New Sylvian release this year

[Foales Arishes]

No, it's all good...no problem....

Indeed

I absolutely agree about horrible mastering, which has ruined many a good album. My belief was it (the loudness wars) came about from a desire to stand-out in volume terms, for some sort of competitive edge, rather than anything to do with MP3/iPod/Phone which it actually pre-dates; being louder and more aggressive was seen as a good thing, and with CD's you could push levels far higher than vinyl. Most of the mass produced music for todays 'pop' end of the market, and mostly listened to by teens on iPhones is still crushed to within an inch of its life, and I think they actually like it that way, or don't care (from talking to my teenage niece and her friends) ...but its seems artists with some sensitivity are now wise to wider (and more mature) opinion and are preserving the dynamic range and sound quality more.

I have bought a few FLAC's but don't like them for the same reason as you, seeming impersonal... even if you get all the artwork included its not the same looking at, and reading it on a monitor, or having to print it out. Buying files does not seem real somehow... plus, on my gear at least I can't hear any difference over CD when streaming it from my PC.

I think if I had the cash I could easily turn into a bit of an audiophile too... though steering away from the crackpot, bonkers end of the market [exotic cables and special stones to place in the room etc, etc...] My worry is I would only end up listening with a critical ear to the sound quality, rather than the music itself




EDIT... To add this which I just saw on Gearslutz.

A small (US) sample, but if in any way representative, we are buggered

[Tin Bird]

That about says it all, doesn't it? Could you imagine only ever having listened to Secrets of the Beehive or Spirit of Eden on a little TV speaker? Ugh. (not to mention your fave Peter Gabriel or Brian Eno record)
I agree w you about the Loudness War issue..it certainly predated the iPhone craze by a few years...but it fits w the philosophy...make it loud so the kids like it. I guess I come off as an old, cranky get off my lawn type of guy, but, frankly, I don't care what the kids of today are into...good sounding music is good sounding music. Curling up with a nice beer or whisky and spending an evening w Talk Talk on a nice hi fi is where I'm at...let the kids keep their Justin Biebers and such...just don't mix my stuff to sound like their stuff...right?

[Foales Arishes]

Curling up with a nice beer or whisky and spending an evening w Talk Talk on a nice hi fi is where I'm at...

That sounds good to me!

Us old gits need to stick together


This is my next audio setup... f*** iPhones


Justin..... who?.....

[Tin Bird]

Are those Dr. Seuss speakers?

[svendutchmountains]

From what I have seen on FB the tin is a different size, there is no inlay and the CD has a different colour... but as I mentioned I have not yet received the second edition myself yet! Still waiting for that *ç%& postman!

So the mailman arrived today !

The second edition differs in a couple of ways from the first edition:
- The tin is exactly the same size, but the lips on the opening are bigger and further apart.
- The black title sticker is set slightly differently and has been placed so the tin appears to be lying (landscape) rather than standing (portrait).
- The CD itself is transparent instead of the back vinyl look.
- There is no card or inlay of any kind. Instead there is a large black sticker on the back of the tin with the relevant information.

The music itself appears to be exactly the same on the first listening...

So... for completists only...

There are actually two packaging versions of the second edition. The first version is as described above. However, I have just received another version - this one has exactly the same stickers and CD as the first 2nd version but comes in a much smaller and thinner square tin. Also, the tin does not have hinges, but consists of two loose halves...Music is the same though

Greetings from the Dutch mountains,
Sven

[Foales Arishes]

So Sven, did you order two copies of the second edition, and they just happened to be different, or did you know they would have new packaging [both the second editions] hense the extra copy?

It seems the first edition with the post card is the better of the two [or three]

[svendutchmountains]

Hi Foales,

No - I ordered a single copy of the first edition and a single copy of the second edition. Looking at some of the items available on eBay I noticed several had a different sized tin, and I took a gamble and bought one off eBay. It arrived today and was very much a smaller (and thinner) tin.

Yes, in terms of packaging the first edition is the better option IMHO - given the additional inlay and the vinyl like appearance of the CD. However, as there are two versions of the second edition these are both bound to be scarcer - for simplicity sake I assume there are 150 of the larger tin version of the second edition, and 150 of the smaller tin version. There are 300 of the first, uniform edition.

