New Wave Outpost Forum

by **omar** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 1:36 am

Just got my copy. Haven't listened yet .

by **Bellenger1981** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 8:27 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by weirdo[/i]
 i am guessing the guys who put this compilation together originally got their files from napster... back in the day!!!
[/quote]
[:D] Hilarious!

by **ippudo** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:28 pm

Not really bothered about this lo-fi release - thanks for the explanations!

Another question: Has the 12" mix of "I Can See It" ever been released on CD? I still think it's one of the best extended mixes ever...

by **moni** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:33 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by ippudo[/i]
 Not really bothered about this lo-fi release - thanks for the explanations!

Another question: Has the 12" mix of "I Can See It" ever been released on CD? I still think it's one of the best extended mixes ever...
[/quote]
It's on this http://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Belie ... se/1451463

by **obs** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 6:09 pm

[i]> my problem is I am not sure what the US version is
Is the US version the one that appears on the expanded mange tout CD
All I have is that and the UK vinyl 12" version which I prefer.[/i]

According to a user at Discogs, the 2CD Mange Tout has the US version.

by **discoginfo** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 6:52 pm

I was hoping to clarify these discographical questions in my discography http://www.discog.info/blancmange.html
/JW

by **thunderbird2** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:09 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by obs[/i]
 [i]> my problem is I am not sure what the US version is
Is the US version the one that appears on the expanded mange tout CD
All I have is that and the UK vinyl 12" version which I prefer.[/i]

According to a user at Discogs, the 2CD Mange Tout has the US version.

Supposedly, this is the UK version, which is from the CA pressing of Second Helping (although it may have been mastered from vinyl).
http://www.divshare.com/download/19215374-ca0
FLAC/Plextools/AccurateRip

Many thanks OBS I will take a chance and get it
much appreciated
[/quote]

by **ippudo** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:40 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by moni[/i]
 [quote][i]Originally posted by ippudo[/i]
 Not really bothered about this lo-fi release - thanks for the explanations!

Another question: Has the 12" mix of "I Can See It" ever been released on CD? I still think it's one of the best extended mixes ever...
[/quote]
It's on this http://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Belie ... se/1451463
[/quote]

Thanks for your quick reply! I guess that one had passed me by as I already had the original CD.

by **Bellenger1981** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:16 am

Got my copy today. The packaging and design is great, but the sound ... Damn! "Waves [Original Version]" sounds awful, and it was one of the tracks to which I was most looking forward to hearing. It sounds like it has been compressed to MP3 @ 32 kbps! It's that bad. I can actually hear the compression ... sound "waves" of compression! Awful! "Murder" sounds like a compressed MP3, and "Kind" sounds even worse! I am having flashbacks to the early days of Napster with these low quality MP3s. Most annoying is that it appears that Music Club spent some time putting together a nice presentation of the package. It's not spectacular, but I like it! It's a shame that the sound quality does not match the good package presentation. Rhino, which used to stand for quality, should be ashamed in putting its logo on this release.

On a more positive note, "Feel Me [12" John Luongo Mix]" finally appears from a master (not MP3 either!), unlike the vinyl transfer on "Happy Families". What a difference! "God's Kitchen [12" Mix]" is still a vinyl transfer, however.

This release could have really been a fantastic package even with vinyl rips, as long as they are lossless. It's a shame that Music Club or Warner screwed it up. Don't even get me started on including the wrong versions of songs. Apparently, no quality control exists. I guess that the U.S. $9.00 price tag explains it all. You get what you pay for after all. Considering that the release is 2-discs of excellent songs I would have gladly paid more if quality control took priority.

Off to send my e-mail to Music Club now asking them to replace these discs with new ones featuring the original lossless files. I will comment more later ...

by **obs** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:47 pm

[i]> Many thanks OBS I will take a chance and get it
much appreciated[/i]

As I wrote earlier, the Amazon guy said it is the US version, same as on the Mange Tout 2CD, so you're going to be disappointed.

by **discoginfo** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:43 pm

I had a quick listen to the 3 tracks that Bellenger1981 complained about. Well, to my ears they didn't sound THAT horrible. They were not as clear as the rest, I agree, but to me they were still enjoyable enough. Then again we all have individual taste and demands. I'm not saying Bellenger1981 is "wrong", and I fully respect your opinion, but I just want to give my opinion here as a balance. Yes I would have preferred 100 % sound quality (whatever that is) but I didn't jump out of my chair when I heard those 3 tracks.

A tip: don't touch the booklet without wearing white gloves. You'll know what I mean if you do it. /J

by **Bellenger1981** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:02 am

discoginfo, I agree with you. It's not necessarily that the songs sound "horrible" -- well, aside from "Waves [Original Version]", in my opinion. It's more so my disappointment with MP3 files being used in the first place. I tested both of these discs on my car's sound system yesterday. I did a comparison among the tracks, and while the MP3 tracks aren't all bad I can hear the difference between the MP3 songs and the lossless files. Many of the MP3 tracks sound thinner, as if they are missing something. Then again, that's usually what I notice when playing MP3 vs. WAV, for example. The reality is that most people probably will not notice (well, except for maybe "Waves [Original Version]") or care, so Music Club Deluxe will probably get a pass unless enough people complain (which probably won't happen). I sent my feedback yesterday. I'll let you know if I get a response.

And yes, be careful when touching that booklet.

by **discoginfo** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:29 am

I have now updated my discography to include this recent 2-CD:
http://www.discog.info/blancmange.html
It took hours! Because there was a lot of cross-checking to do,
plus all the comments here and on the amazon review page.
I hope all info is there now, including what tracks are from MP3, etc.

Noteworthy is the inclusion of the very rare track Hello Darling[from various artists cassette SPOOLS GOLD, 1986], I never heard of that before.

Hmm, I would have changed the track listing of course, placing the singles and album tracks on CD 1, and the 12" mixes and rare tracks on CD2, roughly. /JW

by **Neil Kelly** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:26 am

Geez, i despair of the music industy!

by **discoginfo** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:20 pm

I believe more recent CDs are based on compressed MP3s than we realize - not only this CD. After all it's a convenient way to store and send files before manufacturing. (Yes I am cynical) I have a feeling that younger people in the music industry tend to compress to and use MP3s, than "oldtimes" who are aware of music quality. I wonder if the original Blancmange deluxe CDs are also made from MP3s. Not to mention all the other artists I have on my site.

Maybe in the future there will be an "audiophile CD" wave, where great care is taken. Just like DVD became BluRay. No one in the film industry would ever dream of compressing the picture before manufacturing.

When will the music industry wake up, and follow the attitude of the film industry?

/JW
http://www.discog.info/

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