"The Name Of The Rose" on BLU RAY. A Review Of The 1986 Film Now Reissued On A 2011 BLU RAY.

"…The Step Between Ecstatic Vision And Sinful Frenzy…Is All Too Brief…"

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2011 BLU RAY ***

French Director Jean-Jacques Annaud had his work cut out for him. First he had to hire BAFTA-winning writer Andrew Birkin along with three other top scriptwriters to do a 'Pamplifest' of "Il Nome Della Rose" – a 500-page medieval whodunit written in Italian by Historian and Scholar Umberto Eco. Then after four years of design prep, Annaud had an entire Benedictine Abbey built to scale on hills outside of Rome in the winter of 1985. So come the opening minutes of "The Name Of The Rose" - as William of Baskerville and his novice Adso of Melk (Sean Connery and a 16-year old Christian Slater) dismount from their nags and have their hands washed inside the huge wooden gates of that fourteenth century structure - you can 'see' that Annaud spent his 17 million dollar budget wisely…

Right from the word go you are immersed in their world. The camera pans up to vertigo-inducing battlements, down to a vast courtyard, over to vestibules and quadrangle arches festooned with ecclesiastical masonry. There is little of comfort here and the only earth dug up is not for vegetables but fresh graves. Everything else is filth and grime – mud – snow – animal faeces. Then once inside - the chilling austerity continues. Stone floors, hard wooden pews and incense swinging censers at mealtime. There are marble altars with hidden latches, crypts with mounted skulls and passageways alive with droves of really fat rats. There’s even a Scriptorium tower beside the Abbey where books are laboured on by hand for years - and a secretive library above it all that is accessible only through a wooden labyrinth…

As if this isn’t enough – then there’s the look of the inmates. It feels like Annaud sent out an all-points bulletin to hire 30 of the ugliest actors in the world. These monks, scribes and translators are like the grotesque gargoyles that loom over everything on the elevated pillars. Some of them are fat – some giggling and maniacal – others are toothless (many are all three). They all wear coarse grey cassocks and sport severe tonsure haircuts. Others have large facial warts or the scars of self-flagellation on their backs – punishment for sins of the flesh (and we’re not talking about chorus girls here). Even the medical infirmary is a place of terror - with jars of dark substances that look more like torture potions than medicines and soothing poultices. This is how the fourteenth century would have looked - and felt – and it is completely believable.

It helps too to have a fantastically well-chosen cast… Principal in this is Sean Connery as a Franciscan Monk who uses sextants, magnifying glasses and his considerable intellect to solve ‘conundrums’ in the year of our not-so-enlightened Lord 1327. Other grotesques include William Hickey as the prophecy spouting Brother Ubertino, the veteran Italian actor Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as the ‘venerable’ Jorge – a blind spiritual leader who rants about ‘laughter’ deforming faces and making men look like monkeys. And best of all is the simpleton hunchback Salvatore (a stunning turn by “Hellboy” leading man Ron Perlman) who sticks his tongue out at people and babbles in all languages and none…

The story sees William of Baskerville brought in by a wily Abbot seeking answers and discretion (a superbly cast Michael Lonsdale). William is to investigate monks dying of what appear to be 'unnatural forces'. As more bodies succumb to murders that begin to look like signs from the Bible (a vat of pig’s blood and a scented bathtub are assigned to the Blood and Water predictions of the Apocalypse) - the Holy Inquisition is eventually summoned. But God’s mercy on Earth is the dreaded Bernardo Gui (a deliciously cruel F. Murray Abraham) who is the very personification of man’s twisted inhumanity when corrupted by power. Brother William is now in a race against time – he knows from bitter past experience that Bernardo Gui will come to convenient explanations involving 'devils in their midst'. And with some tortured confessions – Gui will sacrifice three unfortunates to the burning stake (including Adso’s girl) because he knows this will calm the spiritually panicking monks.

