Limited InsideOut availability dates back to when HDTracks was under US ownership. When it was acquired by its current overseas ownership, titles I bought years earlier were suddenly not available in the US. Like titles from SFS (San Francisco Symphony) Media. A clearly US based label suddenly not being available in the US. Such restrictions have waned over the years since the overseas company acquired HDTracks. But some still apply.Originally Posted by Soc Prof
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
CDs are a different issue entirely. There are fewer and fewer places one can go to buy CDs locally. I used to be able to go to Best Buy, or Borders Books and Music to buy InsideOut titles. I bought my first Spock's Beard and Transatlantic CDs from Best Buy. Snow and Bridge Across Forever.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
But every one of these FlowerKings remaster (and partial remixes) are available easily on cd. Lasercd.com have them all.
So simple
And I have seen them at every local record store in Minnesota maybe they don't have local record stores in Arizona I'm not sure , but if your record store is using the same distributor they're readily available
The only InsideOut titles available at our largest local retailer are the bigger names. Just like on HDTracks. They carried the Tangent a decade or so ago, but haven't since.
Ordering physical CDs online requires waiting days for delivery. Weeks if from overseas. Even Amazon can't deliver same or next day for more obscure titles.
Last edited by progmatist; 01-31-2023 at 03:02 PM.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
So what you're saying is you are too impatient to wait for delivery?
I'm glad I have patience
I have no problem waiting a few days to hear an album that came out 15 years ago.
Kidding aside, in Canada we basically only have Amazon left for CD ordering, and their prices increased dramatically after HMV closed several years ago. It's not unusual to see the price being double what it is in the US, even though the exchange rate is usually around 25-30% different. Sucks to see a CD at $24.99 Canadian and you go to the US Amazon and it's $12.99.
But you can just order from US Amazon then correct?I have no problem waiting a few days to hear an album that came out 15 years ago.
Kidding aside, in Canada we basically only have Amazon left for CD ordering, and their prices increased dramatically after HMV closed several years ago. It's not unusual to see the price being double what it is in the US, even though the exchange rate is usually around 25-30% different. Sucks to see a CD at $24.99 Canadian and you go to the US Amazon and it's $12.99.
We can, but our Prime subscription doesn't carry over, and they add a massive shipping charge (about $8 USD) that offsets anything. I actually order more from Europe (mostly Germany & France) as they can somehow ship it across the sea to Canada, cheaper than US vendors can.
I have plenty of patience......if it's worth the wait. I have no problem ordering vinyl records, or DVDs and Blu-Rays from LaserCD or Wayside. When a CD is not much higher quality than an AAC+ download from iTunes, the wait is anything but justified. Even more so if a FLAC is available on Bandcamp.
Last edited by progmatist; 02-02-2023 at 02:47 PM.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
The Adam & Eve remaster is now available. I plan to download it later tonight. I'll report back after I've given it a good listen and run it through the Audirvana audio analyzer.
Zia carried the first 4 remasters last year as I recall. They haven't since so I just order them now from Laser.
Zia was the store to which I referred. Who carried the Tangent a decade or so ago. But haven't since.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
I finally got around to getting the latest remix/remaster of Unfold The Future. So far I've only heard "The Truth..." which I listened to twice last night (but on different sound systems). To me, this is probably going to end up as the definitive version. To explain the main sonic differences I'm hearing in the different versions...
1.) Original release - obviously this is the one I fell in love with first. After getting the 2017 remix/remaster I realized how compression had glued the whole thing together, covering up some detail.
2.) 2017 remix/remaster - interesting to be able to hear some more separation between instruments, but what was revealed was not always (to my ears) all that pleasant. The drum sound just seemed a bit unpleasant and a few other things seemed a bit harsh at times.
3.) 2022 remix/remaster - this is a far more pleasant listen. The separation between instruments is even greater than before and each instrument on its own has better clarity, less harshness, etc. Yes, there are some obviously re-recorded or alternate takes going on here which come down to different artistic choices and we'll all have our various opinions on whether that is an "improvement" or not, but to me this version feels like the polished mix that the music deserved all along. As a whole, this somehow flows better than the original. Like any rough edges have been smoothed out and the various sections are glued together in a more natural way under one unifying sonic paradigm.
Or maybe I'll change my mind after a couple more spins....who knows?
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Thanks for your thoughts.I finally got around to getting the latest remix/remaster of Unfold The Future. So far I've only heard "The Truth..." which I listened to twice last night (but on different sound systems). To me, this is probably going to end up as the definitive version. To explain the main sonic differences I'm hearing in the different versions...
1.) Original release - obviously this is the one I fell in love with first. After getting the 2017 remix/remaster I realized how compression had glued the whole thing together, covering up some detail.
2.) 2017 remix/remaster - interesting to be able to hear some more separation between instruments, but what was revealed was not always (to my ears) all that pleasant. The drum sound just seemed a bit unpleasant and a few other things seemed a bit harsh at times.
