FALAA Reissue - Comments and Thoughts

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aims
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In Japan? :innocent:
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robertzombie
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Image
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Syberberg
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mh wrote:
the-happening wrote:is it me or are the levels a lot lower for the album than the bonus tracks?
No, it's not just you. There's a very substantial difference. :(
Which means the tracks weren't mastered as a whole, just cobbled together and released...like I keep saying this is a complete rip off and Warners are taking the p*ss. :evil:

It's no wonder Andrew isn't saying anything about them (the reissues) he's treating this crud with the contempt it deserves, by ignoring them.
I don't necessarily agree with everything I think.
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mh
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Syberberg wrote:Which means the tracks weren't mastered as a whole, just cobbled together and released...
Seriously, did anyone ever expect anything different? Given past performances of said record company where said band have been concerned?

At least they're out there, which is a damn sight better than the way things have been for the past 13 years. Maybe in 2019 we'll get it done right (and likely still be debating when the new record will come out). Until then, I suppose we should be grateful that we've got something.

Even if it should have been done better...
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aims
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robertzombie wrote:Image
I hope for your sake that that's a long black car with the prettiest s**t from Panama and not a cliched and childish interjection ;)
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James Blast
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Stop yer grumbin',ya shower o'Baisturts!

I'm happy on a wet, windy, dark Monday in Glasgow.

Rejoice!!! :D :D :D
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bismarck
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robertzombie wrote:Where can we hear these "Japanese remixes"?
on every FALAA CD ever printed up until these recent reissues.
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mh
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Here's an interesting one I just saw on Dominion:

http://www.missionandrevenge.com/About.html

Eric, and maybe a few others, might recognise some of the names.
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James Blast
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Spy Who came in from the Cold - the assassin from Never Land (a fragment, not full length version) and Romeo Down?
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robertzombie
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So does this CD contain all the original vinyl tracks?
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TheBoyNextDoor
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robertzombie wrote:So does this CD contain all the original vinyl tracks?
Yes. It says so in the booklet anyway.. haven't analyzed it myself yet. :innocent:
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mh
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TheBoyNextDoor wrote:
robertzombie wrote:So does this CD contain all the original vinyl tracks?
Yes. It says so in the booklet anyway.. haven't analyzed it myself yet. :innocent:
Definitely the originals of the 4 most contentious tracks: Black Planet, NTTC, ARAHP and FALAA.

There's a difference in the version of Marian on this CD and that on the vinyl - just the "ping!" at the start (it should only be in the left channel). This is the same difference as was on the 1992 reissue. Not worth losing sleep over though.
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Rev
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OK, time for my first post after all this time. 8)

Personally I think that this CD is a great release - it feels like the return of a long lost friend.

The original vinyl release was a classic album, but both CD releases were dreadful versions, with muddy sound and distorted vocals. At last we've got something that sounds to me as good as the original.

Black Planet sounds much better now, with crisper vocals and more distinguishable instruments. No Time To Cry sounds like the original mix to me (which maybe isn't quite as strong as the single / first CD remix). A Rock And A Hard Place has been rescued and restored to its former glory. The bass now drives the song rather than those awful 'secondary' guitars. Marian sounds much better for the stronger vocals. And FALAA is 10 times better without the drippy beginning, and now kicks into action a lot more quickly, as originally intended.

I'm not bothered about the volume and balance levels (not detectable on my car stereo!). I can finally listen to this great album again, and enjoy every second.

:D
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Ozpat
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Thanks for the review and welcome to HL, Rev... :D
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mh
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Rev wrote:OK, time for my first post after all this time. 8)

Personally I think that this CD is a great release - it feels like the return of a long lost friend.

The original vinyl release was a classic album, but both CD releases were dreadful versions, with muddy sound and distorted vocals. At last we've got something that sounds to me as good as the original.

Black Planet sounds much better now, with crisper vocals and more distinguishable instruments. No Time To Cry sounds like the original mix to me (which maybe isn't quite as strong as the single / first CD remix). A Rock And A Hard Place has been rescued and restored to its former glory. The bass now drives the song rather than those awful 'secondary' guitars. Marian sounds much better for the stronger vocals. And FALAA is 10 times better without the drippy beginning, and now kicks into action a lot more quickly, as originally intended.

I'm not bothered about the volume and balance levels (not detectable on my car stereo!). I can finally listen to this great album again, and enjoy every second.

