Marillion "Clutching at Straws" (Deluxe Edition with 5.1 Blu-Ray Audio)

[rtbluray]

Big news is that the 5.1 surround mix was NOT mixed by Steven Wilson (I guess he really doesn't have time for more Marillion 5.1 mixes)
Anyway, the rest of the details are below. Enjoy!

From Marillion's Facebook:
Following on from last year’s revamped versions of Misplaced Childhood and Brave, Warner Music are giving Clutching At Straws the Deluxe treatment.
The 5 disc package will include new stereo and 5.1 mixes of the album by Andy Bradfield and Avril Mackintosh. We are really pleased with these and think the stereo mix is an improvement on the original but, in case you don’t agree with us, we have included the original 1987 mix for completeness on the Blu Ray.
We have also included the 19th December 1987 concert at the Edinburgh Playhouse in its entirety spanning 2 discs. Most of this show is previously unreleased and it has been expertly mixed by Mike Hunter.
Disc 4 contains 19 demo recordings, including 4 previously unreleased demos of Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles, Just For The Record, Torch Song and Slàinte Mhath.
The blu-ray contains 48/24 audio of the remix of the album in stereo and 5.1, the promo videos for the album’s singles, the original 1987 album mix and bonus tracks.
The Blu Ray also includes a 60 minute interview style documentary called "The Last Straw" with all 5 members of the band discussing the making of CAS and the subsequent split with Fish, with Mick Wall, the journalist who wrote the first official Marillion biography.
If you are a fan of CAS and want to immerse yourself in all things Clutching then this release is for you!
The release on November 23rd will also be available as a 5 disc deluxe vinyl box set.
PRE-ORDER THE DELUXE CD/BLU-RAY - www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast43.htm
PRE-ORDER THE DELUXE VINYL - www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast44.htm
Anyone who pre-orders before the release date will receive a hand signed print (signed by Ian, Mark, Pete and Steve R.) and will also be entered into a draw to win an original Clutching At Straws leather tour jacket.

CD 1 (2018 ANDY BRADFIELD & AVRIL MACKINTOSH REMIX)
CDs 2 & 3 - LIVE AT EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE 1987 (MICHAEL HUNTER MIX)
CD 4 - DEMOS & EXTRAS

 

[rtbluray]

Fish's take is below (also from Facebook):

I’m proud and pleased to announce that the ‘Clutching at Straws’ remaster is finally available for pre order with the release date of November 23rd. As my favourite of all the albums I created with my former band it was always going to be a special project. I realised it would also be demanding as it involved revisiting some turbulent times and scratching some old wounds.
The documentary we filmed for the Blu Ray on the CD box set version at the Old Reindeer Inn in Banbury back in May when we were interviewed by Mick Wall had a couple of awkward moments and makes for some interesting viewing. Old friendships however prevailed and the existing camaraderie is obvious. The footage is part of a great collection of material on the disc taking in demos from 1986 and from the follow up album that never happened in 1988. The promotional videos are all there and I have to admit having a big smile watching the ‘Incommunicado’ clip for the first time in years.
The 5-1 mix is truly wonderful and was created by Andy Bradfield and Avril Mackintosh who was the original mixing engineer for producer Chris Kimsey in Advision studios back in 1987. Knowing the album inside out she has added, together with Andy an amazing new take on the songs and brought a whole new energy and life into both the 5-1 and new stereo mixes.
The live material that is on both the vinyl and CD versions is from a legendary show in Edinburgh on December 19th 1987 and this is the first time it’s been featured in its entirety. Again I had some happy memories of a breath-taking gig I’m glad to see unearthed and finally released in all its glory.
Mark Wilkinson as always has put together a great package and with Mick Wall’s new sleeve notes and a host of photos it makes for an interesting read. It was definitely a trip back in time for me on this project.
The full track listing of the 4CD/BRD box set and the 5 vinyl disc box set you can discover on the fishmusic.scot store, links to both editions below:
Clutching At Straws (4CD/BRD) http://smarturl.it/CAS-2018-CDBRD
Clutching At Straws (5LP vinyl set) http://smarturl.it/CAS-2018-VINYL

