So I didn’t run out the door to buy the remastered anniversary sets. At the time, I didn’t have the cash. I’m interested in everything from Chronic Town to NAIHF. Is it possible to still get the box sets for any of these? Automatic would be my first buy, but I have a terrible sinking feeling that’s likely sold out. Same with Out Of Time.Basically every heirloom box as far as Up. Any info floating around? How good are the extra goodies? Do they cost the earth?
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It depends on where you buy your music from as far as their availability. If all else fails, you can always turn to Discogs. As far as pricing, I’m not sure what you’re going to run into. I received most as gifts so I’m not sure what each of them have cost off the top of my head. I do know that Chronic Town and New Adventures in Hi-Fi were the first of the anniversary editions to not include any previously unreleased material. Concord/Bicycle handles the WB catalog as they acquired it a few years ago. I’m not sure who handles the I.R.S. era catalog. I have all of them but those two. Part of the reason is because there was nothing new. Also, because in my current living situation I have no space. In the plus column, the packaging has mostly been well done with extensive liner notes and the like. I can’t speak to Chronic Town as I haven’t seen it. I do know I was not fond of the big, bold, white blocky text that was added to the cover. I also know Mitch Easter contributed to the liner notes but that’s about it. I’m hoping the 25th anniversary edition of Up is back on track as far as previously unreleased material even if I have to pass on it as well.
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Chronic Town - you can find the CD on Amazon for like $12. To my ear, it sounds good. Its just nice having it on CD. Not too fond of what they did to the album cover. The liner notes are a plus.
Green- I missed out on that one but I wasn’t exactly impressed with that release. I did eventually get the vinyl for under $20 on Amazon a few years back. It sounds nice but didnt wow me any.The CD set looked to only have the Tour Film live tracks but those looked to be edited down so it wasn’t worth collecting, since I already had that show in full.
Out of Time - the official store has the 3CD+ Bluray set for $55. I’d say that one is worth having for the extras. The album remastered just sounds louder. Making some elements come through a bit clearer. The vinyl I had gotten on the cheap from Amazon. It sounds pretty good but nothing spectacular.
Automatic - The CD/bluray set is going for some crazy prices now.That one is worth owning. The bluray has the album in Dolby Atmos and it sounds great.The music videos look to be in HD. The demos and outtakes disc is almost like a new album to me. The HUGE photo book is cool to have if you were ever into photographs of the band or wanted to see more of the artwork from the album’s liner notes. The vinyl sounds good but its nothing amazing. The bluray is definitely the best experience.
Monster- The CD/bluray bundle is going for $64 on Amazon. $80 on the official store.
Thats one I’d say is also worthwhile if you are a big fan of Monster.The demos/outtakes disc is literally like having a new album. Some of those tracks did eventually end up as complete songs, so some sound familiar. The bluray just recycles the 5.1 mix from the DVD-A release. The bluray does include Road Movie in a new audio mix, so that was a nice surprise. The remixes disc is unique to have just to be able to listen to what the producer wanted the album to sound like. I got the 2LP vinyl set and the 1LP release just to have it packaged in the original artwork. Again, nothing outstanding in terms of sound. Its just nice to have.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi- The 2CD/Bluray… I mean I like it enough. Its very disappointing that theres like an entire set of demos/outtakes that could have been on a disc. I had high hopes the album would be in Dolby Atmos on the bluray but its just the recycled audio mix from the DVD-A. It was nice seeing the full version of the EPK. I was a bit pissed off that the poster and postcards was only on the 2CD set. Seemed wrong to not have those included with the large booklet of the 2CD/bluray set.
The big highlight is the vinyl. The album sounds great. Compared to the CD which is just louder but not better, probably sounds even worse than the original 1996 CD. So the vinyl is definitely the must-have item from that anniversary edition.
Around the Sun - I got the white variant. This sounds a bit closer to what the DVD-A version sounded like. Various elements stand out now compared to being kind of muffled i the background like on the CD release. Certain tracks sound pretty damn cool to my ears. The electric guitar part on The Outsiders stands out and makes it a more energetic sounding song. High Speed Train is one that had me give it 4 listens in a row. The drums and instrumentation now sounds like a march. The song has a lot of mmmpphh to it now. Definitely recommend this release if you ever enjoyed Around the Sun.
Collapse into Now- This release sounds a lot better than the 2011 CD release . The CD always came across a bit dull to me, as did the digital release.
You definitely hear a bit more detail that gives new life to each track. Bass is much clearer and has a bit more of a punch to it. Piano is more distinct. Cymbals are a lot more noticeable. . Trumpet, trombone, and horn arrangements sound a lot less muddled. I can actually hear Mike Mills coming through clear on ‘That Someone Is You’.
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