Atlantic 75 - The Historic Reissue Series from Analogue Productions

[Rudy]

Just a-hammerin' my way through the vinyl offerings in the series (and hopefully not missing any), only Face Value and John Prine are releasing Oct. 6, and all the others are TBA.

I didn't dig deep enough the last time--I noticed the INXS Kick album listed, and The Exciting Wilson Pickett. Won't get these (already have both in high-res), but it's nice to see a wide swath of Atlantic's catalog represented so far.

 

[MikeyFresh]

I've got the first two Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 SACD titles on the way to me, Mingus' Blues & Roots, and Prine's John Prine.

I was surprised that Acoustic Sounds still haven't sorted out a now several month old problem with accepting payments via PayPal. They've described this problem as a technical issue but I have a hard time believing they can't sort out a technical issue surrounding payment processing over 3+ months time (possibly more). I was unable to use PayPal on my last Acoustic Sounds order in mid-June, and also unable again yesterday. I think it more likely they are in some sort of spat with PayPal over rising merchant fees and have suspended the acceptance of payments via PayPal.

 

[airdronian]

I've got the first two Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 SACD titles on the way to me, Mingus' Blues & Roots, and Prine's John Prine.

I was surprised that Acoustic Sounds still haven't sorted out a now several month old problem with accepting payments via PayPal. They've described this problem as a technical issue but I have a hard time believing they can't sort out a technical issue surrounding payment processing over 3+ months time (possibly more). I was unable to use PayPal on my last Acoustic Sounds order in mid-June, and also unable again yesterday. I think it more likely they are in some sort of spat with PayPal over rising merchant fees and have suspended the acceptance of payments via PayPal.

I just ordered from them recently, same thing. Had to use a regular CC. I'd wager you're right, this wouldn't be a technical issue after this amount of time.

 

[Rudy]

PayPal's payment system can be a bear to work with from the developer side, as they will change APIs and that will cripple/disable the functionality on sites it is embedded in. Even something as simple as an embedded "Buy" button on a small site has flaked out from time to time.

I'm glad I'm out of development now. I'm over it.

 

[Rudy]

I preordered Face Value from Music Direct but got no shipping notice. Just checked the order. "Backordered? " Interesting.

I bought it at Music Direct to get free shipping, as I only want one title. I am wondering if Acoustic Sounds is not shipping these to distributors for a few weeks like they do their other titles.

 

[Rudy]

Keep in mind that what a boutique label reissues is only what they are allowed to license. I know Jimmy Page isn't about to let anyone release anything other than his last 24/96 Led Zep masterings, and there may be a contractual reason Aretha Franklin won't be reissued either. Labels are very fickle, and when you mix that with artist contracts, it's quite a mess. That is why Chad even says in the video that some titles may change in the future.

Personally I am doubting whether the Genesis titles will ever be released--when the group (presumably with a lot of input from Tony Banks) had Nick Davis remix and master the entire catalog, their intention was that the new remixes were supposed to be the only officially available versions out there. If Chad has to butt heads with Genesis' management or Tony Banks to try to release the originals, then it may ultimately never happen. And since those remixes were done digitally, Chad won't touch them anyway--if he can't get access to an original analog master, in most cases he'll pass on the title.

I also know Chad has thrown a lot of money at labels to release things that he can reissue, but is often stonewalled. Even a re-release of a former Analogue Productions title can be tough to negotiate--I know as one example, he was trying to get Fantasy to allow him to do another run of the 18-disc Bill Evans 45 RPM box but they weren't responding.

Sony flat out won't let their masters out of their studios anymore, which is why MoFi sends their equipment and engineers with a DSD setup to record the master, and then release their titles. Since Sony Legacy owns Columbia and BMG (RCA et al.), all those recordings are hands off now for all of the AAA vinyl reissue labels.

Chad loves all kinds of music, and I can bet he's as big an Aretha fan as many fans are. But if he can't get the label or the artist to release the masters, his hands are tied. That's what it boils down to, and that's the same issue that all boutique audiophile labels deal with.

 

[Rudy]

For now it looks like Chad.and the gang at AP have passed on Phil Collins' second smash' No Jacket Required'. That won Grammy best album and was the commercial peak for Phil or the band.

In hindsight, Phil's first two records were quite good (AP is reissuing both), yet when I listen to No Jacket these days, it sounds very dated in comparison to the others and honestly, never sounded all that good either. (As the US wasn't yet doing simultaneous CD releases, I had to get my copy as an import when it came out.) I did get recent remasters of those first two LPs but they sound a bit harsh and sterile, and I'd bet they were from digital masters.

I get the feeling that Jimmy Page probably doesn't care enough anymore to license out any further reissues. Then again, you never know. If anything, I would bet that AP got ahold of the masters, they would do them as UHQRs.

I am surprised Jean-Luc Ponty didn't have at least one title in the series--Cosmic Messenger and Enigmatic Ocean would have been two perfect titles. There were some other big sellers on the label that aren't represented, but I think AP was going more for good sound quality and/or historical significance.

 

[Rudy]

Updated release schedule for the rest of the year.

