Deep Purple Reissues / Japan
Deep Purple Reissues / Japan December 2011
Victor Records
Deep Purple Japanese paper sleeve reissues Dec 2011
Another batch of paper sleeve reissues from Japan emerged just before Christmas. The main selling point is the K2HD HQCD mastering (which as we’ve mentioned before is largely a matter of taste / how good your ears still are), but they’ve also tried quite hard on the sleeves. In brief these are:
SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE VICP-75020
This includes reproduction of both the original British cover and the American one. The CD is slipped inside one cover, the other is empty, and you can swop around. A small booklet of Japanese text and a separate lyric sheet are also included. The UK cover is glossy card, the US one is semi-matt.
THE BOOK OF TALIESYN VICP-75021
Again, UK and US covers.
DEEP PURPLE Third VICP-75022
Likewise.
LIVE IN LONDON 1974 VICP-75027～8
Issued in the original UK EMI vinyl cover design.
SCANDINAVIAN NIGHTS STOCKHOLM 1970 VICP-75025～6
Issued in the original Connoisseur vinyl sleeve design.
David Coverdale/NORTHWINDS VICP-75030
David Coverdale/WHITESNAKE VICP-75029
They have also issued these two solo albums at the same time and used a textured card finish to replicate the original vinyl editions.
It’s a strange world. They’re nice and cute obviously but you can hardly read the text on some, while others have had the text on the back reset so they are very crisp and clean but don’t look particularly like the originals.
I’ve kind of lost track of just how many times some of these have now been reissued in Japan but if you’re searching for them the catalogue numbers are given above. My thanks to Masa for letting me have the details.
If you have the set and want to comment on the audio quality please do.
darker than blue 
September 22, 2012 at 4:22 pm |
Thats the problem with all these re-issues. They compress them and then amplify them… and they end up sounding like Death Magnetic by Metallica. The loudness wars only allow the record companies to sell the same product again and again.
February 13, 2012 at 4:46 pm |
A couple of questions.
LIVE IN LONDON 1974 VICP-75027～8
Issued in the original UK EMI vinyl cover design.
Question : The music content. Is it the new Purple Records mix, (a couple of years back). Or is it the old original Connoisseur mix ?
SCANDINAVIAN NIGHTS STOCKHOLM 1970 VICP-75025～6
Issued in the original Connoisseur vinyl sleeve design.
Question : The music content. Is it the new Purple Records mix, (a couple of years back). Or is it the old original Connoisseur mix, (but in the right concert running order) ?
February 13, 2012 at 6:05 pm |
I don’t know Lars, I wasn’t asked to advise on these. Maybe Ian can let you know?
February 11, 2012 at 3:08 pm |
I’ve heard the K2HD trilogy box set of the first three albums. I’m not sure if they share the same mix and/or mastering of this batch, but here’s my two penn’orth:
Definite (though subtle) improvement in high frequency resolution, and more of a sense of ‘air’ around the instruments and the sonic presentation in general, with a more natural decay of cymbal splashes and reverb tails.
However, when A/B’d with original pressings they’ve been mastered overly loud (for my tastes), and sound compressed – the sound gets overpowering and fatiguing once you crank it up and settle down for a long listen.
Both the pluses and minuses are quite subtle – these are far from the worse offenders in the mixed bag of Purple remasters/remixes.
I did enjoy listening to them, but I’ve since gone back to the original UK unremastered first CD pressings for these (first Japanese for Shades) as these sound the most natural and balanced to my ears and on my system.
My preferred vinyl mastering is Purple Passages (easily betters my original Shades second Parlophone pressing and 3rd album first pressing!).
February 13, 2012 at 6:03 pm |
Thank for your comments Ian.