MR

It seems that Universal has decided to re-release Styx' A&M albums on vinyl. This is interesting. I would not have expected it. Not much detail as of yet but it seems it is set for a May release.

http://www.amazon.com/M-Years-1975-84-S ... words=styx

Boomchild wrote:It seems that Universal has decided to re-release Styx' A&M albums on vinyl. This is interesting. I would not have expected it. Not much detail as of yet but it seems it is set for a May release.

http://www.amazon.com/M-Years-1975-84-S ... words=styx

Very cool. Do you think it is 180g vinyl? Wonder why "Edge" was left off?

probably because it looks like they are just trying to focus on their heyday with the classic lineup......they should include edge since it went gold and was an A & M release but based on the time span it covers it appears to be for the classic lineup.

by the way, are you guys getting back into the vinyl thing? I have not yet, I am not sure I will.......lord knows I miss albums and their packaging, but i do love the convenience of how easy it is to have music I enjoy in multiple places, even with the sonic degradation of compressed files. for the most part its a trade off I have been willing to make.

I might consider vinyl again for maximum sonic fidelity in my home if I listened more in my home than I do right now.

masque wrote:probably because it looks like they are just trying to focus on their heyday with the classic lineup......they should include edge since it went gold and was an A & M release but based on the time span it covers it appears to be for the classic lineup.

I have the original vinyl release and to be honest I thought it sounded like crap.

masque wrote:by the way, are you guys getting back into the vinyl thing? I have not yet, I am not sure I will.......lord knows I miss albums and their packaging, but i do love the convenience of how easy it is to have music I enjoy in multiple places, even with the sonic degradation of compressed files. for the most part its a trade off I have been willing to make.

I might consider vinyl again for maximum sonic fidelity in my home if I listened more in my home than I do right now.

I never stopped collecting vinyl along with other formats. You can't duplicate the coolness of vinyl packaging with the other formats. At least in my opinion.

Equinox technically isn't the classic lineup either with no T. Shaw. I would have done all the A&M albums myself, but I guess they think there is enough of a break plus with Glen it is a different band. But I argue that SMTW would fit right at home on anything starting with Cornerstone.

Well it must be 180g vinyl. The price point is out there. Assuming they are including CITA? Even if they do, that is only 8 albums. $200. $25 per album....What is the going rate for 180g vinyl?

This might be enough to get me back into vinyl....

$25 bucks a pop is the average for new 180 gram or 200 gram vinyl. I have to say I am VERY disappointed that Edge is being left out. I had it on vinyl at one time and have no idea what happened to it. When Edge was released I bought it in all 3 available formats -- cassette for listening in the car, the CD for my home stereo and the vinyl for bigger pictures and hopefully a poster. It didn't have a poster. There was a rumor that the vinyl would have a poster but it didn't. There wasn't even a lyric sheet or credits. The vinyl version had the band photos on the back (same ones from the inside of the CD booklet) and the record sleeve was a clear poly sleeve (like the ones that came with Paradise Theatre). I was disappointed that it didn't have extras but was glad to own it on vinyl. I wish I knew where it was today... sigh...

As for these new releases I have Grand Illusion from Friday Music and it has a Universal stamp on the back cover. Here is what it looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YfkPOAagXs

And here is how it sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYzahBO_sE8

Friday did 3 of the albums but since I already had an original copy of PO8 I didn't buy it or Cornerstone. Since then I have found used copies of CITA, Crystal Ball, Paradise and Cornerstone all 3 bucks or less each (Cornerstone was given to me for free but it is in bad shape).

And, out of the A&M catalog Edge is no longer available on CD, it is out of print in any format, except digital. I'll keep my fingers crossed that someday I find a used copy of Edge (for less than $200 which I have seen 2 go for that) or hope that UM decides to go ahead and put it out.

Well, darn just went to check out the link and I see it's a boxed set so looks like I'll pass on it for now, unless they release them individually.

Here is what Edge looked like on vinyl, small pic but you can see it no longer had the classic A&M logo on it. This is how mine looked.

I for sure would purchase this vinyl collection if Edge of the Century was included on this release. Edge, BNW and Cyclorama are the only Styx albums that I don't own on vinyl.

I have all the others, and Edge of the Century I only have on CD and on a very cool 2 for 1 CD that I bought off of E-Bay and it also has Equinox on it. When I met Suite in Wisconsin years ago she got us back stage and to the meet & greet and both Glen & Dennis autographed my Edge/Equinox CD with both of them stating that they had never seen it before.

I thought it was a truly GREAT album one of their best. Side 1 of Edge is just about as good as anything they had ever done.

masque wrote:by the way, are you guys getting back into the vinyl thing? I have not yet, I am not sure I will.......lord knows I miss albums and their packaging, but i do love the convenience of how easy it is to have music I enjoy in multiple places, even with the sonic degradation of compressed files. for the most part its a trade off I have been willing to make.

