The Joni Mitchell WEA/Asylum HDCD Remasters - UK availability

Posted by: Camlan on 30 March 2004

These have been mentioned on various posts as being widely available in the US but rare in the UK. Research over the last couple of weeks on UK availability on the high st (and hence mainly Virgin and HMV) prompts this update:

UK available in the HDCD versions;

Blue (very common)
Ladies of the Canyon
Miles of Aisles
Shadows and Light
Don Juans Reckless Daughter (rare only seen one and thats gone now!!)

Need to look for a silver sticker on the front that says 'newly digitally remastered from the original master tapes' all also have HDCD on the back somewhere (although not always clear)

Not available:

Joni Mitchell (not seen in any version)
Clouds
Song for a Seagull
For the Roses
Mingus

and most disapointingly of all;

Court and Spark
Hejira
Hissing of Summer Lawns

Got HDCD version of Hejira from the States and have now compared with usual UK version. To say there is no comparison is understating the case. The difference is not that between CD and vinyl more that between Vinyl and Compact Cassette and a badly recorded one at that.

This begs 2 questions:

1. Is the improvement down to HDCD or high quality remastering.

2. Why do we have to put up with old French or German produced rubbish covering most of the catalogue (and the what most JM fans consider to be the jewels of said catalogue) in the UK when there are massively better versions available in the States.

Trust me, if you are a JM fan you MUST have these reissues - there really is no comparison with the earlier stuff.

Now who can talk Geffen into doing the same with their later issues although in fairness their quality is very good anyway

Posted on: 30 March 2004 by fred simon

quote:
Originally posted by Camlan:

Not available:

Joni Mitchell (not seen in any version)
...
Song for a Seagull

Camlan, I'm not quite sure what you meant here. First of all, these two titles are the same album. She had intended it to be titled Song to a Seagull, having spelled out those words with flying birds in her cover art, but the record label art department failed to notice and so the prosaic title Joni Mitchell stuck). Aside from that, do you mean you can't find it on CD at all, remastered or not? Well, it hasn't been remastered (unfortunately ... it sorely needs to be), but the original CD is readily available. Try Amazon.co.uk under the eponymous title.

quote:
Now who can talk Geffen into doing the same with their later issues although in fairness their quality is very good anyway

In late 2003 Geffen released a boxed set of her four albums on that label, and sometimes one sees it listed as "remastered" and sometimes not. I don't know for sure which is correct. They're not my favorites of hers (for me, the holy Joni canon is the first eight studio albums), so I won't be getting the boxed set as I already own the individual CDs.

Hope this was helpful.

Posted on: 30 March 2004 by Camlan

Thanks Fred for clearing that up particularly the earlier albums which I admit to being less familiar with. The very early albums are not common in the UK in any version.

Re the Geffen box set, I have that and am impressed by the quality - not sure whether remastered or not

Posted on: 31 March 2004 by fred simon

quote:
Originally posted by Camlan:
Thanks Fred for clearing that up particularly the earlier albums which I admit to being less familiar with. The very early albums are not common in the UK in any version.

Hmmm ... I just checked Amazon.co.uk and all of Joni's early albums are available and described as "Usually dispatched within 24 hours." If you're less familiar with these, I strongly urge you to let Amazon dispatch them to you within 24 hours! You'll be glad you did.

Posted on: 31 March 2004 by Chris Metcalfe

Camlan,

I've posted about this several times! The ONLY ones which are HDCD have a WHITE IMPORT label on the front stating HDCD, and the HDCD logo clearly on the back. ALL THE OTHERS ARE NOT HDCD! I originally bought a couple of the ones marked 'newly digitally remastered from the original master tapes' and they're not HDCD.

The only REAL HDCD ones I've seen in HMV are 'Shadows', 'Miles' and 'Don Juan'. So when I went to the States recently, I bought 'Hissing', 'Mingus', and others - at around $9.99.

Any you buy from Amazon are likely to be the non-HDCD ones, unless they specifically state they are on the listing.

All this is such a shame, as the HDCD ones are beautifully packaged, and sound so much better.