But the film belongs to Connery. Relishing a properly meaty role and well-written script (especially when it’s so closely linked with his favourite subject of education) – he gives his William just the right amount of Sherlock Holmes genius but with that touch of condescending arrogance too. William is driven – and like Holmes - has an almost dismissive disdain for life. It’s as if solving the puzzle is everything – certainly more important than stopping the monster from killing his next victim. But more than this - William also suspects that nothing 'supernatural' is taking place – that someone in the Abbey is reluctant to unleash knowledge and ideas on the ordinary people – especially those written down in "...spiritually dangerous books..." And on it goes to a showdown in the labyrinth of the Scriptorium – and a peasant girl in the mist who haunts Adso into his old age (the only earthly love he has ever known)…

Words matter in this film – so the script rises to it. In an argument that William has with the permanently vexed Jorge about 'laughter as a weapon' – their sparring in front of the other monks is the stuff of brilliance. When Adso encounters the beguiling and beautiful 'girl' (played by a gorgeous Valentina Vargas) – he confides in his master about women and love. William’s response is both comical and wonderful. When William hears the hunchback Salvatore utter the word "Penitenziagite" – he knows he was once a heretic. It’s the war cry of the Dolcinites – an order of monks who believed in the poverty of Christ – but wanted all men to follow in the same (something the Church wasn’t too keen on). So the Dolcinites slaughtered the wealthy and for good measure all the corrupt fat priests too. William's explanation to Adso of how religion can warp the mind is both humane and intelligent (the dialogue from it titles this review).

PICTURE QUALITY – there have been poor reviews of a German issue on Blu Ray – but this July 2011 copy is a USA release on Warner Brothers which is REGION FREE and will therefore play on all machines (if you type in the barcode number 883929180080 into the SEARCH bar on Amazon – it will direct to the correct version).

The picture quality is a VAST IMPROVEMENT on everything that has gone before. It absolutely ‘isn’t perfect’ by any means - but it is beautiful in many places – something the DVD issues notoriously failed to deliver on. There are so many great moments where the clarity is shocking now – Connery looks out the window at a fresh grave being picked by a crow – food chucked out the sleuth at the back of the Abbey and allowed to roll down to the clambering peasants below (“another generous donation to the poor from the church…”). Even the night sequences when they’re scurrying around the desolate courtyard areas are superbly clear. There are times when blocking and some speckling appear (fog engulfing the Abbey) – but it’s rare. This is the BEST the print’s ever been and the stunning/sinister score by JAMES HORNER has also been given an upgrade so it rattles out through your speakers with real force. The ‘Extras’ of the 2DVD set are all here too.

"The Name Of The Rose" is the very definition of a 'cult' movie - and like "The Big Lebowski" and "Brazil" - quotes from it litter the net.
It blew me away when I first saw it and it's been in my top ten ever since. So if you're a fan, you should buy this BLU RAY version - and if you're new to it, then dig in.

And remember – when a man is found in a monastery stable with a witch, a black cat and a cockerel – it doesn’t necessarily mean he isn't a nice person…

BLU RAY Specifications:
VIDEO: 1080p High Definition 16x9 1.85:1
AUDIO: DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 2.0 and Spanish 1.0
SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English, French, Italian, Castellano, Czech (Cesky), Hungarian (Magyar), Polish
SUBTITLES: English (For The Hearing Impaired), French, Italian (For The Hearing Impaired), Castellano, Dutch, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Czech (Cesky), Danish (Dansk), Finnish (Suomi), Hungarian (Magyar), Norwegian (Norsk), Polish, Portuguese, Swedish (Svenska)

EXTRAS:
2 x Feature Length Commentaries by Director JEAN-JACQUES ANNAUD – one in English and the other in French (with English subtitles)
"The Abbey Of Crime – Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose" – A Detailed Making Of In German and French with subtitles (40 minutes)
Photo Video Journey with Jean-Jacques Annaud (10 minutes)
Theatrical Trailer

"Think About The Times: The Chrysalis Years 1969 to 1972" by TEN YEARS AFTER. A Review Of The 2010 EMI 3CD Retrospective.

