Steve Wilson to mix Hawkwind in 5.1

[Esoteric]

we havent omitted anything musically from the 3CD--that was the whole point!! and the booklet will still be really lovely.

Im not sure what you are trying to say here. We have 3 options for all price levels. A simple remaster, a 3CD that has the bonus tracks, 5.1 and stereo remixes and a very nice booklet, and a box set that has all of the 3CD plus vinyl, poster, postcards and a bigger book etc. If you arent particicularly interested in vinyl or packaging and cant justify the price tag--then go for the 3Cd in the mini cardboard hinged box (like we did for Levitation. ) . Why wouldnt people who buy the box set feel a bit peeved if they received an almost identical package as someone who buys the 3CD set? It works both ways.

We felt the 3 Cd is what a great many will go for and covers all the musical bases. Can I just also mention that its very likley that the box sets will be bought by some of the wholesalers in the USA and Europe etc , not huge amounts, but there will be some, so for those who the postage from the UK is a step too far(and it can be a really big cost on big box sets) -then you may want to check in a couple of weeks when it should be up on Amazon etc in your territory. Its the same reason here that good USA made jeans and guitars and MACs are double what they are in the USA. The shipping costs these days are horrendous and this is a UK product.

[The Twickerman]

Looks like pre-orders are up (early?). Shipping the boxset to NA is...not cheap. But what can you do? It is Hawkwind.

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/atomhenge-exd.asp?id=4119

Want want want. But the website is down. Eeek!

Vicky - do you know this?

[Esoteric]

Yes Cherry Red are aware, thier site probably exploded with the demand! It was being sorted when I spoke to them 2 hours ago

[The Twickerman]

It's fixed now.

[Cats On Glue]

this willllll be worth it. a great album finally getting the treatment it deserves.

[bmooncd]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[playbass]

any word if any North American stores are going to carry the 3 disc version?

[Esoteric]

Im sure they will as an import--its not being domestically manufactured in the USA but we arent restricting where it goes to, so just depends which wholesalers/retailers take it over there.

[bmooncd]

Looks like pre-orders are up (early?). Shipping the boxset to NA is...not cheap. But what can you do? It is Hawkwind.

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/atomhenge-exd.asp?id=4119

"not cheap"? 60 USD is fucking INSANE.

[strawberrybrick]

^ It is, but don't blame Esoteric. Blame Post Offices or Fedex/UPS/DHL or maybe even capitalism. There is just no way to ship a single item of that size/weight overseas anymore. I experienced the same with the recent Family boxset. Sucks.

[strawberrybrick]

It just doesn't seem, to me, like one where the art is that important. Plus, it's the same image reversed on the back, minus the warrior. Whatever, I think it's more that they don't want to have to manufacture separate deluxe vinyl and CD packages, and they want to be able to charge more overall. As I said, I can't think of any other good reason to have both formats in one package, and OMIT material from the CD-only edition (the 3CD edition.) If someone's already shelling out for the 3CD edition, at least don't OMIT material from the booklet. It's one thing when EMI or another giant label does it. I sort of expected Esoteric to have a little more understanding of their customers. Unless, of course, I'm mistaken and the booklet in the 3CD edition is the same?

The reason to get the deluxe box is that you get a repro of this

BF6rO7KCcAE8CTx.jpg

[PeterG]

Personally I can't see how a Steven Wilson remix can improve on the original or offer anything of interest. But I've never been a remix fan. Never been a fan of adjusting created art.

[Cats On Glue]

Personally I can't see how a Steven Wilson remix can improve on the original or offer anything of interest. But I've never been a remix fan. Never been a fan of adjusting created art.

yet i await anxiously lol. just think it might be trippy to hear it a different way. clearer crisper and with cool new stuff to go with it. hawkwinds greatest album needed the royal treatment

[JKL2000]

Personally I can't see how a Steven Wilson remix can improve on the original or offer anything of interest. But I've never been a remix fan. Never been a fan of adjusting created art.

After all my bitching about the box with two different formats in it, I'm now thinking I'm just fine with my Griffin edition and can probably skip this reissue. I sort of think this album is meant to sound of it's time, and "polishing it up" might not be a good idea.

[Moonglum]

Personally I can't see how a Steven Wilson remix can improve on the original or offer anything of interest. But I've never been a remix fan. Never been a fan of adjusting created art.

I think Warrior is the poster boy for an album needing a remix. The original had buried vocals, rythym guitar and mellotron and was essentially a wall of sound. The mix has some charm, but I am very curious to see what Steven can do to improve it. A 5.1 mix could be excellent with some real seperation allowing for some breathing room between the multiple instruments.

[Cats On Glue]

yesss ^

[JeffCarney]

After all my bitching about the box with two different formats in it, I'm now thinking I'm just fine with my Griffin edition and can probably skip this reissue. I sort of think this album is meant to sound of it's time, and "polishing it up" might not be a good idea.

In its own way, the Griffin edition already tried to "polish it up."

That version had a huge treble boost. The Dojo version was taken from a mint UK LP but sounded far better, IMO.

I have almost no interest in the remix as I have tried numerous times to appreciate Wilson's digital remixes and failed.

