Jethro Tull 5.1 ("Broadsword & The Beast" box set with Steven Wilson 5.1 mixes out in September 2023!)

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Yes, thank you for the heads up. I placed my order through ImportCDs as well...for that price, I don't feel like I'm getting taken...tooo much anyway ;)
 
My pleasure, always happy to help when I can. I urge anyone that has it pre-ordered with ImportCDs to give them a call on their toll-free number and see if they honor the lower price. It is too close to the release date to email. Have your order number handy when you call and please be polite. I have never made such a request with them, but what can it hurt to ask? I have heard the word "No" all my life, but I still keep asking.
 
$73.79... wow. They did cancel my recent order for a Japan Fleetwood Mac Rumours SACD after raising the price, so could happen with this too.
 
My pleasure, always happy to help when I can. I urge anyone that has it pre-ordered with ImportCDs to give them a call on their toll-free number and see if they honor the lower price. It is too close to the release date to email. Have your order number handy when you call and please be polite. I have never made such a request with them, but what can it hurt to ask? I have heard the word "No" all my life, but I still keep asking.

Why not cancel and reorder?

Just ordered mine, With $5.72 in Califonia tax on top it was $82 and change...
 
My initial perception was not to be immersed in this uber-super-duper-deluxe limited edition boxset, but I couldn't resist at this price.

Import CDs $73.79 + plus shipping to NZ = $80.78 USD... or $104.70 NZD!!!
 
Hello, I'll gladly purchase the Blu-Ray disc from this set at a very fair price from anyone interested. From the "It doesn't Hurt To Ask" file! Thanks.
 
http://jethrotull.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1518&page=2#22666
Well, here we go. On the eve of the fine release of the Aqualung special super mega anniversary limited expanded edition we have the responses to the questions we posed to Mr Wilson at the end of July......

1) On first inspecting the Aqualung tapes (16 track for Island and Morgan, 8 track for the Sound Techniques sessions?) what sort of condition were they in and did they need baking?

Actually this is a job done by the professional tape transfer guys at Abbey Road, I just get the digitally transferred multis on a hard disk drive, not very romantic that is it? (-; But I'm almost certain that they would have had to bake the tapes before making the transfer. The audio came across in pretty good shape, at least better than the original mix would have led me to believe - I hope people will find more sonic clarity and punch in the new mix.

2) How many takes generally did Tull need to get a song right and were there any songs in particular that went through a high number of takes before settling on the master take? Did the songs evolve much from take 1 through to the master or was the structure of a particular song already clear from take 1?

For most songs there was only one take was on the reels - it's possible that there were other session reels that no longer exist, but on the other hand Ian told me that he had a personal habit of always wanting to capture a spontaneous feel by only doing one take. There were a few additional takes of the acoustic pieces like Slipstream and Wond'ring Aloud, but even then it was usually the first take that Ian chose to overdub for the master, presumably for the same reason.

3) Did you discover any unreleased songs or fragments on the multi-tracks? If so what were they like?

One unreleased song called Pancake Doomsday, but it was only a studio run through without overdubs or vocals, so it has not been selected for inclusion on the reissue. There are some other alternate takes. An early version of Up the 'Pool, which is closer in feel to the short acoustic pieces on Aqualung (that one is included on the reissue).

4) What did you discover on the April/June 1970 tapes recorded at Morgan studios? How many songs did Glenn Cornick actually play on and were any of these early versions used on the final album? Has the April '70 version of My God survived?

Yes the Morgan studio version of My God has survived and it's terrific - I think one of the best unreleased out-takes I've come across from this era. It runs about 9 minutes and has a very different middle section to the released version. A 5.1 mix of that one is also included on the reissue. The other significant inclusion from Morgan is the complete 7 minute version of Wond'ring Aloud Again - if you ever wondered why the released version of Wond'ring Again on Living in the Past seems to start mid song before reprising Wond'ring Aloud at the end, then maybe now it will make sense!

5) Both John Evans and Jeffrey Hammond have indicated in various interviews that the Aqualung was effectively recorded twice - once in December 1970 and again in February 1971 however a contemporary report in NME around March '71 indicates that only 3 songs were re-recorded in February to bring them into line with how they were being played live during the Jan/Feb '71 European tour. What did the tape boxes reveal concerning recording dates etc?

