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thunderbird2
Personal Jesus
121 Posts |
 Posted - 07/26/2012 : 02:09:27
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quote:
Originally posted by obs
> my problem is I am not sure what the US version is
Is the US version the one that appears on the expanded mange tout CD
All I have is that and the UK vinyl 12" version which I prefer.
According to a user at Discogs, the 2CD Mange Tout has the US version.
Supposedly, this is the UK version, which is from the CA pressing of Second Helping (although it may have been mastered from vinyl).
http://www.divshare.com/download/19215374-ca0
FLAC/Plextools/AccurateRip
Many thanks OBS I will take a chance and get it
much appreciated
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ippudo
Switchin' to Glide
United Kingdom
40 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2012 : 05:40:06
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quote:
Originally posted by moni
quote:
Originally posted by ippudo
Not really bothered about this lo-fi release - thanks for the explanations!
Another question: Has the 12" mix of "I Can See It" ever been released on CD? I still think it's one of the best extended mixes ever...
It's on this http://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Believe-You-Me/release/1451463
Thanks for your quick reply! I guess that one had passed me by as I already had the original CD. |
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Bellenger1981
Personal Jesus
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2012 : 14:16:49
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Got my copy today. The packaging and design is great, but the sound ... Damn! "Waves [Original Version]" sounds awful, and it was one of the tracks to which I was most looking forward to hearing. It sounds like it has been compressed to MP3 @ 32 kbps! It's that bad. I can actually hear the compression ... sound "waves" of compression! Awful! "Murder" sounds like a compressed MP3, and "Kind" sounds even worse! I am having flashbacks to the early days of Napster with these low quality MP3s. Most annoying is that it appears that Music Club spent some time putting together a nice presentation of the package. It's not spectacular, but I like it! It's a shame that the sound quality does not match the good package presentation. Rhino, which used to stand for quality, should be ashamed in putting its logo on this release.
On a more positive note, "Feel Me [12" John Luongo Mix]" finally appears from a master (not MP3 either!), unlike the vinyl transfer on "Happy Families". What a difference! "God's Kitchen [12" Mix]" is still a vinyl transfer, however.
This release could have really been a fantastic package even with vinyl rips, as long as they are lossless. It's a shame that Music Club or Warner screwed it up. Don't even get me started on including the wrong versions of songs. Apparently, no quality control exists. I guess that the U.S. $9.00 price tag explains it all. You get what you pay for after all. Considering that the release is 2-discs of excellent songs I would have gladly paid more if quality control took priority.
Off to send my e-mail to Music Club now asking them to replace these discs with new ones featuring the original lossless files. I will comment more later ... |
Edited by - Bellenger1981 on 07/30/2012 14:34:02 |
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obs
Room at the Top
Canada
1774 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2012 : 22:47:22
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> Many thanks OBS I will take a chance and get it
much appreciated
As I wrote earlier, the Amazon guy said it is the US version, same as on the Mange Tout 2CD, so you're going to be disappointed. |
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discoginfo
Room at the Top
Sweden
647 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2012 : 04:43:45
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I had a quick listen to the 3 tracks that Bellenger1981 complained about. Well, to my ears they didn't sound THAT horrible. They were not as clear as the rest, I agree, but to me they were still enjoyable enough. Then again we all have individual taste and demands. I'm not saying Bellenger1981 is "wrong", and I fully respect your opinion, but I just want to give my opinion here as a balance. Yes I would have preferred 100 % sound quality (whatever that is) but I didn't jump out of my chair when I heard those 3 tracks.
A tip: don't touch the booklet without wearing white gloves. You'll know what I mean if you do it. /J |
Edited by - discoginfo on 07/31/2012 04:54:31 |
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Bellenger1981
Personal Jesus
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2012 : 07:02:18
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discoginfo, I agree with you. It's not necessarily that the songs sound "horrible" -- well, aside from "Waves [Original Version]", in my opinion. It's more so my disappointment with MP3 files being used in the first place. I tested both of these discs on my car's sound system yesterday. I did a comparison among the tracks, and while the MP3 tracks aren't all bad I can hear the difference between the MP3 songs and the lossless files. Many of the MP3 tracks sound thinner, as if they are missing something. Then again, that's usually what I notice when playing MP3 vs. WAV, for example. The reality is that most people probably will not notice (well, except for maybe "Waves [Original Version]") or care, so Music Club Deluxe will probably get a pass unless enough people complain (which probably won't happen). I sent my feedback yesterday. I'll let you know if I get a response.
And yes, be careful when touching that booklet. :) |
Edited by - Bellenger1981 on 07/31/2012 07:04:29 |
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discoginfo
Room at the Top
Sweden
647 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 08:29:09
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I have now updated my discography to include this recent 2-CD:
http://www.discog.info/blancmange.html
It took hours! Because there was a lot of cross-checking to do,
plus all the comments here and on the amazon review page.
I hope all info is there now, including what tracks are from MP3, etc.
Noteworthy is the inclusion of the very rare track Hello Darling[from various artists cassette SPOOLS GOLD, 1986], I never heard of that before.
Hmm, I would have changed the track listing of course, placing the singles and album tracks on CD 1, and the 12" mixes and rare tracks on CD2, roughly. /JW
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Neil Kelly
Personal Jesus
United Kingdom
111 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 17:26:43
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| Geez, i despair of the music industy! |
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discoginfo
Room at the Top
Sweden
647 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 00:20:10
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I believe more recent CDs are based on compressed MP3s than we realize - not only this CD. After all it's a convenient way to store and send files before manufacturing. (Yes I am cynical) I have a feeling that younger people in the music industry tend to compress to and use MP3s, than "oldtimes" who are aware of music quality. I wonder if the original Blancmange deluxe CDs are also made from MP3s. Not to mention all the other artists I have on my site.
