Rush - A Farewell to Kings 40th anniversary box set (Steven Wilson 5.1 mix included)

marpow said:

You guys got me all fired up, but so expensive, The Rush site says:
40th Anniversary will be available to fans in four distinct configurations including (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) three-CD Deluxe Edition, (3) four-LP Deluxe Edition, and (4) the Deluxe Digital Edition.

Any info on #4 the Deluxe Digital Edition?
Sure would be nice to spend less and get the Blu Ray.

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It does say this on the Rush website:

The fourth configuration, the Deluxe Digital Edition, will feature the original album as disc 1, the complete Hammersmith concert unedited as disc 2, and the four covers songs plus the “Cygnus X-2 Eh” outtake as disc 3.

I was hoping too that this edition might be all bar the vinyl, but unfortunately not.

Edit - this also from the Rush website:

A Farewell to Kings—40th Anniversary second configuration will be released in a three-CD Deluxe Edition, with the newly reasserted A Farewell to Kings album, the Hammersmith Odeon show, the four new cover songs, “Cygnus X-2 Eh” outtake, Hugh Syme’s song-specific artwork and Rob Bowman’s liner notes.

So what's the difference between the 3 cd set and the deluxe digital edition

Frogmort said:

But wait! That's not all! Yes, you also get a special 12-inch turntable mat featuring distinctive artwork by Hugh Syme!

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It looks like it says "AG REGUM VALE" What the hell does that mean?

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It actually means in Latin "included in a super expensive boxset, not to be sold separately" :friday:

colsky said:

So what's the difference between the 3 cd set and the deluxe digital edition

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In the industry, "digital" means "download and streaming." They never market physical digital editions as "digital." So, there's the 3-CD physical edition and then the download/streaming edition of the same material as confirmed by your post.

"Earlier this year, I was asked by RUSH to remix their classic 1977 album "A Farewell to Kings" into 5.1 surround sound for its 40th anniversary, and it now appears on Blu-ray as part of a deluxe box set that also includes 3CDs and 4 vinyl LPs to be released on 1st December. The remix was done with feedback and final approval from Alex Lifeson. I also made stereo and 5.1 mixes of a 4 minute instrumental sequence found on the original tapes. This is basically a longer alternate version of the electronic music used at the start of Cygnus X-1, so not a new Rush song as such, more a piece of sound design, but hopefully interesting to hear if you're a fan of the album."

I had forgotten that Alex was on FOABP, so in my minds eye I could see Steve playing his remixes while in studio of ELP, ect. and Alex saying ya that is cool, get me some of that!
So maybe it did stick when I told him (Alex) that the compression on the sector sets was so bad that I could barley listen to them.
Thinking back to our conversations, he asked for recommendations on surround gear and I told him that OPPO was the way to go and that I was a vintage gear guy but there is plenty of HT gear to hook the OPPO up to. He literally knew nothing about surround.

QB and I did a couple of conference calls with him at the time about the Gamble Blue board.
I for one would love to see Steve remix the whole smash! But the cost would equal an Oppo 205.:yikes

Now we just need Jeff Lynne to hook up with Steve!

Oh well I needed a new record mat for the Denon any way.

HOLD IT!!!!!

I MISSED SOMETHING HERE!!!!!!!

IT'S A STEVEN WILSON REMIX!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in SAVINGS MODE!!!!! WHY DO THEY DO THIS TO ME????????

well , I guess a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do (thanks John!)

OK, who has the best price?

kap'n krunch said:

OK, who has the best price?

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Right now Bull Moose has it for $129.97 which is $20 cheaper than Amazon. It isn't listed yet at some of the other usual places like Import CDs and Deep Discount.

kap'n krunch said:

HOLD IT!!!!!

I MISSED SOMETHING HERE!!!!!!!

IT'S A STEVEN WILSON REMIX!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in SAVINGS MODE!!!!! WHY DO THEY DO THIS TO ME????????

well , I guess a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do (thanks John!)

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I love it! More excitement for this release. I know Kap, I know. I ordered last night from The Moose...I said, "Forget The Moose"... classic scene from the movie Arthur.... just sayin'

Yes, and The Moose is cheapest in the US, I guess I have no clue what sort of damage they would do for shipping outside of the US.
Surely Amazon UK will list it soon enough, though they tend to be slow to the gate. Seems like Smoldering Barn should list it as well.... :banana:

There is another point I would like to add, which is this:

If the Blu-Ray is only to be sold as part of the box set, fine. That's just the way it is. We're used to that release strategy...
However, what they could have done is added more content to the Blu-Ray than what is currently on there.
For example, they are saying that the Hammersmith Odeon concert featured on CDs 2 & 3 was newly remixed by Terry Brown.
They could have include the full show on the Blu-Ray at its full 96kHz 24 bit quality, so missed opportunity there.
Another thing they could have included for added value would be a new video interview with all (or some) of the band and their producer Terry Brown.
There is a video interview with Alex Lifeson and Terry Brown on the 2016 "2112" bonus DVD, so they could have done something similar for this release.