The reason behind all this is that Warners were reluctant to remaster their back-catalogue pending the arrival of DVD-A. Now that this hasn't 'happened', they've started remastering the likes of Fleetwood Mac - their first new CD reissues in 20 years! In the meantime, though, someone there must have got a bit fed up with waiting, taken the bull by the horns and done the Joni LPs in the best way possible. Little Feat, Ry Cooder and the rest have been poorly treated in comparison.

Posted on: 01 April 2004 by Camlan

Fred - In my original post I was talking about UK High St availability. It is difficult to know whether the Amazon versions are HDCD or not.

Chris - Yes you are right. You Must check the HDCD logo on the back. However all the versions of Blue that I have seen are HDCD including the one I bought.

Posted on: 01 April 2004 by Camlan

Posted on: 02 April 2004 by Rockingdoc

I've looked everywhere for these re-issues (the original CDs are rubbish), but can't find them.
If anyone finds a net source please let us know.

Posted on: 02 April 2004 by Martin M

quote:
If anyone finds a net source please let us know.

They are standard issue in the US, so get them from amazon.com or towerrecords.com.

IMO the HDCDs are OK, if rather obviously EQd in the remastering. The original US LPs are better - the Quadradisc of 'Hissing of Summer Lawns' is fascinating too,if you get a chance to hear it.

quote:
The reason behind all this is that Warners were reluctant to remaster their back-catalogue pending the arrival of DVD-A.

Or maybe, the original CDs are straight off the 1st generation masters. I know Warner's library is awesomely well organized, meaning that they could probably find the correct tapes first time.

Quite a few of the remastered CDs I've heard have been piss-poor. Listen to the various 'hacks' at the David Bowie catalogue, all uniformly horrible. The only half decent ones being the original RCAs from the mid-80s. Same for Elvis Costello. All IMO of course.

The only remasters I am looking forward to are the Brian Eno remasters - they are using the 1st generation masters transferred flat, but using an absolutely stonking tape deck.

Besides, sometimes Warners do remaster CDs and but do it 'secretly'. Neil Young's Harvest is a good example.

quote:
Now that this hasn't 'happened', they've started remastering the likes of Fleetwood Mac - their first new CD reissues in 20 years!

Actually, Rumours was remixed and remastered in 1987. The remix is horrible. The original 1983 CD sounds great but is difficult to find. The new remaster uses the original tapes and strangley enough sounds great again - rather like the 1983 CD in fact.

Posted on: 07 April 2004 by Chris Metcalfe

Didn't know they'd put one out in 1987. I have the original (bought 1985) and the new one, and the new one is FAR superior (as per the F Mac thread).

Another good set of remasters was the Claptons of a few years ago, especially 461 Ocean Boulevard.

Posted on: 16 April 2004 by Mike Hughes

If you walk into (ahem) your local Virgin store you will find the HDCD of Blue for £9.99 and no indication that it is anything other than a remaster. Stunning on a CDX2/XPS2

Posted on: 16 April 2004 by Chris Metcalfe

Mike, you're right, the 'Blue' now available in the UK does indeed appear to be the kosher article. But wait till you hear 'Hissing' and 'Hejira'....

Posted on: 21 April 2004 by Mike Hughes

If you live in or near Manchester then go to the new FOPP on Brown Street (where Piccadilly Records used to be before they became anti-social and moved to the Northern Quarter). All Joni HDCDs for a fiver each and all Nick Drake and Bob and, and, and, and....whoosh... that was the sound of £80 for 16 CDs disappearing over the counbter in the past five days.

Posted on: 21 April 2004 by J.N.

quote:
The original 1983 CD sounds great but is difficult to find.

My original 1983 CD sounds shite. Dynamically dead, dull and shut-in. My original vinyl copy murders it.

Martin; is your original 1983 copy of Rumours an EU (I guess mine is) or a USA version. We'll have to compare catalogue numbers, because I can't believe that we're talking about the same disc.

I now have a USA copy of the recently, well remastered version (with the second disc) and it sounds superb (it only took 20 bloody years!)

As do the latest remasters of 'Fleetwood Mac' and 'Tusk'.

I am sick and tired of the crap produced in the EU, and along with most of my friends with good systems; try to get my discs from the USA where possible.

Posted on: 21 April 2004 by J.N.