Greetings from the Dutch mountains,
Sven

[Foales Arishes]

Ah okay Sven, thanks, that's interesting I hope your Ebay purchase wasn't too expensive?... and, are you going to keep all the versions?

I'm interested to hear what you think of the piece?.....I did look back through the thread I can't see a critique of the sounds, only the package... apologies if I've missed it.


So, what are peoples predictions for DS over the coming year?... nothing?... some new music?.... photography?.... some new direction? (painting? acting? a play?... dance? .... )... retirement?.... death?

Has there ever been a barren DS year, where nothing has been heard from him?


Any thoughts?... just for fun.

[hitch]

DAVID SYLVIAN : PLAYING THE SCHOOLHOUSE
(confront collectors series ccs 51.2)

Second Edition : 1000 units
Released 16th December 2015

*****SOLD OUT*****

[Foales Arishes]

DAVID SYLVIAN : PLAYING THE SCHOOLHOUSE
(confront collectors series ccs 51.2)

Second Edition : 1000 units
Released 16th December 2015

*****SOLD OUT*****

Wow!... the second ed was a thousand units

[Tin Bird]

Is the for 1,000 being so little or so much? Sure, Sylvian has certainly dropped in exposure and popularity, but I would assume that when he releases an album today that somewhere between 5,000 - 10,000 people would buy almost anything he puts out..eventually. I mean this release has roundly been described as borderline unlistenable and 1,300 copies have sold out almost instantly. You have to remember that despite his willful attempts to prove otherwise, Sylvian is one of the most popular pop/avant garde musicians in the world...I'm not surprised at all that the edition sold out. I feel a bit sorry for folks not in the know who think it might be a new Dead Bees on a Cake or something, but not surprised.

[ronc]

I received my copy of PTS today. Am looking forward to listening once the day settles down (i.e., when the kids are in bed).

For train-spotters: It is different from either of the second editions described so far. That is, it has the larger box with hinge, but sticker on the back and no inlay, yet the CD itself is the vinyl-look one.

Ron

[Foales Arishes]

Is the for 1,000 being so little or so much?....

So many, but, only regarding the usual numbers for the Confront label... which often do not sell out of 300 copies, let alone 1300. I assumed the 2nd ed was another 300 not 1000.

I'm not surprised they all sold, realising DS still carries some weight, just Mark Wastell managed to put out so many copies, esp. knowing the way they put these releases together, which is all by hand.

This release is not making anyone much money, but it must have given MW and his tiny, almost unheard of label, a wonderful boost.

Whether those buying it, knew what they were buying or liked it is another matter... When I first came here some were shocked my first DS purchase was Manafon and I knew little of his past output, none of which measure up for me to this day. Imagine those buying this as their first DS release and thinking everything before it is far too mainstream

[Foales Arishes]

I received my copy of PTS today. Am looking forward to listening once the day settles down (i.e., when the kids are in bed).

For train-spotters: It is different from either of the second editions described so far. That is, it has the larger box with hinge, but sticker on the back and no inlay, yet the CD itself is the vinyl-look one.

Ron

Tell us what you think later Ron... headphones work very well for this; better than speakers imo.

Perhaps they'll run out of those tins, and have to find some different packaging... I'm not a fan of the tin tbh... one is nice, but I would not want a load of them to keep in my collection.

[Tin Bird]

Huh, wow...I'm quite sure I've already commented on that.... that is really fascinating that your first Sylvian album was Manafon...and you were so into it that you now post on this forum! I do like a few tracks on that album...Emily Dickinson, Appalachia, and Metal Gods, but overall it's not one of my faves. Just curious..how do Beehive and Brilliant Trees rate for you? While I might agree that Beehive was much more mainstream that Manafon, I don't think BT was. How about the collabs with Czukay esp Plight and Premonition? I'm sure we've ranked our fave works before...I suppose my top 5 would be something like:
Beehive
Brilliant Trees
Nine Horse
Plight and Premonition
Dead Bees