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Only Thing I Understand Is Living…"

Released 26 July 2010 as a 3CD set - "Think About The Times: The Chrysalis Years 1969 to 1972" on Chrysalis/EMI 5099964214726 takes its title from a track on the 1970 TEN YEARS AFTER album "Watt" – and breaks down as follows…

Disc 1 (76:53 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Ssssh" – released August 1969 in the UK on Deram SML 1052 and in the USA on Deram/London DES 18029
Track 9 is "If You Should Love Me" – the non-album 7" single B-side to the 'American' release of "Love Like A Man" issued in 1970 on Deram DEM 7529
Tracks 10 to 17 are the album "Cricklewood Green" – released April 1970 in the UK on Deram SML 1065 and in the USA on Deram DES 18038

Disc 2 (79:17 minutes):
Track 1 is "Love Like A Man (Single Edit)" – a non-album version [A-side] issued May 1970 in the UK on Deram DM 299
Tracks 2 to 9 are the album "Watt" – released December 1970 in the UK on Deram SML 1078 and Deram XDES 18050
Tracks 10 to 19 are the album "A Space In Time" – released August 1971 in the UK on Chrysalis CHR 1001 and in the USA on Columbia KC 30801

Disc 3 (60:16 minutes):
Track 1 is "I'd Love To Change The World (Single Edit)" – a non-album 7” single version [A-side] issued September 1971 in the USA on Columbia 4-45457
Tracks 2 to 10 are the album "Rock & Roll Music To The World" – released October 1972 in the UK on Chrysalis CHR 1009 and in the USA on Columbia KC 31779
Track 11 is "Choo Choo Mama (Single Edit)" – a non-album 7” single version [A-side] issued November 1972 in the USA on Columbia 4-45736
Track 12 is "Love Like A Man (Recorded Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore East)" – a non-album 7” single version [B-side to “Love Like A Man”] issued May 1970 in the UK on Deram DM 299

Housed in a double jewel-case with a fairly skimpy (but informative) 8-page booklet - EMI have released many multiple CD sets in this 'retro' series with the same generic packaging - Robin Trower, Frankie Miller, Barclay James Harvest, The Groundhogs, UFO and The Edgar Broughton Band among them. All are remastered and pitched at mid-price.

In this case (as is with most of the others) – the superb remastered sound comes courtesy of PETER MEW at Abbey Road. It should also be noted that "Ssssh", "Cricklewood Green" and "Watt" are different remasters to the 2002 versions done by PASCHAL BYRNE at Alchemy Audio in London. The other big draw here for TYA fans is the difficult to find and hugely popular albums "A Space In Time" and "Rock & Roll Music To The World" from 1971 and 1972 respectively – available remastered - and reasonably priced at last.

Musically – as one reviewer rightly says – some tracks are plodding and none are 'live' and therefore not really representative of the band at their best. But dealing with what we do have - there is so much on here to savour. "Working On The Road", "I'm Coming On" and "Choo Choo Mama" are great boogie tunes. I also love the acoustic vibe of "Circles", the Prog Rock keyboards of "Standing At The Station" and the string arrangements of "Over The Hill". There are even wise deliberations on beliefs on the trippy treated vocals of "Religion" (lyrics above). It isn't all genius - of course not. But there are 5 studio albums & five rare 7" single sides on here – and that's an awful lot of Classic Rock music for not a huge amount of wonga.

Niggles - packaging wise its workmanlike at best. I would have much preferred it if this entire series has gone down the road of Columbia's "Original Classic Albums" mini box sets – albums in repro card sleeves with the full session info available via download from Sony’s website. But alas…

Too often overlooked - TEN YEARS AFTER still hold huge swathes of fans in serious affection – and on re-hearing these remasters and Alvin Lee's terrific axework – it's easy to know why.

Rock & Roll Music To Us...

Recommended.

"Hidalgo" on BLU RAY. A Review Of The 2004 Film Now On A 2008 BLU RAY.

"…Lost The Race…But Won A Friend…"

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 'BLU RAY' VERSION ***

For such a huge production piece - Joe Johnston's expertly directed "Hidalgo" seems to have eluded everybody. A sort of "Little Big Man" meets "Lawrence Of Arabia" hybrid - it garnished favourable reviews on release in early 2004 and a cult following on DVD later that year. It was even name-checked in the back pages of Leonard Maltin's Annual Movie Guide as a 'favorite'.

Well - I'd argue that it's time to mount your saddlebags once again folks and get some serious hot sand on your laser beams - because "Hidalgo" has very definitely been given a whole new lease of life on this beautifully transferred 2008 BLU RAY reissue...

