You mean besides recording it? They re-recorded the songs for Cult Classic. As I recall, some of the songs used the alternate arrangements they used live. For instance, ETI has that whole coda section they'd add where it fades out on the record. And I remember when it came out, Stephen King's The Stand had recently been on TV, so there was a sticker on the packaging advertising "(Don't Fear) The Reaper, as heard on TV's The Stand" or something like that.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Is this the original cover?
If so, I wouldn't call the new one an update. Typically, an update implies an improvement. The new one seems suspect to me. It's totally amateurish and I would be surprised if the band approved the POS.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Yeah, well... knockoff then. I bought a Gerry Rafferty compilation CD off Ebay years ago that I'd never seen before. Really cheesy looking cover graphics that looked worse in person, no liner notes and the sound quality was that of a high speed dubbed cassette. A poster on another message board said the seller was from Russia.
I was puzzled by the red sticker on the cover. I knew nothing about this release so I looked it up on a review site. Where the sticker says "new digital versions of their greatest hits" it means the songs were re-recorded c. 1994 for this release. Since the BOC catalog has long been remastered for CD, I thought they were claiming the old remasters were new. But no, this album consists of studio re-recordings of the hits.
Then there's the "24 carat gold audiophile picture disc CD," for those who are convinced that it is what the disc looks like that determines its audio quality.
This is not a criticism of Blue Oyster Cult, long one of my favorite bands. If I ever run across this disc I will likely buy it, if for nothing else than to compare it with the older versions of the songs.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Yep, that's what my copy looked like when I bought it at, I think, Coconuts. I remember at the time there was talk that they had a new deal with Atlantic and they were recording a new album. Whether that was just a rumor, or what, I never knew, but it took a few more years for a new studio album to come out, and it wasn't on Atlantic (I forget which label it was on).
Cult Classic strikes me as a strange thing to reissue, given that it's really just a best of, even if the songs were re-recorded, with sometimes altered arrangements and such. Who knows? Maybe there's a demand from a fanbase, I guess it's been around long enough, there's young fans who grew up with their parents copies.
BTW, I forgot that it was released on Herald Records. That was the same label that put out some of Steve Howe's 90's era records, such as Not Necessarily Acoustic and the first couple of the Homebrew titles.
If you recall, at the time, there was a lot of those "24 carat gold audiophile" CD's coming out. The industry tried to lay this trip on the consumer that the gold content was supposed to somehow improve the sound quality or something. I recall reading where someone said it actually has no impact on sound whatsoever, and any improvement hinged on the given disc being a different master from the one used for the regular CD release. It was just another way for Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, Clive Davis and the rest of those goons to scam more money out of us.
IMO Cult Classics is worth owning, as they are well done re recordings of some of the songs from their back catalog.
This talk of gold discs got me to pull out something I haven't looked at in years.
https://www.discogs.com/Rush-The-Big...elease/7954493
Doesn't say it's gold but it looks like it. Can't seem to remember why I actually bought this other than it's Rush. Wasn't cheap and I couldn't watch the video until years after I got it as I didn't have any way to play it. I basically threw money away buying this.
Carry On My Blood-Ejaculating Son - JKL2000
I think the gold disc is supposed to last longer. I recall CDRs by Kodak that were gold, and touted by the manufacturer for it's longevity. Are they? I suppose time will tell.
^^^Yeah, I do remember that as a selling point but I have discs from the '80's that play fine and there's no gold involved there. Supposedly they shouldn't play or so I was told BITD when the gold discs were around.
Carry On My Blood-Ejaculating Son - JKL2000
It's a decent selection on the Cult Classic. But no Bouchards. Are the bass and drums any higher in the mix than the originals?
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I recall hearing circa 88-89 that they figured out that CD's would not "last forever", as they were touted when they first came out, but would eventually "wear out" or whatever. But it was supposed to take decades, if not centuries for it to happen.
Most of my CD's from the 80's that I still have play just fine, at least the ones that I've played recently. The last time I played Frank Zappa's Guitar it played fine, but for the better part of two decades, I had a problem with, I think, disc one where the players I had somehow lost the ability to track it, unless I poured water over the playing surface, then wiped it off completely. I remember having to do that all through the 90's. I don't think I did it the last time I played the disc though.
And my mid 90's EMI remaster of Space Ritual has develoepd a glitch on disc one, and nothing I do seems to fix it, so I may have to buy a new copy of that one.
^ Are you able to make a copy of the disc? Sometimes you can do that and get a clean copy even if it's glitchy.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Read a comment on Youtube that BOC will be opening for Deep Purple next year. A good pairing, would be cool to see. Said it was in Glasgow so I don't know if that bill will hit the U.S. or even if Purple are going to play the U.S. anymore. They've already been here three times on this tour.
Carry On My Blood-Ejaculating Son - JKL2000
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