Maybe in the future there will be an "audiophile CD" wave, where great care is taken. Just like DVD became BluRay. No one in the film industry would ever dream of compressing the picture before manufacturing.
When will the music industry wake up, and follow the attitude of the film industry?
/JW
http://www.discog.info/
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Edited by - discoginfo on 09/21/2012 00:21:09 |
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anorak
Switchin' to Glide
48 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 10:40:20
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Nice discography. is it me or is their recent new album 'blanc-burn' not included ?
IS THAT THE TWELVE INCH MIX ? Out late 2010 www.robgrillo.co.uk |
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discoginfo
Room at the Top
Sweden
647 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 12:19:46
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| 10 Points to anorak. Thanks, I forgot about that, also because no tracks from that is included on any compilation CD. Will include it later. /JW |
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Bellenger1981
Personal Jesus
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 13:55:51
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quote:
Originally posted by discoginfo
I believe more recent CDs are based on compressed MP3s than we realize - not only this CD. After all it's a convenient way to store and send files before manufacturing. (Yes I am cynical) I have a feeling that younger people in the music industry tend to compress to and use MP3s, than "oldtimes" who are aware of music quality. I wonder if the original Blancmange deluxe CDs are also made from MP3s. Not to mention all the other artists I have on my site.
Maybe in the future there will be an "audiophile CD" wave, where great care is taken. Just like DVD became BluRay. No one in the film industry would ever dream of compressing the picture before manufacturing.
When will the music industry wake up, and follow the attitude of the film industry?
/JW
http://www.discog.info/
Exactly! I agree. It's interesting that most everything in film and television is high definition nowadays. Then we have a ton of old films being restored in high definition. What about music? It's so strange to me that so much bragging and advertisements go for digitally remastered HD movies, yet the music industry has no problem selling MP3 files by the millions. When is the music industry going to go the same way that the film industry has gone? I realize that there are HD and lossless sites out there, but they are not the standard. They are in the minority. It amazes me that iTunes will sell HD TV shows (my brother bought HD files of the television series, "Supernatural", via iTunes, with each episode being 1.3 GB), yet we don't get HD music there. I know that we are comparing TV to music, but an upgrade of music is long overdue. |
Edited by - Bellenger1981 on 09/21/2012 13:57:04 |
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discoginfo
Room at the Top
Sweden
647 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 23:08:01
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| Yes. Even with "lossless" digital tracks (FLAC / WAV) what's most important is the source they use. If they transfer the original tapes carefully with a loving audiophile approach (no brick wall or compression) then it will sound good even as a 256 or 320 kbps (not to mention lossless). But if they just take an old CD that has been mastered using sub-standard audio techniques (out of ignorance or arrogance) and rip it, it will not matter if they sell it uncompressed (WAV), it will still sound bad. I don't know what's worse in today's record company CD manufacturing: ignorance ("what do you mean I should not use MP3, I know what I'm doing, I'll just inflate it back to full quality before manufacturing!") or arrogance ("only nerdy die hard fans will ever notice any difference, and we're manufacturing for the general listener, the profit will be the same but with less work") ... /JW |
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humanracer
Personal Jesus
139 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2012 : 11:48:28
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| Good point Jonas but I think music is so disposable now. We have those awful reality TV shows such as X Factor and music really is only designed for the moment. I think the age of high quality pop albums is over sadly. That is why I find it difficult to find new music I like. Also people tend to download poor quality mp3's or worse still rip tracks from Youtube.I only rip from youtube if the track is rare and cannot be found elsewhere. I think original pressings of albums will become more valuable as people realise how rubbish modern mastering is. |
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soundstory
Personal Jesus
216 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2012 : 06:23:02
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This is surprising, there is an interview in the new Classic Pop magazine.
The duo state that they were personally involved in this project, they picked the tracks too.
I'll have to have a further read, they certainly mentioned the inclusion of Waves....... |
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Bellenger1981
Personal Jesus
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2012 : 13:37:16
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quote:
Originally posted by soundstory
This is surprising, there is an interview in the new Classic Pop magazine.
The duo state that they were personally involved in this project, they picked the tracks too.
I'll have to have a further read, they certainly mentioned the inclusion of Waves.......
Probably what happened is that they picked the tracks but were not involved in the transfer of the files to CD or the mastering of the music. They probably said, "hey, we want these tracks please", and left it up to Warner or Demon Music Group to do the rest. That's why we ended up with incorrect versions and slipshod audio quality. Unfortunately, the guys probably did not listen to the finished product, or maybe they don't care. I'm not on Facebook, but maybe someone should comment on their Facebook wall about the use of MP3s and the incorrect versions included -- that is, if someone has not commented already. |
Edited by - Bellenger1981 on 10/11/2012 13:41:46 |
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Dust
Running Up That Hill
United Kingdom
1 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2013 : 12:10:46
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| Did anyone ever hear back from the record company about the use of MP3s in the mastering of this album? |
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Bellenger1981
Personal Jesus
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2013 : 12:43:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Dust
Did anyone ever hear back from the record company about the use of MP3s in the mastering of this album?
As expected, no. |
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discoginfo
Room at the Top
Sweden
647 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2013 : 12:47:41
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I personally don't believe they will ever comment on that publicly, because they would have nothing to gain from that. It's probably only if it had affected sales negatively that they would chose to comment. That's business folks.
Cheers/JW
www.jonaswarstad.com (new book coming soon!)
www.discog.info (my music site)
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The Very Best Of Blancmange 2 CD
