King Crimson Album Remixes by Steve Wilson

Easy Livin wrote: Vibrationbaby wrote: This 5.1 thing, I guess it requires a specialized playback system then.   Most home cinema systems will support it OK

Home cinema system ? My home cinema system is a television set. Anyway, I`m off to Future Shop. I have sneaking suspicion this is a glorified quad system.

Vibrationbaby wrote: This 5.1 thing, I guess it requires a specialized playback system then.

This 5.1 thing, I guess it requires a specialized playback system then.

I just pulled out a few of my quad albums and now I remember that my  Mike Oldfield  Tubular Bells " Quad" album isn`t really a "quad " album at all. It was one of the first 4000 or so simulated quad pressings. The record company was in such a rush to get TB out in quad that they did a rush job. Then they released bona fide quad albums but with the same catologue number so you couldn`t tell whether or not you had a simulation or the real thing until you played it through  actual  quad playback equipment. At the time I remember my friend`s father remarking that it wasn`t a very good quad record and he blamed it on the fact that it was rock music ! I didn`t find this out until years later which immediately explained my friend`s father`s reaction.

rileydog22 wrote: Vibrationbaby wrote: What if Bob just says,  "sorry", and walks out the door whle the meter on the cab is still running. WHY ? WHY ? WHY ? WHY ? can`t things which are pure and sacred just remain unmolested by technology`s meddling hands ?  You know, you can just not buy it.  It remains pure and sacred for you, but those who dig surround can enjoy ITCOTCK in 5.1.

I was going to write at the end : "  Yes, I know I don`t have to buy it " but I just wanted to remind everyone that I`m still living in the mid-sixteenth century." But I didn`t.
As for this 5.1 sound those of us lived through the seventies will remember what happened to Quad. ( insert sound effect of toilet flushing here ). I had a friend who`s dad was a classical music conniossuer and he had a quad system. These quad systems were developed to give a wider sound to orchestral recordings but didn`t really have any signifigant improvement on the sound reproduction for any style of musicas far as I saw it. Like a moron I went out and bought a few quad rock albums, Tubular Bells was one and Omega`s 200 years After The Last War was another If I remember correctlly ( they`re still in my collection somewhere ). It was a real letdown believe me. And this guy`s father even had an expensive turntable and top of the line Harmen Carden speakers.
New technology doesn`t change the essence of music it just manipulates it and presents it in a different way so  you can say "  5.1 man !  Cool ! state of the art  man ! 21st century freak out ! " when in effect it`s just a case of the emperor`s new clothes. If Crimson wants to engineer their new album in 5.1 then that`s fine after all this is the 21st century. I don`t expect Bob to commit commercial suicide and say : " Next King Crimson album recorded in glorious anologue ! Back to basics ! " ( although I`d definitely go for it ). But  don`t mess with the old stuff. What if the curator of the L`Ouvre decided that the Mona Lisa needed makeover because she looks too outdated. Got to bring the old owl up to speed. The younger people who weren`t alive when brilliant albums like Red or Lark`s Tongues are not going to know the real greatness of this music. When will the madness end ?

I wouldn't mind hearing the 5.1 mixes but I suspect you can only really enjoy them on home theater system.  I'd rather just hear them once or twice than actually buy them.  I already have remasters of all the classic KC albums and my music budget and space to keep everything is not unlimited.

SFranke wrote: Peter wrote: If I knew what the heck "5.1" was, I suppose that could be interesting news. The five means five speakers (front left, center, front right, rear left, and rear right). The .1 means a sub-woofer channel. I could do without these re-releases if they come to pass. I enjoy the current versions, and there's still way too much stuff I haven't heard to start buying albums I already have.

Atkingani wrote:   I'm a 5.1 guy!

 Gee, l'il Guigo, that's short! (I'm almost 6' 3" myself.)

rileydog22 wrote: So it's looking good for KC 2008.  From Fripp's DGMLive.com we have already gathered that the band will be a five-piece of Fripp, Levin, Belew, Mastellotto, and that drummer from PT.  It looks like no tour till 2009, and that touring will be quite limited and strictly within the US.

YESSSSS!

If I knew what the heck "5.1" was, I suppose that could be interesting news.

Edited by Peter - January 30 2008 at 19:56