Peter Gabriel's Catalogue Remastered (FINALLY!) (1 Viewer)

[Mike Broadman]

One thing that looks odd is the live disc. I believe it was a double album, but this new one is one CD and is labeled as "Highlights." What's up with that? I think I ordered it anyway, because I don't have a copy of that at all.

NP: Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, George Szell conducting, SACD

 

[MichaelAW]

KeithH: The remastered "Shaking the Tree" has been out for a while here in Europe. I've seen it a lot here in Sweden. I haven't picked it up, though.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

Yes, the Plays Live discs I saw were all "highlights." It's about 75% of the album. I won't even think about it. My 2 CD set is fine.

Perhaps I will chance it on one of the albums (namely Security) and see if it's mega-compressed. That will determine the value of getting the rest.

EDIT: You know, I'm also kind of disappointed that there are no bonus tracks on any of these when PG has TONS of great B-sides. Although I am of two minds about bonus tracks in general; I like the bonuses, but I don't like how they interfere with the end of an album. You'd think that a "Rarities" CD would be pretty easy to put together, with things like "Soft Dog," "Jezt Komme Die Flud," "Out Out," "Walk Through the Fire," "I Grieve," "In Your Eyes (African Mix)," "Don't Break This Rhythm," "Across the River," "Quiet Steam," and any of the myriad other great tracks he's got floating out there on CD singles and movie soundtracks.

 

[Will_B]

Highlights existed before, mostly in the UK I think. But for those who are used to the 2 disc version, it is unacceptable.

Say, is Secret World Live also being remastered? It already sounds great, but I am curious.

What I heard about DVD-A or SACD from an interview with an engineer at RealWorld was that although they had prepared the mixes, they had no idea which format they would ultimately choose, or when they would choose it. I'm sorry I don't have the link to this article, but I am certain they had not decided. It sounded like they won't be surround mixes, just stereo, though one can hope.

My guess about when they'll decide which format? A few months after they know the sales figures for the remastered CDs!

Myself, I'll wait for the DVDA or SACDs.

 

[Mike Broadman]

What songs are missing on the Highlights disc?

 

[John Geelan]

Peter's greatest hits is known as Shaking The Tree and it also has been remastered.

JohnG

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

So what's the overall verdict on the remasters? I only got "So" (with the 2 Tom Waits records and the new Crooked Fingers and Elf Power, I'm broke this week), and I wasn't blown away like I was with, say, "The Last Waltz" box set.

I'm listening to my older copy of PG's "Third" (melt face) and it doesn't sound that horrible.

And now I need to track down a used copy of the 2-disc PG Plays Live (which I have on a crappy cassette). I can't believe they left out "The Rhythm of the Heat"!

Also, I saw an import copy of the "Rabbit Proof Fence" soundtrack at Amoeba in Hollywood. It was $17.98, methinks.

 

[KeithH]

MichaelAW and John,

I saw both the US and import versions of Shaking the Tree at a store in my area last night. The nice thing for me is that the import version is in a jewel case, which I like. That brings me to a question for the group. Segue...

All,

Does anyone know if the US Peter Gabriel remasters will be released in jewel cases? I don't like digipaks because they wear out like LP covers. Also, I see that the remasters in digipaks have serial numbers. Are we to believe that these will be somewhat limited? Perhaps the digipaks will be available for short period of time and the albums will then be released in jewel cases. I want jewel cases.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

Correction to my earlier post: They are NOT exactly like the DGM mini-gatefolds; they have spines so you can actually read the title. Still, even though the gatefolds are neat-looking and are numbered limited editions, I'm sticking with the jewelboxes (which ARE available).

I got 4 (also known as Security) yesterday because I just had to, you know? It was one of the first-ever full-digital recordings, and you have to think that they weren't quite able to use the technology to its fullest advantage in 1982, so you would think that this album above all the others would be a great candidate for remastering.

(Aside: I was mentioning to my wife in the car after buying it: Isn't it funny how this album was a big deal 20 years ago because it was a full-digital recording, but I can now do a full-digital recording in my spare bedroom?)

While I haven't done an A/B comparison of the new and old CDs yet, I have listened to the old one hundreds of times. On first listen, the new CD sounds pretty darn amazing. I was afraid that the album's wide dynamic range would be compressed; it has not been, to my ears. I noticed a lot of subtle synth and drum parts that I had previously not heard before. Maybe it's just that I haven't heard the album in a while, but I don't think so (it's burned into my brain). I just think it's a clearer mix.

By the way, what's up with remastering Us? This is only a 9-year-old album, and it sounded pretty good then and now. Ditto for So, IMHO. I can understand changing the song order. The old So has a VERY weak ending with "This Is the Picture" trailing off into obscurity as a major anticlimax. Placing "In Your Eyes" at the end fits the PG album-ending pattern much better; the last few albums end with an upbeat, life-affirming feeling ("Kiss of Life," "In Your Eyes," "Secret World"). (I liked the effect so much that I ended my album similarly with the upbeat "Dancing in the Rain.")

NP: Fox Sports Radio (Only because it's the only sports radio station in Richmond. I prefer ESPN's radio network.)

 

[John Geelan]

The PG remasters are available in jewel cases, I have them.
The jewel cases should show up in most stores in the near future.
Probably after they sell off those digi-packs.
JohnG

 

[Ryan Spaight]

The old So has a VERY weak ending with "This Is the Picture" trailing off into obscurity as a major anticlimax.

The original LP had "We Do What We're Told" as the final track, which isn't much better and might be even worse.

Glad to hear of your positive experience with Security.

