Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe remaster

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Bob Nelson
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by Bob Nelson »

Great news mandrakeroot, since I also ordered mine through Justin-Time maybe mine will show up today.
Thanks for the heads up.
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by mandrakeroot »

Child Of The Novelty Remastered as compared to Repertoire Records Germany 1989

Child Of The Novelty has always held special meaning for me personally, as it was the first album of Frank's I ever heard and to hear it remastered is a true pleasure, thank you Frank!

Look Outside Simply a great rendition full of passion and grace, the lift the song gets from the remastering is amazing. No punches pulled here.

Thru The Milky Way This remix is full of soul and Frank's searing solo on this is so passionate, it jumps from the speakers and soakes your entire being. A great big earfull of sound enminating from this song.

Talkin' Bout A Feelin' this track has been lifted just enough to ensure continuity of the old and new. In that, I mean that it is distinguishable from the old version but not too removed from it. Everything is good here, this sounds like a live take it has so much energy. Point of interest, if anybody else has this can you let me know if there is a pop at 2.53?

Child Of The Novelty Clean and clear just as nature intended. This was always to my mind a very uplifting song, great use of echo here and sounds just great.

Makin' My Wave A slightly muddier mix here but much improved from the German version. As close to the original that you are going to get without loosing the feel totally. The bass is well up in the mix, a very fine effort indeed.

A New Rock and Roll As with MMW this follows the same mix format and is a significant improvement on the German import and to think I paid $45 for that, it's scandalous!

Changing Nice work here and a fine effort in improving the song. The vocals are lifted and enhanced, with that axe "speaking" clearly with full tone representing what we all know and love Frank for.

Plastic Man Back into the groove here and the remastering really shines through. The song is bright and vocals are clean. If you are familiar with the German imports, then this is the definative comparison. This version blows the former completly out of the water.

Guilt War The start of this always reminds me a bit like the start of Plague of Lighthouse Keepers by Van Der Graaff Generator. That is until the guitar piches in and then it takes on something else entirely. This track again was meant to be heard like this, no muddy sound and difficult to seporate out I should imagine. Just amazing sounds from Frank and guitar.

Chains Of (s)Pace clean as a whisle and one of my fav's from the album, you need to buy this album just for the one track in my opinion. If there is anyone alive who has not heard Frank play, then play this to them and watch run to the nearest shop and buy it. It is without doubt one of the finest instrumentals of all time. This song always sent shivers down my spine, but this has been improved so much by this remaster it is an old song reborn.

Summary, just but it!
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by mandrakeroot »

Strange Universe not comparable to the German 1989 version.

All I have to say is this is unbelievable and I have run out of superlatives :shock: This is a new album from start to finish. Get it now or be left in the 1970's, perhaps that's not so bad, you know what I mean :lol: These albums truly are awesome remasters.

Thank goodness Just In Minute/Big Two Productions bought them and allowed Frank to work the magic. Rock on :headbanger
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by Cornwall Steve »

Thank you mandrakeroot for your time & effort reporting your finds & experiences of these remastered greats.

I would still buy these though, just to add to my collection.

I will be placing a post soon with some "bad" news about an experience I had, and another reason for "having" to purchase these recordings.

The only thing I can't understand is how Justin Time Records & Big Two Productions, can get access to Frank's earlier stuff & release CD's & Frank can't.
That seems arse about face if you ask me, not that I'm complaining from the point of view that we get to hear Frank's earlier works remastered after all these years.


If I ever win the lottery and get enough money to do Frank that favour I will, and that's a promise.

Hey, maybe we should start some sort of donation fund to try and achieve this for Frank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace – Jim Hendrix.

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I contacted the webhost a while back, but was told that they couldn't find any trace of it.
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by Erik »

Thank´s for the reviews Mandrakeroot.I will buy these when they are available on this site,which should be sometime this week.Now i´m just hopping that Justin Time Records will get the rights to release Franks Sony/Columbia albums.Imagine Frank remastered versions of IV,World Anthem,Live,Tales Of The Unexpected,What´s Next,The Power Of Rock & Roll and Juggernaut.Mabe with some bonus tracks and ofcourse the unreleased side B included on the Live album.I´m with you Cornwallsteve,If i had the money i would buy the rights to this stuff and make it happen.
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by Robert Johnson »

Yea I'm going to buy all 3 of these from this site as soon as they are available. My Christmas present to myself. Or maybe my Birthday present since it is on 12/6. :D

I hope Frank will autograph these as well. :mrgreen:

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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by Bob Nelson »