I have to say I was extremely disappointed that the timing of the project moved as it was originally intended to be released in September to coincide with the tour I had booked around the initially proposed release schedule. Due to matters totally out with my control the delay has meant that I won’t have the ‘Clutching at Straws’ products on the merchandise stall on the mainland European tour.
As with the previous ‘Misplaced Childhood’ box set re master I will be autographing both the vinyl and CD/BRD sets. Warners had originally moved the release to mid-November which would have meant it was impossible to sign them as I would be on tour. After explaining my predicament they were sympathetic and generously agreed to move the release back to the 23rd November. This means I can sign the copies when I come back from Europe and before the December UK tour.
Having the ‘Clutching at Straws’ box sets on the road would have meant a saving for people on postage but with the release now on November 23rd I’m afraid there is no other option but to buy them on mail order. I’ll be carrying the product on my UK tour in December but as these are both limited edition products I can’t promise there will be any available. I will only have 750 vinyl box sets and 2500 CD/BRD disc box sets which is roughly what I sold on the last release.
As I buy these from Warners I am effectively taking on the role as a retailer and as such my margins are relatively small. I’ve tried to keep the pricing as tight as possible but I appreciate that the postage costs I’d hoped to avoid by selling it on the road are expensive. I can’t reduce the price of the ‘Clutching’ box sets but after discussion with my team what I have decided to offer is a £2 reduction in price on any of the solo remaster catalogue which includes ‘Songs from the Mirror’, ‘Suits’, ‘Sunsets on Empire’, ‘Raingods with Zippos’, ‘Fellini Days’ and ‘Field of Crows’ if you order either of the ‘CAS’ remasters.
To clarify if you buy a ‘CAS’ remaster from fishmusic.scot you can order 1 or more of the Fish solo remasters at the same time and get a £2 discount on each solo remaster which will be calculated at checkout. The solo remasters will have postage and packaging added and will be sent separately from the ‘CAS’ remaster when we receive your pre order. The autographed ‘CAS’ remaster will be sent out after the official release date 23rd November. The vinyl box sets and CD box sets will also be sent out as separate packages.
I stress that these are limited editions and after we are sold out there will be no restocking. I know there were quite a few people left disappointed when the ‘Misplaced’ CD box set sold out and who thought there would be more available. Warners have informed me that both the vinyl and CD/BRD disc box sets will be discontinued after they have sold this production run.

 

[edisonbaggins]

CAN. NOT. WAIT.

 

[svengaleekie]

Just saw this was for pre-order on facebook, so went to my account at Racket Records and ordered the CD / Bluray Set, probably my favourite Marillion album!

 

[DuncanS]

Ordered, brilliant album What a year for surround releases it is turning out to be...…………..my poor credit card is groaning again!

http://www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast43.htm

 

[edisonbaggins]

Pre-ordered. Praying to the gods of surround that this is a good mix...

 

[4-earredwonder]

Ordered, brilliant album What a year for surround releases it is turning out to be...…………..my poor credit card is groaning again!

http://www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast43.htm

To the beat of Marillion...........

And don't forget this one if you don't already have it: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Maril...Live-at-the-Royal-Albert-Hall-Blu-ray/206500/

 

[colsky]

pre order up on amazon UK, with no pricing yet:

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GW2PFR4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1536238476&sr=8-5&keywords=marillion+clutching+at+straws

 

[MCDave]

Score! Just pre-ordered from Racket.

 

[César]

Didn't Steven Wilson at any point mentioned he was working on the surround mix or was it only in my dreams?

 

[rtbluray]

Didn't Steven Wilson at any point mentioned he was working on the surround mix or was it only in my dreams?

I don't think he ever mentioned it himself. I think it was hinted at several months ago by Marillion's manager, but obviously if their intention was to get SW to remix this album, he obviously didn't have enough time (or interest) to get it done.
Like I said in another thread, hopefully that means he's feverishly working to finish another XTC remix before the year is over with!

 

[colsky]

Didn't Steven Wilson at any point mentioned he was working on the surround mix or was it only in my dreams?

I thought he did too, and that this one would be the last one.

 

[dobyblue]

Would be cool to see some of these releases put 24/48 mono files of the multis on a Blu-ray where a surround mix was done and the multis were archived...just in case you wanna do some remixes or surround mixes yourself!

