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Thread: Larks' 40th Anniversary Mothership - Christmas Thread!

  1. #1
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    Larks' 40th Anniversary Mothership - Christmas Thread!

    I know I'm not alone in getting the Larks' megabox as a Christmas gift. I just opened mine, and am spinning the Wilson remaster for the first time. Boy, the thing has punch, eh?

    This is a lot to wade through. Any highlights I should be on the lookout for?
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

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    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
    Any highlights I should be on the lookout for?
    Disc 10.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
    I know I'm not alone in getting the Larks' megabox as a Christmas gift. I just opened mine, and am spinning the Wilson remaster for the first time. Boy, the thing has punch, eh?

    This is a lot to wade through. Any highlights I should be on the lookout for?
    Still waiting on mine as I got a ripper deal from ImportCDs but it still has not shipped.

    As far as the remix, I thought it was supposed to have a bit less "punch" than the original?

  4. #4
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    It's just an initial impression the first hearing, not even a directed listen at that. I don't mean the mix is "punchy" in a EQ sense. The instruments, including Wetton's bass, seem particularly clear and well defined, and when Johnny Boy lays into it - fuck!
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
    It's just an initial impression the first hearing, not even a directed listen at that. I don't mean the mix is "punchy" in a EQ sense. The instruments, including Wetton's bass, seem particularly clear and well defined, and when Johnny Boy lays into it - fuck!


    I see. Yeah, I think of "punch" as the difference between loud and soft. The punch of the drums, for example.

    And I thought it was said that some compression was used on this remix. Not by Wilson, but the mastering on the remix, iirc. Anyway ... that would make it less punchy, is all I meant.

    I don't care much about the new mix anyway, but all the rest of it I want.

  6. #6
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Only got the two disc cd/dvd but the dvd is outstanding

  7. #7
    Got the big box today. So far I've watched the live performance and read Singleton's inteview of Fripp. This is a very handsome package, but my wife is not a fan. I'll be able to sneak the album in later today, but I'll have to wait until she goes back to work on Thursday to really dive in.
    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

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    Fripp has said there will only be 7000 of the Mothership Boxes. I remember how many fans were pitching a fit they didn't buy The Great Deceiver Box Set on the first release like I did. I still consider this the LTIA,SaBB,Red band's HOLY GRAIL. So,after much debate with myself and reading reviews(Ken Walsh aka Arkangel3) I decided to just go for it and I found one for $137.24,no tax and free shipping. It's my Christmas present to myself and I think I made the right call.

  9. #9
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rand Kelly View Post
    Fripp has said there will only be 7000 of the Mothership Boxes. I remember how many fans were pitching a fit they didn't buy The Great Deceiver Box Set on the first release like I did. I still consider this the LTIA,SaBB,Red band's HOLY GRAIL. So,after much debate with myself and reading reviews(Ken Walsh aka Arkangel3) I decided to just go for it and I found one for $137.24,no tax and free shipping. It's my Christmas present to myself and I think I made the right call.
    Some of my favourite Christmas presents over the years have been the ones I gave myself.

    As for The Great Deceiver box, it ended up being reissued (sort of) as two separate volumes, so you never know. If the Larks Tongues megabox sells out rapidly, they may consider doing something similar.
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

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  10. #10
    I recall Fripp saying that the ITCOTCK boxset was a limited edition too and some time after the original pressing sold out, DGM did another pressing.

  11. #11
    Steven Wilson's new mix really makes the drumming sound like Giles.

    One or two little things I noticed.

    Wetton is credited with piano. I guess he plays the bit on "Exiles." Presumably, Fripp plays the electric piano on "Easy Money"?
    Cross is still not credited with flute (at least not on the "back" of the album--official press releases at the time and interviews do credit him with flute).
    The official press release at the time lists the musicians and instruments on the album. The list for Muir is hilarious.
    Watching Muir dump a bag of leaves on stage is great.
    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Rand Kelly View Post
    It's my Christmas present to myself and I think I made the right call.
    Definitely!

    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    As for The Great Deceiver box, it ended up being reissued (sort of) as two separate volumes, so you never know. If the Larks Tongues megabox sells out rapidly, they may consider doing something similar.
    Maybe. A full set of repackaged CDs seems like a bit much, especially since four discs of the live stuff is out in hardcopy form already. Still, I'd be surprised if the remaining live shows didn't get offered as DGM downloads eventually, at the least.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    Some of my favourite Christmas presents over the years have been the ones I gave myself.

    As for The Great Deceiver box, it ended up being reissued (sort of) as two separate volumes, so you never know. If the Larks Tongues megabox sells out rapidly, they may consider doing something similar.
    Well,it's marketing 101 innit? Make people think that if they don't pounce a.s.a.p. they will miss out. TGD came out in 1994 and the 2 sep. re-issues when?

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by polmico View Post
    Wetton is credited with piano. I guess he plays the bit on "Exiles." Presumably, Fripp plays the electric piano on "Easy Money"?
    Don't think so. Sid Smith's book answers that one (don't have it handy right now). I'd say it's Cross, but not sure. Cross did more Pianet comping than Fripp ever did (e.g. "We'll Let You Know"). Yes, the piano on "Exiles" is Wetton, who also gets overdue credit for composing that part of the song. (Whose guitar playing - doubling the bass lines - on "The Great Deceiver" wasn't credited either)

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Rand Kelly View Post
    Well,it's marketing 101 innit? Make people think that if they don't pounce a.s.a.p. they will miss out. TGD came out in 1994 and the 2 sep. re-issues when?
    2003 or 4, I think? IIRC the reissue came around the same time as the career-spanning 21st Century Guide boxes, and those included Power to Believe material.