Loosely based on the life of Frank Thomas Hopkins (played by Viggo Mortensen) and his fast-and-strong horse - the Spanish Mustang "Hidalgo" - John Fusco's screenplay spruces up his tale of daring-do a great deal (to some controversy it has to be said). Frank is initially presented to us as a repeated long-distance race winner as well as a dispatch rider for the less-than-chivalrous US Cavalry. Born of a Native Indian mother and European-American father, they named their 'half caste' son "Blue Child". But at the beginning of the movie (and although he speaks their tongue and loves their way of life) - we find Frank rather shamefully hiding what's in his blood and heart.

Then after witnessing the appalling aftermath of Wounded Knee (a massacre of defenceless Lakota Sioux Indians in South Dakota) - we move forward in time to find Frank pasty-faced and broken. Riding around on his famous steed, he's acting out Cowboys and Indians games for boorish patrons in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Drunk most of the time - Frank is little more than a circus clown - and kept in check by the generosity of the famous marksman (the ever wonderful J.K. Simmons plays Bill Cody). But like Chief Eagle Horn who walks into the centre of the big top every afternoon and is pelted with rotten food and boos - Frank feels old before his time and permanently humiliated.

But an olive branch comes in the shape of a visiting Arab and Chinaman. Lured by a hefty purse and a need to redeem himself - Frank agrees to journey into "The Ocean Of Fire" - an endurance horserace in the Middle East which dates back it's history a full 1000 years. Crossing scorched desert and jagged limestone for nearly 70 days - the race covers a staggering 3000-miles between Aden and Syria - eventually arriving at the Arabian Sea. With casualties lost to sandstorms, quicksand and plagues of locusts - only the strongest riders and the purest of steeds will survive. So little is expected of the Western 'Cowboy' and his Halfbreed.

Along the way Frank acquires a goat-herder and water-fetching boy as his "Hidalgo" team, fascinates a feisty daughter who longs to ride alongside the men as their equal (Zuleikha Robinson), dodges a scheming English lady who wants the win the race to acquire the sacred Al-Hattal horse bloodline (Louise Lombard), swaps swords and bullets with a villainous nephew (Said Taghmaouri) and hobnobs with an all-powerful Sheikh (a superb turn by Omar Sharif) who is sceptical at first of the 'far rider' but grows to admire and even revere the gritty and tenacious American. And of course the film has two major pluses - Mortensen and his craggy features filling the whole screen with an everyman quality that is very smart casting indeed. And the horses themselves - beautiful and majestic creatures - and almost telepathic in their symbiosis with their riders. And on the story goes...through all manner of mental and physical trials...to end up back again in Frontierland USA where wild horses run the plains...like a free-spirit should...

PICTURE - the film's default aspect is 2.40:1 - so there are bars at the top and bottom of the picture - but even when stretched to Smart or Full Aspect mode - the print is rarely anything less than a desert swoon. So many great images - the CGI of the "City Of Paris" ship arriving in Arabia is beautifully rendered - the dawn and dusk over the desert - the up-close shots of Bedouin tents and Arabic clothing - sand-blasted faces and parched lips - all of it - GORGEOUS.

SOUND - audio is equally impressive. When the thundering hooves and the sandstorm comes at you - your viewing room will beg for mercy and be shown none.

The two extras "Sand & Celluloid" and "America's First Horse" are very informative and enjoyable. The first is a behind-the-scenes 'making of' featuring short interviews with Mortensen, the Writer, the Director, Executive Producers, Animal Trainers and Production Design people. Particularly impressive is the entire mud-walled town constructed on site for a fight sequence - and the edible locusts - each of which took 4 hours to create (utterly convincing). 800 horses were brought in to create the charge and race sequences - and wind and dust battered everyone and everything daily. The second feature goes into the Mustang Breed itself and how they were brought to America in 1519 by Cortez and then adopted by the natives as their own 'sacred' partners. Very good indeed...

To sum up - dialogue between Omar Sharif and Viggo Mortensen title this review...and in some ways mark out the history of this criminally ignored nugget.

"Hidalgo" is an excellent 'story' movie and well worth seeking out - especially now that it's been given a format which brings out all that hard work and finally makes it shine.

I may feel the urge to spit on a camel every now and then, but I'm so glad I bought this film...