If this is the case then it seems strange that we have only one version of most of the album tracks. There are earlier takes of Wond’ring Aloud, My God, Locomotive Breath, and Wind Up, but that's all. Maybe other session reels have gone missing.
<update> EMI went through all the available material and only transferred what was deemed viable.

6) Regarding sound quality, there has always been a very noticeable drop in quality on the released version of My God when the monk-like chanting is heard. I guess this is down to using reduction mixes to layer Ian's multiple vocal parts. Did the various multi-tracks exist to allow you to unravel all of these vocal parts and the remix to be made from first generation sources?

Yes, that is exactly what we have done - hopefully you will find the sonic clarity of this section much improved.

7) Was there any interesting between takes chatter found on the multi-tracks like that on the Beatles multi-tracks? Any evidence of the Led Zeppelin guys in the control room?

Actually not too much, at least compared to a lot of the multitrack masters I've remixed from this era. Usually you get studio chatter between takes, but on these tapes there aren't a lot of takes. However, there is a funny false start with chat included at the start of the 1970 Morgan Studio version of My God

8) Did you listen to the Quadraphonic mix before you started mixing in 5.1? If so, how much influence did the Quad mix have on your own mix?

I didn't hear the quad mix before I did mine - I wanted to approach the 5.1 mix without any preconceptions on how it should be done, and just trust my instinct. But I have listened to it now, and it's kind of odd - lots of reverb added to everything, and not much attempt to make it match the stereo mix (eg, no attempt to recreate the megaphone effect on the voice in the middle of Aqualung). Mine is super faithful to the original mix in terms of EQ, reverbs, instrument balance..etc..

9) Are there any other Tull albums that you would be keen to work on in a similar way as has been done with Aqualung? It’s the 40th anniversary of Thick As A Brick next year, have you been approached about this?

I would love to do Thick as a Brick, A Passion Play, and Songs From the Wood especially. TAAB has been discussed, but it's early days - first the masters have to be located, and second I think everyone will be waiting to see how well the Aqualung reissue is received before committing to doing any more.

10) What’s the latest news regarding the audio format to be used for the release? (you may be aware of a petition being sent to EMI to give us DVD-A content, not just DVD-V).

I can't say too much about that - but fingers crossed!

<update> well, now we know!

Read more: http://jethrotull.proboards.com/ind...eneral&thread=1518&page=2#22666#ixzz1bvc6hB6k
 
After I read that there would be unreleased versions and even 4 new songs, I did some research.

The Blu Ray has 61 tracks on it, all in either DTS-MA or 24/96 PCM stereo. The list of tracks on the CDs, DVD and vinyl LP are here if you want to get exact info.

http://www.j-tull.com/discography/aqualungcollectors/index.html#bluraytrack

Consider the contents of the Blu Ray disc:

Steve Wilson's new 5.1 mix
original quad release mix
original stereo release mix 24/96
Steve Wilson's new stereo mix 24/96
5 alternate versions (as opposed to alternate mixes) of the original LP's songs 24/96
7 new songs, not on the original LP (though 3 had been previously released)

I think that the Blu Ray disc alone is worth my $105 from Amazon, so I ordered today.

Steven
 
I like the records instead of marbles approach. Hope the price goes down at either Best Buy or bn.com since those should be the quickest/easiest/most dependable sources.

It makes about 8 days to get anything from Amazon with all the SmartPost delays.... though it's been slightly faster lately.

Hopefully there will be no need to keep the dolby quad reel since selling that may just pay the bill for this box set.
 
The Aussie dollar is doing well against the green back so much so that its made me push the button again.:howl#*!. $77Aus (delivered). A preorder from ImportCD. Many thanks to the Byrdman for the heads up.
 
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I'm guessing there may be some Blu-ray discs on sale next week as some of us are buying this only for the DVD part.

I'd like to reserve one. Would save me some money. Though I guess the going price is $40 plus isn't it?
 
Hello. So, I bit on the ImportCDs.com offer, due to the excellent price. I am ONLY interested in the Blu-Ray; I will gladly part with the rest of the box, completely untouched and intact, FOR A SONG! Live in Chicago area. Thanks.
 
Add my name to the "interested in the BluRay only" if any one ends up with one they don't need :)
 
If the DVD is a 24/96 as advertised, I am planning on just Ebaying the rest of it, including the Blu- ray. I am guessing others may do the same.
On the DVD the surround version choices are lossy dts or even lossier dolby digital. So, you may want that Blu-ray.
 
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