My remasters came today from Justin-Time. Nice, since they are not officially released until tomorrow.
Being that I was not sure of when they were going to be released here at the website I went ahead and placed my order about 10 days ago, and I have no doubt that Frank will get whats comming to him from sales at his lable's website. I am sure that I will be placing an order or two from here anyway, they will make great christmas presents.
Now to the albums, holy shit they are incredible. Like I said in an earlier post in this thread, and as anybody who has read what I have posted over the years here as argus57, and my old handle bobert, I am a long time hard core fan of this band, since 1974. I absolutely love the old Mahogany Rush albums. With Strange Universe being my favorite, not only by Frank, but by anybody.
Strange Universe is what I consider to be Mahogany Rush's "Sgt.Pepper", and by that I mean it is their signature album. One of the best studio albums ever made in my opinion.
Even though I have a great stereo, with high quality speakers I decided to give them the first listen through my headphones, I figured what the hell, if I am going to go old school here lets go all the way. Well let me tell you, the sound quality of these remasters just blew my mind.
I started with Maxoom, the first thing out of the box is how clear it was, even the feedback filled title song. The separation of the instruments grabs you right away. Just as clean as could be. I am sure that it was the most low budget album the band ever made, since they were so young an new.
But Frank brought everything out of it that was there when he remastered it. The whole thing is a monster upgrade. Madness never sounded better. And Blues is just such a psychedelic song that never projected like this in any other format that I have heard.
But it was Boardwalk Lady that grabbed me more than any other on the first listen, it was like hearing a different version of the song.
Child of the Novelty was also made so much better. Frank probobly had a little more to work with here, being that the production level was just better than Maxoom. This was the first album I ever heard by the band so it holds a special place for me also.
Every single song was improved dramaticly from the German import that I have had for a long while now, and also from the supposed "Original Master Tapes" 3 album on 2 disc set, which was also an upgrade but nothing like this.
Right from the start with Look Outside I knew I was in for something great, and it is. The blazing solo at the end of the title song never sounded better. Like I said the whole album was just brought back to life. Being that I, like most of us here was reared on vinyl, I can not believe that even a brand new album ever sounded this good, it is just so clear.
And them came Strange Universe, what a stunner. Frank must have had a lot of fun remastering this one, there is just so much more to work with, it was also a much better produced album that the first two, in my opinion.
It is so hard to me to pick a favorite song on this, on the poll a while back I chose Tales of the Spanish Warrior, but I really love them all just about equally. Every song is a masterpiece. And Frank does a little bit of everything here.
Tales is, well Tales My favorite album opener ever. The King Who Stole .. , great picking.To the hard rock of Satisfy Your Soul , Land of 1000 Nights is such a powerhouse jam and it's even better now. Moonight Lady is as mellow as it gets. The screaming leads at the start of Dancing lady. The great jazz tune Once Again. Tryin' Anyway, from rock n' roll back into the jazz thing. Then to another song that I could call my favorite very easily, Dear Music , ("why are you so fucking cool?") such a great poem in this one and then one of the great Marino guitar solo's. And then the way psychedelic Strange Universe, you can hear the Moog like never before on this remaster.

All in all one of the best afternoons I have spent listening to music at home in a long , long time. I can not wait until I can sit down again and listen, this time cranking my stereo way up , the phones were and are cool, but now I need to get some serious volume.
Get ready for a real treat people, especially the people here, who like me remember Mahogany Rush from back in the day, when these were some of the coolest albums that anybody could have.
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by DT »

Thanks for the review, Argus. Very good stuff.
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re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe rema

Post by Erik »

Just some questions about the Remasters to the guys who got them already.I know they sound great but how about the rest.Is i t digipack cd´s just like the previous remastered releases(Full Circle,Double Live,From the Hip) or is it standard jewel case?And how about the art work,does these releases include all the original artwork?
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Re: re: Maxoom, Child of the Novelty & Strange Universe

Post by Bob Nelson »

Erik wrote:Just some questions about the Remasters to the guys who got them already.I know they sound great but how about the rest.Is i t digipack cd´s just like the previous remastered releases(Full Circle,Double Live,From the Hip) or is it standard jewel case?And how about the art work,does these releases include all the original artwork?
Hi Erik,
They come in a standard jewel case. The cover artwork is the same. One nice extra is that the cover artwork is also printed on 2/3 of the cd itself.
As far as liner notes go , they are not really much different from what I have with the German cd release's. There is not any new information.
As a matter of fact it does not even say that Frank did the remaster work.

Bob
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