Prince From Another Planet - Brilliant!

[Jamie]

Mike, you inferred that anyone with a decent stereo would know this was crap. By default those who enjoy it don't have decent hifi. I am simply saying it's not true as I am sure there are plenty on this board who have listened on good equipment and still enjoy it. But there's no point in debating why some do like it and some don't. I'm glad at least you might play it in the car!

Cheers Jamie

[ML4EP]

My point about stereo was the opposite. It was in response to Mike saying anyone with a good stereo could tell this crap.......A better system lets you hear more but that's a different discussion.

Actually it is totally relevant to this discussion.

Depending on the equipment you are using, you will hear things very differently. For example I have just finished playing the evening show featured on this release on my car stereo and you know what.....it sounds damn good....without doubt the best representation of this show. So I totally believe all those who say it sounds great through headphones.

It would seem that, in this case, everything depends on what you're playing it on.....which brings us back to the reason for the complaints.....this clearly should not be the case.

(The afternoon show still sounds lousy though....with everything besides Elvis' vocals sounding muddy).

I agree with Mike, I have been playing the hell out of these two cds on my MINI's Harmon/Kardon stereo and it sounds killer! There is a definite difference in the sound on some songs between the matinee and evening shows...I think the evening show has a clearer, crisper sound. I've also played it on my 18 year old kenwood home stereo system in dolby pro logic theater (surround sound) loud and proud and I think it sounds better in my car. I can't tell you how many times I've made a compilation of my favs from both shows as a hybrid. I could listen to That's All Right/Proud Mary/Polk Salad Annie/Suspicious Minds/Can't Stop Loving You all day long!

[Mike S]

I agree with Mike, I have been playing the hell out of these two cds on my MINI's Harmon/Kardon stereo and it sounds killer! There is a definite difference in the sound on some songs between the matinee and evening shows...I think the evening show has a clearer, crisper sound. I've also played it on my 18 year old kenwood home stereo system in dolby pro logic theater (surround sound) loud and proud and I think it sounds better in my car.

Thank you ML4EP for proving my point......and by coincidence I also have a Harmon Kardon system in my car. Great minds eh?

[Mike S]

Mike, you inferred that anyone with a decent stereo would know this was crap. By default those who enjoy it don't have decent hifi. I am simply saying it's not true as I am sure there are plenty on this board who have listened on good equipment and still enjoy it.

Jamie, the point I am making has nothing whatsoever to do with arrogance or one-upmanship as you try to infer.

It is simply that Matthew's observations (along with others) will inevitably ring louder for anyone possessing a high grade hi-fi system, simply because the limitations of these remixed shows will be more apparent. As everyone (including yourself) seems to agree -

this is not an audiophile product - pure and simple.

The burning question is: Why bother to remix these shows in the first place unless you are going to create an audiophile product? After all, done right, it could and should please everyone.

[ekenee]

My point about stereo was the opposite. It was in response to Mike saying anyone with a good stereo could tell this crap.......A better system lets you hear more but that's a different discussion.

Actually it is totally relevant to this discussion.

Depending on the equipment you are using, you will hear things very differently. For example I have just finished playing the evening show featured on this release on my car stereo and you know what.....it sounds damn good....without doubt the best representation of this show. So I totally believe all those who say it sounds great through headphones.

It would seem that, in this case, everything depends on what you're playing it on.....which brings us back to the reason for the complaints.....this clearly should not be the case.

(The afternoon show still sounds lousy though....with everything besides Elvis' vocals sounding muddy).

Then if what you are saying is true, the mixing, the mastering is completely unimportant.
Everything sounds great on your stereo.
So, why not just stay with the original mix?
Yes, a nice stereo makes everything sound better, but
that isn't the issue.
The issue is the relative comparison of the old mix verse the new mix.
A relative comparison can be done on any stereo.

[Mike S]

Yes, a nice stereo makes everything sound better....

Normally yes.....but maybe not here.

The issue is the relative comparison of the old mix verse the new mix. A relative comparison can be done on any stereo.