Would these added things make or break a purchase? For most of us, probably not (including me) but still this Blu-Ray does pale in comparison to the amount of content one gets on a Gentle Giant, XTC, Yes, or King Crimson Blu-Ray...

GOS, I'm with you for sure! The one thing that would stop your list is lack of multis, which is supposedly the case with Permanent Waves. That is (again supposedly) the reason they used live versions of PW material when they released the Rush Rock Band stuff. Who knows for sure. We've heard that as the excuse for no 5.1 of Going For The One, then that was questioned too. Just have to wait & see, I guess.

Count me in the crowd that doesn't like the fact that we have to buy vinyl to get the blu ray. It will just sit there in the box for me. That said, I'm psyched beyond belief & hope this is more than a one album deal...

GOS said:

And...when you think about what has transpired.....why now? Don't misunderstand my comment. But, we've had other attempts at Rush in 5.1 and they were luke warm at best. There were opportunities for 40th anniversaries of those that Wilson could have done....

So...what changed? And if something truly has changed......what would stop Wilson and Rush from working together on 40th for the ones I listed?
Hemispheres through Moving Pictures???

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I would really love to see SW take a stab at Signals, since the one we got with Sectors is pretty close to an abomination...

skindzier said:

I would really love to see SW take a stab at Signals, since the one we got with Sectors is pretty close to an abomination...

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I agree 100%! Also, I hate to say it, but the albums starting with Signals onward would probably make for better surround mixes due to the increased use of keyboards and layered guitars (I think these much maligned albums would benefit the most from the Steven Wilson treatment!) that being said, I’m most looking forward to the early stuff ( I would LOVE to hear some Of Neil’s fills going around the room!)

rtbluray said:

There is another point I would like to add, which is this:

If the Blu-Ray is only to be sold as part of the box set, fine. That's just the way it is. We're used to that release strategy...
However, what they could have done is added more content to the Blu-Ray than what is currently on there.
For example, they are saying that the Hammersmith Odeon concert featured on CDs 2 & 3 was newly remixed by Terry Brown.
They could have include the full show on the Blu-Ray at its full 96kHz 24 bit quality, so missed opportunity there.
Another thing they could have included for added value would be a new video interview with all (or some) of the band and their producer Terry Brown.
There is a video interview with Alex Lifeson and Terry Brown on the 2016 "2112" bonus DVD, so they could have done something similar for this release.

Would these added things make or break a purchase? For most of us, probably not (including me) but still this Blu-Ray does pale in comparison to the amount of content one gets on a Gentle Giant, XTC, Yes, or King Crimson Blu-Ray...

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The problem is that if they added these goodies, they probably couldn’t have afforded to add the new artwork, the matt, and of course, the ring... and that would be a shame.

Edit: and by “a shame”, of course, I mean WONDERFUL, lol!

skindzier said:

I would really love to see SW take a stab at Signals, since the one we got with Sectors is pretty close to an abomination...

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Abomination in my book is what they did to the DSOTM SACD.
Signals is a WAY better mix than that piece of sh*t.

All of Rush's MCH mixes are very tame, but really, what can you do with a gtr, a bass and a drumkit?
Yes, they could be way better, but they are not an "abomination" in my book...

kap'n krunch said:

Abomination in my book is what they did to the DSOTM SACD.
Signals is a WAY better mix than that piece of sh*t.

All of Rush's MCH mixes are very tame, but really, what can you do with a gtr, a bass and a drumkit?
Yes, they could be way better, but they are not an "abomination" in my book...

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We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. While I do prefer the quad mix of Dark Side, I wouldn't call the 5.1 an abomination. I would also say the other Rush 5.1's are tame but listenable. However, I can't even get through Subdivisions. It is just broken. I do like Losing it OK on the existing DVD though.

The last few times I listened to Signals in surround, I could swear Subdivisions uses a different and inferior lead vocal take.

You can hear the vocal?

jsulzinger said:

The last few times I listened to Signals in surround, I could swear Subdivisions uses a different and inferior lead vocal take.

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kap'n krunch said:

Abomination in my book is what they did to the DSOTM SACD.
Signals is a WAY better mix than that piece of sh*t.

All of Rush's MCH mixes are very tame, but really, what can you do with a gtr, a bass and a drumkit?
Yes, they could be way better, but they are not an "abomination" in my book...

Click to expand...

