Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: Jan. 11 2001, 17:59 |
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being 'up to date' and other such things has a lot to do with it. Witness the quadrophonic versions eagerly created in the 70s, only for the formats to flop a few years later.
The HDCD version is obviously partly there because of standardisation - they want the whole series of Mike's albums in the same packaging, etc. The HDCD thing is partly a marketing gimmick - not everyone even knows what it does and the equipment to play it isn't too widely available really (a look in a local hifi shop found absolutely no HDCD compatible players at all). Those people with the equipment may notice the extra quality from the 20 bit HDCD format, or they may not...Still, the 25th anniversary one was a limited edition, so it did make sense releasing it again, and as the technology was there, it was probably worth using it...
But this SACD...there is again a point, in that you'll be getting the quadrophonic mix. I assume this is the Phil Newell mix found on Boxed - I wonder how many fans will be happy about that...Whether there will be a noticable difference in quality on domestic equipment is hard to say - it may well not be really.
The real point is money, of course - making a cash cow from it, as MrShame says...Why release it once when you can release it 6 times (or more, if you count LP, both stereo and quad, CD, Cassette and 8 track versions separately)? 
Mike's opinion? That doesn't matter...take a look at the details of Tubular Bells and you will find that it is published by, and the copyright of, Virgin records...Unfortunately, they own it and not Mike, so they can do what they like with it...
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