Press Release: Studio Collection (Coloured Vinyl Box Set)

There's not much to explain. When Innuendo came out, they had to shortern a few songs to fit it onto one record. The 2015 editions featured the full songs on vinyl for the first time, but across 2 LPs.

The 2015 Made in Heaven also features track 13 which was only on the CD in 1995 as well.

Thanks for the reply. What prevented them from in 1991 release this album on two LP?

That I don't know. I would assume it was just to keep the production cost (and the retail price) to the normal amount as selling an album that was barely longer than 'normal' but cost 50% or whatever more would have cost the record company money. The downside was cutting a couple songs but in 1991 most people probably wouldn't either have realised or cared.

Back in 1991 CD sales were on top, and LPs were not so popular because the CDs were much easier to handle and to listen to. So I guess fewer bands were releasing LPs because the market was not up for it. 2LP sets would be even more expensive, so I guess it wouldn't sell enough, and they decided to release a single LP.

So why has vinyl resurrected lately?
- What has happened, is that we have got streaming services like Spotify and we have iTunes, and the CD lost the big advantage it had, because streaming is even easier to handle, more practical etc.. So what is the point with a CD anymore? - Well, it is a physical format, but when it comes to that, a CD is a far less attractive physical format compared to a LP, cover artwork and lyrics. And as streaming has taken over, when it comes to the physical thing, vinyl is the winner.

No - what's happened is that record labels for quite a few years pushed downloads instead of CD because there's more money in for them (not the artist) - see itunes exclusive tracks etc. Around the same time, they largely ceased vinyl production for a few years, then brought it back re-branded as a collectable rarity. Per unit, vinyl gives the label more more than CD or even download as the prices are marked up so much. The labels would prefer to manufacture and distribute smaller quantites of vinyl, that however many more CDs and only making so much per unit. People ARE gullible - 7" singles used to be about £2.99 at the very most, they now often cost a tenner! Sales of vinyl are not higher than through the 90's, they've just managed to dupe people into paying more for it - don't believe the hype!

[Kes]

I'd agree that digital music has lost it's "special-ness".

You can download an album, burn it to CD for the car, or wherever. My car doesn't particularly care where the disc or file came from, if you get what I mean. I have road noise, traffic noise and a variety of other things that detract from the music, all it needs to do is play without obvious errors.

A vinyl album is still extremely hard to copy for the layman, so for people buying it, it retains the qualities that they are looking for.

No - what's happened is that record labels for quite a few years pushed downloads instead of CD because there's more money in for them (not the artist) - see itunes exclusive tracks etc. Around the same time, they largely ceased vinyl production for a few years, then brought it back re-branded as a collectable rarity. Per unit, vinyl gives the label more more than CD or even download as the prices are marked up so much. The labels would prefer to manufacture and distribute smaller quantites of vinyl, that however many more CDs and only making so much per unit. People ARE gullible - 7" singles used to be about £2.99 at the very most, they now often cost a tenner! Sales of vinyl are not higher than through the 90's, they've just managed to dupe people into paying more for it - don't believe the hype!

Wrong. The streaming services became important because illegal downloads of music and artwork from sites like piratebay and Napster had caught fire. And as a result less people bothered to buy expensive CDs. People wanted mp3s...The record companies had to offer services that could compete with the free downloads. And now the music is even available on video sites like youtube, with playlists and everything. You really don´t need to buy the music itself anymore, because it is out there, for FREE on youtube. The Queen catalogue is there, even on the official youtube channel.

So if you want mp3, you already have it for free.
BUT, if you want the physical thing, you will have to buy it. So people ask themselves, why should I buy the CD when I can have the LP, which has the better physical artwork after all ? THAT question is something I never asked myself, not until I started to use Spotify. I am not the only one, because thousands of people ask themselves that question these days. They want the artwork, display it, touch and feel.

Are you blind? Vinyl sales are increasing, while CD sales are dropping. Many artists are now releasing their music on vinyl. Best sales since the late 80s.

I think the vinyl renaissance is slightly exaggerated but I tell you, vinyl is popping up in places I didn't expect it to again. Was doing Christmas shopping and Marks and Spencers had a selection! Supermarkets sell it again. And while I'd fully expect to see it in music shops, the vinyl sections are getting pretty big. First thing you see is a wall of vinyl when you walk into my local Fopp.

Maybe it's not slightly exaggerated...

