Next 5 CDs being reissued in Japan

[dirtyfaz]

The next 5 CDs after Butterfly, Hollies Sing Dylan to Romany are being reissued in Japan on 1/24/2014. They will be Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [SHM-CD] [Limited Release]. They all have plenty of bonus tracks but unfortunately the Dylan CD doesn't contain the mono version of the LP. That would have been nice as it was the last LP to be issued in mono and as yet hasn't appeared on CD.
The track listings as of the minute are:
HOLLIES SING DYLAN
1 When The Ship Comes In
2 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
3 I Want You
4 This Wheel's On Fire
5 I Shall Be Released
6 Blowin' In The Wind
7 Quit Your Low Down Ways
8 Just Like A Woman
9 The Times They Are A Changin'
10 All I Really Want To Do
11 My Back Pages
12 Mighty Quinn
13 Blowin' In The Wind (Nash Version/Stereo Mix)
14Stop Stop Stop (Live at Lewisham Odeon)
15 Look Through Any Window (Live at Lewisham Odeon
16 The Times They Are A Changin' (Live At Lewisham Odeon)
17 On A Carousel (Live At Lewisham Odeon)
18 King Midas In Reverse (Live At Lewisham Odeon)
19 Butterfly (Live At Lewisham Odeon)
20 Jennifer Eccles (Live At Lewisham Odeon)
21 Blowin' In The Wind (Nash Version/Mono Mix)
22 Carrie Anne (Live At Lewisham Odeon)
When the tracklistings for this CD first became available it had a different
track order. On A Carousel and Carrie Anne were not included on this but it included
Blowin' In The Wind (Live In Germany). This has been removed. I may have been
either the 20 Years version or the version from a 60’s German only LP that had an
orchestral backing The Hollies doing this song.
HOLLIES SING HOLLIES
1 Why Didn't You Believe
2 Don't Give Up Easily
3 Look At Life
4 Please Sign Your Letters
5 My Life Is Over With You
6 Please Let Me Please
7 Do You Believe In Love?
8 Soldiers Dilemma
9 Marigold/Gloria Swansong
10 You Love 'Cos You Like It
11 Reflections Of A Long Time Past
12 Goodbye Tomorrow
13 Listen To Me (Mono Version)
14 Do The Best You Can (Mono Version)
15 Like Every Time Before (Mono Version)
16 Tomorrow When It Comes (Mono Version)
17 Wings
18 Relax
19 A Taste Of Honey
20 Man With No Expression
21 She Looked My Way
22 Louisiana Man
23 Listen To Me
24 Do The Best You Can
25 Like Every Time Before (Version 2) (Mono Version)
DISTANT LIGHT
1 What A Life I've Led
2 Look What We've Got
3 Hold On
4 Pull Down The Blind
5 To Do With Love
6 Promised Land
7 Long Cool Woman（In A Black Dress)
8 You Know The Score
9 Cable Car
10 A Little Thing Like Love
11 Long Dark Road
12 I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top
13 Mad Professor Blyth
14 Gasoline Alley Bred
15 Dandelion Wine
16 Hey Willy
17 Row The Beat Together
18 Cable Car
19 Sign Of The Times
20 Eleanor's Castle
21 I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top (Mono Version)
ROMANY
1 Won't You Feel Good That Morning
2 Touch
3 Words Don't Come Easy
4 Magic Woman Touch
5 Lizzy And The Rainman
6 Down River
7 Slow Down
8 Delaware Taggett And The Outlaw Boys
9 Jesus Was A Crossmaker
10 Romany
11 Blue In The Morning
12 Courage Of Your Convictions
13 The Baby
14 Oh Granny (Alan Clarke Vocal Version)
15 Indian Girl
16 I Had A Dream
17 Magic Woman Touch (Acoustic Version)
18 If It Wasn't For The Reason That I Love You
19 Papa Rain
20 Witchy Woman
21 Oh Granny (Terry Sylvester Version)
CONFESSIONS OF THE MIND
1 Survival Of The Fittest
2 Man Without A Heart
3 Little Girl
4 Isn't It Nice
5 Perfect Lady Housewife
6 Confessions Of A Mind
7 Lady Please
8 Frightened Lady
9 Too Young To Be Married
10 Separated
11 I Wanna Shout
12 Sorry Suzanne (Mono Version)
13 Not That Way At All (Mono Version)
14 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (Mono Version)
15 'Cos You Like To Love Me(Mono Version)
16 Sign Of The Times
17 Eleanor's Castle
18 Sorry Suzanne
19 Not That Way At All
20 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
21 'Cos You Like To Love Me
22 Sorry Suzanne (1993 Remix Version)