I might consider vinyl again for maximum sonic fidelity in my home if I listened more in my home than I do right now.

Actually I have begun buying new vinyl on particular albums when available. I just bought Hotel California and was about to buy GI, PoE and Cornerstone (Fidelity) before reading this thread. So I'll wait for Universal. Pretty good news actually. I've never really been a fan of Edge as a whole, so I'm totally fine with its exclusion.

yogi wrote:I for sure would purchase this vinyl collection if Edge of the Century was included on this release. Edge, BNW and Cyclorama are the only Styx albums that I don't own on vinyl.

I have all the others, and Edge of the Century I only have on CD and on a very cool 2 for 1 CD that I bought off of E-Bay and it also has Equinox on it. When I met Suite in Wisconsin years ago she got us back stage and to the meet & greet and both Glen & Dennis autographed my Edge/Equinox CD with both of them stating that they had never seen it before.

I thought it was a truly GREAT album one of their best. Side 1 of Edge is just about as good as anything they had ever done.

Agree. Side 1 of Edge is top stuff. A nice marriage of a modern (at the time) Styx sound (LITR, EOTC) and old Styx sound (SMTW, LAFS, AIADW). Still wish A&M hadn't dropped them in the middle of the album's promotion (right after LAFS had been released as a single) and pushed LAFS and then followed up with planned #4 single AIADW!!!! Think AIADW could have been huge - think about how big acoustic was at the time - Extreme "More Than Words," Nelson, etc. AIADW totally fits that mold.

It would be great if RCA decided to re-release the 5 originals Wooden Nickel albums too. Brand new sealed copies are always welcome to update the collection.

FormerDJMike wrote:Well, darn just went to check out the link and I see it's a boxed set so looks like I'll pass on it for now, unless they release them individually.

Although I cannot confirm it, my understanding is that they intend to offer the albums individually as well.

Kilroy1983 wrote:It would be great if RCA decided to re-release the 5 originals Wooden Nickel albums too. Brand new sealed copies are always welcome to update the collection.

I believe that Universal now owns RCA's catalog too. So who knows. I am truly surprised that they decided to re-release anything from Styx' catalog. To me it seemed that they had zero interest in doing anything with their catalog.

masque wrote:by the way, are you guys getting back into the vinyl thing? I have not yet, I am not sure I will.......lord knows I miss albums and their packaging, but i do love the convenience of how easy it is to have music I enjoy in multiple places, even with the sonic degradation of compressed files. for the most part its a trade off I have been willing to make.

That's pretty much how I feel.
Records were great at the time and I collected.Loved the covers.
But that's about it.

Yep, on the same day they are also releasing them individually. But $45.99 for CITA? Yeah, it's a double album but I think that is a bit pricey. The rest are $25.

http://www.amazon.com/Equinox-LP-Styx/dp/B00TP8A5PI/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1427792982&sr=8-22&keywords=styx+vinyl

http://www.amazon.com/Caught-Act-Styx/dp/B00TP8A7HO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427793155&sr=8-1&keywords=styx+caught+in+the+act+vinyl

http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Theater-LP-Styx/dp/B00TP8A6XE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427793224&sr=8-1&keywords=styx+paradise+vinyl

Wonder if it is laser etched?? It doesn't say.

Strangely I don't see Grand Illusion offered except the Friday Music version (and PO8 is available as a pre-order & Friday Music).

I'm on the fence about buying the set. I already have all of them on vinyl. I think I'll wait to see what people think about these before pulling the trigger.

At this point the only one I think I will pick up is Equinox. I had everything on vinyl back in the day. Slowly been getting some of it again. Most of this stuff can be found used and cheap.

FormerDJMike wrote:At this point the only one I think I will pick up is Equinox. I had everything on vinyl back in the day. Slowly been getting some of it again. Most of this stuff can be found used and cheap.

How much better is the sound quality on 180g vinyl? And how does it affect the sound? Paradise Theatre is already a pretty clear, tightly produced album. Will it get even "brighter?"

180 gram doesn't sound any better. It is just a better made.piece of vinyl. Heavy weight vinyl with a crappy master is still a bad sounding record. I believe these will probably be remastered for vinyl from the original master tapes. I personally love the feel of 180 and a few 200 gram Hendrix albums I have. But it all boils down to the mastering. 180 doesn't necessarily sound better than standard 120 or 150 gram. Most records from the 70's are 120 or 150.

Toph wrote:

FormerDJMike wrote:At this point the only one I think I will pick up is Equinox. I had everything on vinyl back in the day. Slowly been getting some of it again. Most of this stuff can be found used and cheap.

How much better is the sound quality on 180g vinyl? And how does it affect the sound? Paradise Theatre is already a pretty clear, tightly produced album. Will it get even "brighter?"

It's not just the quality of the vinyl but the quality of the equipment you are playing it back on that determine how good it will sound.

