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In Rock gets audiophile treatment
Audiophile label Audio Fidelity has released on July 21 their own remastered version of In Rock on a limited edition 24 karat gold CD (yep, that’s real 24 karat gold instead of aluminum; which has nothing to do with sound quality, just longevity). Mastering for the CD was performed by a cult engineer Steve Hoffman. This release follows the original 7-track format with no bonus tracks.
The album can be ordered through Amazon:
Previously Audio Fidelity has released Who Do We Think We Are (2005, Gold CD, AFZ-027) and Live on the BBC (2004, SACD, AFZ-017), the latter comprised of the 1972 BBC recording better known as the second disc of In Concert 70/72 with two bonus tracks Hush and River Deep Mountain High.
Thanks to MuzikReviews.com for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Sounds like it will be good…Steve Hoffmann is considered the premiere audiophile mastering engineer in the world and he did a fine job with MIJ some years ago.
Only thing I’ve always thought with LP is that it really is a album suited to the vinyl format…I really liked Roger’s remixes for the 25th anniversary (which replaced the awful original CD) and would have loved a remix of the complete album.
So this should be the definitive CD edition of this landmark recording (the best DP album by far, IMO).
Encouraging to read the note at the bottom about the mastering – I’ve really had my fill of these fatiguing ‘loudness war’ CDs :if hip-hop and Britney fans listening (i.e. giving it a fraction of a second’s consideration)decide it’s not COOL then I guess THAT’S TOO BAD.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:25Yeah, i’ve got it. And i can say it sounds pretty good.
July 23rd, 2009 at 14:59With cleaner and crystallized sound. You can hear that particular remaster moments in Flight of the Rat, and in the start of vocals in Speed King.
I can just say that i’m not dissapointed
I can’t say I’m all that interested beyond the collection factor, so I will buy it, but although Hoffman is great I think he should have considered doing this in surround 5.1 instead. It would bring the proper effect I’m looking for. I don’t see how we will hear mcuh difference other than clarity here, I’m more after a cosmic mix, you know, the kind where mastering levels are NOT recgualated because it would be a 5.1 DVD, not merely a CD which said levels ARE regulated which gives the white noise effect that is infecting the industry these days.(or better yet a two disc version containing both)
I toally agree with the ‘loudness war’ complaint, thats why I prefere DVD mastering which is expensive but honestly zillions of light years better if the engineer knows what he is doing, ala Nick Blagona, a pioneer of multi channel mastering, he is bar none the best in the business.(nothing against the great Hoffman who does do multi channel as well, but I wish he had done so with InRock!
Shellworks did it, but of course it’s an underground available sort of foolery and only 4.0, which doesn’t really cut it, because it’s not completely separated data the way the pro’s do it.
July 23rd, 2009 at 17:20I like some collecting.
But one cannot buy everything.
Being picky is an art, having an instable judgement as well……
July 23rd, 2009 at 20:16not sure if i will buy it. i’ve already collected ALL of the DP and rainbow japanese cardboard sleeve SHM (super high material)CD’S and the sound on these is like listening to the album for the first time. things jump out of the mix that you did not realise were there all along! especially double tracked vocals for some reason as you can hear them more separate. to me the SHM CD’S are the benchmark in audio. i have noticed that the live cd’s gain less of an improvement for some reason.
July 24th, 2009 at 01:04Crimson: 5.1 doesn’t sound natural to me. It gives me feeling that I’m sitting in the middle of the band.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:04Another collectors cd! Wow
When will the remastering ever end?
A remastered version of a remaster, twice remastered. Inset with diamonds complete with a collectors DP sew on patch. Limited to 1,000,000 copies only!
July 24th, 2009 at 22:54@6
Thats exactly what it’s supposed to do, and if it’s done right by complete separation of the data into files, then it’s ‘correctly’ channeled and the mixing and mastering is where the fun really begins.
It would take a lot of explaining to those who don’t know anything about it, so I’m not going to do that. Just get yourself either the low cost ‘5.1 DVD Audio’ version of the Machine Head Quadrophonic on Rhino, or go for broke and find the 6.1 collectors slip case version. Either one will definitely have you looking around the room for the humans who recorded it, it’s that freaky! And since it’s done right/proper, and with such a great album, you will clearly be affected to the point where it feels as if they ARE in the room at the time…. talk about either it being transported to the present, or you being transported back to 1972! Either way the effect is unmatched by anything you’ve heard in your life, guaranteed, trust me!
