John Foxx-Metamatic

[schwenko]

from the John Foxx mailing list:

New 'double disc' edition of "Metamatic" on CD...

A special 'double disc' edition of "Metamatic" is set to be released
on the 3rd of September, 2007. The first disc features the entire
"Metamatic" album, whilst the second disc features all of the single
b'sides and associated extra tracks together with some previously
unreleased material. The alternative version of "He's a Liquid" was
originally available on the Twelve Inch Promo of "Underpass", whilst
the alternative version of "A New Kind of Man" is the mix which
originally came out on VS303. The tracks "Cinemascope" and "To Be
With You", and the alternative version of "Like a Miracle", are all
available here for the first time.
The track-listing for this new edition of "Metamatic" is as follows...

Metamatic : Disc One
01. Plaza
02. He's a Liquid
03. Underpass
04. Metal Beat
05. No-One Driving
06. A New Kind of Man
07. Blurred Girl
08. 030
09. Tidal Wave
10. Touch and Go

Metamatic : Disc Two
01. Film One
02. This City
03. To Be With You
04. Cinemascope
05. Burning Car
06. Glimmer
07. Mr No
08. Young Love
09. 20th Century
10. My Face
11. Like a Miracle (Alternative Version)
12. A New Kind of Man (Alternative Version)
13. He's a Liquid (Alternative Version)

Release Date : 3rd of September, 2007
Catalogue Number : EDSD 2013
Label : Metamatic / Edsel Records

Foxx is also doing a few dates in the UK performing the album in full.

[Ollie Stench]

Cool! I saw a blurb about this somewhere but no concrete details. This looks to be one of the few things I buy even though I have the originals (well, most of the originals).

[Abacab]

I hope they fixed the mastering issues from the first reissue.

Edward

[Rubellan]

Full details posted here:

http://www.ultravox.org.uk/cgi-bin/ulti ... =forum;f=2

Apparently it's been completely remastered by John Foxx himself. He remastered the "Assembly" compilation years ago, and apart from some of the songs having a little too much bass and the volumes from track to track being inconsistent, "Assembly" had really good sound.

This is supposed to be the start of reissuing all of the Virgin-era albums as 2 CD sets. I hope that means they found the master tapes for the bonus track for "In Mysterious Ways". I love the song 'Stairway', but they used vinyl on the last reissue, plus they renamed the song!

Scott

[Rubellan]

I just got the Metamatic 2CD set, and I can tell you it has NOT been remastered, as previously claimed. It is just a transfer of the previous CD reissue with a few unreleased tracks added. I compared all the songs from the last CD reissue, and the obvious flaws and very poor attempts at tape hiss reduction have carried over. The only change was the beginning notes of "Metal Beat". Aside from that it's just a repackaging with a few extra tracks. Bummer... As most people on this forum know by now, I'm also a freelance sound engineer, so it didn't take much to audibly and visually confirm my suspicions. The extra tracks are great, but rather than having to repurchase this, and the upcoming reissues, for the bonus material I would have rather had a single rarities collection. A legit "remaster" from original studio tapes would have been worth it, though that's definitely NOT what this is. This is becoming far too common practice in the world of reissues and repackages.

Scott

[MetaMatrix]

@ scott a.k.a. rubellan : well ... it would be nice & only fair , if u would have the guts to post your message above also over in john's very own metamatic forum @ http://www.metamatic.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi !

fyi : the new double-album DEFINITELY IS a remastered version , as all people with sound ears could tell by listening to it !
maybe it jus' doesn't match with certain people's extremely sophisticated expectations , but that's a totally different question then !

[Rubellan]

I will definitely post to that forum later, when I get home. It is NOT remastered, and I will gladly post screenshot comparisons proving it when I get home as well.

I was just listening to it in the car on the way to work, and I laughed when I heard the "remastered" intro to Metal Beat cut right back to the previous version after the first quiet notes. The bass level even changed! And I still hear those static pops that plagued the previous CD. NOT REMASTERED..., at least not from tapes.

[MetaMatrix]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Rubellan[/i]
<br> NOT REMASTERED..., at least not from tapes.
[/quote]

well ... i've already started a thread about it over in the metamatic forum now & we'll see , what especially rob harris ( john's webmaster ) has to say about your claims !

fyi : here the link to that specific thread : http://www.metamatic.com/cgi-bin/ultima ... 1;t=000171

"retrosonic radio" - back to the 80s !
for more info mail me privately !