FormerDJMike wrote:180 gram doesn't sound any better. It is just a better made.piece of vinyl. Heavy weight vinyl with a crappy master is still a bad sounding record. I believe these will probably be remastered for vinyl from the original master tapes. I personally love the feel of 180 and a few 200 gram Hendrix albums I have. But it all boils down to the mastering. 180 doesn't necessarily sound better than standard 120 or 150 gram. Most records from the 70's are 120 or 150.

Speaking of master tapes, I thought TS mentioned at some point that the original master for Cornerstone was "lost".

FormerDJMike wrote:Yep, on the same day they are also releasing them individually. But $45.99 for CITA? Yeah, it's a double album but I think that is a bit pricey. The rest are $25.

http://www.amazon.com/Equinox-LP-Styx/dp/B00TP8A5PI/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1427792982&sr=8-22&keywords=styx+vinyl

http://www.amazon.com/Caught-Act-Styx/dp/B00TP8A7HO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427793155&sr=8-1&keywords=styx+caught+in+the+act+vinyl

http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Theater-LP-Styx/dp/B00TP8A6XE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427793224&sr=8-1&keywords=styx+paradise+vinyl

Wonder if it is laser etched?? It doesn't say.

Strangely I don't see Grand Illusion offered except the Friday Music version (and PO8 is available as a pre-order & Friday Music).

It's there now. Probably were still being actively put on the site when you were looking.

Boomchild wrote:

FormerDJMike wrote:180 gram doesn't sound any better. It is just a better made.piece of vinyl. Heavy weight vinyl with a crappy master is still a bad sounding record. I believe these will probably be remastered for vinyl from the original master tapes. I personally love the feel of 180 and a few 200 gram Hendrix albums I have. But it all boils down to the mastering. 180 doesn't necessarily sound better than standard 120 or 150 gram. Most records from the 70's are 120 or 150.

Speaking of master tapes, I thought TS mentioned at some point that the original master for Cornerstone was "lost".

Come on, Tommy Shaw never lies....

Boomchild wrote:

FormerDJMike wrote:180 gram doesn't sound any better. It is just a better made.piece of vinyl. Heavy weight vinyl with a crappy master is still a bad sounding record. I believe these will probably be remastered for vinyl from the original master tapes. I personally love the feel of 180 and a few 200 gram Hendrix albums I have. But it all boils down to the mastering. 180 doesn't necessarily sound better than standard 120 or 150 gram. Most records from the 70's are 120 or 150.

Speaking of master tapes, I thought TS mentioned at some point that the original master for Cornerstone was "lost".

I believe it. Because my SHM-CD of Cornerstone sounds exactly like the original CD. No improvement.

Ok its cool. But why cant they include something like a booklet with rare pictures, interviews or something like that for the die hard fans. I will probably buy it. I have a 70s stereo set up (vintage Marantz receiver etc) that is just waiting for these.

One week away from the release and yet I cannot find a single website or press release that says if it is remastered in any form. The only thing I am seeing is that it will be 180 gram vinyl but that makes no difference whatsoever if the mastering is bad. If I were Universal I would want this product to SELL. So I would say something like "Remastered from the original analog tapes by" and "Paradise Theatre includes a laser etching just like the original version". But there is nothing available about this release. I am interested in Equinox because I have everything else. The thing about this is that all of the A&M albums can be found in GOOD condition at cheap prices. So if there is no incentive (remastering) to BUY at the new price I would be better off looking for a good used copy. We shall see come 5/12/15

FormerDJMike wrote:One week away from the release and yet I cannot find a single website or press release that says if it is remastered in any form. The only thing I am seeing is that it will be 180 gram vinyl but that makes no difference whatsoever if the mastering is bad. If I were Universal I would want this product to SELL. So I would say something like "Remastered from the original analog tapes by" and "Paradise Theatre includes a laser etching just like the original version". But there is nothing available about this release. I am interested in Equinox because I have everything else. The thing about this is that all of the A&M albums can be found in GOOD condition at cheap prices. So if there is no incentive (remastering) to BUY at the new price I would be better off looking for a good used copy. We shall see come 5/12/15

I'm buying Equinox, Grand Illusion, PoE and Cornerstone for sure. I'd be interested to know if the Friday releases are better sound quality wise on the latter 3.

FormerDJMike wrote:One week away from the release and yet I cannot find a single website or press release that says if it is remastered in any form. The only thing I am seeing is that it will be 180 gram vinyl but that makes no difference whatsoever if the mastering is bad. If I were Universal I would want this product to SELL. So I would say something like "Remastered from the original analog tapes by" and "Paradise Theatre includes a laser etching just like the original version". But there is nothing available about this release. I am interested in Equinox because I have everything else. The thing about this is that all of the A&M albums can be found in GOOD condition at cheap prices. So if there is no incentive (remastering) to BUY at the new price I would be better off looking for a good used copy. We shall see come 5/12/15

I would think that if these were remastered versions they would have indicated it. So, my guess is that they are not.