King Crimson - THRAK 16 disc Boxed Set

[zombywoof]

Excerpt from the website:

CD1: JurassiKc THRAK - is an assemblage of material from the recording sessions for the album compiled by David Singleton - similar to ’Keep That One Nick’ on the Larks’ Tongues Boxed set - placing the listener in the studio with the band as the material was composed and recorded. You can, for example, hear the band experimenting with different drums parts for "Inner Garden" & a wonderful early vocal before that song was divided into two. Similar excitements await listeners with all the other songs. There are also seven pieces that didn’t make it onto the final album.



CD2: Max VROOOM - features the long-unavailable mini-album VROOOM, augmented with tracks & edits from the KC Club release: The VROOOM Sessions - all material re-compiled & remastered at DGM.



CD3: THRAK - is the 2002 remaster of the original album.



CD4: ATTAKcATHRAK (The Vicar’s THRAK) – is a sort of sequel to THRaKaTTaK insofar as it’s assembled from live improvs - but simultaneously very different – one of David Singleton’s best pieces of production. The editing process for the new improv album provides more form and function to the material without compromising the spirit of the original improvs.

Unlike THRaKaTTaK, which was based on stereo board recordings, this album is newly mixed in both stereo and surround sound from multi-track tapes.



CD5: THRAK - is the 2015 Jakko Jakszyk/Robert Fripp remix of the original album, described by Robert Fripp as “transformative – a re-imagining of stereo in the early 21st century.”



CD6: Byte Size THRAK - is a compilation of singles edits, live tracks from promos, a 12" mix edit – some of which are making their debut appearance on commercially available disc & extracts from writing sessions from the final Nashville rehearsals in 1997.



CDs7/8: Kcensington THRAK -is a newly mixed release of the band’s London concerts in 1995. Mixed from multi-track tapes by Jakko Jakszyk, and mastered by David Singleton & Robert Fripp ("to make it rock even harder" apparently). Other than video releases, it is also the first live show from this band available in surround sound (see Blu-Ray below). 



CDs 9/10: New YorKc THRAK - features a complete setlist from the 1995 run of shows in the city, some material previously released on VROOOM VROOOM (now deleted) & the KC Club release On Broadway. Drawn from multi-track tapes, mixed by Adrian Belew & Ken Latchney - all newly remastered at DGM.



CDs 11/12: AzteKc THRAK - features a complete setlist from the Mexico City concerts in 1996 - released, in part, on VROOOM VROOOM - mixed from the original multi-tracks by Robert Fripp, R Chris Murphy & David Singleton & recently remastered at DGM.



Q: Sounds great, what’s on the Hi-Res discs?

A: 

If the stereo material sounds wonderful (& it does) the Hi-Res stereo & especially the 5.1 Surround Sound mixes are a revelation. This is a line-up that’s best heard in multi-channel Surround Sound.



Blu-Ray I is, we believe, the most comprehensive Hi-Res audio only disc yet assembled & features three complete albums 5.1 Surround Sound mixes: THRAK, ATTAKcATHRAK & Kcensington THRAK.

These three albums also appear in Hi-Res stereo - THRAK in both its original & new stereo mixes - plus a further three complete albums are included in Hi-Res stereo, JurassiKc THRAK, THRAKaTTAK & the official live bootleg of one of the earliest shows by the double trio in Argentina: B’Boom.

A recipient of a test disc of BD1 summed it up: “The blu-ray audio is astonishing and presents all the material in a glorious new light. I can’t say enough about the wonder of this blu-ray.”



Here’s a full list of contents:
THRAK 2015 mix
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 24/96

LPCM Stereo 24/96

LPCM 5.1 Surround 24/96
ATTAKcATHRAK
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 24/48

LPCM Stereo 24/48

LPCM 5.1 Surround 24/48
THRAK Original Mix 2002 remaster
LPCM Stereo 24/96
THRaKaTTaK
LPCM Stereo 24/48
Kcensington THRAK
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 24/48

LPCM Stereo 24/48

LPCM 5.1 Surround 24/48
B’Boom
LPCM Stereo 24/48
JurassiKc THRAK
LPCM Stereo 24/48


Blu-Ray II is no less complete & features an audio/visual feast:



1) A complete concert filmed live at The Warfield Theatre, San Francisco from 1995 - previously unreleased - with all footage newly transferred from the original tapes, mastered for high definition and 5.1 Surround Sound newly mixed by David Singleton from the multi-track tapes of the show



2) The live footage from the 1995 Live in Japan performance - all footage newly transferred from the original tapes, mastered for High Definition with the original surround sound remastered by David Singleton & Neil Wilkes. 



3) Tony’s Road Movies - footage of the band on the road as filmed by Tony Levin - all footage newly mastered for High Definition & featuring a soundtrack of previously unreleased material drawn from the band’s earliest rehearsals in 1994 - the first time that Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Bill Bruford met together (at Bill’s own studio). Originally captured in stereo on DAT, the audio has been up-mixed to Surround Sound so that all of the video features can be enjoyed in multi-channel audio.



4) The EPK of the making of the THRAK album at Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld Studios with newly mixed Surround Sound audio.

Additionally, this disc is being built to include a further unique feature whereby, with a press of a button, the disc will function as a pure audio disc for all audio material featured in the audio/video section.

Both blu-ray discs set new standards for what can be done with this format.

The DVD-a disc features THRAK in 5.1 Surround Sound & Hi-Res stereo of both the new & original mixes.

& the DVD features The Warfield Theatre concert & Tony’s Road Movies.



http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=5220

[gojikranz]

kinda wish they would abandon dvd discs at this point. anyone paying the premium for this boxset can afford a hundred dollar blu ray player at this point. other than that looks pretty good to me I don't know this era too well (been waiting for the 40th to finally buy the album) so will leave it to others to nitpick content selection.

