Ian Thomas - new album to be mixed in Atmos

[MTB Vince]

Ian and I were on the phone today discussing the retail packaging options for the multi-channel release of this new album. While Ian and I both love the big 12" square multi-disc limited edition collectors boxes (think Burning Shed Records) with their lovely bound art books, the much higher retail and shipping cost limits the appeal for many buyers. So he is leaning towards CD sized digibook-style packaging with both a stereo CD and the Blu Ray along with an art and lyrics booklet.

Ian Thomas is a terrific artist. I hope that the earlier stuff with the Ian Thomas Band and with The Boomers (4 terrific albums) also gets the Atmos treatment. This is really good stuff.

While we were talking I also brought up your query @quaddiophile. Ian said that in theory multi-channel remixes would be possible for his last solo album, Little Dreams (2013), and the orchestral A Life In Song (2016) release which were both recorded digitally. However with older stuff the multi-track tapes were not archived and no longer exist. He thinks he may still have the multi-track tapes for most of the last Boomers album but that's it...

 

[MTB Vince]

Ian playing live in his Lunch At Allen's collaborative side project last night from our front row seats at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Center. Lunch At Allen's is (from left to right): Murray McLauchlan, Ian Thomas, Cindy Church, & Marc Jordan. The three guys took turns playing the piano. It was Murray's turn when I snapped the pic.

 

[key_wiz]

Huh, never heard of this guy. I see he is Dave Thomas' brother.

I remember "Painted Ladies" being a decent sized hit when I was kid in the 70s. I really liked that track and had it on a K-Tel album. lol

I didn't realize he was still around, or that he was Dave's brother.

 

[Vic MacBournie]

Huh, never heard of this guy. I see he is Dave Thomas' brother.

I used to listen to him when I was in my early 20s and really liked him. I believe I even attended a few of his concerts, which, if I recall, were in a coffee house setting. I'm interested in hearing his newer music. I remember having a few of his albums way back then.

 

[Vic MacBournie]

Ian playing live in his Lunch At Allen's collaborative side project last night from our front row seats at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Center. Lunch At Allen's is (from left to right): Murray McLauchlan, Ian Thomas, Cindy Church, & Marc Jordan. The three guys took turns playing the piano. It was Murray's turn when I snapped the pic.

View attachment 99074

Weird. I wanted to attend this but am recovering from surgery. I too live in Ancaster. Small world.

 

[MTB Vince]

Hey all,

A little heads up on the upcoming multi-channel release of How We Roll. Ian told me just prior to the Christmas holidays that the deal was done. Both the stereo and Atmos mixes are completed and in the hands of Pure Audio Blu Ray in Germany.

https://www.pureaudio-bluray.com/
Pure Audio will be handling a limited printing release which will include both a CD and an Atmos encoded Blu Ray. The current ETA is set for the end of March.

 

[BPWingN]

Ian playing live in his Lunch At Allen's collaborative side project last night from our front row seats at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Center. Lunch At Allen's is (from left to right): Murray McLauchlan, Ian Thomas, Cindy Church, & Marc Jordan. The three guys took turns playing the piano. It was Murray's turn when I snapped

My wife and I saw "Lunch at Allen's" in 2017. It was the same performers. It was in a small intimate theater nearby. What a treat! All performers were fantastic. The banter, the history told of the songs, the enjoyment of each other's company...and the music, was unforgettable.

 

[steelydave]

@MTB Vince is there any chance you could ask Ian if he knows what the deal is with the master tapes for the Glider album? There's never been a digital reissue of this record from an actual tape source, as far I know. The 2013 Rock Candy CD reissue is from a (frankly, awful) needledrop, and even the recent streaming version on YouTube (which I presume represents the version on all streaming and download platforms) is still from an (better) LP source, with the exception of the track Pilot, which maybe was taken from the 1993 Looking Back greatest hits CD. Conversely, The Runner, which was also a needledrop on the 2013 Rock Candy CD reissue is now from a tape source on YouTube so there must be tapes somewhere.

