Gentle Giant remasters

Don't forget to order your first batch of 35th Anniversary Gentle Giant remasters which come out next week (Free Hand and In A Glass House).

CDUniverse has a nice price on these.

Please post your thoughts on the sound and packaging here once they come out.

 

Are these being issued domestically (US)? For that matter, what label is releasing them?

 

Why do people order from this vendor when they charge such high shipping prices, when you can order from vendors with free shipping?

 

Ray Shulman became a producer and had considerable success in England working with bands like the Sundays and the Sugarcubes. He is now a respected DVD author working with his earlier day contemporaries Genesis and Queen. Kerry Minnear became a music teacher and sometime television scorer, while Derek Shulman became a senior vice-president at PolyGram Records, where he signed not only Bon Jovi but also Cinderella, Kingdom Come, Tears for Fears, Men Without Hats, and Dexy's Midnight Runners. Later, as president of ATCO Records, a subsidiary of Warner Communications, he signed AC/DC, Bad Company, Pantera, The Rembrandts, Jive Bunny, and Soho , all of whom went platinum or multi-platinum. Derek, most recently was president and CEO of Roadrunner Records in New York City , home to rock-oriented artists Slipknot, Nickelback, Type O Negative, Coal Chamber, Fear Factory, and Machinehead, among others. He is currently the president of independent record company DRT Entertainment, and is very proud that he is able to present his and his former band-mates’ music on the 35th anniversary of their formation to their fans once again.

Independent lable DRT is releasing them.

http://www.drt-entertainment.com/gentlegiant/

 

CDUniverse usually carries many items not easily found at other sites (many SACD's and DVDA's) plus they ship quickly. Not a bad site to use if your buying a few cds.

 

Here's B&N's webpage for FreeHand.

http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?userid=bsq170t4kY&EAN=828730035020&ITM=4

 

btw...Kerry and Derek of Gentle Giant will be signing the CDs at the Manhattan location of FYE on Thursday May 12th.

FYE
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104

(212) 581-1669

 

Will they be remastering, Three Friends and Octopus?

 

Not on the schedule as of now but I would guess if these remasters go well, Octopus and Three Friends can't be far behind.

 

The rest of 2005 will bring the re-releases of The Power and the Glory (1974), Interview (1976), Giant for a Day (1978), The Missing Piece (1977) and Playing The Fool (1977), a double live album. A Gentle Giant anthology is also scheduled for a December release.

 

I have to agree.
I use CD Universe a lot for this reason too, better selection.
Plus if the price is right (the gold AF's for example) you can pay a little extra for shipping and still come out ahead.

Deep Discount has free shipping but mediocre selection and slower on the shipping.

Don't own any Gentle Giant. Which of the remasters should I start with to get a taste?

 

Try FreeHand first.

 

If they do remaster _Octopus_, I doubt they'll ever beat the Line issue from Germany. That is utterly gorgeous! That same mastering was used for the Universal Japan mini lp CD, btw.

 

I have the Line Octopus and agree with you Jeff.

 

The two CDs I have on the German Line sound real good to my ears too: Jade Warrior's Last Autumn's Dream and Carmen's Dancing on a Cold Wind.

 

I had felt that the Vertigo UK was perhaps better, but after some more comparisons, it became obvious that it wasn't as good as the Line. It is brighter and much punchier, but the Line is so smooth and warm it just plain wins.

I haven't heard the Repertoire issue of Octopus, but frankly I think that Line issue is so good I'm not sure it could ever be beat.

 

How is the Universal Japan version of their debut album? Does it sound "amazing" as they claim at GG's website?

 

Hope all you GG fans have picked up the fantastic Giant On the Box DVD.

(I can't help plugging it every time a GG thread comes up!)

 

Yeah, I have this version and it does sound good. I was hoping they would do Three Friends too. I suppose it would be better if they were SACD.

 

Please keep us posted on any developments re: the anthology. I would like to replace my CD catalogue with a solid, intelligently packaged/selected anthology.

 

Based on the fact that the Universal Japan issue uses the Line mastering for _Octopus_, I suspect that the same is true of the s/t album. I have the Line and no longer have the mini lp to compare, but I'd bet they are identical.

Even though an EAC log shows the Universal Japan mini lp and Line issues of _Octopus_ to be EXACTLY THE SAME, I think there is a touch more breath in the Line issue. I noticed it on Kerry's voice during "Think Of Me With Kindness." That might be in my head, however.

 

The original master tapes are being used for these 35th Anniversary cds!