Of course, but my point in this instance is that the system you use can influence your overall impression of the sound. The evening show sounds compressed and lacks clarity on my home hi-fi ( a more sensitive system) but sounds amazingly good on my car hi-fi. If I had only ever listened to this show on my car stereo, I wouldn't understand for a minute why anyone was complaining.

The point is that obviously this should not be the case.

[ML4EP]

Mike, you inferred that anyone with a decent stereo would know this was crap. By default those who enjoy it don't have decent hifi. I am simply saying it's not true as I am sure there are plenty on this board who have listened on good equipment and still enjoy it.

Jamie, the point I am making has nothing whatsoever to do with arrogance or one-upmanship as you try to infer.

It is simply that Matthew's observations (along with others) will inevitably ring louder for anyone possessing a high grade hi-fi system, simply because the limitations of these remixed shows will be more apparent. As everyone (including yourself) seems to agree -

this is not an audiophile product - pure and simple.

The burning question is: Why bother to remix these shows in the first place unless you are going to create an audiophile product? After all, done right, it could and should please everyone.

I'm not sure I know what an audiophile product is, but considering that this is a 16 track recording as opposed to Aloha's 24 track or better...how much could they have done with it? I have the PFAP, MSG Legacy, original AITG cd, Japanese papersleeve MSG, complete masters MSG, and retro audio MSG. AITG on the Legacy sounds like the same pitiful sound as the original. I'm not sure I can tell the difference between the Legacy eve show, complete masters, and Japanese papersleeve...I've listened to the Legacy very little...initial impression was new packaging/old cd sound. I'm using it as a decoration/paperweight on my desk at work. I did give a copy of both PFAP cds to a young co-worker, he's in his early 20's, and both he and his wife were like "wow--that's bad ass!" They are not Elvis fans, never knew he played MSG, but they were impressed with the "drive" and sound both those shows have, especially the opening numbers like TAR, Proud Mary.

[Matthew]

There is a difference between audiophile recording, and audiophile post-production. Sometimes both worlds meet and you get wonderful results - like Bill Porter's early 60s Nashville recordings on Elvis on Complete Masters.

The MSG multis are only audiophile in as much as they have an obvious wide dynamic range on them, beyond that they are not technically audiophile grade recordings. But despite this, when treated well in post-production - tasteful, natural EQ, absence of post-production compression and noise reduction techniques you can end up with an audiophile presentation of the recording.

[Mike S]

There is a difference between audiophile recording, and audiophile post-production. Sometimes both worlds meet and you get wonderful results - like Bill Porter's early 60s Nashville recordings on Elvis on Complete Masters.

The MSG multis are only audiophile in as much as they have an obvious wide dynamic range on them, beyond that they are not technically audiophile grade recordings. But despite this, when treated well in post-production - tasteful, natural EQ, absence of post-production compression and noise reduction techniques you can end up with an audiophile presentation of the recording.

Thanks Matthew.

I was just thinking that maybe I wasn't qualified to give a definitive answer to ML4EP's question and you stepped in on cue (proving I wasn't).

[JimmyCool]

I have to say I used my headphones to listen to the CDs, but they gave me a headache... don't know why, but I haven't finished them yet because of that.
I enjoyed the DVD very much though, specially the documentary.

[KiwiAlan]

Are we not getting a tad picky?

Shouldn't we be desiring a sound that Elvis approved?

And not what professional "experts" think it should be

[Mike S]

Are we not getting a tad picky?

Shouldn't we be desiring a sound that Elvis approved and not what professional "experts" think it should be

Last time I heard he wasn't around to pass his approval of the latest remix...what have you heard?

[Matthew]

I have to say I used my headphones to listen to the CDs, but they gave me a headache... don't know why, but I haven't finished them yet because of that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of ear fatigue caused by too much audio compression and peak limiting.

[ekenee]

I have to say I used my headphones to listen to the CDs, but they gave me a headache... don't know why, but I haven't finished them yet because of that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of ear fatigue caused by too much audio compression and peak limiting.

But everyone with an expensive stereo says the sound is brilliant!! LOL.

[poormadpeter]

I have to say I used my headphones to listen to the CDs, but they gave me a headache... don't know why, but I haven't finished them yet because of that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of ear fatigue caused by too much audio compression and peak limiting.