Review:

http://www.audioappraisal.com/queen-stu ... et-review/

Conclusion review:

Are the Studio Collection remasters better than the original pressings? The answer is a resounding yes. Though the original pressings are some of the best-sounding vinyl I own, they do suffer from a certain harshness and exhibit a higher noise floor due to the nature of them being heavily mass-produced and therefore of lower quality. And of course this is the first time Innuendo and Made in Heaven have been pressed to vinyl in their entirety, and to me being 2 of the best Queen albums the set is worth it for them alone.

In summary, this is an exceptional collection that is a must buy for any serious Queen fan, collector or vinyl enthusiast. The quality of the records is outstanding and the set is excellent value for money. Here’s hoping for a similar release containing Queen’s extensive catalogue of live material. Grab one while you can!

How do we feel about the general audio quality of this set. I haven't had much time to listen to mine as of late, but I do think they sound great. I have seen some other people say that they don't sound very good though.

How do we feel about the general audio quality of this set. I haven't had much time to listen to mine as of late, but I do think they sound great. I have seen some other people say that they don't sound very good though.

First, read the review above, from audioappraisal.com.

In general, I would say that if you like the sound of the 2011 Remasters CDs, you will also like the vinyl, because they sound similar, They have, like most new pressings today, as with CDs, been through a digital process after been taken from the original mastertapes. Reason being that the original tapes are getting worn and infected with unwanted noise. The last part, when you put your vinyl on the turntable, and let the needle go for a spin around the tracks, is still a analogue process, compared to playing CDs and downloads.

Compared to older Queen vinyl, the 2011 Remasters sound richer and has slightly louder bass guitar, and the long lost bass drum was even added to the song "Jealousy" from the Jazz album. The double albums in this collection, Queen II, Innuendo and Made In Heaven, are especially nice. I don't know if you are able to hear any difference in the sound, but given that the two last ones are now 2LPs, they have the space needed for all of the songs, without being shortened in any way. These two albums were originally made for CDs back in the day, and had a longer running time than it was space for on one vinyl. But now, with this set, they are full length on 2LPs.

How do we feel about the general audio quality of this set. I haven't had much time to listen to mine as of late, but I do think they sound great. I have seen some other people say that they don't sound very good though.

First, read the review above, from audioappraisal.com.

In general, I would say that if you like the sound of the 2011 Remasters CDs, you will also like the vinyl, because they sound similar, They have, like most new pressings today, as with CDs, been through a digital process after been taken from the original mastertapes. Reason being that the original tapes are getting worn and infected with unwanted noise. The last part, when you put your vinyl on the turntable, and let the needle go for a spin around the tracks, is still a analogue process, compared to playing CDs and downloads.

Compared to older Queen vinyl, the 2011 Remasters sound richer and has slightly louder bass guitar, and the long lost bass drum was even added to the song "Jealousy" from the Jazz album. The double albums in this collection, Queen II, Innuendo and Made In Heaven, are especially nice. I don't know if you are able to hear any difference in the sound, but given that the two last ones are now 2LPs, they have the space needed for all of the songs, without being shortened in any way. These two albums were originally made for CDs back in the day, and had a longer running time than it was space for on one vinyl. But now, with this set, they are full length on 2LPs.

I have seen people say they use the exacts same masters as the special editions but I have yet to find any proof of this and the press release and pretty much anything else I have read has said otherwise.

Genuinely glad I didn't buy these now. At the time I was thinking I was being an idiot for not grabbing them, but now being aware of how they were 'made' (that is, playing them on hi quality speakers in a room, then recording the playback for 'faux-analogue ambience'), I'm kind of thinking there's a better way to do it.

Clearly the band think so too, as the recent NOTW reissue attests, going back to the original mastertapes to present a true analogue cut. I somehow don't think it'll be the last, and I have neither the space nor the finances to buy all these albums over and over again.

I just want the best quality versions possible. If they're not going to bother with Blu-Ray audio (and there's no sign of that happening any time soon), then analogue masters cut fresh for vinyl is the only option I'm willingly parting with cash and shelf-space for from here.

Genuinely glad I didn't buy these now. At the time I was thinking I was being an idiot for not grabbing them, but now being aware of how they were 'made' (that is, playing them on hi quality speakers in a room, then recording the playback for 'faux-analogue ambience).