Glider was originally on GRT Records, which was eventually absorbed into UMG as far as I can tell, so it's possible it was a victim of the 2008 vault fire, but I'm surprised a safety copy of some description doesn't exist in Canada given the artist and originating label were located there.

...and lastly, it may be moot if Ian feels otherwise or that the tapes are gone now, but I think both Glider and The Runner would make for phenomenal Atmos upgrades. They may not have been intended for anything more than stereo when they were recorded, but they represent (in my opinion) the peak of Ian's songwriting and the best band he ever had, not to mention the aforementioned fact that they've never been presented digitally in the quality that they both deserve.

 

[The Rang]

Yeah, those Rock Candy Ian Thomas releases (Glider and The Runner) are terrible, one more so than the other.
I remember comments at the time in his website forum about the poor SQ and him being surprised because IIRC (and I stand to be corrected if need be) he had done or supervised the transfers for those releases.
Transfers that appear not to have been used.
I was so disappointed I haven’t touched a Rock Candy CD ever since.
His entire catalog is begging to be done properly. Would be a dream come true for this fan.

 

[peterzach]

It is now end of March and don't see anything for this yet.
Does any one have any updates?

 

[MTB Vince]

It is now end of March and don't see anything for this yet.
Does any one have any updates?

Ian and I didn't discuss this when we hung out for the afternoon a week or so ago. I just sent Ian an email asking what is the latest ETA for the release. I'll post his response here once I hear back from him.

 

[MTB Vince]

Hey all,

Ian emailed me back with the following this morning:

"Hey Vince, the release is May 3. Product is only now in finishing stages of manufacture."

It looks like Ian and I will be catching up over lunch later today and I'll follow up back here if there is anything more to add.

 

[MTB Vince]

Further to the release date change, apparently things move a little slowly at Pure Audio Blu Ray and they only drop one new release a month. Ian figures a pre-order will probably go up right after the folks at Pure Audio host a press listening party for Ian's new album at their studio in mid-April. Also be aware that the dual disc CD/Atmos Blu-Ray will be very limited. They are only pressing 1500 units and Ian has ear-marked 1000 of those to sell in person at his concert hall merch table during his Spring & Summer 2024 Canadian tour. So only 500 units for sale online... Better not dawdle when they become available!

 

[dr. simple]

Further to the release date change, apparently things move a little slowly at Pure Audio Blu Ray and they only drop one new release a month. Ian figures a pre-order will probably go up right after the folks at Pure Audio host a press listening party for Ian's new album at their studio in mid-April. Also be aware that the dual disc CD/Atmos Blu-Ray will be very limited. They are only pressing 1500 units and Ian has ear-marked 1000 of those to sell in person at his concert hall merch table during his Spring & Summer 2024 Canadian tour. So only 500 units for sale online... Better not dawdle when they become available!

We really appreciate you giving us updates on this, Vince. I hope I can snag one of the 500!

 

[The Rang]

Last I saw his tour isn’t coming anywhere near BC so will need try and grab one of the 500

 

[BPWingN]

Thanks very much for keeping us on top of all this, Vince.
I'm in BC as well so like Rang, I will have to snag one of those 500.
When you meet him for lunch,....is it at Allen's?

 

[peterzach]

Hey Vince. Any chance Ian can reserve for us QQ's,

Do you know what price they are going to sell these at?

 

[MTB Vince]

...Do you know what price they are going to sell these at?

Based on both what Ian has told me and the past purchases I've made from the Pure Audio Blu Ray site, expect this dual disc release to be on the spendy side...

 

[The Rang]

Based on both what Ian has told me and the past purchases I've made from the Pure Audio Blu Ray site, expect this dual disc release to be on the spendy side...

That’s OK, I’m buyin’

 

[MTB Vince]

Just gonna leave this here...