July 25th, 2009 at 20:47Though I get what the writer intended to say, “cult engineer” is an odd way to describe Steve Hoffman.
July 25th, 2009 at 21:55RE: When will the remastering ever end?
Maybe when someone finally gets it right.
This version from AF & Steve Hoffman should end the search, just like the AF WDWTWA.
July 27th, 2009 at 17:07@8
what I like about the music or about the art in general is that it very much depends on the personal taste. I have listened to many “3D” audio recordings, but none of them matched stereo reproduction on a good equipment.
July 27th, 2009 at 20:02Damn, just when I was finally really happy with my 8-track tape, this stuff is out……
Thanks, but I liked my vinyl Stereo version just fine and finally advanced to Cd. All these various mixes and remixes and 5.1s and remixes of remastered really do nothing for me unless there is also included some ‘unreleased material’. Otherwise, it’s all just a scam where the benefit doesn’t stack up to the purchase. Not to mention a few ‘unreleased tracks’ added to a remaster for added attraction. That really pisses me off. Put ALL the ‘Unreleased Material’ on ONE CD or 2, whatever it takes and make that a separate release. Stop baiting the unfortunate Purple Collector with needless ‘REHASH’. If it ain’t NEW it ain’t Shit…..
CHEERS
July 28th, 2009 at 00:56I’ve never been interested in hearing WDWTWA remastered beyond the Anniversary because I don’t think it suffered in the sound department one bit. But you have to admit InRock does, if anything for the fact that it wasn’t all done in the same studio so different tracks have different ambience, plus stereo was only just upon us, unlike in 73 when it was considered at a peak in the 70’s. I’d like to hear it evenly done, although Rog toyed with it to no disgrace on the Anniversary edition. This release is on order, can’t pass it up!
July 28th, 2009 at 05:32@ 12 and 13
I empathize with parts of what you are saying there.
I still do not have the experience with 5.1 so I cannot judge but….
Last week when I blew someone, surprisingly only familiair with the original, away with the THEN improved 1993 version of Live in Japan on the 3 double disc I wondered………
Wow! Already that long ago!!!!
Maybe by now EVERYTHING can be slotted on a 3 double DVD disc, included the encores and so on and in 5.1? Perhaps it would be a another improvement?
I dont know….
That they are trying to rip us is evident. But one can try to control oneself.
On the other hand I often wonder if its really so……
Because many recordings are still on my wish list and NEVER get released while they could make fortunes with it.
David Coverdale seems a very commercial thinker but I doubt the wisdom of not releasing certain stuff. Or does he not have the rights?
On a personal note…..
WTWTWA is one of my favourites and I am still dissappointed they did NOT release that on a, purple coloured, double vinyl wjhen the Anniversary edition came….
Why on earth did they give Stormbringer a loving approach and ignored WDTWA?!
BOTH disliked for different reasons by loads of fans…..
Still…….
I only have the remaster on CD so I dunno if a an other VERSION improved something.
I stand my ground that I want the COMPLETE BUNCH and not the original lp tracks.
Why releasing a so called improvement and leaving out those gems, the extra tracks?
At first I did not like the RG remixes at all, later on I changed my mind.
One does occasionally…..Changing ones mind.
It does not work that way with everything though.
Some things just never change……
There is good and bad change…….
So Roger, think about it……
Change is good, you once said.
Maybe you should reconsider a certain change?
BTw, Over The Rainbow have planned a date for The Netherlands.
I m not overjoyed but it certainly makes a change!!!!
One month later I ll try to see ALCATRAZZ over here as well.
GRAHAM ROCKS!!!!
July 28th, 2009 at 12:18@11
Try my recommendation and you won’t be disappointed, I’d bet the farm on no less.
July 28th, 2009 at 20:00Well worth the price for ‘audiophiles’ such as myself, as advertised right on the cover! This release is of course not trying to shove itself down the average listeners throat, it’s clearly intended for sound buffs and worth every last penny. No need to complain about it unless you bought it and don’t agree, otherwise it’s just sour grapes without even tasting.
What a hi-fi improvement, thats all I can say. As you get older, guess what, so do your ears… do yourself a favor and grace them, they will thank you!
