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BrendanT
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
907 Posts |
 Posted - 08/20/2003 : 13:26:59
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I have just found the "Purple EP" at an indep. record store. There are 9 songs on it. Wondering though.....is it worth owning? I have every conceivable song by the Pixies. Probably have the versions kicking around somewhere. Buddy told me that they are the demos off of Come On Pilgrim and good quality recording. Anyone know for sure?
Strummer-man
I had me a vision!
What is your fascination with my secret closet of mystery? |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 13:31:57
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| They are excellent quality, and those versions I've not been able to find anywhere else. Original, differnt version of Here Comes Your Man and Subbatcultcha, an EXTREMELY tasty version of River Euphrates, that I like better than the album cut, and a properly recorded verion of Rocka My Soul, there's lots of goodies. I say go for it. |
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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
895 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 13:37:10
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| The recording quality is great....these are the songs leftover from the 'Purple Tapes' which the pixies used as a demo....these 9 songs, and Come On Pilgrim amount to the 'Purple Tapes'....The songs on the CD are pretty dang good.....'Rock A My Soul' was previously unreleased (officially) and there are great alternate cuts of songs we all know.......Here Comes Your Man is extended and very good....Subbacultcha has an extended chorus; 'we'll have a little fun'.....overall it is great........ESSENTIAL!!!! |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:06:36
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mine doent have river euphrates!!! mike, are you sure???
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed' |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:09:58
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| No ma'am. I don't actually own the Purple Tape, I'm a SoulSeeker. But if I had the extra change, I would buy it. That version of River Euphrates is special though... |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:10:23
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i mean "doesn't".
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed' |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:16:10
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okay, mine is...
1.broken face
2.build high
3.rock a my soul
4.down to the well
5.break my body
6.i'm amazed
7.HCYM
8.subbacultcha
9.in heaven
damn, the really 'special' ain't even included...
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed' |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:19:46
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| Well then, I don't know where the version of RE comes from. It's soooo tasty... Is that making it better? Probably not. |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:26:48
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i hate you.
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed' |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:27:31
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ah, i cant stay angry at you fer long...
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed' |
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bad melody
- FB Fan -
11 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 14:47:03
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I don't know if I was reading this correctly or not, but the alternate version of River Euphrates isn't off of the Purple Tapes. It's the first song off of the B-sides, at least that's the version I'm assuming that speedy m is referring to. (Incidentally, I like the version off Surfer Rosa better, but nonetheless, its still a neat cut. I think Kim's background vocals may sound better in this one, while I prefer Frank's singing on the Surfer album.)
"here I am with my hand" |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 15:04:34
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i don't like the backround vocals on the gigantic ep version, very impersonal.
-Jessie
"deep in ocean blues of absinthe..." |
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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
895 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 15:59:32
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Personally, I never really displayed my gratitude for the following albums;
...Death To The Pixies (particularly disc 2), Pixies at the BBC, B-sides, and Purple Tapes....also, the remastered re-releases of the 5 albums....
....for all of these, i am truly thankful!!!! |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 23:06:25
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Frank Black Francis...the Pixies studio albums never saw the light of remastering. At the last second, they pulled the remaster plug and just reissued them with new packaging. There was a rights issue, and it all got swept under the carpet. So basically what you have is a repackaged non-remaster. And no one seems to be aware of this bizarre event. Frankly, I'm distressed at the slack-hack job of the tampered artwork, especially the discoloring of BOSSANOVA's wonderful album cover. The whole thing makes no sense. As to this thread topic? YES BRENDAN T...it is worth owning the PURPLE TAPE. It's a little slice of history to hear what the permanent songs sprouted from. Especially SUBBACULTCHA...very interesting to hear the extra chorus "we'll have big fun/we'll have big fun..." which later on takes life of it's own as "lookin' into the sun/lookin' into the sun...".
Catchin' blue in his eyes that were brown
-bRIAN |
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jimmy
= Cult of Ray =
USA
876 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2003 : 23:15:45
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| I hate to complain about the COMPLETE B SIDES which is altogether a great thing, but I think they should've added the 12" version of GIGANTIC and the DIG FOR FIRE remix. |
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axel
- FB Fan -
Belgium
101 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 00:00:47
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quote:
Originally posted by frank_black_francis
Personally, I never really displayed my gratitude for the following albums;
...Death To The Pixies (particularly disc 2), Pixies at the BBC, B-sides, and Purple Tapes....also, the remastered re-releases of the 5 albums....
....for all of these, i am truly thankful!!!!
I just love Pixies at the bbc. It got me through a student job once. I especially like the is she weird version. |
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Eazy E
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
8 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 00:23:01
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is it easy to find a copy of the Purple EP?
xxx
ed |
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Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 01:05:12
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Shouldn't be too hard. When it first came out it seemed every independent store in even my often frustrating city was carrying five or six copies. Most of them are probably still sitting there. If you follow my reason(?)ing, I seem to assume this is the story in many other places.
