Review by Freddo

I find these plastic covers are just the right size to protect CDs that come in digi-packs. They are probably good for CDs in slim plastic cases, but they are too small for regular plastic CD cases.

I've used these for a few years now and though they are designed for Japanese mini-LPs, I find I like to use them on regular plastic cd cases with edtions of cds that have a paper or cardboard cover. Nice way to protect them. For digi-packs, however, the Nagaoka plastic covers in the pink package are a better fit.

I bought this based on the previous reviewer's recommendation, and after listening to the album, I plan to order the other 3 in this series' release. I already bought "Sad Wings of Destiny" and "Best of...", featuring K2 HD remastering, in Japan years ago, but this latest remastering sounds so good, that I am willing to buy them again. "Hero Hero" was one of the albums I grew up listening to, so it is a must-buy item for me as well. A definitive CD version of a classic Judas Priest album-well done, to those involved in making this edition.

Another fantastic collectors' edition from the good folks in Japan. The Who are my favourite band, and I am so happy to see these albums released with such meticulous attention to detail, both sonic and visual. The mono mix sounds a bit harsh, but it's true to the original, according the the liner notes on Kit Lambert's production. Still, I love it. The stereo version sounds closer to the version I am used to, only more so! That's the beauty of the 24-bit remastering of this set (and the last). Expensive, but worth every yen to a Who fan. I am eagerly awaiting to order "The Who Sell Out", especially if it will be made into a similar collection. Let's see some of these kinds of editions from the Beatles' catalogue too.

Great album. The remastering sounds great and the music is very good too. I love Motorhead's punk/rock/metal sound, and I find it great to hear the classic rock n' roll backbeat on such heavy music. Favourite songs are 'Rock n' Roll', 'Eat the Rich', and 'Stone Deaf in the USA'. I like all the Motorhead releases in this series and recommend them all.

This is a very good live album. I prefer the studio releases from Dire Straits, but in a live setting, Mark Knopfler demonstrates further what a gifted guitarist he is. I first bought this on lp back in 1984 and spent many hours enjoying the music and audience response (never having been to a concert at my age). Like previous cd releases (and unlike the original lp), this one also includes the song, 'Love Over Gold', though it doesn't show on the track listing. The track listing on the album cover is correct, per the lp sleeve reproduction, albeit slightly inaccurate for the cd version, the second song actually being 'Espresso Love'. The correct song order, however, is shown in the "aLCHEMY" booklet inside. In response to the request to review the packaging: It is a faithful reproduction of the original LP. It sports the gatefold cover of the original, and has 2 paper inserts with an image of the record label and songs plus the copy number (the other cds also contain these inserts). I think all the Dire Straits cds in this release have very good sound, and I recommend them all to fans.

I didn't really care for 'Calling Elvis' when it first was released, but it has grown on me. This album marks Mark's move to a rootsier sound, I think. I don't think that was a mistep, but I do prefer some of his more, for lack of a better word, progressive sound. I missed Pick Wither's drums on this album and 'Brothers in Arms'. I find I don't notice the drums like I did on the first 4 lps and ep, and found Wither's drumming added more to the music than did any of the drummers on these last 2 studio albums. Though the rockers, 'The Bug' and 'Heavy Fuel', on this album are pretty good, the standout tracks for me are the slower meditative ones: 'On Every Street', 'Planet of New Orleans', and 'You and Your Friend'. I also like the folkier 'Iron Hand', which carries the theme of of war and oppression from 'Brothers in Arms' and 'Ride Across the River' into this last collection. Great sound on SHM-cd, and the remastering renders all instruments clear and distinct.

This is my favourite Dire Straits album. I love the epic 'Telegraph Road' and also the amazing crash of the electric guitar in the mostly subdued 'Private Investigations'. Mark Knopfler always struck me as being a composer of his solos, as they are so melodic and have a kind of musical progression to them-they never seem like filler. This album has plenty of his superb playing, and the remastering is great. I recommend this one heartily. I only wish there were 4 bonus tracks included on this: 'Twisting by the Pool', 'Badges, Posters, Stickers, and T-shirts', Two Young Lovers', and 'If I had You'. That would have made this a 6-star release, in my estimation.

Despite the dated sound (that can't be helped), I love this album. The remastering has been done as well as possible, and all the songs are killer with no filler. I love the Bo Diddley beat and his chunky guitar style, and this album has plenty of both. Highly recommended. I look forward to more releases from the Chess Records archive, from such greats as Chuck Berry, Little Walter, and Muddy Waters. Too bad that 'Bo Diddley in the Spotlight' wasn't part of this re-issue series, but maybe we'll see that soon.

4 1/2 stars, really. I think 'Les Boys' is a bit of a throwaway and sounds like a leftover from "Communique". Other than that, I absolutely love this album. When I was a teenager, first listening to Chez 106 in Ottawa, 'Tunnel of Love' was one of the first songs that caught my ear. I loved it. Subsequently, after buying "Making Movies", I fell in love with Dire Straits. Every song on this album is great, each one (excepting 'Les Boys') a bonafide classic. The mastering has been done well and the clarity of the instruments is very good. I wish these re-issues contained a few bonus tracks, but they are still great buys as they are.

Thank you. Ever since the first Dire Straits cds came out about 20 years ago in Canada, we have had to suffer having the ending of "Sultans of Swing" fade out sooner than on the LP version. Finally someone got it right and kept the length of the song intact. I have yet to listen to the rest of the album, buy I have to tell you that just listening to the aforementioned song was a pleasure. The sound is full, clean, and the separation of instruments is as clear as can be done in the cd format. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the songs and albums from one of my all-time favourite bands. By the way, does anyone know why the EP, 'Twisting by the Pool' has never been released on CD? This would have made a great addition to this SHM-CD set, not to mention a great box set.

