Enjoying the 24/96 DVD It doesn't sound compressed, plenty of detail & tight bass.
So, the bonus tracks were mixed/mastered in 2003 but not used on the SACD issue?

Answered elsewhere and most of the planet has received the European pressing. No news from Japan where the release has been pushed back to 20th June.

According to the explanations found in ad on Japanese magazine, Japanese release is not a domestic productions. EMI JAPAN may use EU productions with Japanese exclisive booklet, just like ZS motion picture soundtrack release.

That may also explain the delay.

Many thanks.

Is an audiophile member of this forum working on a review of the sound quality already?

there's a pretty scathing review of the DVD content here that should save me bringing my half empty glass to the table. i'm waiting for the "japanese" release which is another week away.

a vinyl rip found online sounds promising and an affordable alternative to mint originals. personally i find the cd remaster underwhelming. the original RCA CDs remain my digital preference.

Title:	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Territory:	Canada	Record Label:	EMI Records
Barcode:	50999 463613 2 5	Release Date:	5th June 2012
Catalogue #1:	DBZS40	Catalogue #2:
IdbD Ref #:
Packaging:	40th anniversary gatefold sleeve
Origin
Disc(s):	Canada	Paper:	Canada
Insert(s):	Lyric bag, the same print as other issues

The Inside of the gatefold sleeve is the same as other issues.

the 40th anniversary edition stereo versions...





the CD and hi-res stereo version of the 2012 master are essentially the same. while not brickwalled, it is the most compressed CD version of ZS to date.

Ken Scott's 2003 "remix" (a fold-down of his 5.1 mix) and bonus tracks are heavily peak limited. ripping the 6 channels separately allows those with the required software to create non-brickwalled stereo versions of these tracks.

Ken Scott has told the Steve Hoffman forum that the vinyl was an all-analog cut (by Ray Staff at Air Studios).

Title:	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Territory:	United States Of America	Record Label:	Virgin Records
Barcode:	50999 463613 2 5	Release Date:	6th June 2012
Catalogue #1:	DBZS40	Catalogue #2:
IdbD Ref #:
Packaging:	40th anniversary gatefold sleeve
Origin
Disc(s):	Mexico	Paper:	United States Of America
Insert(s):	Lyric bag, the same print as other issues

The Inside of the gatefold sleeve is the same as other issues.

a few observations on the 2003 5.1/remix from the new DVD...

the stereo fold down is a mess, way too compressed with a really uneven vocal balance (often too loud, see Starman). thankfully this and the bonus tracks are available in 5.1 so can be recreated without compression.

something interesting spotted when looking at the 6 channels is seeing what was done to the centre channel (3). this is where the lead vocal is situated and there are a number of differences in how this has been treated on these mixes. in most cases this channel also includes the bass guitar. exceptions are Five Years, Soul Love, Starman and Lady Stardust which have an isolated lead vocal (sometimes double-tracked). Lady Stardust also includes tambourine so Bowie is most likely playing this as he sings. strangely, Hang On To Yourself doesn't have the lead vocal in this channel, just bass, some backing vocals and plenty of reverb. It Ain't Easy is a composite and i confess i can't decide whether it's Bowie or Dana Gillespie singing the choruses, possibly a mix of both. the first chorus has reverb on it, the others don't. Star has a lot of reverb on the lead vocal. Suffragette City and Rock'n'Roll Suicide have the lead vocal mixed low, possibly an isolated track doesn't exist for these two.

and a couple of things noted while listening to the whole album and bonus tracks...

the whistle at 1.50 is missing from Starman on the remix/5.1. this track also ends a little earlier, at 4.07, not the full 4.14. the "hey now now" vocal over the intro is clearer than previously heard.

Mick Ronson's lead guitar "noodling" is mixed out of The Supermen, so the intro and first verse are Ronson-free, and also at 1.21. the final note is held a little longer than on previous versions.

Sweet Head runs five seconds longer and, after Ronson and Woodmansey appear to end the track, Bowie can be heard shouting "what the fuck did you stop for?"

anybody spot anything else new/different?

Finally got my vinyl copy this morning in the post. I haven't yet listened, but am quite excited as I have been reading great things. However I am very disappointed with the packaging/artwork. Firstly, the low res b/w image on the gatefold are terrible. JPEG artifacts on a release of this stature are inexcusable. Those images are available in excellent quality, as we know from the recent Brian Ward calendar. With the cover, were they trying to make it more "vintage" by desaturating the colors? My original US copy has much more vibrant reds and yellows in the title, as well as the entire cover image having much deeper colors. The back's coloring is very off and I am not sure why they thought enlarging the font and making it more bold was a good design choice. Why is the spine bright white? To what does that match? Then the inner sleeve again features bad copies of the original images. Those are great shots of Bowie and Ronno, and here they just look drab and as if cut from a newspaper, yet on bright white paper. I also find the way they include the DVD here and on the recent STS vinyls really annoying.

It is frustrating when they spend so much time on getting the sound right, in an attempt to make it the definitive vinyl version, and then pay such little attention to the packaging. Those of us still buying physical copies should be rewarded with beauty and attention to detail, not the work of interns.

Got mine today. A bit frustrating indeed, no booklet, no bonus tracks on the cd itself. I didn't even get the SOL promo insert
Saw the Vinyl at the bin, for 80 US (what the store asks for it) I decided to pass for now. Honestly, the 30th anniversary mini book or the Ryko cd are far superior.

The Japanese version looks worth tracking down though.

it's the EU version with an obi and extra booklet (in japanese), so save your money.

So, given the heavy compression on this release, is it fair to say that either the RCA or the RYKO release still holds the title for best sound presentation?

If so, that is very sad.

the 40th is the most compressed unfortunately, but does have the least audible tape damage (most issues have been fixed or they used a different tape to previous versions) and has an EQ that some will prefer. personally i think it's preferable to the Ryko which is my least favourite along with the '99 EMI.