But everyone with an expensive stereo says the sound is brilliant!! LOL.

It's not like saying a picture on a TV is brilliant. For that, we have much more concrete things to measure it by - lack of noise, clearly picture, strong colours etc. We all probably agree, within reason, as to what a good TV picture is.

With audio it's very different, it's all very much in the "ear of the beholder", if you like. What some of us like, others don't. I find the new release a thousand times better than the original vinyl, but it depends what we as individuals like - and we're all different, as shown by the fact we have graphic equalisers on our hi-fis so we can adjust the sound to our own liking.

[Tim C]

I do think there were things wrong with Afternoon, but it was a breath of fresh air compared to the evening show. It indicated the evening show had more to give and that the mixing/mastering that had been done on it was piss poor to begin with. I agree that on the Afternoon show Elvis' voice seemed to be lower in the mix than some of the band. Now whether this is true or now I don't know

I agree, listening to the show and determining the quality of it is relative. It depends on what you are used to listening to your music on, the tone adjustments and the standard eq settings if any that you use, but one should be able to judge and make up their own mind without being ridiculed for the equipment they use. Maybe you can tell certain subtleties on a $30,000 dollar system better than a $250.00 system...and I know you can because I've listened to both, but it is dependent on so many factors and there is no uniformity to any of it and what the manufacturers are trying to achieve with it that basically it's choice and personal preference, some of it is phantom perception, and most of what you get for the price is hype, I can come up with cheaper equipment that will give me the same thing and maybe do it better. Either way, it's all personal choice and what you are used to listening on.

In any case, I think I was pretty clear in my opinion of this release, LOL.
I will add tho, that an Elvis concert is much more than Elvis' voice and Ronnie's heavy beat, but on this release it seems as if that is almost all there is as it's hidden in the mud. The breadth and depth of an open concert is gone. I'm not talking about echo here...it's just the life is gone as if someone took the whole sound stage out of it.

Yea, it thumps you in the chest..."finally" (like Afternoon should have done from the beginning) but they could have added that and not lost everything else in the process.

I wish I could be the one to get hold of the multitrack master tapes and they would allow me to be a part of the remix and remaster of these releases. I would try to give something all Elvis fans would be proud of, but only if they would agree to release it on a surround sound format disc. We've waited for 4 decades for the remix/master of the evening show. There was no excuse for this, it's an embarrassment. I have to ask WTF were they thinking?!?!

[ekenee]

I have to say I used my headphones to listen to the CDs, but they gave me a headache... don't know why, but I haven't finished them yet because of that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of ear fatigue caused by too much audio compression and peak limiting.

But everyone with an expensive stereo says the sound is brilliant!! LOL.

It's not like saying a picture on a TV is brilliant. For that, we have much more concrete things to measure it by - lack of noise, clearly picture, strong colours etc. We all probably agree, within reason, as to what a good TV picture is.

With audio it's very different, it's all very much in the "ear of the beholder", if you like. What some of us like, others don't. I find the new release a thousand times better than the original vinyl, but it depends what we as individuals like - and we're all different, as shown by the fact we have graphic equalisers on our hi-fis so we can adjust the sound to our own liking.

"a thousand times better than the original vinyl".

For you to make a statement like that, you would have had to do an A/B comparison of
the vinyl and the CD disc on the same exact stereo, so the only difference would be the music.

If you didn't, your earlier statement is not valid.

[PiersEIN]

Arjan Deelen has written a delightful and pretty detailed review for EIN.
I think it covers most people’s viewpoints - and it's good to know that PFAP got good review in the mainstream Danish press.
I still wish it would sell in larger quanties. Such great value-for-money. .

"PRINCE? MAKE THAT KING!" - Arjan Deelen reviews the new Sony ‘Prince From Another Planet’ package.
It’s been a while since a new Elvis release generated as much publicity as ‘Prince From Another Planet’ - But is it as good as our high expectations?