I’ve been listening to it all day, it’s on repeat.
Jaysus Christ it’s a quality undertaking!
Tracy:
July 28th, 2009 at 22:24I see people whine here about various things, I even see people whine about others whining, so why complain about that and then ‘whine’ too?????
I’d like to see you hear this and THEN complain. I usually buy before I cry.lol! You bought remasters over the years for the very same reason people keep doing it, you just had to stop somehwere. I’d make an exception here if I were you. Now I’m seriously thinking of getting ‘WDWTWA’ because if it’s this much of an improvement then it too is worth it.(hell, it beats buying over 30 different versions of MH on vinyl, which I’m glad isn’t something I’d go out and do in this day and age, but once lived to do) So it’s not all bad to have my fifth different CD pressing of InRock… difference? Oh yeah! But I’d have to say that my Harvest Green Vinyl copy still ‘LOOKS’ better.lol!
@15
I’ll give it a try!
July 29th, 2009 at 07:01Ghost…..since when do you fall into the category of pointing a finger at one whom takes a stand on an issue? You are showing here to be the Blackest Pot calling the Kettle Black…
If you remember WAY BACK, I expressed my dismay upon the constant REHASHING of the SAME OLD RECORDS. Yes, I too am somewhat a ‘sound buff’. Obviously not to the level you claim to be, but it’s all relative to each’s own. Yes, I do own a 5.1 system with dual Subwoofers, a shielded center speaker, 2 15 inch antique Altec “Voice of the Theater” mains, and 2 JVC rears, pushed from an “Elite Series” Pioneer 700 watt receiver.
I have been purchasing ALL of the REHASHED versions I can afford. It is well known that I am an avid collector and I do indulge into the many re-masters and remixes. Yes, there is obviously a difference in each one’s sound. Some better, some not depending on the EAR. My statement wasn’t whining as you wished to portray. It was a statement from an avid Deep Purple Collector whom had an opinion regarding the overload of REHASHED Records. Since when does an opinion which goes against YOUR opinion fall under the category of whining? For God’s Sake, if that is whining, you are KING.
Anyway, I will most likely purchase this umpteenth version of ‘In Rock’, mainly due to be sucked in as a Collector. Yes I will obviously play it and hear yet another Mix of songs I’ve been listening to for 39 years. Yes, 39 years. I’ve been a fan that long. Longer than you Ghost, but I don’t drink every flavor of the Kool-aide. Some stuff leaves a bad taste in my mouth…..
Cheers
July 30th, 2009 at 16:44First of all Tracy, calm down there cowboy!(if I’m a KING, then you can be a cowboy, lol!)
I only mentioned the whining in passing because everytime a new edition comes our way you post the same exact concerns. And you usally say all one needs in an EQ to adjust to their liking. In this particular case you have not said that yet, but you did complain nevertheless. But no tweeking is going to get this effect in a million years, it’s a matsering issue for brightness and clarity in sound. And I can assure you this is an essential buy for listening purposes, and thats the only reason I bought it. I didn’t do so because I need another damn edition to add to y collection or anything of that sort, nobody around here cares about that anyway, lol! I did it because I wanted to see how much care was put into it. Having listened to InRock for longer than I has nothing whatsoever to do with it, but if you insist, it must be because you’re older than me or something, but certainly not because you out-do me in the collector or fan department.(large or small, comparing dick sizes is kids stuff)
Don’t take it THAT seriously bro, it’s all good. I just pointed it out in passing as an example because you complained as usual concerning re-releases. The rest isn’t important, really, my friend.
July 30th, 2009 at 20:37Btw, the only thing I REALLY complain with any major zeal about, is complaining itself.
Bottoms up!
July 30th, 2009 at 23:29Yeah, and I m a DUTCH pirate.
Well, at least thats what they say about me, calling ME Captain and all…..
sic
Again, its a lot of money again……
Although I m bit by the collection bug but try to behave…..
Why not everything from the 1995 version, meaning EXTRA TRACKS and so on, also on a disc like that?
Must be a stupid question probably……
July 31st, 2009 at 14:32@21
It’s very simple:
If you’re a sound-buff this is a must for you, as I recommend it ‘after’ purchase.
If you’re not, it means nothing but could if only…
Not looking for whats being offered, then don’t buy it.
