King Crimson 2009 re-issues CD / DVD stereo/5.1 all inclusive thread

This Sound&Vision article suggests that the King Crimson back catalogue may be getting the 5.1 treatment:

http://bitstream.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2008/01/scoop-ptree-in.html

Anybody know more?

 

It says that Steven Wilson may do the 5.1 mixes. Man, not only does he not sleep, but he must not pause to eat either.

I'm thinking tracks like Bolero, One More Red Nightmare, and all the 80's stuff will be interesting in surround. And it may finally untangle the unweildy and dense slab of sound that was Thrak.

 

I think Fripp now controls the early KC catalog (away from EMI) so this would definately be a possibility. There should be a reasonable market for these albums in 5.1 IMHO. I'm definately in should they be released.

 

I've always been a bit ambivalent to hearing KC in 5.1. Reason is, they are best appreciated as a live band IMO, and I always think of listening to them in terms of an actual performance stage where the band members are arrayed from left to right.

But if Fripp says yes to these, and Steven Wilson does the work, you bet I'll give these a shot!

Actually, I'd like to hear how Poseidon and Lizard (particularly the song "Lizard") would sound in surround.

 

I'd get them for sure!

 

I just took delivery on the cd re-masters of Starless, Red and Discipline yesterday. They sound good to me.

Tim

 

I will certainly get each and every one.

OK, not Earthbound.

Probably not USA either... studio Crim and live Crim really are two entirely different beasts, and the studio albums would make exceptionally strong candidates for 5.1... esp LTIA, Discipline, and all from Thrak onward.

 

Hopefully, also because Steve Wilson would be involved, we could get these in DVD-Audio (if not SACD).

 

Sounds daunting! I might have to dabble and grab a few (Discipline is a no brainer!)

 

Count me in on the 5.1 stuff. I'd love to hear any of the early albums in this format. I think a lot of stuff will be done this way with Blue Ray being able to handle lossless 24/96 5.1.

 

Argh......I ain't buyin' another machine!

 

Interesting comment. I have never seen them live, but I always considered KC a "studio band". A lot of their songs must be very difficult to perform live.

 

Well, it's true they invested a lot into their studio recordings, especially the first two incarnations of the band (Mks. I and II) and the 90s/2000s bands. But I feel strongly that if you aren't getting the whole picture if you aren't into live Crim.

Heavy Construcktion, for example, is a far better representation of the band's 2000s output than the studio album, Contrucktion of Light. The Great Deceiver and The Night Watch (not to mention pertinent KCCC soundboard recordings like Live in Central Park and Live in Heidelberg, have a lot more power than LTIA, SABB, and Red, IMO.

What does all this have to do with 5.1 recordings? Well, I don't really listen to studio Crim much anymore, perferring the live stuff. So, I'll bet if these were done, I'd have a new reason to go back and listen again.

I don't know what the possibilities are for mixing some of the better sounding live stuff (like Great Deceiver) into 5.1, but who knows, maybe that could be revealing too.

 

It depends on the version of KC you're talking about.....Mark 1/Version 1.0 was a decent live band but those two albums with GL were magical(the second less than the first).Mark 3/V 3.0(or is it 4.5!) with Wetton and Bruford were an incredible live band especially in the realm of improvisation.That version of Kc was not that inspiring lyrically and musically either.Mark 4/V3 (Discipline) was accomplished both in the studio AND live.It really depends on the era really,all things being equal.

PS Sorry if I offended against Crimsonheads,but I left out the "Earthbound" era of the Crims.....talk about being terrible/mediocre in the studio AND in the flesh!

 

Although I bought most of the DGM remasters I'd definitely be up for repurchasing the studio albums if released in 5.1.

In the Court of the Crimson King and LTIA II were two of the songs that came to mind when thinking about what could possibly benefit from a surround mix.

I recall that the DGM remasters were done by Simon Heyworth of Super Audio Mastering. He also did the Depeche Mode and Hooverphonic surround masters. Considering that Steve Wilson is supposedly doing the remix, were the Crimson surround mastering project to stay with Mr. Heyworth, I think it has a high possibility to turn out well.

 

I'm definitely up for any and all King Crimson in 5.1!

 

Hopefully he wouldn't waste the time and effort. Wasn't this originally just recorded on 2-track cassette?

 

I'd be willing to wager than any KC songs with a high quotient of mellotron would be quite interesting in 5.1 if mixed properly. Ditto on the songs with at least two percussionists (like the Bruford/Mastelotto KC of the mid 1990s).

 

As much as I cannot for the life of me imagine they would ever bother doing the sonic turd that is Earthbound, given what Heyworth and Fripp did to the 2002 remaster, it would actually be a desired project if Fripp ever wants anyone to have any reason to own this album on CD.

"Groon" - Earthbound remaster:

 

"Earthbound" won't ever be good, in any form. And now that there's the rather exciting Summit Studio CD documenting the same band, it's pretty much redundant.

 

I think it was recorded out of the back of a pickup truck with a portable tape recorder or something to that effect. Hence the SQ

 

There are much better documents than the Summit Studio CD, IMO. After all, that one doesn't even have the mellotrons for whatever reason. Detroit or Plymouth are much better alternatives.

Eartbound, good or not, is an album they released in 1972. Dedicated fans would probably like a version on CD that isn't compressed enough to kill the neighbor's flies.

But it won't happen. I don't really care much, but it's just the point that the CD release would have been nice to have for completists. As it stands, vinyl is really the only reasonable option for this one.

 

I think you're right, Jeff. I AM a KC completist, and really, it was nice to have Earthbound after being OOP for so many years. But let's not conflate a souvenir with something I'm actually going to listen to, like Summit Studio or especially Live in Detroit.

That really was Fripp's modus operandi in putting it out during the last round of remasters--just to satisfy demand. In fact, I'll bet that the he felt that putting it out would actually justify his reasons for keeping it under wraps for so long. Once people actually listened to it and heard how bad it was, they could no longer fetishize something that had been unavailable for so long. I know, because I was among those fans. I thought, "there's no way that Earthbound could be so bad." Then I heard it--compressed or not, there's no way to make that one pretty!

Thank goodness for the KCCC, though. It did prove that the Boz lineup (i.e. the Interregnum) produced a lot of great music. I'm glad to have many of those recordings.

 

Right on, Jeff! These two performances are killer IMO.

 

I was never a fan of the Boz lineup(in comparison to other versions of the Crims).Earthbound is a document that does sound terrible and that is its everlasting reputation,like it or not.There is no way that a sonic turd could/would/or can be turned into a rose.Vinyl is a reasonable option,but those who want to indulge in it will be surprised to hear the album confirm its notorious reputation as a non-audiophile disaster.Consider this a warning if you expect something else.............