Like the first album, the sound on Communique is great. I compared it to my first-generation cd from years ago, and the sound on the SHM-CD is much clearer. Again, the separation and fullness of the instruments is superb. I am also pleased that the envelope on the cardboard sleeve is embossed, just like on the original LP (I once passed up buying a Simply Vinyl re-issue merely because it lacked this little touch of authenticity). As for my 4-star rating, I docked it 1 star because it isn't as strong an album as their first one, to which I tend to compare this. Still, there are strong songs on this album ('Lady Writer' and 'News'), and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Dire Straits' other albums.

Well done. The mastering on this release is very good, and it's fuller, i.e. instruments sound more real, than the previous cd I had. Musically, this is a fun album. I first bought in in grade 7 or 8, around the time I first started listening to rock radio, so it brings back a lot of memories. I look forward to hearing more cardboard sleeve cds from J. Geils (though only if the Cdn $ improves against the yen) in addition to 'Sanctuary' and 'Love Stinks'.

I first played this cd on my little bedroom stereo, which is certainly not an audiophile-grade system. I was, nonetheless, immediately smiling when I heard the great sound coming from "Tore down a la Rimbaud". Fantastic mastering job on this! I wish all SHM-cds were remastered as well as these Van Morrison releases, in fact. It sounds even more impressive on my Marantz system, so much so that I have ordered all the other Van Morrison SHM-cds. I deserve a good boot in the arse, however, for missing out on "Tupelo Honey", "It's too Late to Stop Now", and "Into the Music". Keep 'em coming (more like this please).

Great album. I love the title track and the sound of this cd is very good too. I only had Traffic's "Mr. Fantasy" album prior to ordering this latest batch of SHM cds, and I am pleased with my purchases. Traffic is a jam-based group, and they do well at it because they are all such good and inventive musicians. I am impressed with Steve Winwood's keyboard playing, of course. It is an ongoing treat to finally listen to music I have long been curious to hear, but have refrained from buying as I lost trust in North American companies' "quality" of product (with a few exceptions, like Rhino). Neat album artwork too-good work!

I have the Rhino special edition of this album, and I find that one to have more treble and separation of instruments, especially the guitar. When I compare the the SHM CD release to the Rhino version, I find the former to sound a bit muddy. This may merely be a matter of preference, as the mid-range and bass does seem more pronounced in this latest release, whereas I prefer less midrange and more treble. Still, that's my only complaint, as overall the SHM cd is a decent re-issue and the cardboard sleeve has been reproduced nicely.

I am new to Paul Weller's music but I had to say I was pleasantly surprised by this album. The songs are covers, but he sings them with a lot of soul, really making them his own. When the first song started, I thought the lyrics were quite mundane, for Paul Weller, anyhow, but then I realized it was a cover song. The cardboard sleeve is well-done, the sound is good as well. The only strange thing I find with some of the SHM-CD releases is that some cds have a card indicating which # the cd is in its limited series, but other cds have no such card. It's not a big deal for me, but it is inconsistent. Anyhow, I am enjoying this and other Paul Weller and The Jam cds. Looking forward to hearing more Style Council next week.

Fantastic. I already own most of the North American cardboard sleeves from a few years back, so I wasn't going to buy this new collection. After reading the glowing reviews of it, however, I decided to take a chance on it and ordered it. I am glad I did. Immediately upon putting Houses of the Holy in my cd player, I was struck by the depth of the sound coming from my speakers. This was without comparing it to the previous versions of this album, so I knew there was something special about this version. With other SHM-cds, I have been less impressed, but I fully recommend this set. I just finished listening to CODA-I love that there are extra tracks on this album-and that is another bonus and reason to get this set. Thanks for going beyond my expectations with this release. If only North American record companies could produce packages with such high quality, there might not be such a slump in CD sales over here. I think I will be buying a second copy of this set, for a Christmas present. Thank you, Warner Music Japan.

I love this set! All the 45, EP, and LP covers are delight to look over, and the 24-bit remastering sounds great. I managed to find all the recent 24-bit Who cardboard sleeves last March, while I was visiting Japan, and I was struck by just how good the music sounded. I have the SACD version of this album-and I will always say SACD sounds the most realistic and 3-dimensional of all the digital versions-but this version sounds as good as a cd can. I am looking forward to "A Quick One" in September, along with future releases. Then I think, "Wait a minute. If they can release Who collector sets like this, then there are also The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, and many other 60s bands that had a multidtude or record covers in their day-this could get expensive!" Still, this album is a great one, and I am enjoying it a lot. Highly recommended.

I bought this LP back in 1984 and was snickered at by some school mates for having such an old album under my arm. It took some getting used to but I enjoyed this album quite a lot. Now, years later, I am reliving it. Another reviewer said the bass seems to be missing somewhat in these K2 remasters, and I would have to agree. Though they sound better than most cds, perhaps it is a bit compressed. Anyhow, the bass is considerably more in the background than on Archive 24-bit remasters, which suprised me with their full sound (Nazareth, Triumph). Still, I like this cd and am happy with the quality of the cardboard sleeve and music. I especially like the keyboard on "One More Rainy Day", as it's a very pleasant-sounding riff. "Hush", of course, is a classic.