the Zeppelin discs a long time ago? I thought they were all remastered. I'm not going to have to buy those AGAIN am i? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jesusetc84 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 I only have Astral Weeks and Moondance - both bought used with someones initials written on the cd. I wouldn't mine hearing those re-done. you should really check out some of his other stuff too; St. Dominic's Preview and Veedon Fleece are almost just as good as those two. There's tons of Van worth listening to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 the zeppelin tapes were remastered twice - first in 1990 with george marino (?) for the box set and then again in 1994 for the seperate albums. dont know what the story is with Mothership, but people have noticed a difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 you should really check out some of his other stuff too; St. Dominic's Preview and Veedon Fleece are almost just as good as those two. There's tons of Van worth listening to. I've heard them. the zeppelin tapes were remastered twice - first in 1990 with george marino (?) for the box set and then again in 1994 for the seperate albums. dont know what the story is with Mothership, but people have noticed a difference. The tracks were re-done by Kevin Shirley - I think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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