[jamesmanzi]

Hmm. Price point will weigh heavily on whether I pick this up. It seems very DVD/BR 5.1 heavy, and those 5.1 mixes are little more than novelty to me. I don't see any point now or in the future where I'll find/make the time to sit in my living room and immersively listen to 5.1 mixes - a good 90% of my listening time is on the go, so I'd get little use out of like half the content in this set.

[jamesmanzi]

kinda wish they would abandon dvd discs at this point. anyone paying the premium for this boxset can afford a hundred dollar blu ray player at this point.

"Q: Wow, that’s comprehensive but why include dvds & Blu-Ray - sharing material?



A number of reasons:



1) It wouldn’t make sense to try to make two editions - 1 with DVD/DVD-a & one with Blu-Ray.



2) Some fans want both - especially in America where a number of in car systems are DVD-a compatible.



3) Some fans want both if they currently have DVD & intend to buy a Blu-Ray player.

"

[battema]

Fun stuff. Was hoping for even more improv material than just one additional disc, but it'll still be an enjoyable set.

[Dave (in MA)]

If you have a Blu-Ray player you can play DVDs, but not the other way around.

[gojikranz]

"Q: Wow, that’s comprehensive but why include dvds & Blu-Ray - sharing material?



A number of reasons:



1) It wouldn’t make sense to try to make two editions - 1 with DVD/DVD-a & one with Blu-Ray.



2) Some fans want both - especially in America where a number of in car systems are DVD-a compatible.



3) Some fans want both if they currently have DVD & intend to buy a Blu-Ray player.

"

hadn't considered the car. I can't imagine that is a huge market but what do I know. the rest is covered by my belief that if you can buy a hundred plus dollar boxset you can buy a hundred dollar disc player. I am ready for dvd to go the way of VHS. I don't even really hear a difference but if they are gonna make me pay for both I would rather just have the better.(plus blu rays increased disc size allows more bonus which I do appreciate)

[polmico]

Looks like there's enough here for me to purchase, and I have the live shows, the 94 and 97 sessions and probably a few of those single edits. I'm in (as if there was doubt).

[Phlakaton]

I can dig this. I really enjoyed seeing them in Atlanta in 95... almost died driving back to college in the middle of the night too! Worth it though.

[A. Scherze]

hadn't considered the car.

Not every computer has a Blu-ray, either.

[No Pride]

Holy crap, that's a lot of Thrak! I like the original album very much, but I'm not KC obsessed enough for this, even if I could afford it.

[Mister Triscuits]

Not every computer has a Blu-ray, either.

This is my issue. I could easily afford a blu-ray player; what I can't afford is a bigger apartment with room for a home entertainment center in addition to the massive amounts of junk I already own. (Hell, I already don't know where I'm going to put yet another fat King Crimson box set!) All my video viewing is done on a Mac, so it's DVD or streaming only.

[Dave (in MA)]

I want it, but this might be a tougher decision to push me over into the Buy column than were the boxes from the lineups where there was greater variation from one show to the next.

[N_Singh]

I've bought every other mega box they've put out, this one will be on the to be purchased list, even if, initially, it doesn't seem as exciting as the 72-74 boxes.

Perhaps this is tempered by the fact that I also bought the 28 show digital tour download of this band.

Count me in as one of Fripp's "800" or "900" or whatever the number is, these days.

[mogrooves]

Thrak is perhaps their most brutal album. Sixteen CDs?! Wow. Let the bludgeoning begin.

[frippster]

I'm sure I'll get it. Heck, I'll probably pre-order it as soon as it's available. BUT, this is easily the box I've been least excited about and there's nothing here that's changed my mind. Outtakes disc is cool and I'm jazzed about a new ThrakAttak, but the other stuff seems sort of meh for the $100-$150 it's no doubt going to cost. On the other hand, the packaging and liners on the other sets have been pretty snazzy. OK, fine. I'm in.

[Dave (in MA)]

I'm sure I'll get it. Heck, I'll probably pre-order it as soon as it's available.

BUT, this is easily the box I've been least excited about and there's nothing here that's changed my mind.

Outtakes disc is cool and I'm jazzed about a new ThrakAttak, but the other stuff seems sort of meh for the $100-$150 it's no doubt going to cost.

On the other hand, the packaging and liners on the other sets have been pretty snazzy. OK, fine. I'm in.

And I don't even know who that guy is.

[Mister Triscuits]

And I don't even know who that guy is.

If you take one of those facial morphing apps and combine David Frost, Carl Sagan, and '70s Jerry Brown--it's him.

[gojikranz]

will be interesting to see the pricing on this one. less discs than road to red or starless but the blu rays seem nicer and slightly higher audio quality throughout i would imagine. larks tongues was about 150 after tax and shipping road to red and starless were over 200.

would be nice if this were sub 200.

theres a part of me that wished they included cd copies of B'boom and trakattak for completeness sake but suppose it is better/cheaper without them double dipping too much.

[soundsweird]

Last KC studio album I purchased, and I didn't like it that much.

[frippster]

Well played, Dave. I needed that laugh.

P.S. Gent in question is Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan), probably my favorite comedic character of the past 20 years.

[Flightwave]

Well played, Dave. I needed that laugh.

P.S. Gent in question is Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan), probably my favorite comedic character of the past 20 years.

Dan
Dan
Dan
Dan!

[chalkpie]

Love this band, but no ThanKcs.

[notallwhowander]

I'm interested, even though I'd doubling up on some of the KCCC stuff.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

If it was CD 1 and CD 4 only I'd absolutely be on board.

I don't really need two more versions of the album, plus an already released live album, nor a disc of single edits and the like. If I can find it cheap enough, I just might bite, however.