August 3rd, 2009 at 00:15But there isn’t much to say about it until you’ve heard it.
As far as ‘blaming’ DP for this and why the extra stuff is not on it, another no-brainer… DP did not release this and had nothing to do with it, but of course they will get a royalty.
Thats why they’re neither to blame nor guilty of anything but perhaps not stopping it.lol! I thank them for that!
Sorry Ghost, but I do not concur with your interpretation of my past expressions regarding re-releases. Yes, I do complain about the lameness as to the Re-release history. The ‘Anniversary Limited Edition’ In Rock version was a valuable prodigy. It was an ‘Official Anniversary release with ‘Extra Material’ and mixes by the Master himself, “Roger Glover”. Nuff Said about that. From that stand point, I don’t care how many Remixes from Whom Ever come down the pike….it at this point is Pointless except for the $$$$$$$. I agree with you in regards to the fact that the separation and poignant factor of the proper sound is evident, but for the most part, it still doesn’t stack up to the reality that it’s another avenue for squeezing blood from a stone……It Ain’t That Much Better. Trust me….Unless of course you are drinking the aforementioned Kool-Aid.
As far as a your reference to collecting and ‘Dick Size’, I don’t care about that. But, you may have a bunch of Videos and Audios you have collected over the years. WOW!!!! Don’t we all. But I guarantee you have nothing ‘Original’ that ‘Nobody Else’ has from this amazing band. I shared one of them that I dug up and shared on this site.
For those whom missed it….(I love to share)….
http://www.thehighwaystar.com/thsblog/2008/08/09/the-glorious-road-to-deep-purple-collecting/
I will NOT do the same with the rest of my many, due to the whores that frequent here. You have seen some samples of what I put out there on the ‘Purple Hub’ from my own efforts, that never existed before. Those are just a smidgen of my personal recordings, and just a grain of sand on the Purple Beach. I have yet to see yours here. Don’t care to share here? Keep on buyin’ into the REHASH…..that says something….a politicizer you are.
As little as my Dick is in your little world, it’s a REAL DICK. No Purple or Blue Pills. Just packin’ Hard Rock Dick……You?
Cheers
August 4th, 2009 at 06:41@ 22
I did not blame no one in particular.
I read that Ritchie wanted longer soloing on TBRO but management stopped that.
I dont know the truth in that but again it makes you think.
But its very convenient to blame others ofcourse…..
Like, JUST FOR EXAMPLE, they always blamed Ritchie for the setlist and years later, what do we see……?
August 4th, 2009 at 11:28Sorry for being awkward again but I do not understand the kool aid thing
August 4th, 2009 at 16:07@ 23 Mine’s a Schlager Dick. It only works when Engelbert Humberdinck is struttin’ his stuff…the cheesier the merrier & you wouldn’t believe what a boner it is. ARF ARF ARF, Am I funny or what…
August 4th, 2009 at 16:25right, I’ll get me coat 🙂
Tracy,
You’re beginning to lose your marbels, completely.
Climb down from your high horse and supply me with catolog numbers of what you have in your entire collection and the assortment of territories they’re from and you might have something to prove, otherwise quit talking smack!
For one, I NEVER SAID I HAD ANYTHING THE NNEXT GUY CAN’T FIND, but the numbers don’t lie, so don’t even go there. You are not a collector, you’re a DP fan weho happens to collect, and there is such a difference it would make your head spin. Now that doesn’t mean you don’t have some nice little things that are hard to come by or anything like that, but it doesn’t place you anywhere in the same league with serious collectors who INVEST in this stuff. You can make whatever you want of it, but let me just point you back to the fact that you just said you don’t care which ‘remixes’ comedown the pike which this release is NOT! So have another drink!
Just know that collecting in of itself can be a much more anal thing than you seem to realize. Your bootleg recordings have no place in this conversation, we’re talking about officially liscenesed product, so again, quit riding your horse, I never said you ahd to do anything, but I know you’d be impressed with this REMASTER, so it’s definitely your loss, big shot.
As I did say though, nobody reading gives a damn about what we’re talk9iong about, but it’s sure not the contest you’re trying to make it into either.
August 4th, 2009 at 16:38That’s correct, guys. No one cares about who of the two of you has the biggest collection of whatever. Take your private argument to email.
Oh, and comments closed.
August 4th, 2009 at 20:05