BLU RAY Specifications:
VIDEO: 1080p High-Definition / 2.40:1
AUDIO: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French and Spanish
ENHANCED AUDIO: DTS 5.1 French and Spanish, PCM 5.1 English
SUBTITLES: English, English For Hearing Impaired, French, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish

BONUS FEATURES:
"Sand & Celluloid" - A Making of Featurette, Behind The Scenes etc (10 minutes)
"America's First Horse - Hidalgo And The Spanish Mustang" - The Story of Hildago's Ancestors (21 minutes)

"Countdown To Ecstasy" by STEELY DAN (October 2011 Geffen/Universal SHM-CD in Mini LP Repro Artwork) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Hundreds of Others Is Available In My

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"...I Detect The El Supremo..."

How do you follow a debut like "Can't Buy A Thrill" - classy, precise, rammed to the gills with tunes that still stand up a whopping 44 years? And it had two-headed sucker punch of tunes - the Farfisa organ twinkle of "Do It Again" and Elliott Randall's Guitar pyrotechnics on "Reelin' In The Years". How do you follow one of the best starts? Simple – for round two - you go one better.

Yet their second platter of brilliance "Countdown To Ecstasy" (along with 1975's "Katy Lied") always seems to lag behind - overlooked for the obvious genius of 1976's "The Royal Scam" and especially 1977's meisterwork - "Aja". Yet of all the albums I play to death from that Golden Era - it's "Countdown To Ecstasy" that amazes me the most. With the twin vocalists of Don Palmer and Donald Fagen on the debut reduced to just Donald Fagen - this record feels like the first 'real' Steely Dan album - a Becker/Fagan album - their sound - their songs - done their way. Which brings us to this gorgeous Japan-Only SHM-CD reissue...

This review is for the 25 June 2008 SHM-CD Issue of "Countdown To Ecstasy" by STEELY DAN on Universal/Geffen UICY-93518 (Barcode 4988005518309). It comes in 5" Mini LP Repro Artwork (the US album on ABC Records) and includes a repro of the lyric insert that came with original copies (41:13 minutes total playing time). There's an outer OBI band with reissue details, the fold-out colour booklet that came with the 1998 Becker/Fagen CD Remasters (their caustic liner notes) as well as a separate 16-page Japanese booklet in white (all details in Japanese). Please also note that this SHM-CD of "Countdown To Ecstasy" was reissued October 2011 (Standard Jewel Case) and 29 December 2011 in Repro Artwork with the same catalogue-number and Barcode (to confuse matters). There's even been a further Platinum SHM-CD version too in Repro Artwork and Presentation Box from July 2014 using a new remaster and Hi Res Cutting of the disc.

What is a SHM-CD and does it sound better than the standard 1998 issue that's available very cheaply? Some say yes, others say it's a con. It was developed in 2008 by JVC as a brand new form of CD with far better retrieval capabilities. The problem is that they are ONLY available in JAPAN and usually at considerably higher cost. Also one of the biggest arguments put forward 'against' them is that you need a high-end player to get the best out of these CDs. I don't agree. I own about 15 of these beauties and the sound on all is more than impressive - it's in the musicality - it's in the details. I would say however that if the remaster is recent - and its on SHM - and you've a half decent player - then the combo of all 3 will produce wonderful sonic results (see my recent review for James Taylor's "Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon" on Japanese SHM-CD). Let's get to the album itself and the Audio on this 2008 and 2011 SHM-CD reissue...

1. Bodhisattva

2. Razor Boy

3. The Boston Rag

4. Your Gold Teeth

5. Show Biz Kids

6. My Old School

7. Pearl Of The Quarter

8. King Of The World

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 2nd studio album "Countdown To Ecstasy" - released July 1973 in the USA on ABC Records ABCX-779 and September 1973 in the UK on Probe Records SPB 1079 (reissued October 1974 in the UK on ABC Records ABCL 5034). Produced by GARY KATZ and Engineered by ROGER NICHOLS - it peaked at No. 35 on the Pop Charts in the USA but didn't chart in the UK.

It opens with utter brilliance - "Bodhisattva". Described on their lyric insert as 'Diaz the Bebopper meets Baxter the Skunk beneath the Bo Tree in this altered Blues' - you're immediately walloped with the clarity of Jim Hodder's Drums and both Denny Dias and future Doobie Brother Jeff "Skunk" Baxter tearing it on their respective guitars. As Guitar Rock goes – it’s a stormer. The Victor Feldman Vibes and Donald Fagen Piano playing on "Razor Boy" is startling - that beautifully tight rhythm section too sailing out of your speakers with a sexy swagger. In August 1973 both ABC in the States and Probe Records in the UK put it on the B-side of “Show Biz Kids” as a 45 (ABC Records 11382 vs. Probe PRO 602). On the strength of the A-side – it peaked at No. 61 in the USA.