But the box including a flat transfer from the master tape as a bonus is a big attraction for me.

[Esoteric]

can I just mention too there was some kind of malfunction on the postage charges yesterday. Those who have been overcharged are in the process of having the difference refunded back today and Monday.

The correct shipments are up there now. Im afraid it is always expensive with releases of this kind, shipping costs a great deal and we cannot risk non receipt, so will insist on "international signed for" as experience has shown if we dont use it, there are always some "non receipts". It is a UK item. Its the same with us if we want very specific US items Im afraid-- be they computers or certain brands of jeans.

[strawberrybrick]

Oh how I want that big box! There is no rationale for this, just pure acquisitive collector's lust.

That's how I feel.

Besides its being one of Hawkwind's finest, and besides the fact that I've had a copy of the original Atco vinyl since the day, this is EXACTLY the kind of "reissue" package that's just gonna be fun, fun, fun. The whole experience of this kind of product just tickles me silly, from the unveiling to listening to the different mixes and reading through everything written.

There's a lot of reissues lately (those Yes SACDs/CDs, HDtracks) that really offer nothing other than buying the same music for the second, third or who knows what time. None are really that great of improvements sonically (esp considering I probably have an original LP), and the packaging/liner notes mostly offer nothing of extra value. Even some of the Rhino Yes and Anthony Phillips remasters went so far as to "invent" bonus tracks!!!

I'm kinda ambivalent to the Wilson remixes, but I have to admit that a 5.1 mix of most anything is always an interesting listen. Do I go back to it that often? No not really. But is it fun to have? Certainly. And as for the flat transfer, I wish instead they'd do a "faithful to the vinyl, serves the audiophile transfer" instead. Flat transfers sound flat - esp in the digital domain!

As others have said, we have to hand it to Esoteric for creating product that serves the fans without selling out the artist. The Atomhenge series (like the Caravan series a decade before) has amazing, insightful bonus tracks, complete booklets, and really shores up the Hawkwind catalog in a way that most bands should just be plain jealous of!


Just too bad there's so little Hawkwind video from the 70s!

[bmooncd]

can I just mention too there was some kind of malfunction on the postage charges yesterday. Those who have been overcharged are in the process of having the difference refunded back today and Monday.

The correct shipments are up there now. Im afraid it is always expensive with releases of this kind, shipping costs a great deal and we cannot risk non receipt, so will insist on "international signed for" as experience has shown if we dont use it, there are always some "non receipts". It is a UK item. Its the same with us if we want very specific US items Im afraid-- be they computers or certain brands of jeans.

Twas never blaming you for it - order sent! Me been waiting for this for a very long time. Thanks for making it happen!

[JeffCarney]

And as for the flat transfer, I wish instead they'd do a "faithful to the vinyl, serves the audiophile transfer" instead. Flat transfers sound flat - esp in the digital domain!

So you've heard a lot of master tapes, then?

[strawberrybrick]

Jeff, I'm saying that there's something to be said for the mastering (and remastering) process, esp when it is tailored for the final format.

[TheH]

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[Sordel]

Personally I can't see how a Steven Wilson remix can improve on the original or offer anything of interest. But I've never been a remix fan. Never been a fan of adjusting created art.

I have almost no interest in the remix as I have tried numerous times to appreciate Wilson's digital remixes and failed.

I don't feel that SW has a particular mixing style; sonically his King Crimson remixes, for example, are a world away from his Caravan or ELP remixes. I tend to think of him as a remixer who brings a fair amount of 'negative capability' to the task, working sympathetically to give a more analytic presentation of the original music. Of course, you can object to that very 'analyticity', but for me that's rather like people who complain that the ceiling of the Sistine chapel should never have been cleaned ... I can see that people get attached to the layer of dirt that darkened up the colours, but the dirt was never part of the original work of art.

[JeffCarney]

I don't feel that SW has a particular mixing style; sonically his King Crimson remixes, for example, are a world away from his Caravan or ELP remixes. I tend to think of him as a remixer who brings a fair amount of 'negative capability' to the task, working sympathetically to give a more analytic presentation of the original music. Of course, you can object to that very 'analyticity', but for me that's rather like people who complain that the ceiling of the Sistine chapel should never have been cleaned ... I can see that people get attached to the layer of dirt that darkened up the colours, but the dirt was never part of the original work of art.

I guess this is generally the "pitch" for digital remixing, but the problem is that the premise is flawed, IMO.

To suggest that analog master tapes from the 70s were inherently "dirty" is simply not a premise with which I am inclined to agree. Mixing down, say ... 8 or 16 tracks to an analog master tape has a certain sound. Just like taking those same 8 or 16 tracks and loading them into a PC and redoing the mix seems to produce a certain sound. But both of these results are also dependent upon numerous other factors. For whatever reasons, Wilson's approach with the latter as a basis for producing results does not typically equate to a sound that comes close to capturing the warmth of analog tape. Whereas engineers who use a master tape and go directly to digital seem better able to retain the analog "life," if you will. One can only surmise that Wilson adding the extra "step" of putting everything into a PC and creating a new mix is a step that proves costly in terms of overall musicality and realism.

But that's just how I hear it. Others will surely disagree ...