    I don't think it was a cynical marketing ploy to release TGD the way they did (not that you were necessarily saying it was); it was simply the most appropriate way logistics-wise. In '92 it was a big and costly deal to compile the box, but RF and DGM felt there was enough interest to justify it and hoped it would make up the costs. By '03, having the rights to all the material and with the label & distribution system more in place, a lower-priced reissue made the most sense. So maybe the question will be when/if there's a similar logistical need for this material to be reissued.... I'm guessing if it does happen, it obviously won't be for a little while at least.

    I'd love to get back to the main point of the thread, but I won't be able to start digging into mine alone until the weekend. Old mix, new mix, session-reel documentary or straight for the video? I still can't decide.

  16. #16
    Highlights? Let me try what I've discovered in about 24 hours:

    The DVD is stunning. Great shots of the band and tons of footage of Muir being Muir. He actually "plays" a bag of leaves at one point

    Wetton and Cross doing a violin duet on the Dec 1 concert

    Improvs, Improvs, Improvs

    The packaging and liner notes are stunning

    I've only listened to about half of Disc 10 at this point, but it's a trainspotter's delight

    Listening to the evolution of the pieces - Exiles with the "Mantra" intro and no guitar solo from The Zoom and Beat performances (in fact, no guitar at all from the Beat Club perfromance)

    The performance of LTiA1 from Oxford - wow!

    The performance of LTiA2 from Hull - yikes! (Muir goes crazy during the song, and it sounds like he is distracting the others)

  17. #17
    Listening now to the alternate takes disc. Interesting guitar on "Larks', Pt. 1." Very good vocal take on "Book of Saturday." Very nice to hear Wetton so cleanly on that song. I'm going to go through a bunch of this today and tomorrow.
    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

  18. #18
    The wife ordered it for me from burningshed for Christmas finally arrived today. When the package first arrived by it's appearance I thought she ordered some vinyl package by mistake but after opening it was relieved to see it was correct. Wow lot of material here hoping the 5.1 dvd audio are as pristine as lizard and itcotck

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gladiator1634 View Post
    The wife ordered it for me from burningshed for Christmas finally arrived today. When the package first arrived by it's appearance I thought she ordered some vinyl package by mistake but after opening it was relieved to see it was correct. Wow lot of material here hoping the 5.1 dvd audio are as pristine as lizard and itcotck
    The Package for the Mothership ITCoTCK is the same size,looks like lps at first. Frame By Frame was that size,mainly for the 4 cds to fit evenly and of course the booklets. I can't wait to receive mine.

  20. #20
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    I was yesterday in Brussel's main Mediamarkt outlet, checking out what they had in stock (they've become one of the last big CD/vinyl store in Brussels by default, slightly better than FNAC, who normally concentrate on cultural goods only, while MM is mainly a household appliance thing)....

    Welllll, I saw something like 10 of these "Motherships" bosets on sale for €99.00 (actually they'd sold five or six already said the salesman)
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  21. #21
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gladiator1634 View Post
    hoping the 5.1 dvd audio are as pristine as lizard and itcotck
    It's very, very good IMO. I just got the 2-disc edition but I've checked out the 5.1 a few times already and I really enjoy it. I do think Lizard and Islands were the most improved of the lot.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rand Kelly View Post
    The Package for the Mothership ITCoTCK is the same size,looks like lps at first. Frame By Frame was that size,mainly for the 4 cds to fit evenly and of course the booklets. I can't wait to receive mine.
    Like the old-school CD box sets (Yesyears, Led Zeppelin crop circles, etc.)? I still have those on my shelf, they are big and bulky but I love them all the same.
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

    *** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Rand Kelly View Post
    Fripp has said there will only be 7000 of the Mothership Boxes. I remember how many fans were pitching a fit they didn't buy The Great Deceiver Box Set on the first release like I did. I still consider this the LTIA,SaBB,Red band's HOLY GRAIL. So,after much debate with myself and reading reviews(Ken Walsh aka Arkangel3) I decided to just go for it and I found one for $137.24,no tax and free shipping. It's my Christmas present to myself and I think I made the right call.
    I will finally be getting mine in the next few days from the KCCC after a mistake where they didn't mail mine out despite the fact that I had preordered it. Thankfully they reserved one and honored the $120 club price (plus shipping) I paid. I see Laser's Edge and Wayside have them at $150. I was hoping to have it long before Christmas so I could spend some time with it over the holidays, but looking forward to diving into it.

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by jeffo621 View Post
    Highlights? Let me try what I've discovered in about 24 hours:

    The DVD is stunning. Great shots of the band and tons of footage of Muir being Muir. He actually "plays" a bag of leaves at one point
    Can't wait to see the video footage. The Muir stuff is priceless.

  24. #24
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    I like them because they fit right in with all my Vinyl.

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by polmico View Post
    Listening now to the alternate takes disc. Interesting guitar on "Larks', Pt. 1." .
    How about violin in this track - does it get any better than on album version?

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