Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick Anniversary Edition - Page 3

How do you contact EMI to get a replacement disc?

YES. My friend who received his replacement disc has auditioned the disc and reported that in addition to the glitches being removed there was some tweaking and sonic improvements. ( I personally haven't listen to it yet.)
My friend said the replacement disc has full tight bass, nice surround mix, and a very open musical sound-stage. This tweaking was most likely done by SW but I have no verification on that.
My friend's replacement disc was issued by EMI New Zealand and is Region 0.

Just got my replacement disc from Burning Shed! Will try to spin it this weekend and post results...

+1

SW said in a reply somewhere that when he heard about the complaints regarding the glitches and bad mastering of his mch mix, he listened to the disc and was horrified because he did not recognize the mix he'd done. So when EMI decided to manufacture a repressing, he convinced them to put a flat transfer of his mix on the new disc instead of the horrible mastering that ruined his work. He was off touring when that aweful mastering was created so he did not have any idea what was going on right before the release.

SW comments at the Steve Hoffman site on the fixed TAAB release:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/jethro-tull-thick-as-a-brick-40th-anniversary-special-edition.267638/page-28

"All previous editions ran gradually slower and slower as the piece progressed, so that by the end the track is running about a third of a semitone flat / slow. We believe this was due to a fault with the tape machine used for the original mixdown."

I didn't know that there had been a speed issue with all the previous releases of TAAB. As I grew up with those versions, I wonder how the "correct" speed will sound; but I'll find out soon enough. It is wonderful to have a true fan of this music in a position to remix them and to prod the EMIs of the world towards the right thing - a DVD-A would have been ideal, but a well-done DTS is the next best thing. Here's wishing the talented Mr. Wilson a creative and busy New Year, just like it has been for him this past year.

Copied from another forum:
If a consumer that resides in USA requires a replacement disc, they should send an email to: emiconsumer@emicapitol.com
The consumer should be prepared to provide proof of purchase, name and address and a replacement product will be mailed to them.

Should a customer want to return product, they may contact Capitol Customer Service at 800-914-8257 and pick-up can be arranged or sent back through the Capitol Returns Center in Franklin, IN.

I had emailed Amazon asking whether there would be a disk-exchange offered for TAAB, and instead they just refunded my money and sent me a UPS return label. Not what I would have preferred, but their CSRs are probably just taking the easiest and most consistent solution for the complaints piling in.

Wish I'd waited a few days to see the above info appear instead. Sigh.

I'm not sure where I'll re-order from - all prices are now far higher than the price I got from Amazon.

Or maybe not bother for now...I have too much stuff to listen to anyway, and not enough time.

shinksma

I received the following reply from EMI after I sent a request for the replacement DVD.

Dear Sir

You have provided us with enough information to initiate your replacement
process.

Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of your items.

Thank you for your patience as we try to correct this situation and again we
apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

EMI Quality Assurance



Some guys over at Hoffman were having problems getting their emails through, so I wouldn't assume EMI received anything without getting the reply from them.

Got my copy from Amazon UK today. I think that it is the updated version as I hear the "yeah" at the very end. It sounds brilliant even for DTS. There were no obvious glitches to mine ears, and I didn't detect any change in speed. Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond's bass thumps away very satisfyingly and I could hear musical details from the surround soundstage that I hadn't heard before. Great release! Now on to their magnum opus, A Passion Play, which I hope will get released this year.

I emailed EMI on the 31'st and got areply on the 2nd (same as ti-triodes above), confirming they got my email and info and will ship in a few weeks. So response time is a day or two, even during holiday season.

[edit] got mine two weeks later. Much better sound and no hiccups in the mastering.[/edit]
Edited by JonFo - 1/26/13 at 3:08am

Received my copy from Burning Shed today. On first listen, SQ seems to be improved, and the audio glitches are gone.

Maybe not reference quality, but I'm glad I have it and I hope some of the other recordings from my 5.1 wish list get the surround treatment in 2013 (preferably lossless and with SW's involvement!):




http://www.avsforum.com/t/1375183/top-five-5-1-wish-list-for-2012/0_50

I'm listening to the DVD in DTS 96/24 and it sounds good but definitely not a reference 5.1 recording (kind of bright IMO). Is there any way to know if you have a repressed disc or the original mix? By that are there any indications on the discs or the packaging? I'm listening to a friends copy as I'm not a huge Tull fan but I always enjoyed this album years ago.

Bill

The audio glitches posted earlier (quoted from a review on Amazon) are the easiest way to determine if you have a bad original 5.1 mix disk: 2:32, 2:48 & 3:03 of the first song.

They are very obvious - sound like a bad digital edit or CD skip. If these areas sound clean to you, then you have a good/new 5.1 mix disk.

shinksma

You can tell even without listening: look at the dvd disc. There is a straight line under "Album duration: 43:30"

Frankly, the glitches were so subtle, they did not bother me.

I guess EMI is listening. I received this message from them a few days after e-mailing my request for a replacement disk:

So what are you guys providing EMI as proof of purchase?

I forwarded my Best Buy pick-up receipt along with my mailing address.

I had looked for clues on the disc to determine if there was any difference between the two, but I missed that straight line. Pretty subtle, but at least it's there for someone that wants to know for sure by looking at the disc.

Thanks for the information guys . I did not hear any issues on the first track but I wasn't really listening that closely. The DVD does not have a line under "Album duration: 43:30", so does that indicate an updated DVD?

Bill

My updated DVD has the line, the old DVD did not.

Thanks . So the DVD I borrowed is the old version.

Bill

Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. The updated one has got the line printed on the disc and the faulty one has not. Also, at the end of the updated 5.1 mix you can hear Ian utter "yeah" after the closing line of "how it feels to be thick as a brick" whereas the first batch had it left off.

have the defective discs been pulled from the shelves via a recall of some sort...?

my best buy has two in stock...can i look at the packaging for a tell-tale sign?

You cannot tell by the packaging. Only if you open it and look for the line under Album duration on the right side of the dvd. Buy it and return it for a refund if it is the faulty disc ( you can open it right after going through the checkout desk). Perhaps you can ask an assistant first if there has been a replacement of stock initiated by emi.

I received the disc today. Two weeks from the time I emailed them. Not too terrible.

I sent them an Email on the 4th and got the disc yesterday the 14th, pretty impressed actually. Haven't had a chance to spin the disc yet though.

Bill,
The updated disc has the line, original one does not, from what I understand...
Supposedly the replacement disc has improved SQ in addition to the glitches being fixed. I plan on eventually getting this but am trying to avoid getting the first version so I'm waiting until the dust settles. FWIW I've read Amazon has been good about replacement discs. I hope whoever loaned you their DVD to audition was able to get the "fixed" version.
David

I got mine the same day as you did. Sounds much better!! The 5.1 mix is much more...sensible, for lack of a better word, and the overall sound quality is less bright and more robust in the mid-range. I'm glad those in this forum validated my disappointment with the original disk and that I took the trouble to contact EMI using the information provided here. Thanks AVS Forum:cool:.

I would like to second my cudos to the AVS forum. I also got the information for EMI from the AVS forum and received the replacement disk. I haven't had a chance to test it at reference volume, but I did note that the skips are gone.