Update: Italian box sets are out

Earlier in the month we had been a bit dismayed by the fact that the only way to buy the new Sensations Fix CDs, is to buy the box sets with 5 other releases, most of which have been already reissued (many times).

Well, the good news is that the box sets are only $45 each. At that price point, they make more sense, especially considering that all of these have been newly remastered. They do come with sleeve inserts, as suspected, so they aren't something one would sell or buy individually.

News: Sensations Fix to be reissued (sort of)

The good news: We are finally going to have an opportunity to own two of the best Sensations Fix albums on CD! The bad news: In what can only be considered aggravating, you can only get them with albums that have ALREADY BEEN AVAILABLE FOR MANY YEARS. I cannot even imagine the thinking behind this. Sensations Fx would sell well enough without the assistance of other albums. And anyone who already has the others, aren't going to buy these to obtain 1/6 of the package price. I suppose the second box set isn't as bad, since you can also pick up the rare Carnascialia album, that has been OOP on CD forever.

So here are the packages:

"Boxset Vol. 1: Featuring 6 CDs among the best known names in italian progressive rock of the seventies. For some of the titles this is the first release on CD.
All masters have been digital remastered by Maurizio Biancani at Fonoprint in Bologna.

Balletto di Bronzo - YS
De De Lind - Io non so da dove vengo
Jumbo - Vietato ai minori di 18 anni
Sensations' Fix - Portable Madness
Latte e miele - Passio secundum Mattheum
Mauro Pelosi - Al mercato degli uomini piccoli"

(I'll say this for it - WOW, what a package!! The first 5 in this list are in my Top 10 of Italian prog albums! I think the Pelosi is making its debut on CD as well. (Nope! Nobuhisa is keeping me honest here - turns out Si-Wan reissued this in the late 1990s))

"Box Set Vol. 2: Featuring 6 CDs among the best known names in italian progressive rock of the seventies. For some of the titles this is the first release on CD.
All masters have been digital remastered by Maurizio Biancani at Fonoprint in Bologna.

Locanda delle fate - Forse le lucciole non si amano più
Sensations' Fix - Finest Finger
Ibis - Ibis
Roberto Cacciapaglia - Sei note in logica
G. Vivaldi/P.Minieri - Carnascialia
Stradaperta - Maida vale"

(Definitely a lesser package with only the first two being essential (and the former is easy to find). As mentioned prior, the rare Carnascialia is part of this package, so that's nice. I'm not familiar with Stradaperta).

I believe these are being released in Japan. (As Ken clarifies in the comments, they are being released in Italy and will be available for a budget price. Thanks Ken!)

News: Stud - SWF Session 1972 (Long Hair)

When it comes to cool artifacts from the past, no one turns up more interesting items than the Long Hair label of Germany. Here's the latest, from the English band Stud (who were based in Germany by then, like Nektar and Odin), which should be released before the end of the year.

Long Hair says: "Another true classic from the SWF (German Radio Station) vaults comes with the STUD recordings from summer 1972. At that time the STUD members had said "farewell" to their English record label Decca and spent most of their time on the Continent, mainly in Germany where they were rather successful. With John Weider on violin and guitar they had just an album (September) out on BASF and played a lot of Club gigs and festivals. During their 1972 tour they were invited by radio station SWF to play a recording session at radio stations main studio U1 in Baden-Baden. There were two sessions that took place in April and Mai 1972. STUD recorded titles from their first and second album but varied the material to give the recordings a special claim. From hard rocking "Good Things", to fourteen minutes epic title "Horizon" and shining ballad "Make Me High" these recordings are an impressive prove of the bands musical bandwidth and the bandmembers' excellent technical skills. CD comes with band story. Digitally remastered from the original tape. For the first time on CD. Don't miss it."

News: Esoteric's October and November reissues

From Vicky Powell:

"Our October remastered releases are all dropping in to the office now . Details of tracklistings can be found on the Esoteric website www.esotericrecordings.com

These are as follows

Tony Banks-A Curious Feeling-2CD deluxe with 5.1 surround mix and promo footage and interview with Tony
Tony Banks-A Curious Feeling -standard edition

Quite a lot of interviews with Tony were done for promotion and no doubt will be popping up shortly as well as on the various Genesis specific web sites.

Barclay James Harvest-Sea of Tranquility-3CD polydor years mini box set with extended booklet and lovely artwork.

Camel-Nude-extended
Camel-I Can see Your house from here-extended
Camel-Pressure Points-extended

Steve Swindells-Messages

Igginbottom-Iginbottoms Wrench-
Stray Dog-Stray Dog (our Manticore imprint)
Stray Dog-While Youre Down there (our Manticore imprint)

Novembers titles as follows-tracklistings will be up on the site as of 1st November but if anyone desparately wants them in the meantime please email me

Pete Sinfield-Still (2Cd with large amount of alternative mixes etc) on Manticore imprint

Flash-Flash

Peter Banks-Both sides of Peter Banks

Sweet ok supersister-Spiral Staircase

Darryl Way-Concerto for Electric Violin

Made In Sweden-Made in England

Robert Calvert-Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters (will not be any different to the Eclectic release in early 2007--just made re available)"

News: Musea releases Acanthe (archival)

It's been a long time since Musea has released anything from the 1970s. Here we don't have a reissue, but a very intriguing looking archival release, which I was unfamiliar with until today. Certainly one I'm interested to learn more about.

Musea says: "From the beginning, one of Musea's aim has been to re-release major French Progressive rock albums from the Seventies. The French album was proud enough to create digital versions of works by ATOLL, MONA LISA or ANGE, together with more obscure, but talented bands. How many others existed during that period, composed and performed live, without leaving any discographical trace ? ACANTHE was one of them: a group from the Grenoble area, it existed from 1973 to 1977. Thanks to Frédéric LEOZ, the original writer and composer, some original tapes were recently re-discovered, leading, after a lot of re-working effort, to "Someone Somewhere" (Musea, 2009). This release is kind of a miracle for every French Progressive rock and Seventies lover: the music of ACANTHE, although never released before, easily takes place among the best French bands of this period. It reveals influences from PINK FLOYD, GENESIS, KING CRIMSON, ANGE or THE DOORS (Some organ parts especially), but offers a personal music, mixing instrumental and sung sequences, in English or French. Well played, refined and worked-out, with beautiful guitar solos and suggestive keyboards, "Someone somewhere" is intense, full of musical ideas and inspiration. Let's also mention a recording sound many current bands would have been proud of. A must-have."