Kinks Deluxe editions available for pre-order

Thanks for this (must have taken a good amount of time/work)!

 

It's really amazing that "See My Friends" is listenable (despite the hiss), despite being recorded on one track. I tend to be, too often, a bit negative on Talmy, but he and MacKenzie really did some remarkable work (on this, and many other songs).

Even Dave can't believe it was all just mono overdubbing...

 

Thanks. It wasn't that much effort — about an hour, I think; the discs were already ripped to my hard drive. I'll try to throw up some more samples from the other two albums soon.

 

Thanks for your work!

I'll have to wait until I get home to listen to these.

Can't wait!

 

It's still one of my favorite sounding records.

 

Just saw "Kinda Kinks" Deluxe on CCM Website..Anyone know if these still have Harsh Sound? Or,did Universal "Sand Down" the rough edges? They always sounded like they were Buzz Saws,the Guitars!

 

I'd imagine they're the same deluxes that most of us in this thread have gotten.

For the short synopsis: I think a lot of us prefer these, definitely over the 90's remasters. But many of us do not think they sound better than the PRT's. If you go back a few pages, some of us have compared masterings.

 

Original LP: Harsh
PRT Kinda Kinks: Harsh
Deluxe Kinda Kinks: Harsh + loud
1998 Castle Kinda Kinks: Like knitting needles in your ear!

It's never going to be a great sounding album, but the Deluxe is definitely the best tonally. It actually sounds less harsh in parts than the PRT! (Dave's vocal on "Got My Feet On The Ground" for example)

 

This is the Kinks we are talking about, not Steely Dan, hopefully nobody would ever try and smooth out their guitar sound.

 

I wonder if the stereo remasters of Face to Face and Something Else are the same as those found on the Pye Album Collection a couple of years ago with remastered bonus tracks or whether they are completely new remasters with bonus tracks?

 

They are going to be completely new digital transfers from the original analog tapes. That's how Andrew Sandoval does things

 

Finally, here's the official tracklists for Arthur and Face to Face (Something Else is the same as quoted here a while back)

Arthur:

Disc One

1-12 - Stereo Mix

13. Plastic Man [Stereo Mix]
14. This Man He Weeps Tonight [Stereo Mix]
15. Drivin' [Alternate Mix]
16. Mindless Child Of Motherhood [Stereo Mix]
17. Hold My Hand [Stereo Mix]
18. Lincoln County [Stereo Mix]
19. Mr Shoemaker's Daughter
20. Mr Reporter [Stereo Mix]
21. Shangri La [Backing Track]

Disc Two

1-12 - Mono Mix

13. Plastic Man
14. This Man He Weeps Tonight
15. Mindless Child Of Motherhood
16. Creeping Jean
17. Lincoln County
18. Hold My Hand
19. Victoria [BBC Version]
20. Mr Churchill Says [BBC Version]
21. Arthur [BBC Version]

Looks like we're getting Mono & Stereo of "Hold My Hand" and some BBC tracks! ("There Is No Life Without Love" still conspicuously absent..)


Face To Face

1-14 - Mono Album

15. Dead End Street (Mono single mix)
16. Big Black Smoke (Mono single mix)
17. This Is Where I Belong (Mono single mix)
18. She's Got Everything (Mono single mix)
19. Little Miss Queen Of Darkness [Alternate Take]
20. Dead End Street [Alternate Take]

Disc Two

1-14 Stereo Album

15. This Is Where I Belong (Stereo Mix)
16. Big Black Smoke (Stereo Mix)
17. She's Got Everything (Stereo Mix)
18. You're Looking Fine [Alternate Stereo Mix]
19. Sunny Afternoon [Alternate Stereo Mix]
20. Fancy [Alternate Stereo Mix]
21. Little Miss Queen Of Darkness [Alternate Stereo Mix]
22. Dandy [Alternate Stereo Mix]


No new info here, just that the last 2 tracks on disc one are confirmed as alternate takes.

 

I'm in love with these reissues but one thing puzzles me - why is "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" now on the Kontroversy CD? It belongs with "Face To Face".

