Jon Anderson releasing new surround material ("Olias of Sunhillow" upmix out in March!)

[humprof]

Yea I guess there is an economic cost to storage....Did no one think to offer the tapes to the artists to keep?
Running a business takes a different mindset from producing or appreciating art. I bet some of these executives didnt even listen to music......

Are there any landfills to excavate for discarded multi tracks and movie outtakes?

Plenty of cases in industry history like those 4EW is citing. But also plenty of cases of sloppy labeling and record-keeping. Just because they haven't found the tapes (yet) doesn't necessarily mean they're not out there somewhere. Some Gentle Giant multis presumed lost have belatedly shown up, for instance; ditto for XTC. (Although it's beginning to look like the multis for English Settlement may never materialize.) But even in those cases, it takes money and assiduity--and serendipity--to mount the search, and the record companies may not be motivated to devote the resources to such an enterprise, especially when it concerns a not-terribly-lucrative licensing deal (and when there's a pandemic going on).

 

[4-earredwonder]

Yea I guess there is an economic cost to storage....Did no one think to offer the tapes to the artists to keep?
Running a business takes a different mindset from producing or appreciating art. I bet some of these executives didnt even listen to music......

Are there any landfills to excavate for discarded multi tracks and movie outtakes?

Ironically, Jeff, the movie studios who had one time owned all the record companies have done a better job of preservation than their music counterparts. MOST of those old film negatives have faded or suffered major deterioration and the cost of restoring them sometimes FRAME BY FRAME is extremely costly and a painstaking process. Even a 70's movie like JAWS suffered major negative damage and had to be painstakingly restored. And some of those early silent films from the 1920's look amazing.

But being that HINDSIGHT IS 50/50, I'm sure none of those studios from that distant past ever imagined their films would live on into the next century and be presented in such glorious 'style!'

 

[VaughanX]

I noticed this was already up at Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Seven...ds=Jon+Anderson&qid=1606384065&s=music&sr=1-1

• NEW REMASTERED & EXPANDED RELEASE OF THE SECOND SOLO ALBUM BY JON ANDERSON FROM 1980
• WITH TWO BONUS TRACKS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD
• FEATURING GUEST MUSICIANS JACK BRUCE, SIMON PHILLIPS, JOHN GIBLIN, CLEM CLEMPSON & JOHNNY DANKWORTH
• FULLY RESTORED ARTWORK AND NOTES
• REVIEWS IN “UNCUT”, “MOJO”, “RECORD COLLECTOR”, “CLASSIC ROCK”, “PROG” MAGAZINES
• COVERAGE ON RELEVANT WEBSITES & FANZINES

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered and expanded edition of the 1980 solo album by JON ANDERSON, SONG OF SEVEN.


The album was recorded during Jon’s first hiatus from YES, with whom he had become an internationally known vocalist and songwriter and followed on from his 1976 solo album OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW. Working with keyboard player RONNIE LEAHY, Anderson created an optimistic album of varying influences and he gathered together a fine ensemble of musicians to assist him such as celebrated bass players JACK BRUCE and JOHN GIBLIN, guitarists CLEM CLEMPSON and IAN BAIRNSON, saxophonist JOHNNY DANKWORTH and percussionists MORRIS PERT and SIMON PHILLIPS. SONG OF SEVEN was a UK top forty hit upon its release by Atlantic Records in November 1980 and spawned a solo tour which established Jon Anderson as a regarded artist in his own right.


This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly re-mastered from the original Atlantic Records master tapes and is expanded to include two rare US single edits previously unreleased on CD and restores the original album artwork in a digipak. The booklet also features a new essay with an exclusive interview with Jon Anderson.

 

[artwwweb]

Sometimes things get genuinely lost. The Quatermass tapes were lost when they were sent to an overseas company for a local release. With thousands of tapes, it's bound to happen sometimes.

Other times, it is lack of concern. Apparently, when Olympic Studios closed down (early 2000s?) there were still tapes in a storage cupboard, discovered by the builders. (The Stones and The Who are amongst many others who used Olympic. The Who's Next tapes are missing. I wonder if a builder is using the can as a storage tin.)

 

[knifeman]

Disappointed in this. Previous info had me eagerly looking forward to a SW remix. I still might bite, if only for the hi-res stereo. I have the Japanese import of this which I got years ago, but it's still red book CD. Olias and Fish Out of Water were my two favorites of the Yes solo albums released in the mid-70's, so I'm not complaining too loudly. To have Fish and Olias (even an upmix) re-released in deluxe formats is something I never thought would happen.