3.) 2022 remix/remaster - this is a far more pleasant listen. The separation between instruments is even greater than before and each instrument on its own has better clarity, less harshness, etc. Yes, there are some obviously re-recorded or alternate takes going on here which come down to different artistic choices and we'll all have our various opinions on whether that is an "improvement" or not, but to me this version feels like the polished mix that the music deserved all along. As a whole, this somehow flows better than the original. Like any rough edges have been smoothed out and the various sections are glued together in a more natural way under one unifying sonic paradigm.
Or maybe I'll change my mind after a couple more spins....who knows?
Thanks Guy...good stuff. Space Revolver 2023 sounded great as well...I think he nailed that one.
Ah man... now you're making me consider buying UTF for the third time.I finally got around to getting the latest remix/remaster of Unfold The Future. So far I've only heard "The Truth..." which I listened to twice last night (but on different sound systems). To me, this is probably going to end up as the definitive version. To explain the main sonic differences I'm hearing in the different versions...
1.) Original release - obviously this is the one I fell in love with first. After getting the 2017 remix/remaster I realized how compression had glued the whole thing together, covering up some detail.
2.) 2017 remix/remaster - interesting to be able to hear some more separation between instruments, but what was revealed was not always (to my ears) all that pleasant. The drum sound just seemed a bit unpleasant and a few other things seemed a bit harsh at times.
3.) 2022 remix/remaster - this is a far more pleasant listen. The separation between instruments is even greater than before and each instrument on its own has better clarity, less harshness, etc. Yes, there are some obviously re-recorded or alternate takes going on here which come down to different artistic choices and we'll all have our various opinions on whether that is an "improvement" or not, but to me this version feels like the polished mix that the music deserved all along. As a whole, this somehow flows better than the original. Like any rough edges have been smoothed out and the various sections are glued together in a more natural way under one unifying sonic paradigm.
Or maybe I'll change my mind after a couple more spins....who knows?
Not that I'm angry about that. It's a great album, one of my favorites by them. I'm really interested in hearing the new version now after hearing your thoughts, so thanks for sharing.
"what's better, peanut butter or g-sharp minor?"
- Sturgeon's Lawyer, 2021
So...I have the two box sets. I do like the idea of remixes (wish it was whole albums), but I'm curious.
Are the new versions worth rebuying?
I really like The Rainmaker, would that be a good one to test the waters on? Do some A/B comparisons.
Thoughts?
I have that one, but I don't think I've listened to it yet. I always thought the original sounded great.
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I think it's pretty hard to say whether buying them would be worth it or not. There seems to be lots of factors for different people. If The Flower Kings were further down my list of favorite bands or if a certain album they did never interested me much in the first place I probably wouldn't bother. I almost didn't get the Rainmaker remaster at all since that is one of my least favorite of their albums. In my case curiosity got the best of me. I didn't find the changes in Rainmaker to be mind-blowing, personally, but the two remasters (of the ones I've heard so far) that have the most dramatic differences are Flower Power and Unfold The Future. And as far as Unfold The Future goes, I can only speak to "The Truth Will Set You Free", but I'd have to say that for me even that one song was worth the price of admission.
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I got a reply back from Century Media (Inside Out Music US distribution) about the quality of the digital download that comes with the purchase of the Unfold the Future digipack. I was hoping for 24/96 but expecting 16/44.1. Turns out it's even worse:
We appreciate that you've taken the time to contact us!
Upon confirming, this only comes in MP3 format.
Listened to the Hi-Res version of Adam and Eve last night. Fairly late at night, so the volume was kept fairly low out of respect for the neighbors. Everything within the mix was still able to cut through clearly.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
I was listening to it on the way home tonight on my crappy car stereo, and I really felt like the vocal separation was a lot better. I was hearing little things that I don't remember hearing on the original. I think being able to work with the masters and use today's technology has enabled Roine to make some good improvements for sure.
Gotta say that "Road to Sanctuary" is flat-out bizarre on this remix. Its my fav tune from Rainmaker and Roine does some VERY, VERY odd shit with it...the synth with his voice when he sings that tender part is....ummm.....just strange. The whole recording seems less compressed but somehow just less coherent. Even the Hammond in the beginning is different. "City of Angels" on the other hand sounds almost identical to the original and is basically improved in clarity. He went apeshit on some tunes but not others. There are more eyebrows for sure in the 2022 compared to the original.
Dude, you have some kinda Hi-Res OCD. xD
All you post here is related to Qobuz or hi-res audio. Does it really matter that something is not in Hi-Res? Can you REALLY hear the difference? I doubt it. I think it's 99% prejudice. When you can't hear that extra detail, it's not the end of the world. In the case of music production, it absolutely matters because you need the highest possible quality to get the best end result, but for listening to already pre-made music? No.
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