Kinks Deluxe editions available for pre-order

I'd love to see for these exactly the same team that did VGPS Special Deluxe Edition.

 

If only they could master 'em a bit less loud (KATVGPS deluxe edition discs are quite loud to my taste: -7.5 dB ReplayGain for stereo/mono albums). The really should take some tips from Black Sabbath's Heaven & Hell Deluxe Ed. mastering team, Andy Pearce really did a great job with it...

 

Best news I've heard all day!

Hopefully Andrew can chime in when he's capable of doing so.

 

This makes the decision to jump in and get these all that much more easy.

 

I'm not familiar with Andrew Sandoval's work, could someone point me to some good examples or explain his general mastering philosophy? A minimalist I hope.

 

Is that a sign of compression (bad) or of using most of the bits (good)?

When I got the VGPS set I was afraid it would sound like, say, the Lola remaster (very, very bad). But it sounds great to my ears.

 

The Village Green deluxe sounds okay but it is no audiophile mastering by any stretch. It was loved just because it sounded so much better than prior CD versions.

 

The Deluxe Village Green was compressed, I suppose, but the "compression" is mostly just frequency limitation; it's not squashed. The album was never all that dynamic in the first place.

Which Lola remaster, and why didn't you like it?

 

He's done lots of good work. I especially like the Big Star box, Keep an Eye on the Sky, which he mastered with Dan Hersch. His Kinks credentials are beyond reproach; he plays on a few of Dave's solo albums.

If the surviving Face to Face tapes sound anything like the early British CDs, then I hope we're not eventually going to get a minimalist approach for that one.

 

I agree but, to Andrew's credit, it's better than almost every edition on CD that I've heard using better source tapes and the other reason it was so well loved was the deluxe extra songs plus the mono version of the album combined with the stereo.

Unfortunately, Andrew is subject to the same market pressures as others hired to do work on special editions but he does try and walk that fine line between giving us what we want and appealing to the average listener.

His love of the Kinks certainly plays a part and as a huge fan I appreciate his efforts to try and get these out there.

 

I gave it away. It was the one, Castle I think, with the extra tracks.

Has it been remastered more than once?

My recollection is that it was distorted and harsh.

 

So there is a margin for improvement there?

 

That's the 1998 mastering, currently available from Sanctuary/Universal, which is what I figured you probably meant, but there's also a "K2" remaster from Japan.

I like the 1998 Lola. It's not perfect, but better than any of the alternatives — the EQ is mostly quite close to the older PRT mastering, with tweaks on a few tracks where the PRT was too dull, and unlike previous UK CDs it includes the intro to "Top of the Pops."

To a degree, yeah, especially on some of the bonus tracks. The stereo version of VGPS proper sounds a bit better on the old PRT or Castle CLACD discs, but the difference isn't enormous. Presumably, the sound quality on the original tapes sets a firm upper limit on how good things are ever going to get.

 

Right. I'm hoping Sandoval is able to take over the Kinks catalog and have some control over what is released in the future (like he did with the Monkees). I will buy these just so we can have the next batch.

 

These will be no-brainers... once the sound quality gets some decent praise from you fine folks.

 

Slightly OT - Do the Castle CLACD releases sell for much? I've got Face To Face, Something Else, VGPS & Arthur all signed by Ray Davies

 

I can't answer your question, but I'd like to hear the stories behind meeting him.

 

He was doing a signing session in the Virgin Megastore in Manchester for The Kinks single "Waterloo Sunset '94 EP". He seemed a little reluctant to sign the CD sleeves but did so. I recall that there wasn't too many people getting his autograph although he didn't seem too bothered.

 

Will these first three reissues include all recordings up to (not including) Face to Face?

The catalog is somewhat messy up to that point, with EPs and singles with tracks not in albums, and US only albums.

 

+1

 

As far as I can tell, yes...

 

What would possibly be the point of a Pye-era Kinks SACD?

 

It doesn't look like it includes the version of "See My Friends" on BBC Sessions, unless that's the "alt. take." And of course it leaves out some recordings never officially released — alternate takes, a couple of other Ravens demos, more BBC tracks, TV appearances, etc.

 

IMO, the "alternate take" is simply a mislabel for the BBC version...

 

Just noticed the demo version of 'When I See That Girl Of Mine' seems to be missing from the deluxe reissue of 'Kontroversy'.