Ryan

 

[ReggieW]

Here in Los Angeles, at my local Tower records, jewel cases and digipak's are both available. They had all of the jewel cases on sale for 13.99 and the "limited" digipaks for 14.99. I also went with the jewel case for "Passion," especially since it was a little less than its digipak counterpart. The digipaks are numbered/limited, but I'm banking that you'll be seeing them around for a LONG time before they ever come close to being rare. This being said, I saw no advantage to getting the flimsy digipak over the more durable jewel case.

Reg

 

[Ken Seeber]

The small, independent store that I buy from had all of the CDs in jewel cases, which is what I opted for. Yeah, it might be nice to have the limited editions, but I'll stick with the durable versions!

I now have "3" (melting face), "Security," and "So," and I'm pleased with all of them. "3" obviously shows the most improvement because it's older, and I like the new track order on "So." It does seem to flow more smoothly.

I'm hoping to pick up "Us" later this evening.

 

[Mike Broadman]

The "digipaks" (what a weird name) are limited editions.
This probably won't matter since no one here likes them, but if anyone is planning on buying them, please buy them at DGM and support an independant record company that gives its artists ownership rights over their own property.
I personally like these simply because they look cooler. The cover art looks better without the jewel case spines. I don't worry about them wearing down, since I rarely if ever take the cases out of the house, or I can use the cheapo jewel cases that come with blank discs. I also have gatefolds for Iron Maiden and King Crimson, and I really like their look.
I've listened to the first two PG albums in the car, and they sound good to me.
NP: Verdi, Requiem, Ormandy/Phil Orchestra, SACD

 

[Darren H]

I ordered Security and Passion from Amazon today. This has been quite a week for me -- three of my Desert Island Discs have been remastered. Along with the two Gabriel CDs, I also picked up the 25th Anniversary rerelease of Little Feat's live album, Waiting for Columbus, which is now a 2-disc set, featuring 7 or 8 previously unreleased tracks. Highly, highly recommended. If forced to choose, I would probably name it my single favorite album of all time.

I'll post my thoughts here as soon as Security and Passion arrive.

 

[ReggieW]

"Passion" sounds outstanding. I can't compare it to the old disc since I never owned it. The ambience is great when you run this disc using DPL2 (quite a bit of subwoofer activity on this one). I know some "purists" here really loathe DPL2 for music applications, but I must say that it really sounds impressive to ME on my Denon 1802. If there's one album that's crying for a hi-rez multi-channel mix, it's this one.

Reg

 

[KeithH]

Reggie, Ken, and Mike, thanks for the information. I am glad to hear that the Peter Gabriel remasters are available in jewel cases as well. I don't care about the fact that the digipaks are limited. I'll wait for the jewel cases to show up in my area. Let it take awhile because I've been buying CDs like they are going out of style lately.

 

[Michael_T]

I bought all the Peter Gabriel discs in their limited digipak versions at Compact Disc World (all except "Melt" - which they never got in), and upon opening two I found out that the disc and booklet have the catalog numbers of the jewel box versions, and not the digipak versions.
I, like Keith, couldn't care less that the digipak versions are limited, so I returned all the digipaks (except for "Security" since I got limited edition number 00020), and picked up all the remasters in their jewel case versions. (Most of my other limited editions were all in the high 1000 or 2000 limited edition number - Security being number 20 seemed like I should keep it ).
Anyway, since the discs and booklets were exactly the same, I figured what is limited is the crummy digipak with a number on it - which will wear out - and what if the hub on the tray breaks or the tray comes loose (which has happened to other digipaks I own after sitting on the shelf for a few years) you really don't have anything of value, assuming these even become valuable. If the discs or booklets were different in any way other than being in a digipak, I would have kept the digipaks - but they were not so I went for the jewel cases.
And at Compact Disc World - with this weeks sale - the jewel case versions were actually less expensive.

 

[Will_B]

You guys need to feel the freedom of throwing away the jewel case -- it a feeling not unlike streaking!

Seriously, for space reasons I throw away all the jewel cases and slide the artwork and disc (if it not in my player) into sleeves - BagsUnlimited CD Sleeve #SCDDPJ. Freed up tons of space. And no worries if a case gets cracked during mail order, as it is just junk away.

That said, even though I like to save space, for favorite albums like US I would get the digipack. The digipack is still a bit smaller than a CD case, and they look really nice.

That they are numbered doesn't matter, but it was a nice way to let people know that they wouldn't continue to manufacture the digipacks past the initial run.

Remember, most of PG's CD singles were released over the years as digipacks, so this is a nice opportunity to make everything match, if one was so inclined.

I'm seeing the jewel cases everywhere, but the digipacks are few and far between.

 

[Darren H]

I haven't had a chance yet to do any serious side-by-side comparisons, but my initial response to the Security and Passion remasters is very enthusiastic. I would guess that I've listened to these two albums more than any others in my life. As Ange said, they're both burned into my brain. And I definitely heard parts that I had never noticed before -- the best example being the snare and hi-hat buried under the loop on "San Jacinto."

The improvement to Passion doesn't strike me as being quite as dramatic, though it's still worth the purchase. I had always been aware of the ambient noise on track 16, "With This Love - Choir," but now I feel like I'm in the room with them. I can now hear an occasional "creak" -- I assume one of the choir members has shifted slightly, causing the riser to squeak. The wind instruments in track 2, "Gethsemene," also have more character now. My wife and I both heard a "voice" in one of the instruments that we had never noticed before.

Have any of you picked up the first three albums yet? I would imagine that they might possibly show the most dramatic improvement.