Brilliant is the only word to describe the deceptively simple Guitar run that works its way throughout the whole of "The Boston Rag". You can now also hear those Acoustic Guitars played by guest musician Ben Benay. I’ve still no idea what the “...Lonnie was the Kingpin...” lyrics are about - but given those guitar solos and clever keyboard breaks – I get the lyric insert explanation telling us that ‘several members of The Dan get to “stretch out”’ on the song. Side one ends with the seven-minute chug and shug of "Your Gold Teeth". A wickedly groovy keyboard jaunt with Donald disdainfully sneering as he sings "...Torture is the main attraction...I don't need that kind of action..." I'd also forgotten how good the guitar flicks throughout are - that keyboard solo - and the treated backing vocals of Sherlie Matthews, Myrna Matthews, Patricia hall, David Palmer, Royce Jones, James Rolleston and Michael Fennelly - it all sounds amazing on this SHM-CD.

Probably the bitterest and most self-knowing of songs in their amazing repertoire – "Show Biz Kids" lays into self-obsessed party types and showcases the extraordinary Slide Guitar of Rick Derringer who gives the song the kind of muscle and magic Elliott Randal gave to “Reelin’ In The Years”. As the girls chant "...it's only life's wages..." and sing "...while the poor people sleepin' with the shade of the light...all the stars come out at night..." - many of them wearing Steely Dan teeshirts as they make films about themselves. The chipper "My Old School" features a four-man Brass Section arranged by Jimmie Haskell and was also chosen as an A-side on both sides of the pond in November 1973 (ABC Records 11396, Probe Records PRO 606). As it jaunt and funks along like its Tower Of Power meets Steely Dan - the lyrics tell us that Daddy is going to be "...quite surprised to find you with the working girls in the County Jail..."(nice). “My Old School” is a brilliant little bopper and an emotional upper on a largely sarcastic album.

The lovely pedal steel of "Pearl Of The Quarter" (the B-side of "Show Biz Kids" on both sides of the pond) bolsters up a gorgeous melody and the closest the album gets to an actual 'love song'. The audio on this baby perhaps impresses most. It ends on the weird yet thrilling wah-wah rhythms of "King of The World" - treated guitars and keyboards while Jim Hodder keeps it so tight on the drums. The Remaster brings out all those guitar and keyboard parts as Fagan sings "...no marigolds in the promised-land...there's a hole in the ground where they used to grow..." And that stomping break towards the end is fucking brilliant...

Even now - with a distance of 43 years - I'm gobsmacked at the musical accomplishment on "Countdown To Ecstasy". Rooted in the brilliance of their October 1972 "Can't Buy A Thrill" debut LP and yet advanced a million miles away from it in less than nine months.

You can get the 1998 CD for peanuts - but if like me you have to have the best when it comes to the best band of the Seventies - then these dinky Japanese SHM-CDs are the 'gold teeth' for you...

FOR INFO PURPOSES

JAPANESE REISSUES for STEELY DAN 

on the SHM-CD, SACD and PLATINUM SHM-CD Formats...

The Japanese reissue program surrounding STEELY DAN and their core catalogue of albums between 1972 and 1980 ("Can't Buy A Thrill" through to "Gaucho") for the three formats of SHM-CD, PLATINUM SHM-CD and SHM-SACD is a tangled minefield of reissue after further reissue – a long list of endless upgraded versions. This list is an attempt to sort out what’s what.

Audio wise – most of the 2008 to 2011 issues are based on the Donald Fagan and Walter Becker approved remasters of 1999 - all of which are easily available as US and European MCA Remastered CDs (and cheaply too). But for those who crave best ever sound from this most Audiophile of American bands – the Superior Formats and repro packaging imitating original US album artwork are more than enticing.

There are also reissues from 2014 in Japan that have exclusive Remasters using US analogue tapes (listed below). And all though they’re constantly reissued – technically all Japanese CD reissues of back-catalogue are limited editions (they sell out quickly and become deleted soon after). So I’ve included exact barcodes to find the right issues when looking for them on various sale/auction sites.