I gotta respectfully disagree. I prefer the quad DSOTM over the 5.1 by a fair margin, but I could never call it an abomination. To me it offers about the same mix quality as Sgt. Pepper, a release which many here applauded vigorously. Its the same scenario, a classic mega album with greatly improved sonics but a rather tame mix compared to what could have been.

The Rush 5.1 disks on the other hand seem unusually tame and mostly ambient, especially considering the genre. I am a big fan of 2112, AFTK and Moving Pictures and those three are the best of the lot in my mind. But speaking strictly about the mix, they are a notch or two below what was offered with either Pepper or DSOTM. And though the variety of instruments is sparse as you mention, a lot of it is layered to the point where it could have been made into a cohesive surround mix. Wilson was able to make the sparse instrumentation of Misplaced Childhood sound pretty good to my ears, with many discrete moments and I'll bet he has done the same with AFTK here. I guess we'll see.

Everyone has an opinion, and I respect yours as much as anyone else's, but I'll bet the vast majority of visitors to this site would disagree with you.

For just a three piece band, there's quite a bit going on, on this album:

Geddy Lee – vocals, bass and twelve-string guitar, Minimoog, bass pedal synthesizers
Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic six- and twelve-string guitars, classical guitar, bass pedal synthesizers
Neil Peart – drums, orchestra bells, wind chimes, bell tree, vibraslap, triangle, tubular bells, temple blocks

Additional personnel:

Terry Brown: spoken vocals on "Cygnus X-1"


Also, for what is simply listed as "drums" includes a couple o' dozen drums and cymbals. I think there is potential for a very immersive surround mix with all of the different instrumentation, but I almost feel like it's hard to imagine a truly engulfing Rush surround mix, since we've never really gotten one yet. Hopefully that's all about to change.

Here Snood take .........

This is not gonna stick with everyone cus not everyone likes this or that artist, but as serious surround fans and mooooooooost of us are into progressive tunage tooooooo(Snood was not at one time :yikes)... got into surround because of Better than Ezra (of all things) then Fleetwood Mac Rumours - then Eagles Hotel California........in that order... and now you peeps have me into all sorts of awesome weird stuff @:

Yes we are a niche market.......sustainable yes (but barely), at a cost which sometimes yeah we have to grin and bear it with the inclusive box sets. Some great, some not so great........would a separate BD release be awesome, YES, but it would incur morrrrrrre cost for the machine? YEEEEEES and probably at a loss

The idea of a lot of the Super deluxe thingys is to throw the whole shibang at the fans and let them go WOW and sometimes, not so WOW or worse..........not everybody is gonna be happy and the completeist fan will always wonder why the track 5 from down the hall in the bathroom stall 4 of the nearest pub with a mic stuck up the leader singer's arse is not included @: - Snood always wanted that one!!

Well how does Steven Wilson or Jethro or XTC do it and this or that??........licensing, contracts, etc and having his own this or that.......somehow the weigh scales tip in their favor. Which is good. :banana:

But then us surround fans start saying, wait how much is too much in their favor??

When we should be asking ourselves how much should we be asking of them to support such a niche (albeit awesome) market as us awesome surround fanatics? This is not a gimme here folks, this is them saying ummm hey yeah we can put out the box without a 5.1, but man we have some rare rabid fans that do love it, so lets add it to the stew............along with LPs for those fans too.

We should feel lucky in a lot of ways that the 5.1 was even a thought, let alone Steven Wilson mixing it and that opening the door to more depending on perhaps the sales.

Look, Snood feels your pain for those that can not afford it - there has been a few box sets that the need vs price were not there and Snood did not get..........still look at them and go nah....just not a big enough fan.

Snood do think on this thing - they tried to please everybody and yes no separate BD sucks...........but looking at the releases...........we are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind the cd or LP releases........those will sell good..........and yeah maybe there is enough Rush 5.1 fans to sell the single BD release or.........

Based on the BD sales of the previous 3 BD releases they probably said ummmmmmm nah not worth it............but we will throw them a big ass bone in good faith with the inclusion of a SW 5.1 mix, not as a carrot but as a wink and a thank you to us :banana:

Not many Box sets with 5.1 do Snood get super duper excited about cept Mac, XTC (not box really) or Roxy...........but put in perspective of the possibility of even more SW Rush 5.1 releases compared to the ones we have.

RUSH, hey buddies release them ALLLLLLLL in SUPER DUPER BOXES LIKE THIS WITH STEVEN WILSON 5.1 NOOOOOOOOOOOW PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAASE (Sorry caps Snood just too excited)- Thank you for the music and just even thinking of us Surround fans . Thank you and please keep them coming :snoodhug:

WTF is my freaking emoji JON?? (Inside Joke)

Snood rant over :bounce17