Quella Vecchia Locanda - which editions do I need?

[Sunhillow]

Hi,

I'd like to obtain both albums by Italian outfit Quella Vecchia Locanda. But I get confused by the many editions that have been released, all of them floating around the internet. I've checked BFT.IT, Rate Your Music and Discogs, which only add to the confusion.

Which ones should I order, and from who? I regularly use PayPal, I don't own a credit-card. I don't like to overpay for shipping (to the Netherlands).

Thanks!

Great albums, both of them, by the way! Open for discussion!

[Crystal Plumage]

I have the first on VM and the second on RCA. Bought them years ago. Both sound fine. I don't know if there are "better" versions out there though.

[Crystal Plumage]

Both are cheap at Amazon.it, with shipping around €25. Both on RCA btw..
I could order them for you and send them to you?? Or let Amazon deliver them to your door, but I'd have to check how that works...

[Sunhillow]

Amazon doesn't let their customers work with PayPal, which makes it impossible for me to order through them. So I might be take you on that offer. Let me dwell on this for a while.

[JeffCarney]

s/t: Original Edison/RCA version (very best) or Vinyl Magic 2000 (jewelcase) version are good. The latter is a clone of the Edison or the first RCA Italy version, iirc. Avoid the original VM version which was botched. I think they redid it and if it says "Remastered 1995" on the back you will then get a clone of the Edison/RCA of the RCA Italy, I forget which.

Il Tempo ...: Original Edison/RCA beats the 1995 RCA version by a nose but the 1995 is excellent. The latter just has some light limiting but I doubt many would even notice it.


Avoid everything else for various reasons.

[Crystal Plumage]

Avoid the original VM version which was botched.
What happened? Is it a big difference?
Do you think that the newer RCA editions (as listed on Amazon.it) feature the same versions?

[JeffCarney]

What happened? Is it a big difference?
Do you think that the newer RCA editions (as listed on Amazon.it) feature the same versions?


Side 2 had loose cables or something. Ken would probably remember it and know more. It was a total mess.

As regards the latest version, it is dehissed. Some of the recent RCA CDs are actually great and just put the old 80s mastering back in print, but if memory serves, QVL is not such a case.

[moecurlythanu]

My general rule of thumb for CD reissues is look for the Japanese editions from the late 80s/early 90s. There may be a handful of times when that isn't the best option, but it isn't worth taking the time to do the research to find out the details. If you go that route, you'll usually come out ahead, however, it could cost more.

[no.nine]

True, they'll cost more, and those original Japanese editions are a lot harder to track down these days, also.

[JeffCarney]

My general rule of thumb for CD reissues is look for the Japanese editions from the late 80s/early 90s. There may be a handful of times when that isn't the best option, but it isn't worth taking the time to do the research to find out the details. If you go that route, you'll usually come out ahead, however, it could cost more.

You'll come out ahead this way, I think. Some of those early King/Crime CDs have some wonky EQ starting around 1988 or so, but they weren't compressed or no-noised and even when no-noise started to be used more commonly in the early 90s, King never touched the stuff. There might be a few of their CDs that have it but they would be straight licenses from other labels where their master was used.

Edison was great for the most part, too, but they were really just a distributor via their record store. I believe that their discs were mastered by the labels (IE: RCA, Polydor) they worked with.

[no.nine]

I'd just like to clarify what I said in my last post about these earlier Japanese King/Crime/Edison, etc. CDs being difficult to find. I agree that these CDs are often the best choice for those who want the best available sound quality on CD... I was just elaborating on moecurlythanu's assertion that they're more expensive than more easily sourced options. And of course, the easier to find versions may be perfectly fine for some, outside of certain titles which were obviously botched or mastered undeniably horribly.

[moecurlythanu]

I'd just like to clarify what I said in my last post about these earlier Japanese King/Crime/Edison, etc. CDs being difficult to find. I agree that these CDs are often the best choice for those who want the best available sound quality on CD... I was just elaborating on moecurlythanu's assertion that they're more expensive than more easily sourced options. And of course, the easier to find versions may be perfectly fine for some, outside of certain titles which were obviously botched or mastered undeniably horribly.

I acquired the lion's share of my early Japanese reissues at the time, via trade. I was giving $26 per in trade value to the guy I was trading with, and at some point, I had to up that to $28. The point being that they were never cheap, even at the time. Those numbers are roughly in line with what Ken was charging as well.
Having said that, they are still available. I've found a reliable source, and over the past several months, have been picking up some of the titles that I didn't get at the time. Some were quite expensive, (relatively speaking,) some cheap. Most are still in the range I quoted above.

[no.nine]

Yep, understood. But that's still expensive compared to more easily found alternatives in many cases. That's all I meant. :) I believe they're worth the extra money; some might disagree.

Incidentally, I bought the vast majority of my Japanese Italian Prog CDs at the time of release also. Some of them went up quite a bit in price on the used market in the last few years, although they seem to have come down again. But in my experience, it's pretty rare to find any of them for significantly less than their original $25-$30 price.

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

1st LP - original vinyl on Help
2nd LP - none needed

[Sunhillow]

Second album none needed? It's every bit as good as the debut. You need both.

[ItalProgRules]

I can't agree that the 2nd is as good as the first. That first album is pure magic. All killer, no filler. The sophomore effort had an OK (but just OK) first side but totally lost the plot on side 2 IMHO. I have to laugh at the final track, if you speaka the lingua it's pretty funny and not in a good way. It's supposed to be sort of a series of snapshots of the apocalypse. That's got to be the most un-apocalyptic apocalypse ever recorded! (which is what I meant by losing the plot.)

Just all IMHO of course, save the rotten tomatos! :)

[no.nine]

I can't agree that the 2nd is as good as the first.

I can. ;)

Both albums are very different from each other, and I could understand if someone prefers one over the other due to the stylistic differences, for example. But in terms of quality, to me they're equal. If I understood Italian, maybe I would indeed cringe at the lyrics of the last track, who knows. But in this case, ignorance is bliss!

[Progatron]

Both albums are essential IMO... among the very best Italian prog bands. It's just a shame we only got a little over an hour of music in total (not counting that bizarre live album full of covers). These are a must in any collection.

[yesstiles]

"Il Tempo Della Gioia" is one of the very best Italian prog albums ever. Probably in my top 5. It's so good and I love my Edison Japan cd. :up