VDGG box!

[moecurlythanu]

Dor US buyers, Wayside and Laser CD should have them in the US within the week, but if you're impatient, by all means, order from another country and see how fast that gets to you.

I ordered from Amazon US. They're shipping it from the UK for free. I ordered on the 16th and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow. That's fast enough for me.

[Munster]

Working through the boxset (again) and still getting a lot from it. Much has been made of the stereo remixes, but the remastering on all the albums is amazing. In fact, I now realise that some of the additional sounds I heard on the remixes (I listened to them first) were actually a result of the remastering process, including the deep, booming bass over the sax in ‘The Presence Of The Night’ from A Plague of Lighthouse-Keepers. One highlight of the remastering has been the beautiful drumming on Arrow, which is crystal clear and, to my ears, the finest Evans has ever sounded. Congratulations all round (again).

Most recently I have re-discovered World Record, which to be honest was always overshadowed by Godbluff and Still Life. But the remastering has brought it to life and I am really enjoying it (again). Hearing tracks from World Record played at the Paris concert also helped. The live version of Meurglys III is awesome; while on the recorded album the remastering really brings out Jackson’s sax in the closing third of the 21-minute track. The version of Sleepwalkers played at the Paris concert also led me back to the stereo remix of Godbluff. Excellent. I love the addition of Hammill shouting “Wake up, wake up” on Sleepwalkers. Why it was muted on the original album is a puzzle. On the remixed Still Life, the last third of My Room (Waiting For Wonderland) is just sublime, again with Jackson’s sax to the fore.

Listening to the remastered/remixed Pawn Hearts in the boxset, as I have said elsewhere in this thread, was like listening to it for the first time. It was about 50 years ago that I first heard the album, via a late-night radio show beamed in on shortwave from a transmitter some 500 miles away in another country. The music faded in and out, sometimes disappearing altogether, but that only added to the sense that I was listening to something alien and magical. Now I listen to the same album in state-of-the-art sound - and, although it is no longer alien, it is just as magical.

[Nearfest2]

Mine arrives today. Can't wait!

[per anporth]

Thanks for the great post, Munster.

And yes - totally agree about Mergulys III - the Paris live version is a revelation, & hearing the remaster in conjunction with the live version, it's Jaxon that one hears anew, & via him, the overall track (especially the final third) anew.

[PCMusic]

I ordered from Amazon US. They're shipping it from the UK for free. I ordered on the 16th and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow. That's fast enough for me.

Should have waited I guess ... hope you got the deal I saw on Amazon ($154 or so plus tax). This got to be the best deal around (or was?), at least the best I saw anywhere .. including ImportCDs where I bought my copy.

[Mascodagama]

Quite a good piece from The Quietus, though clearly aimed at the newcomer to VdGG:

https://thequietus.com/articles/3057...ears-1970-1978

Of course, this being the bien pensant British rock press, you have to accept the several side-swipes at prog in general, whereby the praiseworthy thing must be defined by its differences from the smirked-at rest. This so much goes with the territory that I barely notice it, but some blood pressures may be raised.

[moecurlythanu]

Should have waited I guess ... hope you got the deal I saw on Amazon ($154 or so plus tax). This got to be the best deal around (or was?), at least the best I saw anywhere .. including ImportCDs where I bought my copy.

Yeah, it was 154.50 + tax, with free shipping. It got here quickly, and I must say, it's hard to understand some of the criticism of this box upthread. If you're a VDGG fan, this is your wet dream. It's a fantastic set.

[PCMusic]

Yeah, it was 154.50 + tax, with free shipping. It got here quickly, and I must say, it's hard to understand some of the criticism of this box upthread. If you're a VDGG fan, this is your wet dream. It's a fantastic set.

Good for you. I was lucky this way with the Pink Floyd's Later Years box. Then my box will a bit more "my precious"

My only criticism about box was for not including lyrics in the book and art with the discs. It would have been even nicer if it had. Like to listen to albums, whenever I can, with texts in hand. Nothing that can not be remedied though. Thanks to people here there is a link to texts and these can be printed. As Progatron indicated, the lyrics are not even included with the separately issued discs, so while the art is there it is the same deal with lyrics ... again nothing that can't be fixed

[aith01]

Of course, this being the bien pensant British rock press, you have to accept the several side-swipes at prog in general, whereby the praiseworthy thing must be defined by its differences from the smirked-at rest. This so much goes with the territory that I barely notice it, but some blood pressures may be raised.

Typical of the press, unfortunately. I just tune a lot of them out now.

[polmico]

Wayside tells me mine is at my local post office. I'm hoping that it'll arrive today. I can't wait to take a chomp out of those delicious packing peanuts. Mmmm. I can taste them now.

[Skeptrick]

Got e-mails that it shipped from Wayside on friday (but the tracking link didn't work), so should be getting it soon. I can't wait to hear this... Peter Hammill is far and away my favorite lyricist in rock.

[zombywoof]

I've sampled bits of H to He, Pawn Hearts and Godbluff. So far I think the mixing is very strong, adding a lot of detail that previous releases lacked (for instance now I can actually HEAR Robert Fripp on Lemmings !!). Some of the fx choices are taking some time to get used to, but overall I think they are a marked improvement over any other mix or master I've heard of these albums (and yes, I've heard them all on vinyl).