[Rubellan]

He already claimed it was remastered. He's certainly not going to say now that it's not. The audible and visible evidence proves 100% that this CD has not been remastered from studio master tapes, more so than just compiled from the previous release with only minor tweaks. Robin may not have a clue what actually took place at the mastering facility used (Dallas Masters), but it took only a few seconds of playing the CD to realize what had happened, and I investigated the disc in detail afterwards. This lack of remastering includes most of the material on the 2nd CD; everything other than the material previously unreleased (which all sounds excellent). Listen to the high tinny sound of Burning Car. It's awful! (as it was on the previous CD).

And I'm following your postings on the EV and FOXX forum as well, and if I get "approval" to post on those forums (which I am currently waiting for), I will not hesitate to post my findings. Listen to some of my CD remasters (Dead or Alive, King, Haysi Fantayzee, Mobiles, etc...) if you want to hear remastering beyond a little tweak here and there.

And I would never tell anyone not to buy it. The bonus material is enough to warrant the cost. Just don't expect any improvements on the previously released material.

[MetaMatrix]

1st of all , what exactly do u mean with "visible evidence" concerning the remaster ?
care to explain ?

2nd , what "previous release" do u mean - the virgin one from 1993 or the edsel one from 2001 ?

it's WITHOUT A DOUBT a FACT that the new version of "metamatic" sounds A LOT better than the virgin version from 1993 , which i also own & therefore can prove myself - besides the original vinyl version from 1980 !
only for example : the version of "he's a liquid" is a great improvement from the awfully out of tune version that was incl. on the "modern art" compilation-album !
nobody in his right mind can deny this FACT !
btw : as there are various different sources of tapes that u can remaster a new version from , it's actually clear as mud that not all trax can sound exactly the same way concerning their overall quality , which u - as a freelance sound engineer - should also know for sure !

anyway ... i suspect that maybe the copy that u have has a manufacturing fault somehow , but it's STILL REMASTERED !

btw : it's actually quite rich of u to claim that it's "NOT remastered" , which may end in some serious - & maybe also legal ! - trouble for u , as there are certainly people , who can PROVE that it is a remastered version !
however ... i would be more careful with my outspoken claims , if i were u !

[MetaMatrix]

well ... let's get things straight here now : u still claim that this new version is "NOT remastered" , but WHAT is it then , as it CLEARLY sounds better than the previous edsel re-release in 2001 of it , which nobody in his right mind & with sound ears can deny then !?

if i understand u correctly , u also claim that NO original master tapes were used to remaster it , right ?

HOW on earth can u be so sure about it , eh ?

an explanation is really due now !

[Barmy]

MetaMatrix, maybe if you didn't type like a retard your arguments would at least appear more legitimate.

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by MetaMatrix[/i]
<br>@ scott a.k.a. rubellan : well ... it would be nice & only fair , if u would have the guts to post your message above also over in john's very own metamatic forum @ http://www.metamatic.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi !

fyi : the new double-album DEFINITELY IS a remastered version , as all people with sound ears could tell by listening to it !
maybe it jus' doesn't match with certain people's extremely sophisticated expectations , but that's a totally different question then !
[/quote]

I've already posted it (as a link)-check the thread.

[MetaMatrix]

[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
I've already posted it (as a link)-check the thread.
[/quote]

well ... u've only posted the question that started all this mess over @ the official ultravox ( ev ) forum , but i haven't seen anything posted by u in the metamatic forum so far - nor by rubellan !

anyway ... i - & actually NOBODY ELSE over in the metamatic or ev forums ! - have NO reason to doubt what rob harris has written there or in other official statements about this new version of "metamatic" !

@ barmy : your own nickname actually tells it all ! *lol*
u are jus' the pot calling the kettle black ! *rotflmao*
get a life now !

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by MetaMatrix[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
I've already posted it (as a link)-check the thread.
[/quote]

well ... u've only posted the question that started all this mess over @ the official ultravox ( ev ) forum , but i haven't seen anything posted by u in the metamatic forum so far - nor by rubellan !

[/quote]

You're right! I was tired[^] I even tried clicking on your metamatic theater screen expecting something to play[:D]
On one of the sites you can email John Foxx, which I did. Maybe it goes to Robin as an intermediary.
I'd like to what Mr Foxx himself has to say.