check out wmg.jp/artist/hollies/
Chris

[gee]

plenty of excellent material there, tho' most if not all available elsewhere

I'm not sure about mixing 'Nash era' earlier tracks on the end of 'Sylvester era' albums is a great move however

The 1968 Lewisham Odeon concert songs followed by the rest of the 'Nash era' songs as bonus cuts would have made a better CD in itself being in more overall chronological order, then enabling the mono 'Sing Dylan' rarer album to perhaps follow the stereo version on that CD ? 

Likewise ONE Allan Clarke vocal ('Oh Granny') on the Rickfors Hollies 'Romany' album CD sounds out of place too - they could have added that to 'Distant Light' at the end surely ?

as I said alot of fine material on each CD, so good value songs wise on each Disc (how expensive are they ?)

.... but maybe they could have included the rare mono 'Sing Dylan' album, and set it all out a bit more logically re the various eras of the band ...?

I see the first five studio albums are being released as a box set in the UK on 20 January 2014 at around sixteen pounds or so (see Amazon UK) which is good value for money too !

[dirtyfaz]

I don't know what remaster version will be used with all of these including that UK set. Guess it will be the Mews versions. I just wish they could get back to a flat transfer.
Gee are those 5 albums going to be the same as the remastered mono/stereo versions?

[gee]

I suspect they will be - all Amazon UK say is 'Stay With...' will be in mono

Other two 'Hollies Style' and 'Hollies' (1965) just  say "1997 remaster" - tho' 'Would You Believe ?' states 1998 remaster and  'For Certain Because...' is 1999 remaster with the odd track denoted as mono tho' not all ! (I think they most likely will be mono, but you might find the odd album is stereo)

so, as usual for Amazon UK, it's about as clear as mud...!

[cameron]

Is it just me that thinks that the Hollies digital remasters aren't that good? I pulled out my original copy of "Hollies' Greatest" (PMC 7057) a few days ago and start to finish, it absolutely KILLS in mono. I mean, it's really flawless. Listen to even the mono remasters on the 2003 "Long Road Home" boxset that supposedly had new mastering, and they're flat and lifeless in comparison. The only EMI reissue that I think can hold a candle to the original is the 2007 remaster of "Romany", "Hollies (1974)" and "Another Night". Listen to the recent Kinks and Small Faces remasters - how they were mastered using analogue equipment and that sound is really well transferred over to CD; someone needs to do this for the Hollies!

I know these Japanese items will just be a repackage. I really hope that someone comes along soon and does something with the Hollies' back catalogue. As die-hard a fan as I am, I only have about half of their studio albums on CD and that's all I'm willing to get as the remaining ones that I don't have are all ridiculously expensive as they're now out of print. These Japanese issues are also quite expensive for what they are. One CD will cost the same as a new budget five disc set that's coming out featuring the first five Hollies albums - due at the end of January in 2014 and currently £15.99 on Amazon. I bet they use the same remasters too! I'd love to be proven wrong and these Japanese remasters turn out to be something special, but sadly, I don't think they will be.

[gee]

it's an old argument but I honestly do believe you NEED to have the original versions on vinyl issued BACK in the sixties !

