Remastered Lou Reed Box Set: The RCA and Arista Album Collection

[MJG196]

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-Arista-Album ... B011EDHCQQ

On sale October 7.

I was talking to bleach about this, and I gotta tell you that I am somewhat disappointed. Not only is there no bonus material at all, but the set is missing the one album that needed to be remastered more than any other: Lou Reed Live. Every other 70s Lou LP has seen a remaster, so why not LRL?

There are no alternate takes/mixes or songs in the vaults? No contemporary radio ads?

So, the remastered Transformer, Sally Can't Dance, RNRA, and Coney Island Baby no longer have all of those added tracks, and Lou Reed Live is completely missing. Oh, but we get Mistrial. Great.

WTF is going on here?

[Robotron]

A review of the set from the latest edtion of Uncut has been posted on twitter. By the way, this is NOT from the issue with the Street Hassle piece; the new one has The Specials on the cover and is dated November (because it's still September, after all). The Street Hassle feature is in October's Uncut with Bowie cover. Anyway, reviewer makes the point that Lou's involvement in the remastering is the main attraction on this set, and that he maybe just wasn't able to get to Lou Reed Live (or Live in Italy). Who knows.

[DavidH]

Interesting review (and it seems that I've found the other person on earth who wants all of the TNP recordings released, so there's that ...), but aside from brand loyalty, I just can't see any point in re-buying these records. I'll hand over whatever they ask when it comes to mid-late seventies live recordings from the vaults, and even Quine era live records and outtakes, but I think this is very much one I'd recommend to friends who don't own any solo Lou records, rather than something I'd get for myself.

As an aside, Live In Italy is patchy, but has some great moments as well, and it's a shame it's being written out of history.

[iaredatsun]

'live metal panto'

I love that description of RnRAnimal

[bobbydriver]

it seems that I've found the other person on earth who wants all of the TNP recordings released, so there's that ..

Count me in too - I'd love to see those recordings released in full. One of the greatest (and craziest) live albums ever released

I'm hoping that the lack of extras on this set means that a boxset of just unreleased extras is on the way later. If so that's actually a geneorous thing to do - not make us buy all the albums again if we don't want to, just to get some unreleased stuff!

I await reports on Steve Hoffman forums on the quality/difference in these remasters compared to the previous versions before I stump up for this boxset

[bleach]

This is the thread on the Steve Hoffman forum about the sound quality/remastering

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/l ... on.448779/

[Elvis Plebsley]

I've got all this in quality I'm happy with. I'm not about to shell out again.

[MJG196]

I've got all this in quality I'm happy with. I'm not about to shell out again.

Precisely.

I would have paid MORE than the current retail price if this set would have included the following:

1) Lou Reed Live
2) All previously released bonus material, even if it appeared on additional discs
3) A detailed write-up on the remastering process
4) A complete Berlin, especially now that the Berlin acetate is floating around online and the ~30 second synthesizer Berlin "outro" is out there
5) Live material (wouldnt it have been great if each disc was matched with the best available related live gig?

[dial4]

Bowie got the same "treatment", wonder who can buy that in these hard times.

[iaredatsun]

maybe I'm hearing things, but listening to the song samples from the first 6 or 7 albums, I'm beginning to think this remastered set is going to be good.

I already want the s/t, Transformer, Sally Can't Dance and Coney based on what i have heard.

Even MMM sounds different and the Mojo sampler has the full 1st track!