Elvis Costello Albums to be Reissued -- Again

While I've been perfectly satisfied with the Rhino releases, I have no problem with yet another round of remasters. Me, I can never have too many versions of This Year's Model to choose from.

We'd all buy them if they were done by Steve, and we'd be grateful to get them, so I don't think it's a matter of how many times they've been remastered, but the quality of the best version we can buy that we are most concerned with, yes?

However, I will be waiting to hear *who* is doing the remastering, and then to get forum members opinions on them.. However, I am doubtful Universal/Hipp-O can cough up a better mastering engineer than Inglot (their roster of ususal suspects seems to me mostly underwhelming), but you never know.


P.S. Someone mentioned new Japan K2 remasters. Who is credited with doing these and has anyone heard them?

 

One little thing: the deal concerns the catalog that is currently released by Demon in UK and continental Europe, up to "King of America". Apparently, there are three phases in his catalog:
- the early albums (up to "King"): current reissue made by Rhino, released by Rhino in the US and Demon/Edsel in the rest of the world
- the Warner years ("Spike" -> "All This Useless Beauty"): current reissue by Rhino
- the Universal years, starting with "Painted From Memory"

I'd bet that Costello owns (or owned) the rights to his early recordings and he had just leased them to Rhino and Demon for a time. Due to his good relationship with Universal that has allowed him to record with his favourite geezers, to be label mates with Herbert von Karajan and Dietrich Fischer Dieskau and knock a hot blonde musician, Costello (and his manager) have decided to lease (or sell) the recordings to Universal, which allows them to deal with two record companies (Warner and Uni) instead of four and take advantage of Hip-O Select and other solutions.

The current program of reissues was as good as it could and nobody can butcher it now. Universal will try to add a couple bonus tracks hoping to sell the Rhino reissues under a new disguise. After all, record companies try to sell their products, they would never say they're just taking care of the back catalog under new references, which is what's likely to happen with the Costello albums.

 

Do yourself a favor, especially if you happen to find some of the Rhinos in a used bin, and pick up your favorites. If you like EC enough to get all of the Rykos, you probably have the Warner recordings and it's worth getting the Rhino versions of Spike, Brutal Youth and Kojak Variety.

 

but my Costello bin is full.

 

You know, I actually did pick up Spike when the Rhinos started coming out, to test the waters on the Rhino series. I did not like the remastering, finding it to be inferior to my old WB CD. There appeared to be some compression, and the EQ was too bright. That was part of the reason I opted not to buy the rest of the Rhino series... even though the Rykos are definitely flawed (and in some cases way bright) I couldn't see rebuying the catalog when I didn't feel 100% about the mastering approach on the Rhinos either (I'm not a completist so the lure of more bonus tracks was not enough to suck me in. If anything, the Rhinos have almost too many bonus tracks, to the point where the good stuff is sometimes lost among the dross). So anyway, I'm not one of those who feel the Rhinos cannot be improved upon sonically. I think they can, though I'm not optimistic the new remasters will necessarily take the right approach.

 

And that already happened with the Ryko-->Rhino conversion. I wonder what we're going to lose this time around.

 

I'd say the chances of that happening are
LESS THAN ZERO

 

Oh dear...maybe I won't buy the Rhinos of "Spike" and "Mighty Like A Rose" after all...

 

Did you hear how hoarse he is on some of that? No way!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i guess its safe to go ahead tho and pick up the WB RHINO releases, i.e. Spike, All This Useless and the other post Blood And Chocolate stuff, as they wont be seeing a reissue.
Correct?
I will go ahead and buy those discs if there wont be a DEFINITIVE version of them forthcoming

 

I'd be OK with this if we were 5 years down the line from the Rhinos but the fact that this is coming so hot on the heels of the latest round of reissues is just a bad faith move. I dunno if I'll get any of them but I just gotta say that I think the Rhinos are cool (for content especially) and this truly feels like a money grubbing poor choice of a move on EC's part. I also take issue with the press release from Universal. It's flat out arrogant and pushes me further away from wanting to pick these up, regardless of their mastering, content, etc...:thumbsdn:

 

Hoo boy, I just can't keep up here. I've barely started picking up the Rhino discs. I don't know what could get me to pick up the Univesal issues...howzabout making them hybrid SACDs with a 5.1 layer? (ok, a guy can dream...)

 

"Re-issue! Re-package! Re-package!
Re-evaluate the songs
Double-pack with a photograph
Extra track (and a tacky badge)

"Best of! Most of!
Satiate the need
Slip them into different sleeves!
Buy both, and be deceived."

--The Smiths; "Paint a Vulgar Picture"

 

The only one I care about is Imperial Bedroom, which I was blown away by back in the 80s when a friend had the LP. Yesterday I saw (and bought) a used, mint copy of the original Columbia CD of it for $4.99. It sounds OK....a little quiet. Is the Rhino version really super improved, or will I be OK with this? I don't care about any bonus tracks or discs......

 

If you really were blown away, then yes, I'd suggest getting the Rhino version. You'll enjoy it. It'll be more than just OK and I'll bet you'll have fun playing the bonus tracks.

 

If the Rhino reissues don't qualify as "definitive," I'm not sure what reissue series does.

 

Any idea when these reissues are being released?

 

Saw the 2 CD Rhino ALMOST BLUE for $9.99 and (due to all the talk here!) couldn't resist, even tho I've never even heard the album. I like it. I could do without all the live tracks on the bonus disc, but the sound is great....and the studio bonus tracks are really good. I'll Take Care Of You is amazing.

 

If you come across any other Rhinos at a price that looks right to you, grab 'em. Pull your favorite track or two off the bonus disc from each title and you'd have a great album.

np: Almost Blue

 

Can anyone confirm whether this list of the Rhino 2-disc remasters is accurate?

http://www.geocities.com/ned3705/rhinocurrent.html

I've got them all except Punch the Clock (missed it somehow, or can't find it now) and The Juliet Letters. There was also a 2 disc Greatest Hits release from Rhino, but I can't think of anything else that is missing from the list at the above link.

As for the new round, I'll wait to see what folks are saying here (or at least from the few people who bother to buy any of them). I'm switcing back to vinyl anyway, so I'm not too concerned about what I might be missing.

 

That's all of them.

 

Cool. Thanks.

 

Well I didn't care until I heard them . And I was talking about Imperial Bedroom in that post. Looks like I need to track that 2CD version down now.

 

Right on! I bought the Columbia lp's, then the Columbia cd's, then the Ryko's (kept a number of them, too), and a couple of Rhinos(I Bedroom, B and Choc). NO MORE. Like the Doors, I am DONE with Costello and his reissues. I was in a store the other day and asked a fella if he got the new Dylan and he said "no I'm gonna wait for the expanded version with bonus tracks in about 6 months". I said "what". He said "Hey when Springsteen does it 6 months later, anyone can and will". HMMM....I am not re buying anything again. I'll buy jazz titles I've never had. To hell with these reissuing whores....