LPCM Master Audio, oooh, does my Blu-ray player support that?

 

[César]

I thought he did too, and that this one would be the last one.

I cannot avoid being a bit disappointed by the news and scared about the surround mix. Clutching is my favourite Marillion album and reading that Mike Hunter was involved in the project too worries me quite a lot. Hopefully Fish is not wrong when he says the 5.1 mix is great, but even that emphasis sounds a bit forced. He did not say anything like that with Misplaced, if I remember correctly.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

I cannot avoid being a bit disappointed by the news and scared about the surround mix. Clutching is my favourite Marillion album and reading that Mike Hunter was involved in the project too worries me quite a lot. Hopefully Fish is not wrong when he says the 5.1 mix is great, but even that emphasis sounds a bit forced. He did not say anything like that with Misplaced, if I remember correctly.

I wouldn't despair.
Bradfield and Mackintosh did the mix , and Avril ( Mackintosh ) was a protégé of Chris Kimsey of Ten Years After fame . The same Kimsey who has a quad credit with TYA'S "Space In Time ".

 

[MCDave]

I cannot avoid being a bit disappointed by the news and scared about the surround mix. Clutching is my favourite Marillion album and reading that Mike Hunter was involved in the project too worries me quite a lot. Hopefully Fish is not wrong when he says the 5.1 mix is great, but even that emphasis sounds a bit forced. He did not say anything like that with Misplaced, if I remember correctly.

Who is Mike Hunter and why does his involvement worry you? SW is a very good mixer, but of all the surround mixes I own he did 2 or 3 of my least favorite ones, and he didn't do any of my top 5 faves. Who knows, The Yes Album might have been even better if someone else had done it. We'll never know. Let's see what we get in November.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Hopefully Fish is not wrong when he says the 5.1 mix is great, but even that emphasis sounds a bit forced...

Misplaced Childhood 5.1 isn't great though! Only pretty good. Serviceable. I will be happy with a decent mix. As long as they don't obviously f*#k something up!

 

[Albert Dagger]

Didn't Steven Wilson at any point mentioned he was working on the surround mix or was it only in my dreams?

I thought he did too, and that this one would be the last one.

That's what I remember as well... strange. That's a pity, because I'm very happy with the new mixes of Brave and Misplaced Childhood.

What are the credentials of Andy Bradfield and Avril Mackintosh? I've searched a bit on Discogs, and it seems that Andy was trained as recording engineer (apparently, he worked as assistant on Amused to Death) but then moved to mixing. Avril will know the album well, but I'm a bit concerned about this statement on Fish Facebook Page, that they added: 'an amazing new take on the songs and brought a whole new energy and life into both the 5-1 and new stereo mixes'. I hope there won't be much revisionism.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to hearing the 5.1 mix, but what's wrong with the original stereo mix of this album? They are only going to include it on the BR disc, it won't be on CD.

EDIT: I've just read on the other forum that SW agreed to remix Afraid Of Sunlight, not this album. Problem solved.

 

[JediJoker]

EDIT: I've just read on the other forum that SW agreed to remix Afraid Of Sunlight, not this album. Problem solved.

That's music to my ears! I hope he follows through, schedule and sanity permitting. I love that album, but it's a bit of a congested mess.

 

[César]

Who is Mike Hunter and why does his involvement worry you? SW is a very good mixer, but of all the surround mixes I own he did 2 or 3 of my least favorite ones, and he didn't do any of my top 5 faves. Who knows, The Yes Album might have been even better if someone else had done it. We'll never know. Let's see what we get in November.

Mike Hunter has been Marillion's lead producer and mixer since Radiation times, although he was involved as assistant mixer in previous albums, if my memory serves me right.
As a producer, from my point of view, he did not challenge the band enough, producing some weak albums such as Happiness or Somewhere Else. As a mixer, his 5.1s from Radiation or Sounds are really bad (apologies for being so crude). FEAR is slightly better, but very far from being a solid mix.
Marillion's sound has been historically quite crammed and a bit messy and I don't feel like Mr Hunter has helped at all on this area.
Luckily he's not been involved in Clutching surround mix.
As always, this is my very personal opinion, as a long time Marillion fan.