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So far I've only had a chance to listen to Disc 1, which is the 2014 "for an original analogue mixdown tape of uncertain provenance but PROBABLY it's the original master mix" remaster.

Listening to it on good headphones from lossless flac, it's certainly Metamatic as it surely sounded in 1980. (Much less extreme bass than you'd get on modern records, and the tape hiss left in). Loads of the synth sounds flanged or phased tae fck and slammed by the compressor. Nice smile Everything except the CR78 drums are played manually, many of the keyboard parts are notably off the grid, it's nice smile
I'm struck by the reggae vibe of so many of the basslines (both synth and bass guitar) - unlike so many sequenced "synthpop" basslines of the 80s that followed, Metamatic has a lot of space and angles in it's basslines, all played by hand.

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I've gone straight for Disc 3.

Plenty of alternative and early versions which we've already heard but good to have them together.

The unreleased tracks are a mixed bag. Some just very basic but some quite decent tracks. They wouldn't be out of place on BBC Radiophonic Workshop album. I wasn't expecting to hear a piano on Fragmentary City. It's like Satie with an electronic backing. Very nice. I like the song Miss Machinery. The melody ended up in 20th Century.

Considering the history of some of these tracks the sound quality is pretty decent.

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Just my luck- my signed card's got a crease in it! cry

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Originally Posted By: Your Shadow
I wasn't expecting to hear a piano on Fragmentary City.


Same piano you've always heard on 'No-one Driving' - I guess it was the Pathway Studio joanna?

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(More appalling pedantry):
other things omitted from this set which could arguably have been on it -

(If there'd been a DVD in the box):
- the 5.1 remix of Underpass (from the 'DNA' compilation)
- the proper (colour) promo video for Underpass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXU0N6MTfX8
- the promo video for No-one Driving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLUGmh9gNxo
- the promo video for He's A Liquid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v78Jmrb1hPY
- is this the actual promo for Burning Car, or is it just a fan mashup? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlTFklZs8lo

- Mark Reeder's "Sinister Subway" remixes of Underpass (and the video for it)
- Karborn's "Dubterror" remix of Burning Car
(arguably these two are non-period items, but then so are the two 2007 "out-takes" (ahem) "Cinemascopes" and "To Be With You"

- The highly interesting "Metal Beat" interview album
- The "A New Kind of Man" live album of all the tracks from 2007 with Louis Gordon

Admittedly I'm asked for three entire extra optical discs in the box there, but frankly I'm more interested in those than some post-cards which were instead taking up the room laugh

I do think the contemporary promo videos are a bit of a howling omission, as they expand the visual concept from the album cover. John seems a bit coy of letting them out in public these days... but given the album has several out-take noodles and rejected mix-downs on it, it seems odd he wants those out there for public scrutiny but relegates his videos to the grottiness of YouTube

Last edited by feline1; 06/03/18 12:03 PM.
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As for the actual new material -

well, it does seem a bit odd to me to include these unfinished ideas. I mean, every musician has tapes of noodles like these - unfinished things that never got turned into songs, or that got recycled into songs later.
As John explains in interviews, the synths and equipment of the day had no memories, so often you'd record stuff onto tape just as a record of the sound, if you thought you might want to use it in future.

Similarly, we get rejected mixes of Glimmer and Mr No - they're clearly not as good as the mixes he decided to use (in those days, every mix was a live real-time performance event!)

Don't get me wrong, most of them are just the sounds you can make with an ARP Odyssey and a nasty phaser/flanger/reverb slapped onto tape, and they sound great smile
And I suppose galleries sometimes even show artists' pencil sketches and studies for later paintings, so here we have some analogous audio stuff for John's work of 1979/80.

On the other hand, there's only so many of these out-takes and bits of fluff you can include without kinda diluting the brilliance of the original finished album, even if you do give it its own CD.

Last edited by feline1; 06/03/18 12:12 PM.
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I take your point feline1.

Personally I enjoyed the tracks. I just see them as part of a soundtrack for an imaginary movie.

I agree a DVD containing the videos from this period would have been good for completion sake. I would have liked the track Jane from 'Metal Beat' to have been included alongside the short tracks found 'From Brussels With Love'. Not so bothered about the more recent mixes or adding the live album from 2007. I suppose we all have our own idea of what an ultimate Metamatic release would contain.

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Originally Posted By: Your Shadow
I ordered as soon as I saw the email from Townsend Records.

Great to have all these tracks collected together plus the promise of unreleased material.

Not moaning but would there have been room to include Jane, the jingles off 'From Brussels With Love' and the short experimental tracks included with Metal Beat? These were recorded roughly around the same time period.

Maybe, I shouldn't be asking here but does anyone know where the 1980 demos could be obtained from, especially as not all of them will be included in this release?


Eh?
I have never heard of these! Where can I get them?
(Just bought Metamatic 3cd version.. woohoo!)

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Hi NerveJam.

The track Jane and a number of rhythm experiments were included on the interview disc 'Metal Beat'

In the early 80's a compilation called 'From Brussels With love' was released. John provided four short jingles for the release. It's been reissued in various forms over the years. I have the CD reissue from about ten or so years ago. Unfortunately only two of John's jingles are included on this reissue.

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I think "Over Tokoyo" is indicative of the deal with these new bonus tracks.

"Over Tokyo" is basically the delicious phased Elka Rhapsody string synth part from the end of "Touch and Go", played really badly on its own grin (lots of clumsy note changes on the left hand).

It's nice to hear but it's also kinda slightly shoddy smile

What would be even more lush would be a proper 5.1 surround mix of the entire album, rather than just Underpass smile then these phased Elka Rhapsody parts could swim around my entire living room

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