A report of the Salvo label reissue of "Procol Harum"(debut)

Sorry, I meant level matched audio clips.

 

Some waveform pictures.

A Christmas Camel:

First from the Westside:

 

Same track from the Cube CD:

 

I will try to post some audio clips tomorrow.

 

A freudian slip?

 

Is the Cube CD still in print? I agree that it looks a LOT less compressed to me. I have the Cube with the first four albums, is the one you have a different mastering?

 

OK, I checked. Turns out what I thought was the 'Castle' Shine On Brightly is actually the 1995 A&M/Rebound CD.

 

No it is not in print. I’m not even sure the Cube CD is the best CD out there. But IMO it easily betters the Westside CD.

 

This shows the EQ differences between the Westside CD and the Cube CD. To me it sounds and looks like the Westside have the usual "smile" treatment in addition to the mentioned compression issues.

The graph shows how you must EQ the Cube CD to have a similar EQ to the Westside CD. Track used is Cerdes.

I guess the jacked up heights on the Westside gives the impression of better detail.

 

Samples from Cerdes (rough level match):


http://cid-00e15b5b8548053b.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Musikksampler SH Forum/Procol Harum/First

 

the salvo reissue of shine on brightly is both brighter and more compressed than I expected not the worst remastering job for sure but it's a pity they didn't leave more headroom so the music can breathe........I'd give it a 6-7 out of 10, nice cardboard sleeve although prone to cause scratches on the cd and the linear notes are really informative------

 

Anyone have Salty Dog yet, which is now out? The live bonus tracks are pretty tempting...

 

I got it.

The live tracks are in stereo, sound great (8 track recording maybe?)

I prefer this live version of "Juicy John Pink" to the studio version. It's a whole band affair with a much more interesting arraignment.

"Skip Softly My Moonbeam/Sprach Zaranthustra" is great as it contains some great organ playing and some nice 2001 bits. Unfortunately there is some minor electric hum throughout this track, but it does not detract much from the experience.

"Crucifiction Lane" is a pretty straight runthrough, sounds great, not really much on the studio version.

"Going Down Slow", a blues tune that really showcases Trower and Brooker well. excellent sound, excellent track.

"The Milk of Human Kindness" outake is the same one used in the Westside remaster.

Buy it and enjoy!

 

Thanks, I'm sold!!

 

What's up with these Salvo Procol Harum reissues? I "pre-ordered" Procol Harum and Shine On Brightly from CDUniverse, scheduled to be released on June 9, 2009. Well, as of today I got an e-mail stating that the release date had "since passed" (really? I hadn't noticed!) and my "pre-order" is now a backorder.

And yet, my local non-big-box record shop, Vintage Vinyl, has BOTH albums in stock for a slightly higher price than CDUniverse. What's up with that? Why are the Procol Harum reissues seemingly unavailable at every online vendor? Even mighty Amazon.com lists them as releasing yesterday but currently "Not in stock; order now and we'll deliver when available." Are they truly that difficult to obtain?

Should I keep my backorder active or just spend the extra dough and support Vintage Vinyl to get what I want now?

 

They're in-stock at the BtP (www.procolharum.com) store:

http://www.btpstore.com/

at $9.25 each plus postage. Takes about a week to the US.

 

.....still no word on a release date for the next phase of releases(the releases of the Brooker/Reid-owned album through the "Salvo" label)

 

All right. So, I cancelled my CDUniverse order and am trying my luck with Amazon.co.uk. All four Procol Harum remasters are in stock at a mere £5.98, which equals roughly $9.78. With shipping, my four CDs came in at £26.85, or $43.89. At $10.97 each, I'd say I made out quite well compared with my original CDUniverse order totaling $53.58 and $13.40 per CD. But I'm just splitting hairs over a couple of bucks, now, aren't I?

I just didn't like the fact that I had no idea when, if ever, I'd get my music from CDUniverse. Something about the backorder status made me suspicious, especially when the remasters are readily available in merry 'ol England. Here's hoping all goes well on their trip cross the Atlantic!

 

I got all all three from Amazon.uk fast and damage-free. You will too.

 

Awesome! I have one question, though: were the Procol Harum CDs shrink-wrapped? Almost every import I've ever bought from the UK has come sans wrapping, save for stuff from Ace Records. Just curious. I kind of hate having imports arrive already "opened." I like to open my music myself!

 

Being digipacks, these should arrive sealed. I bought mine from HMV UK and they were sealed, so Amazon should be the same.

 

I must admit that I don't pay much attention to this but I'm pretty sure that my copies, from Am. UK, were shrink wrapped. I think I had to use my thumbnail to open them.

 

Yes.

 

Any word on the sound of the Salvo "Broken Barricades"? What about the Italian pressing with the alternate cover available on BtP?

 

One thing about the Salvo Procol Harum I like: you get two versions of "Homburg", and the mono single version is the correct mix (unlike the Westside, where the "Homburg" has some awful-sounding reverb added to the vocal.) I like the Salvo stereo "Homburg" as well, this may be the definitive take of that variation.