my gf and i went out and spent way to much money at national record day yesterday but we each picked up two of the three Mission of Burma definitive editions on Vinyl.
Mission Of Burma's three records for Ace Of Hearts, released in 1981, 1983 and (posthumously) 1985, are landmarks of American underground guitar rock. They are now finally re-released the way they were intended to be heard, meticulously remastered from the original analog tapes by producer and record label honcho Rick Harte. All 3 are available on vinyl for the first time since the 1980s. Both vinyl and CD come with lavish booklets full of interviews and never-before seen photos and ephemera. In addition, 'Signals' includes 2 unreleased tracks from the "Academy Fight Song" single, the original studio version of "Execution" and a completely unheard song called "Devotion." Both vinyl and CD come with bonus DVDs of original concert footage.
she snagged Signals Calls and Marches while i grabbed the Horrible Truth About Burma. First off the packaging is GREAT.
Beautiful double gatefold reveal two 12" records which recreatr the original record label sticker (utilizing ace of hearts rather than matador information), a free floating DVD (more about this later), and a large booklet with many great photos and a making of interview (the one for this release is much shorter than the one included in Signals Marches and Signs) and the now ubiquitous free digital download (256kbps, sourced from the album most likely as there's a bit of run out on track 6).
of the two records, sides one and two recreate the original album, the second disc contain four tracks (three from the ryko CD release, the fourth never released). Both discs are 33 1/3 speed, which i think is a bit unfortunate as there is ample space on the second disc to let them go at 45 rpm giving better sound so we could get the BEST sound quality out of the previously unreleased track).
the DVD is really neat. The DVD is a live show which was previously released on VHS. Recorded live in Boston in 1983, it contains 17 songs, 6 more than was released on the VHS tape (which, in a neat little feature, is recreated here so you can watch the VHS version).
If you like Mission of Burma, then these new versions are THE WAY to go. They can be pricey for vinyl (i paid $25 for this but retail is $30, but considering what you're actually getting (2 discs, a DVD and the digital download) it's really not that out of line.
You can get the CD versions which contain the DVDs for $13 through Amazon if you don't have a turntable.
If you'd like more information the Matador page on these is a GREAT resource for what's included, where it's from, and there's even a mini documentary on the restoration recording and even the cutting of the vinyl and they also include clips from the DVDs and full songs in 256kbps so you can hear what it sounds like now
http://www.matadorrecords.com/mission_of_burma/absolutely amazing releases. a great job on the part of matador.