:D
Nice review. :notworthy:

Hello and welcome.

Dammit, now I gotta listen to it again!!!
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James Blast
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Rev wrote:Personally I think that this CD is a great release - it feels like the return of a long lost friend.
I can finally listen to this great album again, and enjoy every second.
Amen Brer Rev! :notworthy:

and

Hiya! Image
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Dark
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Rev rev! Lowrider.. ;D

Welcome :D
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Muppet Boy
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My copy seems free from sleeve typos, hurrah! It does have the rather obvious volume discrepancies between album/bonus tracks though. Tsk.

Ok, just to be absolutely clear on this (because I'll be doing a review of it in the near future and heaven forbid that a music journo gets any facts wrong), this reissue is the original vinyl mixes, right? The booklet says it is, but you know how these things are ...

Whereas the hilariously muddy-sounding 1992 cd was (as well as being mastered from god knows what) home to the dubious Japanese remixes - Black Planet, NTTC, FALAA - which were a bit poor?

Also don't you just hate how easily shiny black album covers pick up fingerprints all over them? Grrr.
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mh
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Muppet Boy wrote:My copy seems free from sleeve typos, hurrah! It does have the rather obvious volume discrepancies between album/bonus tracks though. Tsk.
Yayyyy! and Booooo! respectively.
Muppet Boy wrote:Ok, just to be absolutely clear on this (because I'll be doing a review of it in the near future and heaven forbid that a music journo gets any facts wrong), this reissue is the original vinyl mixes, right? The booklet says it is, but you know how these things are ...
Yup.
Muppet Boy wrote:Whereas the hilariously muddy-sounding 1992 cd was (as well as being mastered from god knows what) home to the dubious Japanese remixes - Black Planet, NTTC, FALAA - which were a bit poor?
Yup.
Muppet Boy wrote:Also don't you just hate how easily shiny black album covers pick up fingerprints all over them? Grrr.
Yup. Although the same could be said of any CD or LP by any artist.
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bismarck
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A first pass, but it's pretty easy so I imagine this is correct:

From England in the morning
I haven't slept for days
I haven't kept the
promise made
And I know the world is cold
but if you hold on tight to what you find
you might not mind so much
though even this must pass away
etc...

(although the rest of the lyrics are familiar, they're sometimes found in different order and a few are slightly different)
The great questions of the day will not be
resolved by speeches and majority decisions,
but by iron and blood.
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douglasb
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No discussion of the studio logs? Maybe I'm just out of the loop - very possible - but they were new to me. For those who haven't seen them, or don't intend on buying these release, here's how the recordings sessions were logged - at some point during the sessions:

Emma
Poison Door
Scottish One A
Possession
Marianne
Nine While 9
Little Wing
Andy's Little Wing
Down To E
No Time To Cry
WalkAway
A Rock and A Hard Place
Scottish One B
Spit On Your Grave
Wide Receiver
Evil Come Evil
On The Wire
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PipoTheClown
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Just got back from the recordshop where I listened to the re-issue of FALAA. It sounds very different from the original version I have on CD, much thinner I would say. The tracks on this release, are they the same as the "digitally remastered" tracks of 1992?
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mh
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PipoTheClown wrote:Just got back from the recordshop where I listened to the re-issue of FALAA. It sounds very different from the original version I have on CD, much thinner I would say. The tracks on this release, are they the same as the "digitally remastered" tracks of 1992?
No, they're not the same tracks. These ones are actually the true "originals" and the 1992 tracks are a remix. The originals have never been on CD before.

"Thinner" I suppose is relatively speaking. The 1992 remix is bloated, wallowy, boomy, murky and distant. I'd personally say that they're tighter, clearer, more agile, sharper and punchier.
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TheBoyNextDoor
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mh wrote: "Thinner" I suppose is relatively speaking. The 1992 remix is bloated, wallowy, boomy, murky and distant. I'd personally say that they're tighter, clearer, more agile, sharper and punchier.
Wow, well put mh! :von:
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PipoTheClown
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The version I have sounds a bit more full, more bass and more "powerfull" I would say. It's not the remastered version but
the first CD-version, I suppose, and I like it a lot. The latest release sounds not so punchy allthough some instruments can be better heard (but not the bass guitar).

So these tracks sound like the ones on vinyl?
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