Bassman
Group: Members
Posts: 548
Joined: Feb. 2008 |
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Posted: Sep. 18 2008, 01:39 |
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I figured after all my yapping I should actually get off my arse and try to do something about it. This is the text of a letter I sent to MFSL the other day:
"Good morning/afternoon/evening Sir or Madam,
As there was no particular subsection I could direct my question to, this link seemed the most appropriate. If it is not, then please be so kind as to forward this letter to the correct destination. My question is, are there any plans to issue the above mentioned Mike Oldfield album in the forseeable future? If there are no plans, can you shed any light as to whether your company had ever pursued the possibility in the past?
Taking for granted that you may not know a lot about the album's history, please allow me to briefly explain. The original mix of which I speak was originally issued in 1974, some time after the runaway success of "Tubular Bells". A couple of years later, Mr. Oldfield supervised a quad remix for a special box set that was issued by his then-record company, Virgin. He was sufficiently pleased with the remix to the extent that, at his behest, Virgin had deleted the original mix from their catalogue and the stereo fold-down mix of the quad version has since been the only version commercially available-most recently as part of a remastering program back in 2000. As beautiful as the remixed version is, the differences between the two more than merit the opportunity for fans to have both. In the years since then the LPs of the original mix have become something of a rare treasure to Mike Oldfield fans the world over. It's a situation in some ways similar to the demand for the original version of Alan Parsons' "Tales Of Mystery And Imagination". While I don't have sales figures to back me up, I feel quite certain that Mr. Parsons' fans had no qualms about buying both the CD of his 1987 remixed version of the album and the gorgeous edition of the original that your company issued. In fact, the MFSL version of "Tales" has, itself, become somewhat of a Holy Grail to APP fans. Your company must, no doubt, be aware of this, as the prices asked for it on seller's markets plainly show. I'm sure there are probably a few more examples of this kind of situation in the roster of artists of MFSL's back catalogue, but Mr. Parsons' album was what first came to mind.
Suffice to say that Mike Oldfield's original "Hergest Ridge" is beloved to many, many enthusiasts of fine music and it would be sad, indeed, if the reason MFSL never issued a CD of it was simply because we didn't speak up. It is the general understanding that the rights to "Hergest Ridge" (original mix or otherwise) have not yet reverted back to Mr. Oldfield. It is still under the auspices of Virgin/EMI. But I cannot see that company declining the opportunity to, in essence, make additional profits on a release they've already made their money on, not to mention the profits that MFSL stands to gain from the legions of eager Oldfield fans. Many of us once dared to dream of a MFSL box set of The Beatles, or The Rolling Stones. It came true. This particular dream is on a somewhat smaller scale, but no less fervent.
I am quite sure that mine could not possibly be the sole letter your company has received regarding this particular piece of music, but it bears mentioning that if there is any other proper channel within your company in which I can make the wishes of Mr. Oldfield's fans heard, I and many others would gladly act on your suggestions.
Yours most sincerely,
T.R.R."
Well, it was worth a shot. 
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Turn up the music... Hi as Fi can go.
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It may be because my ears are a little bit untrained to allow me a clear hearing of all the subtleties you are mentioning, but to me the sound quality of the two copies is pretty much equal. Arrian's has clicks and pops, Martin's hasn't. But as far as sound quality is concerned, to me they're even.