Nothing is ever something. |
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jo
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
516 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 02:25:37
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quote:
Originally posted by TRANSMARINE
the Pixies studio albums never saw the light of remastering. At the last second, they pulled the remaster plug and just reissued them with new packaging. There was a rights issue, and it all got swept under the carpet.
not true. the albums were remastered twice, but in the end were turned down - there's no bigger deal than that really. The packaging was corrected as the US versions had some errors (can't remember specifics) however, I know there's also some minor errors with the remasters (I think Trompe Le Monde had a print error? I've not seen the new US copies)
I have a CDR copy of the remastered Doolittle, and if you were to put the LP on, the normal CD and the remastered CD, the remaster actually sounds more like the LP than the CD. But it'll never see the light of day, unfortunately.
There was no rights issues though. |
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BrendanT
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
907 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 03:02:25
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This is the version I am contemplating. What do you think Ms. Brackish Girl?
quote:
Originally posted by Brackish Girl
okay, mine is...
1.broken face
2.build high
3.rock a my soul
4.down to the well
5.break my body
6.i'm amazed
7.HCYM
8.subbacultcha
9.in heaven
damn, the really 'special' ain't even included...
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed'
Strummer-man
I had me a vision!
What is your fascination with my secret closet of mystery? |
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Eazy E
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
8 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 03:14:23
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I should have re-phrased that...is it easy to find in the UK?
xxx
ed |
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Stuart
- The Clopser -
China
2291 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 03:51:40
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quote:
Originally posted by jo
[quote]Originally posted by TRANSMARINE
I have a CDR copy of the remastered Doolittle, and if you were to put the LP on, the normal CD and the remastered CD, the remaster actually sounds more like the LP than the CD. But it'll never see the light of day, unfortunately.
There was no rights issues though.
Be a darling and stick on the ftp for us (well for everyone except me whilst I am in China).
Bacon....... Its not fantastic |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 06:15:06
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quote:
Originally posted by BrendanT
This is the version I am contemplating. What do you think Ms. Brackish Girl?
well, it is 'a slice of history'! go fer it if you've got the cash, though i'm not a big fan of rock a my soul. yet i like that build high...
-Jessie
"deep in ocean blues of absinthe..." |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 06:16:14
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quote:
Originally posted by jimmy
I hate to complain about the COMPLETE B SIDES which is altogether a great thing, but I think they should've added the 12" version of GIGANTIC and the DIG FOR FIRE remix.
well, they stuck that gigantic on DTTP.
-Jessie
"deep in ocean blues of absinthe..." |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 13:04:58
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quote:
Originally posted by jo
not true. the albums were remastered twice, but in the end were turned down - there's no bigger deal than that really.
I have a CDR copy of the remastered Doolittle, and if you were to put the LP on, the normal CD and the remastered CD, the remaster actually sounds more like the LP than the CD. But it'll never see the light of day, unfortunately.
There was no rights issues though.
Jo,
First off, let me say that as a Pixies/FB fan and member of this board, I greatly appreciate the fact that you pop by from time to time with news and views from the world of 4AD.
However, your last post really has got me to wonderin'.
Without trying to pry too much into company business that isn't much of ours, if the time and money was spent on remastering jobs that (at least to your ears) more closely replicated the sonics of the original vinyl LPs, why exactly were thes remasters "turned down", and who in particluar made that decision?
I ask not to fixate on a "culprit" or to lay blame, but more out of a sense of curiosity for the way label/band politics work.
For instance, would it be foolish to assume that the Pixies' contracts afford them the ability to "sign off" on any sonic restoration or alteration of their masters? If so, were they the ones who disapproved of the upgrades? Or, was this an in-house decision left up entirely to company brass?
What exactly was it that still made the original mastering jobs so appealing to those in the right position to make a change? And, why does it sound like a forgone conclusion that the remasters will "never see the light of day"? Experience has shown me that things like this can always resurface during a time of sluggish backcat sales...
Thanks for your time and consideration - and if this stuff isn't yours to know (or to speak of publicly), I can dig that, too.
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2003 : 14:04:01
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I agree Peter Radiator.
I'm still sticking to my guns. I heard there was a rights issue involved somewhere and the catalog never saw a remaster. Why would they remaster, then repackage, at the last second pull the plug, but go ahead and release with new packaging? And invest so much hype in the whole thing? The whole thing is fishy. There's a fight somewhere, and it's too hush-hush.
There's always truth to rumors. And this is the rumor I heard.
Now I'm hearing the X-Files theme! What the...? Dinner plate specials...? Way down inside...? AAAHHHHHH!