Well, that is simply how LP records are made, even the original pressings from the 70s were made that way. The music was recorded on tape, and then the tape was played through speakers so that the vibrations could be picked up onto a disc. So playing the music from speakers is not something new. The difference here is that the originals were played directly from the mastertape through speakers, while the new ones are played from the remastered (digital) version of the original mastertape, through speakers.

Making records directly from the original mastertapes will not be usual for Queen, because the state of the old tapes are getting worse each year, with noise and faults that has been repaired digitally over the years. Finally the tapes will be too fragile to be played at all. Tapes degrade over the years.


https://www.google.no/amp/s/gizmodo.com ... e-made/amp

I'm kind of thinking there's a better way to do it.

Clearly the band think so too, as the recent NOTW reissue attests, going back to the original mastertapes to present a true analogue cut. I somehow don't think it'll be the last, and I have neither the space nor the finances to buy all these albums over and over again.

I just want the best quality versions possible. If they're not going to bother with Blu-Ray audio (and there's no sign of that happening any time soon), then analogue masters cut fresh for vinyl is the only option I'm willingly parting with cash and shelf-space for from here.

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Worth reading:

In Defense of Digital: What You ACTUALLY Miss About Analog Tape :

http://performermag.com/home-recording/ ... alog-tape/

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Personally, I prefer vinyls because of the big format, the artwork and because it is a very durable material to store music on, for decades.. even through wartime. It is not affected by sunstorms or any kind of hacking, viruses or such taking over your computer ...and you are not dependent on internet connection, or a computer, cell-phone, Bluetooth or any kind of monthly cost to Spotify or whatever to play your music. All those things are also fine and practical, but I like to have the vinyls too, of the artists that I care about.

What I care less about, is if the vinyl was made directly from the mastertapes, or from the mastertapes + through a digital process before it entered the vinyl. No matter what, when playing the LPs on my turntable, I hear the sound coming from those grooves, and through the speakers, and that is what it is all about.

And remember, those late 80s/90s albums by Queen (The Miracle, Innuendo and MIH) and most new albums today, were recorded digitally in the studio, not on reel-to-reel analogue tapes. Queen used DASH tapes (Digital Audio Stationary Head) from 1989-1995. And I am not sure about AKOM.

So for the last albums, when they decide to put the music on vinyl as well, there never really was an analogue recording in the first place. There are no analogue mastertapes to go back to, as with the other Queen albums.

I like CDs too, and therefore I have all the Queen music archived on both CD and vinyl. For the daily use, I find streaming or old CDs good enough. The Studio Collection I have for archive reasons and rare playing only. I also find the box a nice way of storing/protecting the vinyls from the sun and the environment. As I remember, at the beginning, buying this box was actually cheaper than buying each album separately on black vinyl. In addition you got the colored vinyl, the solid box to store them in, a thin protecting cover for each album and a big, high quality book, only available with this collection. So for me, this was an offer I could not refuse. And to this day, I find it my best ever Queen investment.

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Worth reading:
https://brianmay.com/queen/thegame/technical.html


Justin Shirley Smith:

Since Queen own nearly all their own recordings, and have a comprehensive database of them, it was not difficult to locate the required master tapes. We treat these original tapes extremely carefully and try to minimise playing them due to their obvious value and relative vulnerability. Therefore, we never mix directly from the original tapes - we always work from copies.


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If I already had a complete set of the first press vinyl, in top condition, it would be another situation. But in my case, I had no Queen vinyl. And I don't want to spend ages looking for used first press, most probably worn and with damages on the cover. Another plus as I see it, Innuendo and MIH came as 2LP sets. Innuendo with a beautiful artwork spot varnished. A Night At The Opera with a lovely matte finish, and as Jazz, had embossed artwork as well. And Queen ll, on a beautiful 2LP set, with a white and black side vinyl, etched with the Queen crest on one side. The cover artwork also improved with a high res photo and glossy finish. It is a collector's box set, of high quality, made to be played. The color vinyl are more durable than those of the old days. If the set was made as picture discs, I would never bought it though. The cardboard quality is also very thick and nice. And as if this wasn't enough, each vinyl comes inside the best quality protective slipcases (paper with thin plastic covering) in addition to the original thicker inner slipcases with lyrics and artwork. Jazz has the original naked women on bicycles poster included, and Made In Heaven has the 3 big posters of the band. The album also has 2 very beautiful colored LPs, dark blue and transparent.

For the casual playing, I have a selection of favourite albums on 180g black vinyl.