This list is accurate to May 2017...

SHM-CD (Jewel Case AND Mini Repro LP Artwork Versions):

1. "Can't Buy A Thrill" (1972)

(i) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-20122 (Barcode 4988005639240) – 1999 Remaster

(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93515 (Barcode 4988005518293) – 1999 Remaster

2. "Countdown To Ecstasy" (1973)

(i) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25036 (Barcode 4988005677754) – 1999 Remaster

(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93516 (Barcode 4988005518309) – 1999 Remaster

(iii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD re-released 30 July 2014 on Geffen/Universal UICY-76427 (Barcode 4988005831552) - features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master tapes and HR Cutting on the Disc

3. "Pretzel Logic" (1974)

(i) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25037 (Barcode 4988005677761) – 1999 Remaster

(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93517 (Barcode 4988005518316) – 1999 Remaster

(iii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD re-released 24 September 2014 on Geffen/Universal UICY-76524 (Barcode 4988005838209) - features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master tapes and HR Cutting on the Disc

4. "Katy Lied" (1975)

(i) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25038 (Barcode 4988005677778) – 1999 Remaster

(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93518 (Barcode 4988005518323) – 1999 Remaster

5. "The Royal Scam" (1976)

(i) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25039 (Barcode 4988005677785)

(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93519 (Barcode 4988005518330)

6. "Aja" (1977)

(1) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 23 January 2008 on Geffen/Universal UICY-90764 (Barcode 4988005502070)

(ii) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 24 June 2009 on Geffen/Universal UICY-91430 (Barcode 4988005560810)

(iii) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD re-released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25040 (Barcode 4988005677792)

(iv) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD re-released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93520 (Barcode 4988005518347)

(v) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD re-released 25 September 2013 on Geffen/Universal UICY-75768 (Barcode 4988005782274) – HR Cutting

(vi) Non SHM CD Issue (standard CD) in a Standard Jewel Case re-released 17 May 2017 on Geffen/Universal UICY-78312 (Barcode 4988031220726)

7. "Gaucho" (1980)

(i) Standard Jewel Case SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25041 (Barcode 4988005677808)

(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93521 (Barcode 4988005518354)

PLATINUM SHM-CD (Mini LP Repro Artwork inside a White Bordered Box):

"Can't Buy A Thrill", "Katy Lied" and "The Royal Scam" – not issued on this format as of May 2017

1. "Countdown To Ecstasy" (1973)

(i) Released 30 July 2014 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9566 (Barcode 4988005831590) - features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master tapes

(ii) Re-released 24 August 2016 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-15005 (Barcode 4988031161814) – features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master tapes

2. "Pretzel Logic" (1974)

Released 24 September 2014 on Geffen/Universal UICY-40085 (Barcode 4988005838155)

3. "Aja" (1977)

(i) Released 25 September 2013 on Geffen/Universal UICY-40007 (Barcode 4988005782175) 

SHM-SACD:

These Japanese SHM-SACD releases require a CD player that has SUPER AUDIO playback facilities - they will NOT PLAY IN A STANDARD PLAYER. There are two variants of Remasters - 2010 DSD versions done exclusively in Japan and based on Japanese original analogue tapes – and 2014 variants based on US analogue tapes with HR Disc Cutting. The 2014 variants come in white-bordered boxes like the Platinum SHM-CD issues.

"Can't Buy A Thrill", "Countdown To Ecstasy" and "Katy Lied" – not issued on this format as May 2017

1. "Pretzel Logic" (1974)

Released 24 September 2014 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9568 (Barcode 4988005838223) - features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master tapes and HR Cutting on the Disc

2. "The Royal Scam" (1976)

(i) Released 28 September 2011 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9501 (Barcode 4988005653628) – Withdrawn

3. "Aja" (1977)

(i) Released 30 June 2010 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9026 (Barcode 498800 5614384) – features 2010 DSD Remastering

(ii) Re-released 26 November 2014 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9591 (Barcode 4988005857439) –features 2010 DSD Remastering

4. "Gaucho" (1980)

(i) Released 24 October 2010 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9039 (Barcode 4988005633330) in oversized Card Repro Artwork

(ii) Released 26 November 2014 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9592 (Barcode 4988005857446) in SACD Jewel Case