Catchin' blue in his eyes that were brown
-bRIAN |
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Sheamus
= Cult of Ray =
Australia
345 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2003 : 23:52:15
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I highly doubt that there is a conspiracy like you're suggesting. Jo has always been willing to divulge lots of info on Pixies goings on, and I doubt she'd be lying about this. I can't possibly see how there would be a rights issue considering that 4AD owns everything that was going to be remastered anyway.
That said, I am interested in why the remastered versions were turned down if they sounded so much better, and think Peter makes some good points. |
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Sheamus
= Cult of Ray =
Australia
345 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2003 : 23:56:17
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| And Transmarine, would you be able to tell us where you heard this information? |
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Frog in the Sand
-+ Le premiere frog +-
France
2715 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 01:25:16
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quote:
Originally posted by jimmy
I hate to complain about the COMPLETE B SIDES which is altogether a great thing, but I think they should've added the 12" version of GIGANTIC and the DIG FOR FIRE remix.
The B-Sides File 3rd edition, which was released in the mid-90s, is much more interesting than the Complete B-Sides. It contains ALL the B-sides, including the 12" version of Gigantic, plus 12 rare or less-known tracks, among them Rock My Soul and Down to the Well, from the Purple Tapes. |
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jo
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
516 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 03:43:48
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its really not the big conspiracy its starting to sound like here :) the remasters were done - twice on some of the albums, but turned down by the management - as it was felt the albums lacked something (which we disagreed with, hence the second remaster), but they get the final say.
There's no rights thing going on here. I hate naming people, cause it sounds like I'm doing that "its all YOUR fault!!!!" but I'm not - cause in the end with anything 4ad does with bands, the band always gets the final say on it. As far as I'm aware, its not contractual they do that, but more that if the label is gonna do something, that its done by the people who care about it as well, rather than just turning into A.N. Other record label exploiting its artists... which would suck big time. Which maybe all labels do to an extent (for some reason I had a vision of that sentence being picked out and stuff like "B Sides"! and "new Best Of"! being thrown back...), ah I dunno.
if there was a rights issue, then 4ad wouldn't have reissued them in the US surely? I'm struggling to find a logical reason how a rights issue could stop a remaster happening? 4ad owns the rights.
Annoyingly, the remasters were turned down so close to the cutoff date for manufacturing, we had to correct all the info pretty sharpish, but it made the release date. But that's nobodys fault. It just happened that way, and everything got out into the shops when it was supposed to.
The remasters were done by John Dent at Loud Mastering, and he did some work on the b-sides album....
Hope this answers some things, |
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 04:55:58
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it sounds awfully confusing....
i find it hard to see why management would turn down the remasters when they:
a) would not sound worse off than the original cd pressings
b) would sell well to diehard fans and newbies alike - much more than simply reissued versions.
so does that mean that they did think that they sounded worse?
which i find unlikely, cause of what jo said earlier and cause of the whole remastering process.
we all really appreciate your input into this jo....and i must say that i definitely detect a fair bit of dissatisfaction with the decisison.
and also, how much would those remasters have cost?
a shitload i'd imagine - the guy would still get paid even tho they weren't used.
whats done is done, but still.
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jo
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
516 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 07:51:29
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you've got to remember though, its relative. we listened to it (we being me and Steve who does backcat) and thought the new cd was a better representation of how the albums sound on vinyl, comparing all three formats (LP, CD, remastered CD). Unfortunately, those with the final yes or no decision, disagreed. Its a shame, but then that's how the cookie crumbles...
I guess what I'm saying is just cause I think they sounded better, doesn't mean others did... |
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switchy
- Gigographer -
USA
324 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 11:24:23
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Jo, howbout being (more of) a hero to Pixies fans everywhere and 'leak' out the remasters?!  We could start up some CDR trees here.
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jo
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
516 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 16:23:46
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| sorry, I'd get sacked!!! honest... wish I could... |
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switchy
- Gigographer -
USA
324 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2003 : 17:01:33
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ah, come on.. sometimes you just gotta make sacrifices. I'd do it for you! 
ha, no.. seriously, i understand.. just thought i would give it a shot. thanks anyways.
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2003 : 06:38:44
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quote:
Originally posted by jo
its really not the big conspiracy its starting to sound like here :) the remasters were done - twice on some of the albums, but turned down by the management - as it was felt the albums lacked something (which we disagreed with, hence the second remaster), but they get the final say.
Jo,
Thanks so much for the kind reply. That was my assumption from the start. While diappointing to many of us, it's perfectly understandable from an artist's point of view.
As far as questions of cost go, I don't know what John Dent charges, but from my personal experience, if the "masters" he was working from were DAT dupe masters or analog reels which didn't require a lot of restoration work (which these probably didn't), a safe estimate would be about $600 - $700 for each remastered version of a full album.
Of course, I could be completely wrong. 
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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