Frank Zappa - Entire Catalogue Remastered and Reissued (part2)

There's a TINY bit of Cheepnis at the end of the itunes sample. Now I just need to find my %$#%$# CD.

 

No obvious sound problems on the "Them" samples, so it sounds like we've reverted to the pre-1989 iteration. Curious to see whether it'll sound different.

 

Late to the thread and having trouble finding about what folks think of Chungas Revenge remaster compared to the Ryko. Any comments would be great.

 

So the iTunes versions are 'mastered for iTunes' versions? Taken from the current/forthcoming mixes with additional dynamics processing & EQ?

 

I got Absolutely Free and Chunga's Revenge.

Compared CR with the '95 Ryko. The Ryko version sounded absolutely shrill and thin in comparison.

Was listening to AF in one ear and the wife was yappin' in another, then came "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" which I always considered annoying being most familiar with the Ryko, but it sounded meaty and really nice and I found myself getting lost in it, to the chagrin of my wife. I really dig it now!

 

For the minutiae-minded, one section of Zappa's solo in "I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth" is different on the ZINY CD compared to the ZINY LP (and Lather). Listening to the I-Tunes sample confirms that this different section is also in the reissue, another reason to suspect this is from the same digital master.

 

It is still unclear what "mastered for iTunes" means, thanks to the technical gobbledygook we're being served by both the press and Apple.
After recouping several articles and trying to make sense of them (journalists aren't sound engineers), I think it just means they're taking Hi-Res files (when available) instead of CDs, to encode their lossy files, for an ever so slight increase in quality.
They aren't actually "re-remastering" them, so the iTunes files should represent what's on the CDs.

 

I live in the Bay Area, and none of the stores near me had any of the new ones either. And that's like 10 stores or so.

So I just got the other 4 of the analog transfers from the first batch from Amazon.

 

The samples on Joe's Garage are wayyyy bassier than I'm used to; as this album is due for a fresh digital transfer (the one used for all of the CDs is the "Digitally Remastered for Vinyl" version from early 1980s!), perhaps this is a new pass?

Cheepnis is the remix on Roxy, so that's probably the old digital master.

Apostrophe sounds like the vinyl mix, although it's tough to tell whether it's a new transfer.

Bongo is tough to tell; I'm going to wait for higher-quality samples.

 

Yes, mostly all being bought, probably, by people who already had the records in the first place. Give us some stuff we don't have. i don't care if two seconds that was cut out on the edited version has been added, etc. I want a full Armadillo stadium show with the Capt., or jones Beach, 1984. Just my opinion.

 

I picked up Freak Out! and We're Only In It For The Money after the guy from the store talked me into it. Wow, what strange music. I like it. Now I have to get his other 800 albums.

 

Yes, you do.

L.

 

The iTunes samples sound much better than the Amazon UK samples. It's the analog master. I'm convinced.

 

I just got this email regarding the re-issues.


MORE TIME TO FREAK OUT!

FRANK ZAPPA’S ENTIRE ORIGINAL CATALOG
AVAILABLE ON iTUNES
AUGUST 14

SO BEGINS FIRST LEGAL, AUTHORIZED DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION OF
LEGENDARY COMPOSER’S MUSIC

For the first time ever, the entire original (from the Barking Pumpkin label) catalog of the music of legendary American composer FRANK ZAPPA will be available--legally and as authorized by the ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST--on iTunes. Sixty masters (comprising 56 albums) in the deal between the ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST and UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES are now available through iTunes.

The August 14 iTunes roll-out follows the physical release of the first 12 CDs as part of this UME deal. While the CDs have all been retransferred, 21 titles have been re-mastered for the re-launch, yes-and-but also including the iTunes releases; yes, that's right, for the digital distribution known as MFiT: Mastered For iTunes. Every single title will feature art and online content for each and every iTunes release. The list of both the physical CDs and iTunes releases available July 31 is below. Following the July 31 releases, another dozen physical CD recordings will be released each month for 5 months through November 2012.