 

[ssully]

I have two CDs of these, one the first CD issue (Japanese) from the late 1990s and the other the one AF did for SACD decades later, supposedly from the two track master tapes.

They sound virtually identical.

Which is to say, they sound OK, but this amazing album was never a sonic diamond in any format . It's a dense mix, occasionally harsh, and even upmixed with DPLII sounds a bit 'flat'. I'll be curious to see what can be done with other upmixing technology, but it's going to need some other kinds of tweaking too. A pity the multis are missing. (Sometimes that's because they really are....other times because no one spent enough money to find them)

 

[ssully]

Sometimes things get genuinely lost. The Quatermass tapes were lost when they were sent to an overseas company for a local release. With thousands of tapes, it's bound to happen sometimes.

Other times, it is lack of concern. Apparently, when Olympic Studios closed down (early 2000s?) there were still tapes in a storage cupboard, discovered by the builders. (The Stones and The Who are amongst many others who used Olympic. The Who's Next tapes are missing. I wonder if a builder is using the can as a storage tin.)

I thought all of the multis for Who's Next had actually been found at this point? Wasn't the whole thing remixed (in 2 channel) in stages a decade or two ago?

Or were they lost again after they had been found?

 

[artwwweb]

I thought all of the multis for Who's Next had actually been found at this point? Wasn't the whole thing remixed (in 2 channel) in stages a decade or two ago?

Or were they lost again after they had been found?

I must admit I don't know. They were lost at some point and I've not heard they have been found but it would be great if they have. Have the actual album tracks have been remixed? Some of the copious out-takes maybe? Given that Tommy and Quadrophenia have been mixed to surround, it seems likely that if the tapes had become available, Who's Next would have been done.

 

[JediJoker]

I thought all of the multis for Who's Next had actually been found at this point? Wasn't the whole thing remixed (in 2 channel) in stages a decade or two ago?

Along with the rest of the catalogue (save My Generation) for mid-'90s CD releases with bonus tracks (on MCA in the U.S.). I grew up with the '95 remix of Who's Next and it remains my preferred version.

 

[artwwweb]

I don't want to derail this thread, but thought I should try to clear up some of the confusion (inclusing mine) about Who's Next. It looks like only some of the multis are lost, so the 1995 remix is a mixture of remix and remaster. See p167 of The Who on Record . The missing tracks are Getting In Tune, Bargain, Won't Get Fooled Again and Song Is Over.
This was 25 years ago, so maybe they have found more now, though I doubt it.

 

[privateuniverse]

I don't want to derail this thread, but thought I should try to clear up some of the confusion (inclusing mine) about Who's Next. It looks like only some of the multis are lost, so the 1995 remix is a mixture of remix and remaster. See p167 of The Who on Record . The missing tracks are Getting In Tune, Bargain, Won't Get Fooled Again and Song Is Over.
This was 25 years ago, so maybe they have found more now, though I doubt it.

According to Wikipedia:

The master tapes for the Olympic sessions are believed to be lost, as Virgin Records threw out a substantial number of old recordings when they purchased the studio in the 1980s. Video game publisher Harmonix wanted to release Who's Next as downloadable, playable content for the music video game series Rock Band, but were unable to do so due to difficulty finding the original multi track recordings. Instead, a compilation of Who songs dubbed The Best of The Who, which includes three of the album's songs ("Behind Blue Eyes", "Baba O'Riley", and "Going Mobile"), was released as downloadable content, in lieu of the earlier-promised Who's Next album. The 16-track tapes to "Won't Get Fooled Again" and the 8-track tapes to the other material except "Bargain" and "Getting In Tune" have since been discovered.

 

[artwwweb]

The 16-track tapes to "Won't Get Fooled Again" and the 8-track tapes to the other material except "Bargain" and "Getting In Tune" have since been discovered.

Great news! I'm sure we'd all be happy enough with upmixes for those 2 tracks as long as we get a nice 5.1 of the other tracks.

 

[ssully]

Like I said, the remixes were released in stages. I recall that multis for WGFA were found after the Who's Next remix, so a remixed version was first released on a Who compilation instead (My Generation: The Very Best of the Who. ). I wasn't aware/forgot that two tracks were still missing. This was all many years ago now...in 1995/96, according to my googling.

So far the Who remixes I've heard , Tommy ---I've only heard the first remix-- and Quadrophenia, are to varying degrees disappointing (especially Quad). So the bar is set low for any Who's Next remix.