November 3
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
Dr. John - In The Right Place
Foreigner - Foreigner

December 8
Bad Company - Bad Company
Phil Collins - Hello, I Must Be Going!
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

I might get Selling England as it's the one Peter-era Genesis title I can listen to all the way through. The Phil title is on my must-buy list.

Still waiting for other retailers to get the Atlantic vinyl--my Music Direct order is still hanging out there unshipped. As expected, Acoustic Sounds takes a few weeks of exclusivity before they start shipping to competitors. I'm not paying AS's shipping fee, though, just for one title. I may decide to cancel the MD order and add Selling England to an AS order with Face Value so I can get both and avoid shipping fees. I just have to arrange for someone to be around to get the order as I'll probably be on the road when it arrives.

 

[Rudy]

Chad also answers some of the questions about the Atlantic 75, including a mention of some of the artists not being represented in the series. (In essence, many of those were originally only licensed to Atlantic--they did not own or have control of the masters, and those have reverted back to the artists or other record labels.)

 

[MikeyFresh]

 

[Fran604g]

I was thinking this would be easy to pass on. Except for the Yes albums. Maybe Deja Vu. Otis Redding ? 🤔

YES. Carousing the titles is dangerous. I'd have to leverage the equity in my paid-off house (which took my entire adulthood to finally achieve), because first and foremost I'd need a much better TT, cart and SUT setup. Then I come across a Robin Trower release. I can see how it would be pretty easy to spend way too much money on these.

 

[MikeyFresh]

2024 update

 

[Rudy]

Not too much of interest for me--the 2024 schedule is nearly a nothingburger. Possibly Trick of the Tail, and I considered the INXS until he said it was from a tape copy (the Phil Collins Face Value is...not so good, the Dolby tape copy lacking the dynamics of the original Virgin CD release in 1983). Abacab is not until 2025, and same with the Wilson Pickett. Not quite sold on the Dr. John as they weren't that well recorded to begin with--In the Right Place sounds muddy even in high-res, and I'd have to give Gumbo a few more plays to see if I'd want more than high-res.

 

[Punker X]

I'm turned off by the 45rpm aspect of the entire thing.

 

[MikeyFresh]

I'm only in on the SACDs, which unfortunately are being released at a relative snail's pace due to the closure of most SACD pressing plants around the world. I'm guessing these Atlantic 75 discs are pressed in Germany or Austria, however they have no obvious country of manufacture stated on the packaging.

In terms of the music, that's always going to be a personal preference thing, and if I like the music I don't actually care if the original recording isn't super top notch, I'll still buy it if I don't already have a good sounding version of it except in some cases where they are admitting they don't have the original master. On those I'm a little bit more cautious, and might wait for some positive reviews of it before committing.

Chad seems to be resigned to the fact he can't speed the release of the SACDs, in the YouTube comments Acoustic Sounds says as much. I'm hoping maybe he can someday buy the tooling needed to press his own SACDs, just as he has with vinyl. You'd think he could approach Sony and buy the production equipment at a shuttered DADC facility (such as the one in Terre Haute) for a reasonable price, but I'm probably over simplifying what that truly involves.

If the pace stays where it is now, it will take over 6 years for Acoustic Sounds to release these Atlantic 75 SACDs.

 

[Rudy]

If it's a marginal title, I'd opt for the SACD. On a related note, for the very few MoFi titles that interest me, I figure the SACD is essentially a direct result of what they're sourcing for the records anyway, so why pay the vinyl tax anymore? My digital setup is at the point where I'm starting to prefer it over vinyl in many cases.

I'm all in on 45 RPM though--much better sound, more dynamic, not as pinched. Don't mind the side breaks. The only thing I don't like is the cost, which is limiting what I pick from this series.

I just wish Chad would stop it with the "tape copies." Aja was questionable, and Face Value certainly doesn't stand up to the original CD in terms of dynamics. To me, everything lost its impact and everything sounds kind of "slurred." (I'll blame the Dolby on the tape copy for that. Seriously, Chad??) The quieter tracks work well on Face Value, but that "lightning bolt" moment when the drums appear in "In the Air Tonight" is gone.

 

[MikeyFresh]

Face Value certainly doesn't stand up to the original CD in terms of dynamics. To me, everything lost its impact and everything sounds kind of "slurred." (I'll blame the Dolby on the tape copy for that. Seriously, Chad??) The quieter tracks work well on Face Value, but that "lightning bolt" moment when the drums appear in "In the Air Tonight" is gone.

I wonder what became of the original tape, was it lost or did it just deteriorate beyond restoration?

They did have it out as early as 1993 for the Atlantic 24 kt. gold collectors edition CD release, said to be from the original master tape, by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound. I have that one and it is excellent, so I'm not missing the fact they aren't doing an SACD for that title, especially since the tape source is questionable.

 

[Rudy]

I wonder what became of the original tape, was it lost or did it just deteriorate beyond restoration?

It could be that Collins will only license a copy to labels at this point, especially since there's also a limitation on how long AP can press copies of it (only until the end of 2024). I'd rather just skip doing a record if I couldn't get a proper original master of it, rather than going for the buck.

 

[MikeyFresh]