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You know how classic albums are endlessly remastered and repackaged in order to sell to fans again what they already own? I have to
plead guilty - I'm the kind of fan that always
rises to the bait. I've bought the entire Doors discography
3 times: on vinyl, CD and DVD-audio/CD combos (the "
perception" box set). Actually, I don't regret buying the last one: it sounds fantastic, both in stereo and 5:1 mixes. The Beatles,
of course - Full discography. Twice. I didn't fall for the original CD's but when the
in mono box set came out I couldn't resist. The Stones: Twice (full discography on vinyl, still missing 4 or 5 on CD). Zeppelin: Everything on vinyl, then the 2 box sets containing the complete studio output in jumbled order. They were remastered by Jimmy Page in the 90's and still sound great, but it goes without saying I've got my eye on the
new Jimmy Page remasters with the bonus tracks. Etc etc. Pink Floyd are
no exception: Despite previously owning most of their discography either on vinyl or CD I've almost completed my collection of the new remasters. So now I have "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" and "A Saucerful Of Secrets" on CD and will present them in time. Until recently, I only had them in the form of
this compilation: both albums in a double LP. It was issued in 1973, probably to capitalize on the unprecedented success of
Dark Side Of The Moon. Like I've said, I'll present the contents in a later post - but it'd be a shame to bypass the LP if only for the (always interesting) cover design by Floyd's regular collaborators,
Hipgnosis. Front, back and inserts consist of 9 squares each, some of which are rejected covers and some illustrate a pun e.g. the album title square "A Nice Pair" displays a
pair of breasts and a
pear. Another literally depicts a
fork in the road, and yet another shows a
kettle of fish. My favorite story about the cover is the one with
Dr. Phang's dental surgery. It was, unbeknownst to the good doctor, depicted on the front cover of the initial pressing. But apparently that was against the General Dental Council's rules on advertising, so it had to be replaced (with a photo of a Buddhist monk, top right). In later U.S. editions it was reinstated - either Dr. Phang retired or the GDC turns a blind eye to
transatlantic "advertising".
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Another difference between the UK and US editions is that the American one contains the 8-minute long live version of
"Astronomy Domine" (from
Ummagumma) instead of the shorter studio version from
Piper... Also, the US edition is a slightly different mix.
My LP is the UK version by the way, so I couldn't inform you on the differences and whether they are actually audible. This compilation has never been officially released on CD. There's a Russian bootleg CD version that
might be of interest for collectors, but apparently it's just a digital copy of the latest reissues of "Piper..." and "Secrets", thus not the same mix as the LP. So if you
must have it, by all means buy it on vinyl - it's legal, it's
not that expensive, and you don't need a magnifying glass for the cover!
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn *****
1.Astronomy Domine 2.Lucifer Sam 3.Matilda Mother 4.Flaming 5.Pow R. Toc. H. 6.Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk 7.Interstellar Overdrive 8.The Gnome 9.Chapter 24 10.Scarecrow 11.Bike
A Saucerful Of Secrets****
1.Let There Be More Light 2.Remember A Day 3.Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 4.Corporal Clegg 5.A Saucerful Of Secrets 6.See Saw 7.Jugband Blues
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