 

[SHB]

Speaking of The Who, when are we going to hear more about The Who Sell Out? My apologies mentioning this on this thread but since we were on the subject of the Who...
I'm sure Jon Anderson loved The Who.

 

[ProgRules]

Speaking of The Who, when are we going to hear more about The Who Sell Out? My apologies mentioning this on this thread but since we were on the subject of the Who...
I'm sure Jon Anderson loved The Who.

Likely, but I bet Chris Squire loved them better!

 

[rtbluray]

Here we go!
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product...sunhillow-2-disc-remastered-expanded-edition/
Released March 26, 2021.
• A NEWLY REMASTERED & EXPANDED 2 DISC EDITION OF THE LEGENDARY 1976 SOLO ALBUM BY YES VOCALIST JON ANDERSON
• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
• FEATURES A DVD WITH A HIGH RESOLUTION 96 kHz / 24-BIT RE-MASTER OF THE ORIGINAL STEREO MIX ALONG WITH A 5.1 SURROUND SOUND UP-MIX DERIVED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
• WITH FULLY RESTORED ARTWORK AND AN ESSAY WITH AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JON ANDERSON
• INCLUDES ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET WITH NEW ESSAY

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new expanded and re-mastered 2 disc edition of the classic debut solo album by YES vocalist JON ANDERSON, “Olias of Sunhillow”. Released in July 1976, the album was a conceptual work recounting the story of an alien race on a journey to find a new world following volcanic destruction on their home planet. All music on the album was written and performed by Jon Anderson and the recording took place at Anderson’s Buckinghamshire home studio whilst Yes were on hiatus following the tour to promote the album “Relayer”. Initially recorded on an 8-track tape machine, the arrangements were then re-recorded on to a 24-track tape machine. The album saw Jon perform the music entirely alone, teaching himself to play keyboards and acknowledging the influence of such legendary musicians as Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz and Vangelis on his work. Indeed, it was even rumoured Vangelis performed on the album, something the maestro would deny in interviews.

“Olias of Sunhillow” was released by Atlantic Records in the summer of 1976 in an elaborate gatefold sleeve designed by David Fairbrother-Roe and was a top ten album in the UK. This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly remastered from the original album master tapes and fully restores the stunning original artwork and also features a booklet with a new essay and exclusive interview with Jon Anderson.

Over the ensuing years the excellence of the album has led to many calls for the album to be remixed in a 5.1 Surround Sound format. Alas, despite extensive research, the multi-track masters of the album cannot be found. However, this expanded edition of “Olias of Sunhillow” features a DVD featuring a high resolution 96 kHz / 24-bit re-master of the stereo mix and also includes a high resolution 5.1 Surround Sound up-mix derived from the original stereo master tapes as an additional feature.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:
OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW
REMASTERED EDITION

1. OCEAN SONG
2. MEETING (GARDEN OF GEDA)
SOUND OUT THE GALLEON
3. DANCE OF RANYART
OLIAS (TO BUILD THE MOORGLADE)
4. QOQUAQ EN TRANSIC
NAON
TRANSIC TO
5. FLIGHT OF THE MOORGLADE
6. SOLID SPACE
7. MOON RA
CHORDS
SONG OF SEARCH
8. TO THE RUNNER

DISC TWO:
OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW
HIGH RESOLUTION 96 KHZ / 24-BIT
5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX & STEREO REMASTER

1. OCEAN SONG (5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
2. MEETING (GARDEN OF GEDA)
SOUND OUT THE GALLEON
(5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
3. DANCE OF RANYART
OLIAS (TO BUILD THE MOORGLADE)
(5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
4. QOQUAQ EN TRANSIC
NAON
TRANSIC TO
(5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
5. FLIGHT OF THE MOORGLADE
(5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
6. SOLID SPACE (5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
7. MOON RA
CHORDS
SONG OF SEARCH
(5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)
8. TO THE RUNNER (5.1 SURROUND SOUND UPMIX)

 

[ssully]

Maybe they will at least give details of the upmixing technology (actually I wouldn't count on it).

 

[mwhealton]

Not a difficult decision to do a preorder. I would have been just as happy paying a bit more for a bluray, though, to allow the color buttons to be used to select the exact mix/encoding desired.

 

[humprof]

Good price, at least. (Although if history is any guide, ImportCDs will eventually have it for about that same figure in dollars r/t pounds.)

 

[Marplot]

I don't really know much of his solo work; I find it a bit .. ethereal for me. How does this one rate?