Go here>>>
http://www.elvisinfonet.com/cd_review_Prince_From_Another_Planet.html


Cheers,
Piers

[bajo]

Deelan sums up my own experience of listening to the Prince set. Long since I really couldn't get enough of an Elvis album like these two. Long since I played albums over and over again!
Nothing, whatsoever, can take away MY love for this release! The Legacy duo of these albums are underway!

[thermoking]

A great review

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/reviews/elvis-prince-from-another-planet-2/

[Alexander]

Arjan Deelen has written a delightful and pretty detailed review for EIN.
I think it covers most people’s viewpoints - and it's good to know that PFAP got good review in the mainstream Danish press.
I still wish it would sell in larger quanties. Such great value-for-money. .

"PRINCE? MAKE THAT KING!" - Arjan Deelen reviews the new Sony ‘Prince From Another Planet’ package.
It’s been a while since a new Elvis release generated as much publicity as ‘Prince From Another Planet’ - But is it as good as our high expectations?

Go here>>>
http://www.elvisinfonet.com/cd_review_Prince_From_Another_Planet.html


Cheers,
Piers

Great review indeed. Thanks Arjan, this completely reflects my feeling. I never liked the original lifeless flat mix and hearing PFAP was some kind of a rediscovery of the MSG concerts for me.

[Tim C]

I agree with only one thing about his review and that behind Elvis there was a great wall of sound. He got that absolutely correct, it's a flat wall of sound, with instrumentation and vocal elements virtually indistinguishable from one another. It reminds me of the wall of sound from a pink or white noise generator for calibrating an EQ. It becomes noise, not a band behind him.

One has to wonder if the reviewer has actually attended a concert as I have never attended a concert where everything behind the singer was flat and lifeless, where it sounded like pillows over the ears. So this is a failure that is so far off the mark that it didn't hit the broad side of the barn. Based on every concert I've been to in my life 30+ and counting, none of them sound as muddy, lifeless, and crammed together as this.

The reviewer I guess got one more thing right...I guess...this isn't an audiophile release by any stretch of the imagination, but after 40 years of waiting for a remix/master of the evening performance, that is exactly what it should have been, no excuses, period, full stop, end of discussion.

Save your experiments for a later date and maybe before releasing such a release, get a few fans opinions first. Preferably get opinions from independent fans who don't lick the boots of Sony employers or have any vested interest in the company. Better yet, if you can't do it right, get fans in there who can and will. Personally, I don't think that would ever happen because some of the fans would put the "professionals" to shame and give the fans what they have been waiting for. God forbid they do that.

[londonflash]

Until I got these two discs, I hadn't played an Elvis concert in its entirety for a good few years.

Not that I think the MSG gigs were better than anything from summer '69 through summer '70, but I do like the way Elvis just went out there and socked it to them at the Garden. Extremely well-paced shows.

[Alexander]

I agree with only one thing about his review and that behind Elvis there was a great wall of sound. He got that absolutely correct, it's a flat wall of sound, with instrumentation and vocal elements virtually indistinguishable from one another. It reminds me of the wall of sound from a pink or white noise generator for calibrating an EQ. It becomes noise, not a band behind him.

One has to wonder if the reviewer has actually attended a concert as I have never attended a concert where everything behind the singer was flat and lifeless, where it sounded like pillows over the ears. So this is a failure that is so far off the mark that it didn't hit the broad side of the barn. Based on every concert I've been to in my life 30+ and counting, none of them sound as muddy, lifeless, and crammed together as this.

The reviewer I guess got one more thing right...I guess...this isn't an audiophile release by any stretch of the imagination, but after 40 years of waiting for a remix/master of the evening performance, that is exactly what it should have been, no excuses, period, full stop, end of discussion.

Save your experiments for a later date and maybe before releasing such a release, get a few fans opinions first. Preferably get opinions from independent fans who don't lick the boots of Sony employers or have any vested interest in the company. Better yet, if you can't do it right, get fans in there who can and will. Personally, I don't think that would ever happen because some of the fans would put the "professionals" to shame and give the fans what they have been waiting for. God forbid they do that.

You must be joking right?

[londonflash]

Oh, and they sounded great on my (admittedly rather cheap) Phillips stereo and in the car, too.

I haven't used headphones yet, so it will be interesting to listen that way as well.