I decided to pick up Pawn Hearts (my fave for years) from Wayside so I can check out the surround mix. I like hearing alternate takes on APoLKs and new takes on the edits; it makes this music fresh again. If I like it, I'm sure I'll go back for more. These will slot in nicely with my King Crimson, XTC, Tears for Fears and Tull surround disc listening habits.

[polmico]

^I know we've had this conversation here at some point, and I probably should remember the result, but is Fripp actually on "Lemmings"?

He's clearly on "Lighthouse Keepers" ("Presence of the Night" section), but I seem to remember that that is the only piece he plays on.

And, yes, my order from Wayside came today.

Those peanuts were not, however, edible, so I made a bad choice in eating them. That was my bad.

[calyx]

^I know we've had this conversation here at some point, and I probably should remember the result, but is Fripp actually on "Lemmings"?

He's clearly on "Lighthouse Keepers" ("Presence of the Night" section), but I seem to remember that that is the only piece he plays on.

He also plays a clean tone solo, almost inaudible, halfway through "Man-Erg".

[zombywoof]

^I know we've had this conversation here at some point, and I probably should remember the result, but is Fripp actually on "Lemmings"?

It *sounds* like Robert's style to me. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it's my understanding he is. I don't have a physical copy on hand to check. I'll have to wait for my Wayside order to arrive !

[polmico]

^Naturally, I am happy to be corrected! Thanks, y'all!

[The Czar]

Good for you. I was lucky this way with the Pink Floyd's Later Years box. Then my box will a bit more "my precious"

My only criticism about box was for not including lyrics in the book and art with the discs. It would have been even nicer if it had. Like to listen to albums, whenever I can, with texts in hand. Nothing that can not be remedied though. Thanks to people here there is a link to texts and these can be printed. As Progatron indicated, the lyrics are not even included with the separately issued discs, so while the art is there it is the same deal with lyrics ... again nothing that can't be fixed

I think Mark Powell has the blame there.
It's always a poster or in this case pages of master tape photos that nobody (or at least not me) gives a damn about.
Esoteric box sets are notorious for that.
The Andrew Gold box is the only set they have done 100% correctly...and it still has a worthless poster.

[aith01]

This is still a lavishly produced box set, is it not? Have we become so spoiled that we have to find something to complain about, even if it's something as secondary as not including lyrics in the box when they are readily available elsewhere?

The inclusion of lyrics with the album is not a foregone conclusion (nor even a legit requirement) for regular releases. For example, R.E.M. didn't include any lyrics with their initial few albums.

[Cyberian Cat]

Isn’t there separate rights to be paid for printed lyrics? I prefer a cheaper box set without lyrics! And I think just the number of pages necessary to print all the lyrics would have significantly raised the cost.

[LeFrog]

He also plays a clean tone solo, almost inaudible, halfway through "Man-Erg".

Indeed, he plays there and on Presence of the Night. I don't hear him on Lemmings.

I never understood why they had Fripp play on Pawn Hearts. His contribution is anything but significant and you could remove his parts without affecting the album whatsoever.

[chalkpie]

This is still a lavishly produced box set, is it not? Have we become so spoiled that we have to find something to complain about....

I think we know the answer to that. Its such an inconvenience to say "Hey Google/Siri...lyrics to pawn hearts by van der graaf generator..."

[flytomars]

I think we know the answer to that. Its such an inconvenience to say "Hey Google/Siri...lyrics to pawn hearts by van der graaf generator..."

And then have her recite the complete Plague of lighthouse keepers? mmmm, actually sounds interesting.

[PCMusic]

This is still a lavishly produced box set, is it not? Have we become so spoiled that we have to find something to complain about, even if it's something as secondary as not including lyrics in the box when they are readily available elsewhere?

The inclusion of lyrics with the album is not a foregone conclusion (nor even a legit requirement) for regular releases. For example, R.E.M. didn't include any lyrics with their initial few albums.

Not really complaining and happy to have it. But for the "lavishly produced box set" and so not a "regular release", it could have been better with the full set of lyrics and art included with discs ... at least for me and for reasons I have mentioned in my previous post. Without these and to have it perfect, it will require an extra effort from me to print these ... and yeah, I am a lazy sort ;(

Constructive criticism , as I would call it, should not hurt anyone or anything, right?
And very happy VdGG at last got this treatment, the box still will be a treasure

[The Czar]

Listening to King Diamond Abigail made me obsessed with lyrics when I was younger because the cassette did not have them and you couldn't understand half of the stuff he was singing. So I blame King Diamond on my obsession. Also the argument of being able to print them out and space needed to print them out is negated by the absolutely ridiculous posters or in this case the photo sheets of Master tape reels. It's just kind of a completist thing that I find to be lazy when they don't have them

[The Czar]

I wasn't going to get rid of the 2005 remasters anyway so it's not really a big deal to me. What is a big deal is how they have the CDs housed. They should have put them all in the sleeves that you can take out. That is irresponsible if you ask me