I can't wait for those new stereo mixes!

 

9.99 pounds each at amazon.co.uk.

 

That's a good question.

Possibly to make more room for the FTF deluxe?

 

Well, the wording on these make me very confused as to what's being released here -

1. Why does it just say "stereo mix" for "This Is Where I Belong" and "Big Black Smoke", when neither has ever been released in so much as fake stereo? And is "She Got Everything" going to be the original stereo mix, or a new remix like the previous two songs?

2. Do we know what they're doing with regard to the two mono-only tracks ("House In The Country"/"I'll Remember") on the original stereo album, and the fake stereo version of "Sunny Afternoon"?

3. Are "You're Looking Fine"/"Sunny Afternoon"/"Fancy"/"Little Miss Queen..."/"Dandy" going to be new mixes of the originals, or are these all alternate takes?

 

1. I put the (stereo mix) notation after tracks 15-17. I'm assuming it was left off because that is the 'stereo' disc and only one version of those songs appear on that disc. Hopefully the original stereo mix of "She's Got Everything" will be on there so as to make "Kink Kronikles" totally redundant.

2. I believe that they will appear as they were originally released in the stereo album. The multis for "Sunny Afternoon" survived so it will be presented in proper stereo for the first time on track 19.

3. I believe they will all be new stereo mixes of the released versions (Barring any missing overdubs). The "Alternate" only refers to the fact they are mixed differently from the versions on the album proper.

Hope this helps Mike!

 

It did. Thanks!

 

Wow, tomorrow's my day off so I just plowed through this entire thread reading bits here and there. What an interesting thread.

I'd like to thank everyone who have posted their opinions concerning the sound of the first three deluxe editions.

I'm a huge Kinks fan from Face To Face through The Great Lost Kinks Album but even though I'm a first generation fan somehow I never heard their first three albums. I started with their greatest hits album on Reprise which had most of the cool singles and went from there.

I wasn't going to pick up any deluxe editions until Face To Face is released, but after reading the (mostly) positive sound reviews here I decided to sample some of the songs from Kinda Kinks and Kinks Kontroversy on YouTube just to see if I like the songs I hadn't heard up until this point. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like them, so I just ordered the two deluxes from Amazon US.

I didn't check out songs from their first album though and didn't order that one.
Are the tracks mainly warmed over R&B sort of things with little identifiable Ray Davies personality in them ? If so I can still probably pass on that one.

Very interesting thread though guys. I've learned a lot about the Kinks recording history etc., and am happy that the sound of the deluxe editions is pleasant to most ears.

I look forward to the Face To Face deluxe edition and onward where I am up to "Kinks speed" because I sure don't know much about the first three other than the radio hits.

 

I let somebody else defend the first album since I am not a fan myself, but among the 14 tracks are 6 Ray Davies originals, one of them being You Really Got Me of course. I quite like So Mystifying and Stop Your Sobbing. The bonus tracks are stronger than the actual album, though.

 

The first album is the birth of brother Ray. Besides the RnB stompers, you get some pretty good pop songs like "Just Can't Go to Sleep," "Stop Your Sobbing," "I Don't Need You Anymore," "You Do Something to Me," and "I've Got That Feeling." I think it's worth it if you plan on getting all the other deluxes.

 

Short lived ... now showing 11.99 pounds.

 

I've checked TWY and DIS with my very average soundcard, headphones & ears. Only the japanese master sound particularly bad to me. Among the others there are differences of course, the older ones seem fuller and warmer, the recent ones more detailed and precise. To choose one favorite it's matter of taste, I guess.

The one early album that sounds really compressed, metallic, etc in the 98 remaster version is Kontroversy. I compared it some time ago with the Castle 89 and there was no constest. I'd really appreciate if you repeat this exercise
with some tracks of that album (and bonus), Till the end of the day and Dedicated Follower of Fashion, for instance.

 

But the pre-order guarantee should lock in the 9.99 rate, right?

 

I would think only if you ordered it when it said 9.99 ... or ... if that's the price on the release date. I don't think that you get the lowest price that they've ever offered it at ... but I'm not sure.

Anyone else know?