I wouldn't get overly excited. I decided to buy a Warp reissue of Aphex Twin's I Care Because You Do in case they become valuable in the future. The cover looks like a poor photocopy compared to my OG, and when I did a sound comparision it's quieter and muddier than my OG which I have played to death since '95. Don't know if Warp lost the Aphex masters or are doing it on the cheap, but it's a seems like a shitty way to treat an incredible album.
Not sure about that - I had a vague feeling that the majority of 26 Mixes For Cash was made pre-MP3. There's only two tracks made after 1997, so would've thought he had everything on DAT.
I know bugger all about technology, but from my memory MP3s didn't come into use until the very late '90s/early '00s.
Here's the full story (since I was somewhat involved in it/aware of it at the time): Another label (don't know which one) was getting ready to release a compilation of Richard's remixes (since the majority of them were for labels other than WARP/Rephlex), and when WARP got wind of it, they did a mad scramble to get the rights/masters for all his remixes.
I don't think Richard himself was involved in this (beyond his contributing the SAW II and Windowlicker remixes, and those might have been unreleased material WARP had versus making a specific request to Richard - but that's speculation on my part), and that might be why they couldn't get masters from him (that, or Richard didn't have masters for some of his remixes he did, since he may have sent off the master to the label in question when he did the remix).
WARP contacted me inquiring if I had any of the remixes on CD (specifically the Gavin Bryars remix and the Heroes remix), as the masters were unavailable or wouldn't be available in time to meet the deadline (this may also explain the minimalist artwork, not to mention the very tongue in cheek double meaning of the album title).
Oddly enough they had time to press a promotional chocolate coin, though.
I unfortunately at the time didn't have either of those releases (wasn't really concentrating on collecting the remixes at the time), so I imagine they ended up indeed using MP3 audio of the tracks in order to get them on the compilation.
I couldn't ask the community on WATMM at the time as I was told to keep things quiet since they were obviously trying to beat the other label to the punch. Was I able to do so, I'm certain one of us on here would have had either or both on CD so we could have gotten at least Redbook Audio versions of the tracks.
Both the Gavin Bryars and Phillip Glass Heroes remixes are strangely both on Point Music releases in Japan (Gavin Bryars remix did come out in the US; the Phillip Glass remix was on a bonus 3" CD for the Japanese release of Heroes Symphony) - I wonder if there were issues in getting clearance to use these (especially the Phillip Glass remix) from Point Music?
I really liked it. It's a much darker album than they're previous ones though and a lot of the tracks peter out quite quickly and seem to just 'end' rather than fade out.
I find this new album pretty blah. Anyone else feel that way?
I don't feel this way (after appx 4 listens through).
Sounds like you need to slow burn one in a sunny park and watch the trees sway.
Yes. I think I will. I listened a few times and nothing jumped out at me. I think a nice afternoon on a park bench with something combustible might be the listening experience it needs.
Comments
I wouldn't get overly excited. I decided to buy a Warp reissue of Aphex Twin's I Care Because You Do in case they become valuable in the future. The cover looks like a poor photocopy compared to my OG, and when I did a sound comparision it's quieter and muddier than my OG which I have played to death since '95. Don't know if Warp lost the Aphex masters or are doing it on the cheap, but it's a seems like a shitty way to treat an incredible album.
Can only hope they do a better job with the BoC.
I know bugger all about technology, but from my memory MP3s didn't come into use until the very late '90s/early '00s.
Tech geeks please to weigh in.
http://forum.watmm.com/topic/73706-did-warp-really-use-mp3s-for-some-tracks-on-26-mixes/
edit: post 36 from that thread
I don't feel this way (after appx 4 listens through).
Sounds like you need to slow burn one in a sunny park and watch the trees sway.
Yes. I think I will. I listened a few times and nothing jumped out at me. I think a nice afternoon on a park bench with something combustible might be the listening experience it needs.