“We are especially pleased to note the timing--that FZ was the first to bring Voter Registration to the concert hall and since 1971 when the 18-year old vote was passed he included the admonition to REGISTER & VOTE on every album he released. Well, his work is back the way he intended it and on each recording you will find his music, the source, the year of release and how old he was when he made it--and the simplest of nods to his love for the idea of Democracy,” says Gail Zappa. “Of course, as he also said, “Music is the Best!’”

Meanwhile back in Hollywood where dreams sometimes DO come true, Frank Zappa is back where he belongs--on Zappa Records--in the hands of the Zappa Family Trust--headed by Zappa’s widow Gail Zappa--the releases will honor the iconic legacy of the Composer, Guitarist, Bandleader, Filmmaker and Wit. ZAPPA was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 (although the family would like to know where it is--does anyone have any information???). The official biography: Frank Zappa, American composer, fl. 1940-1993. The UME deal is for the entire Zappa Catalog as it appeared on Frank Zappa's own independent label, Barking Pumpkin Records. Many of the original analog masters have been re-mastered for this occasion. Yes that's right, you heard right.

The albums made available on iTunes July 31, released in chronological order:

1. Freak Out! (1966)
2. Absolutely Free (1967)
3. Lumpy Gravy (1967)
4. We're Only In It For The Money (1968)
5. Cruising With Ruben & The Jets (1968)
6. Uncle Meat (1969)
7. Hot Rats (1969)
8. Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)
9. Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970)
10. Chunga's Revenge (1970)
11. Fillmore East, June 1971 (1971)
12. Just Another Band From L.A. (1972)

The next CD titles for August, 2012:

1. Waka/Jawaka (1972)
2. The Grand Wazoo (1972)
3. Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
4. Apostrophe(‘) (1974)
5. Roxy & Elsewhere (1974)
6. One Size Fits All (1975)
7. Bongo Fury (1975)
8. Zoot Allures (1976)
9. Zappa In New York (1978)
10. Studio Tan (1978)
11. Sleep Dirt (1979)
12. Sheik Yerbouti (1979)

The REMASTERED TITLES:

Absolutely Free
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Chunga's Revenge
Fillmore East, June 1971
Just Another Band From L.A.
Waka/Jawaka
The Grand Wazoo
Over-nite Sensation
Apostrophe(‘)
One Size Fits All
Bongo Fury
Zoot Allures
Studio Tan
Sleep Dirt
Sheik Yerbouti
Joe's Garage Acts 1, 2 & 3
Tinseltown Rebellion
Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar
You Are What You Is
Them or Us

 

I'm assuming this came directly from ZFT? It's worded awfully Gail-like.




Now playing on Ariel Stream: Saint Etienne - Shower Scene

 

I had that question too. But no. These differences are due to much more than just the EQ differences between the two:

Ryko Magdalena:



UMe 2012:



The more I listen to the new one, the less I like it. There's no air. The dynamics suck, IMO. Now I'm nervous about the others that Ludwig has done.

This thread comes to mind when I compare the Ryko vs the UMe 2012:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=270362

 

Her PR Company.

 

Great stuff. That's pretty much all the albums I hoped would get analogue remasters.

 

To my ears, the new one sounds a lot truer to the original and in some ways improves. The present-day audio mathematician refuses to die, so to speak. I've never heard the bass so well.

But that's just my opinion. Glad this stuff is available again.

 

I thought we all figured out that Hot Rats was among the remasters no?

 

It's not a new version - just a CD release of the vinyl remaster from 2008, if I remember correctly.

 

Strange; perhaps Hot Rats isn't included in the list because the re-master was already done in 2008 (by Bernie Grundman) and it wasn't specifically remastered for the new release. Just a guess, of course.

 

I see I'm not the only one who thinks this may be the reason why Hot Rats isn't listed as a remaster.

 

I'm sticking with my FZ approved Ryko masters.

 

FZ may have approved them, but that doesn't stop them from being mostly crap

I don't know why anyone would prefer the old CD of "Absolutely Free" versus the new remaster. It's THAT much better.