I have noticed the original Parlophone Hollies singles and albums - both mono and stereo - do sound and somehow 'feel' different to the Compact Disc versions, let alone all the remastering that came later

I'm not saying all what later follows is necessarily poor or not worth having but the original records, even if you put them onto either tape or your own Discs etc ARE the versions that made music history - we now get the 're-writing' too (i.e. the lack of the acoustic guitar on 'I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top' which I'm currently trying to get PUT BACK on the stereo version of the song by EMI for future release ! - plus the pointless 'extra drum part' added to 'King Midas...' a few years back, apparently without anyone consulting Graham Nash...)

The mono Parlophone singles DID sound different to even the mono 'Hollies' Greatest' LP let alone the very basic stereo version in 1968 too...album versions always had a 'quieter' sound than a 45 rpm single - listen to the tremendous harmonica 'blasts' on 'It's You' or the 'wall of guitar' on 'All The World is Love' 45rpm B sides for example...

the same applies re Cliff/Shadows, The Shadows, Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks etc...

CD 'opens up' the sound...but it can leave the overall sound very 'flat', 'empty' lifeless and 'sterile' as if it were recorded in a laboratory...where as the old analogue recording system in an Abbey Road where they NEVER painted the walls for years to keep the acoustic sound 'as was' etc...has a 'warmth' a 'spontineity' and a vitality that those old vinyl records capture in a way CD can't

like how food cooked in an older oven has a different taste to identical food cooked in a modern microwave !

I first spotted this years ago when I decided to put all my old Hollies, Beatles, Shadows etc original singles onto tape...and began noticing how DIFFERENT they actually sounded compared to the 'modern' CD versions I had got so much more used to hearing....try it and you will notice the difference !

I never was 'Anti' those Ron Furmanek remixes into better sounding stereo like some so called 'purists' were...as they DID add another angle to classic recordings, and brought out both vocal and instrumental parts that were previously not so noticeable which was good, and thus they were worth having, so the often almost 'hysterical' over reaction to them by some people was way OTT I felt...but of course you do still need the original versions on vinyl too....as Ron Richards, Peter Bown, etc originally did them...as those historic versions are the versions on which The Hollies fame and reputation was built and stands.

[dirtyfaz]

Just got the first 7 CDs. Have only had time to look at packaging which is awesome. These Japanese replica cardboard sleeves are spectular. Haven't had a chance to listen. didn't as yet notice about what mastered versions they used. When I listen I will try and let everyone know.
I loved the Furmanek versions and accept them for what they are and what he was trying to do. Some mixes are brilliant and some are not so good. All the later tracks he only remastered? didn't he?
What is that new UK set called? I can't find it on UK Amazon.
cheers

Chris (Dirtyfaz)

[gee]

Original album series - The Hollies

try typing in that & you should get it...

[dirtyfaz]

Thanks for that Gee. Found it with that info. Looks like it is going to contain either the mono or stereo version from the mono/stereo digipak series that Peter Mew remastered. I get most stuff but it looks like I might pass on this one. I am guessing they won't be in jewel cases but the paper type sleeve those sets seem to come in.

[dirtyfaz]

Just got the new 5 replica sleeve CDs from Japan. The sleeves seem to be very similar to the originals. Sing Hollies has a similar textured sleeve. Confessions of the Mind is missing the poster but otherwise the sleeves are a good replica/likeness of the originals.
The Dylan CD has the 1969 German live version from the "Gala Abend Der Schallplatte" lp with the Paul Kuhn Orchestra. I guess this is the first appearance on CD. Across the others there are some mono versions that are not common on CD. It has the mono Nash version of Blowin' In The Wind but not the stereo version. Haven't had time to really listen to them as I only got them a couple of hours ago. They seem a little louder than the UK digipak versions.
I will let you know more when I have a good listen.

[dirtyfaz]

Anyone with any clues re the difference between the LP version and the single version of Cable Car on the Japanese new edition of Distant Light? They both sound identical to me and their lengths are the same and the mix sounds identical.