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Thread: Tangerine Dream - 4 Classic (SHM-SACD) releases in Feb

  1. #1

    Tangerine Dream - 4 Classic (SHM-SACD) releases in Feb

    "If Japanese-produced SHM-SACDs are your thing despite their high cost, then this piece of news should thrill the Tangerine Dream fan somewhat. (I say somewhat because I myself am not fully convinced of the sound quality. For me, these tracks being transferred to SACD need a special kind of love.)

    On February 25, Japan will reissue four classic Tangerine Dream titles from the beginning of their Virgin Years that include Phaedra (1974), Rubycon (1975), Ricochet (Live) (1975), and my favorite, Stratosfear (1976). These reissues are SHM-SACDs and are currently available for pre-order. They will be issued in mini-LP cardboard, and will most assuredly be in Stereo only.

    These titles were released just after the Pink Years (so-called because of the label’s pink logo), which included Electronic Mediation, Alpha Centauri, Zeit, and Atem. The Virgin Years led Tangerine Dream to their widest level of peak acceptance.

    While I’m not a full-blown SHM-SACD fan because I feel they miss the mark without the love for the music needed to remaster, I’m still going to opt for the Stratosfear reissue just in case the engineer loved the music and wanted to make it shine.

    I hope this makes a happy Friday note for many of you."

  2. #2
    Thanks the info. Not that into SHM-SACD, but I am into high-res (which includes SACD of any variety), so I'll be picking up the Ricochet and Stratosfear, a couple of my favourites as well.
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

  3. #3
    Are they multichannel or stereo?

  4. #4
    I have a hi-rez version of Rubycon that was issued ages ago... stereo though
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  5. #5
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    I suspect these SHM-SACD sets will be stereo only and likely flat transfers of the original masters as has been the standard for these packages. They won't be hybrid discs, so no CD layer.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Bazcrim View Post
    I suspect these SHM-SACD sets will be stereo only and likely flat transfers of the original masters as has been the standard for these packages. They won't be hybrid discs, so no CD layer.
    But usually as a companion SHM-CDs using the same mastering as no the redbook layer of the SHM-SACD get released.

  7. #7
    Well, I just bought the 1974-1978 set that Virgin put out a couple years ago. Basically, it's Phaedra, Rubycon, Ricochet, Stratosfear, and Cyclone, plus all the respective single edits, one or two "excerpt" versions of things, and the radio commercials for Phaedra. Can you imagine being the guy at the record company who has to craft a 30 second radio commercial to plug something like Phaedra or Rubycon?

  8. #8
    ^ hows the sound of that set? Any better than the "official" ones that came out on Virgin?
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    ^ hows the sound of that set? Any better than the "official" ones that came out on Virgin?
    How are you defining "official"? The 1974-1978 set is on Virgin. I've yet to compare to my old CD's of some of those albums, but the sound quality seems pretty good to my ears.

  10. #10
    Exciting news about these but, frankly, the original unremastered CDs from the 80s already sound really sweet. I'm doubting a whole lot of tweaking was done to those and if this is in keeping with the current SHM-SACD program these will be run flat without EQ. Hence, I suspect that they could sound very similar to the original CDs. I might try one to compare. I do tend to prefer electronic music on CD as opposed to vinyl.

  11. #11
    I have the 'Rubycon' SACD, which sounds nice, and the recent Virgin boxed-sets, which sounded very similar to the individual releases. If the new releases are fresh DSD remasters, then they might be worth a try, but if they are just re-treads of the most recent Virgin remasters, then it might be difficult to see the added value of these expensive releases. I'm happy with the releases I have, but if I hear on the grapevine that these new releases are superior in sound I'll consider a purchase.

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    It's an indication how much radio has changed, that I remember hearing quite long excerpts from Phaedra played on radio in the late 1960's - the same radio station that would have been playing Sandie Shaw, The Monkees, The Archies and The Ohio Express. How times change.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by jcarr73729 View Post
    I have the 'Rubycon' SACD, which sounds nice, and the recent Virgin boxed-sets, which sounded very similar to the individual releases. If the new releases are fresh DSD remasters, then they might be worth a try, but if they are just re-treads of the most recent Virgin remasters, then it might be difficult to see the added value of these expensive releases. I'm happy with the releases I have, but if I hear on the grapevine that these new releases are superior in sound I'll consider a purchase.
    I have preferred the originals to the "Definitive Edition" remasters where I compared. The DEs were ok, from what I remember, except Encore, which was crushed with limiting for some reason.

