Review by Bob
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Quadroephenia [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [SHM-CD] [Limited Release]The WhoTHE ORIGINAL MIX, NON-COMPRESSED
Prior to this, you had to go all the way back to the 1991 Mobile Fidelity edition if you wanted to hear the best audio of the original LP mix. All of the other Quadrophenia releases, and there have been a ton of them, were either remixed and/or were remastered with unacceptable levels of loudness compression (see the 2011 "Deluxe Edition"). But, no more. The overall sound level of this new Japan version is approximately the same as the MFSL, so you won't get the speaker-blasting result like when you cue up the 2011 "Deluxe" edition. So, for Who purists who have been unhappy for over twenty years, the glorious day of finally getting the ultimate edition, of what many (including Townshend) consider to be the best Who album of all time, is finally here. In addition to the original LP booklet replication and the standard Japan lyric sheet, there are also two plates with the original Track vinyl LP Side A/B labels, a nice touch in many SHM releases.
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Chicago Transit Authority (Deluxe Edition) [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [SHM-CD] [Limited Release]ChicagoEXTREMELY UNKEWL ARTWORK MODIFICATION!
Both the mini-sleeve and LP label artwork (on the disc itself) have been changed from the original Columbia art to Rhino trademarks, reflecting the change of catalog rights from Sony to Warner. This is SO not cool, as the entire concept of a mini-sleeve is to flawlessly & faithfully replicate the original LP art. At the very least, this should have been denoted in the ad text, so the customer could have decided if they wanted the bastardized artwork before buying!
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The Kinks [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Kinda Kinks [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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The Kinks Kontroversy [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Face To Face [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Something Else By The Kinks [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Live At Kelvin Hall [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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The Village Green Preservation Society [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Lola Versus Powerman And The Money-Go-Round Part1 [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Percy [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]The KinksTHIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A K2 REMASTER
Despite claims made by BMG Japan, and double-checked by phone by CD Japan, the 10 Kinks titles, BVCM-37970 ("The Kinks") thru BVCM-37979 ("Percy"), released on 9/05/07, are NOT K2 reissues. The masters used for the 2007 BMG's are the 1998 UK Castle remasters, with the exact same Castle expanded tracklists & booklets, which the 2000 K2's did not have.
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Outside [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]David BowieDISAPPOINTING PACKAGE
This mini-sleeve does not replicate the original fabulous and imaginative digipak package. And, the original's fabulous 23-page booklet has been miniaturized into a frustrating five-page affair that requires a magnifying glass to be read. It's a little mystifying why Sony chose to do this, as the Earthling mini-sleeve, in this same 2007 release of the latter five Bowie albums, is a beautiful glossy gatefold package. Why go to that effort for Earthling and not Outside?
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Time Loves A Hero [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [Limited Release]Little FeatNOT THE REMASTER I HAD HOPED FOR
I found the '07 'sleeve mastering to be a major disappointment. Rhino did a pretty good job on their 2000 box set, but the highs were lackluster. On the mini-sleeve of "Time Loves A Hero", the missing highs & clarity are there, but the midrange is severely compromised. All of 'sleeves of the earlier studio albums exhibit the same discrepancy, in varying degrees, when compared against the Rhino set. It's barely noticeable when A/B'ing tracks from the first album, but the midrange deficiency grows progressively more pronounced as you move chronologically thru the catalog. On "Time", it's just glaring. The warm richness of tone on the Rhino is completely missing in the 'sleeve edition. It's like the music is emanating from an FM-band radio with the treble boosted. Yes, they all sound better than the old WB domestic individual CD's, but it's a tepid endorsement I proffer. This is something you usually don't see on the Japanese remasters, so it's an expensive disappointment.
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Black Sabbath [Cardboard Sleeve]Black SabbathNOT THE BEST MASTERING
The U.S. Rhino-mastered "Black Box" has far superior audio to that contained on these versions. The ad text for these mini-sleeves states they have the "latest mastering", but it's the same masters from the earlier release. So, the only reason to buy any of these are the sleeves; if you want the best BS sound, buy the Rhino box set.
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Paranoid [Cardboard Sleeve]Black SabbathNOT THE BEST MASTER
The U.S. Rhino-mastered "Black Box" has far superior audio to that contained on these versions. The ad text for these mini-sleeves states they have the "latest mastering", but it's the same masters from the earlier release. So, the only reason to buy any of these are the sleeves; if you want the best BS sound, buy the Rhino box set.
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Master Of Reality [Cardboard Sleeve]Black SabbathNOT THE BEST MASTERING
The U.S. Rhino-mastered "Black Box" has far superior audio to that contained on these versions. The ad text for these mini-sleeves states they have the "latest mastering", but it's the same masters from the earlier release. So, the only reason to buy any of these are the sleeves; if you want the best BS sound, buy the Rhino box set.
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Black Sabbath Vol.4 [Cardboard Sleeve]Black SabbathNOT THE BEST MASTERING
The U.S. Rhino-mastered "Black Box" has far superior audio to that contained on these versions. The ad text for these mini-sleeves states they have the "latest mastering", but it's the same masters from the earlier release. So, the only reason to buy any of these are the sleeves; if you want the best BS sound, buy the Rhino box set.
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Sabbath Bloody Sabbath [Cardboard Sleeve]Black SabbathNOT THE BEST MASTERING
The U.S. Rhino-mastered "Black Box" has far superior audio to that contained on these versions. The ad text for these mini-sleeves states they have the "latest mastering", but it's the same masters from the earlier release. So, the only reason to buy any of these are the sleeves; if you want the best BS sound, buy the Rhino box set.
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There's the Rub [Limited Release]Wishbone AshNOT THE BEST REMASTERING
The mastering on the 2002 UK box set, "Distillation", is superior to the remastering on the Japan Ash mini-sleeve series. Compare "F*U*B*B" on both releases and you'll hear how the drums, especially the high hat, have much greater clarity.