Ok, have forwarded files of the King Biscuit broadcast I came across, so a new decode should be surfacing in a month or so (I am guessing.) The files definitely resemble the Q8 transfer more than the SQ version, so should be worth a listen when the time comes. In the meantime, just got my Japanese DVDA of the new BSS surround mix. By and large, seems pretty good, although haven't been able to compare it with the Steven Wilson mixes of the earlier stuff.
Concerning the mix of Karn Evil 9 (3rd), there is something very wrong there. There is no way that was done intentionally, especially when you compare it with all the other surround mixes, which are all pretty solid. I haven't sorted through all the posts that have referenced that mix, so at the risk of floating an idea that has all ready been covered, my guess is that this is a screwed up "recall" mix that was sent off the mastering lab at the last second without anyone checking it first. Then they got the test discs, and by then it was probably too late (or too expensive) to fix. For the couple of you that might not be aware of a recall mix, what happens a lot with mixing these days, is that the artists tend to not always be there. The engineer works on mixes, then sends them via FTP or dropbox or whatever to the band, who listens at home, then emails to either give a thumbs up or ask for tweaks. The bass sounds like it had to have been accidentally bumped up in the mix in the process of tweaking something else. There is no way that anyone would have allowed it if they actually heard it. On top of the bass being way too loud, it is also remarkably out of tune at times, which is another reason why I expect no one listened to this mix. When it is balanced properly, almost impossible to notice, but when it's that loud, plain as day.
The one cool thing about this screw up is that it allowed me to take a good listen to the distorted bass, which I always thought was awesome. The distorted bass run through a Leslie sounds fantastic, and I need to find a way to get this on a recording somehow. I think the only time I've heard that sound since was on the Beasties "Gratitude".
I have a hunch that someone is going to fess up to the mistake before long. I dare them to say they did this on purpose. Just not possible.