OK; I've dug it out:-

The genuine article on Warner Brothers

Made in Germany (1983)

Catalogue number 7599-27313-2

Posted on: 22 April 2004 by DenisA

If you want to confirm Joni Mitchell HDCD Catalog numbers then look
Here

Denis

Posted on: 22 April 2004 by Thomas K

If you want to confirm Joni Mitchell HDCD Catalog numbers then look

Denis, if you follow the link, say for "Blue", from the HDCD site, it takes you to amazon, where the release date of the CD is listed as 1990, with the catalogue number given on the HDCD site. HDCD, however, was introduced in 1995!

It seems nigh on impossible to get reliable information on CD pressings.

Thomas

Posted on: 22 April 2004 by DenisA

Thomas,

When I followed the link to Amazon for Hejira or Hissing, neither showed Catalog numbers od the CD's. I have Shaddows & Light at home and its got HDCD on the Cover and the CD itself. I will check the Cat No. + Year of Manufacture and where it was made (I'll report back). I remember buying it a few years ago at HMV in London (Oxford Street). The only places I have seen list Cat No's are HMV and 101cd.com, so the HDCD site will confirm that the CD is in fact HDCD. Despite what I just said, I ordered Hejira from 101 expecting to receive the HDCD version (and the link review indicated it was an HDCD remastered version) only to have a crappy standard AAD copy supplied (Cat 7559-60331-2). The HDCD Site says that the Remastered version should be Cat No. 60614.

Denis

Posted on: 01 May 2004 by Martin M

quote:
Catalogue number 7599-27313-2

Hi JN. Mine is made in West Germany, but the catalogue number is completely different. Mine is 3010-2. Very short catalogue number. Freaky looking disc too. All painted silver with red blobs on it.

I think I've heard the disc you are talking about. It's shite, all volume and no dynamics. Mine sounds rather like my US vinyl first pressing. Funny world.

I might check the latest remasters again though.

Posted on: 10 May 2004 by Rockingdoc

Finally got myself a remaster HDCD of Blue (from HMV, Bluewater). What a joy. I'm sure that it is even better than my original vinyl (but the old LP12 is sounding a bit thin at the moment).
However, Hejira was still the old non-remaster.

Posted on: 11 May 2004 by DenisA

I have just ordered these HDCD versions from CDconnection Here

Joni Mitchell: Hejira - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # 1087
Joni Mitchell: Hissing of Summer Lawns - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # 1051
Joni Mitchell: Miles of Aisles - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # 202

Including shipping, all 3 come to approx £21

I just saw the Miles of Aisles CD at HMV, imported at £17.99 and matched the Cat #, so I'm confident these are genuine HDCD remasters.

With the money I saved on the CD's at HMV I managed to pick up the New Order: Blue Monday 12" Single

Denis

Posted on: 25 May 2004 by Cosmoliu

Camlan,

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for starting this thread.

I stopped off on the way home and picked up Miles of Aisles, Don Juan's, and Clouds. Miles is the only one I have on original vinyl. JM + HDCD + CDS3 make it very hard to argue the superiority of analog playback, compared to my 20 yr old LP12, anyway.

Now do I go back and duplicate my vinyl holdings of Blue, Court and Spark, Hissing, etc?

Posted on: 22 June 2004 by Merlin

Just received the following from CDConnection.com:

Joni Mitchell: Hejira - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # 1087-2
Joni Mitchell: Hissing of Summer Lawns - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # 1051-2
Joni Mitchell: Miles of Aisles - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # 202-2
Joni Mitchell: Shadows & Light - Elektra/Asylum Catalog # AMCY-2878

The latter is the Japanese 2 disc import.

Total cost US $83.32 inc. shipping and it only took 2 weeks to arrive from the States.

Posted on: 07 September 2004 by O

I think 'Song to a Seagull' is available on HDCD here in the UK in some paces - the non-HDCD version has the crappy light blue background to the track listing on the back, whereas the HDCD has the full cover art and the 'HDCD' logo buried somewhere on the back. It really irritates me that the UK only get the AAD versions, especially Court and Spark, Hissing and Hejira - has anyone contacted Warner asking when/if we'll see these? I've been meaning to email them for about three years...
O

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