    I had the Rubycon SACD, but I did some A/Bing with the 80s Virgin CD and I could barely tell them apart, so I just kept the old CD.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    How are you defining "official"? The 1974-1978 set is on Virgin. I've yet to compare to my old CD's of some of those albums, but the sound quality seems pretty good to my ears.
    Sorry, how do they compare to the "Definitive Edition" remasters from the mid 90s....
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    It's an indication how much radio has changed, that I remember hearing quite long excerpts from Phaedra played on radio in the late 1960's - the same radio station that would have been playing Sandie Shaw, The Monkees, The Archies and The Ohio Express. How times change.
    Well, let's just say that said radio station was truly ahead of its time.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    Sorry, how do they compare to the "Definitive Edition" remasters from the mid 90s....
    Haven't compared them. As I said, to my ears, the 1974-1978 set sounds fine, but I get the impression that I don't always hear the same stuff that other people hear (Mr. Carney, for instance).

    And some stuff only start sounding bad when you hear how good an earlier edition sounded like, eg I didn't know exactly how badly Nick Davies had frelled up Trespass until someone posted a sample of the earlier CD release. Apparently Nick ran the masters through a low pass filter with a particularly low cutoff frequency, making it sound like there were blankets over the speakers.

    If Jeff says the most of the TD DE's sound good, then I guess that's the opinion you should go with. The DE version of Encore is the only version I have on CD (indeed, the only one I've ever seen on CD, short of the 1977-1983 set). I have it on double LP (with the Dean logo labels), but haven't played it in so long, I couldn't tell you how it compares. And I haven't picked up the 1977-1983 set yet, so I don't know how it sounds there either.

  17. #17
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JeffCarney View Post
    Well, let's just say that said radio station was truly ahead of its time.
    Was the disc jockey's last name Titor?

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    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Was the disc jockey's last name Titor?
    I don't get it.

    No, the radio station wasn't ahead of its time, it was your typical Top 40 station. that was the point I was making.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    I don't get it.

    No, the radio station wasn't ahead of its time, it was your typical Top 40 station. that was the point I was making.
    It's a not-so-subtle time travel joke-reference. Phaedra was released in 1974.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    It's an indication how much radio has changed, that I remember hearing quite long excerpts from Phaedra played on radio in the late 1960's - the same radio station that would have been playing Sandie Shaw, The Monkees, The Archies and The Ohio Express. How times change.
    8pm each Sunday night on BBC 6 Music, for two hours, you can hear large excerpts of albums played. I'm sure 'Rubycon' has been played in full.

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by JeffCarney View Post
    I have preferred the originals to the "Definitive Edition" remasters where I compared. The DEs were ok, from what I remember, except Encore, which was crushed with limiting for some reason.

    I had the Rubycon SACD, but I did some A/Bing with the 80s Virgin CD and I could barely tell them apart, so I just kept the old CD.
    I agree that 'Encore' has suffered on releases after the original Virgin CD, especially the opening 'Cherokee Lane' track. I never had the vinyl, it was one of the few pre-recorded cassettes that I had, which had the same two tracks on both sides! I never bothered to return it. A friend has most of the 'classic-period' Virgin CDs, so I'll take your hint and borrow them for a re-listen.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by JeffCarney View Post
    I had the Rubycon SACD, but I did some A/Bing with the 80s Virgin CD and I could barely tell them apart, so I just kept the old CD.
    Actually, in some cases, it was the same master converted to DSD (IMHO, as much as I love the DSD/SACD format, I don't want to hear the 16/44.1 master -- I want to hear it mastered from analog somehow).

    That'd be my main point of interest/point of contention.
    rcarlberg: Is there anything sadder than a song that has never been played?
    Plasmatopia: Maybe a song in D minor that has never been played?

    bob_32_116: That would be a terrific triple bill: Cyan, Magenta and Yello.

    trurl: The Odyssey: "He's trying to get home."

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    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    It's a not-so-subtle time travel joke-reference. Phaedra was released in 1974.
    OK, either I am thinking of a different album or a different year. My point is still valid; radio was much more eclectic at that time.

    I still don't know who/what "Titor" is.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jcarr73729 View Post
    8pm each Sunday night on BBC 6 Music, for two hours, you can hear large excerpts of albums played. I'm sure 'Rubycon' has been played in full.
    I guess everyone is wondering if one can "hear large excerpts of albums" recorded 10 years in the future since Bob heard Phaedra in the 1960s
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    I still don't know who/what "Titor" is.
    Neither do I.

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