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| teddanson |
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Posted: 12 Jun 2020, 20:51
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Ha, this piqued my interest. I placed a buy order from a shop here. :)
Well done gypsy. You cant go wrong! :thumbup:
Thanks for the tip too. I just bought the box set on eBay too. Complete with 'heartbreak tax' to Ireland.
Decided to get in before the scalpers ruin it for everyone.
I wish there was an easier way to get Only Fools and Horses fully uncut. Impossible task though. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 18 Jun 2020, 15:29
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There is no Blu of True Lies. Only the D-VHS. There was also an HD broadcast version, I think that aired in the Netherlands? Not sure.
The D-VHS is still the best release along with the AC-3 LD for the audio imho.
Edit:
Here is the awesome Film Stories with more info.
https://www.filmstories.co.uk/features/true-lies-the-abyss-and-the-blu-ray-4k-problem/ |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 18 Jun 2020, 21:01
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That lovely Genesis LD that LD Fan unknowingly forced me to buy arrived today. Minus obi alas but I don't mind.
My favourite discs get treated to a special inner sleeve too.
Also got my Fenix 5 back from Garmin today. Brand new replacement under warranty. Too much chlorine, sea salt and body sweat made one of the charging connectors rot completely off. Decent RMA process from Garmin if anyone here ever needs it.
EDIT: Just watched a good bit of the Genesis disc and WOW! That is all I can say. You can seriously tell the source is HD when they filmed it live. The audio though is just IMMENSE! The digital track surprised me. I will be capturing it for sure and putting that on my DAP. What a disc. Wow! :shock:
https://i.imgur.com/DStipoH.jpg |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 18 Jun 2020, 23:18
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Genesis: Invisible Touch Tour (1988) [42LS 2008]
https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2017/10/13/12/micheal-fish.jpg?w660
This disc is whopper. The picture quality and especially the audio are absolutely first class.
However, there is one thing about this disc that is even more spectacular.
Just how fecking quickly does the Sun make a swift exit!? It's not natural! The gig starts at what looks like the middle of the afternoon. 35 minutes later it's absolutely pitch black!
I remember more about the great storm that Michael Fish never warned us about 3 months after this gig than weather the Summer of 1987 was any good weather-wise. I was too busy listening to The Jets, Morris Minor and the Majors and Five Star to care.
So to sum up my review, the weather is bizarre. The audio and video is good too but forget that, get this for the weather, oh and Phil's haircut is tremendous as well.
That's all I have. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 21 Jun 2020, 10:40
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How the hell has this thread continued without the mere mention of Santa Flan, the patron saint of creamy desserts and CEO of the Everything Except Shoes corporation?
A film that features Mr T as the Incredible Bearded Lady, and two Rastafarian eyeballs disguised as milkmen!
Freaked requires a place on this film list.
Also, Curry and Pepper deserves a place on the list I think. An odd choice for a 'stoner comedy' perhaps but watch it and decide for.yourself. Great film. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 22 Jun 2020, 19:59
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Are you one of those guys that runs out and buys Michael Jackson or Kobe stuff when they die?
You mean a scalper? Or a bandwagoner?
No.
Fawlty Towers is a favourite for years. It is great to know the LD's are completely uncut. I prefer to watch content that hasn't been liberally torn to shreds for whatever reason it may be.
Gone With The Wind was incidental. I got the 70th blu a while back and spotted the CAV set. It is actually a very good buy. I've since spotted Side 9 is some very cool.extras, including footage from the 1939 premiere. The booklet is superb too, it tells you where they got the print from, the transfer processes they did and the work involved.
Gone With The Wind may not be an appropriate film in 2020, but it still holds a lot of points of interest on many levels. I would prefer not to see some of those points erased and glossed over, but rather explained and perhaps used as educative tools for current and future generations.
Growing up in the UK/Ireland during a time when film censors were wielding garden shears instead of nail scissors feeds in to your curiosity to seek out the things that the censors felt grown adults were not, in their opinion, entitled to view. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 07 Jul 2020, 22:09
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Exterminator, The (1980) [A-AE 0353]
The version I have is a promotional sample copy. The centre sticker is stamped as such. I've noticed a few things with this disc that give it, imho, a bit of extra importance that I think is worth noting.
The disc appears to be fully uncut. Though it is possible it may be the Pre Certification theatrical print that was released on VHS very briefly by Intervision in 1985. That print had 44 seconds of footage removed.
However, after checking up on the list of cuts and timestamps at Movie Censorship, it appears all of the cut footage on this promotional disc is intact. I still need to check it against a Blu Ray fully uncut copy but it does seem intact, which is odd. Is it possible this disc contains a fully uncut transfer that was made prior to the BBFC requesting the 44 seconds of cuts?
All of the footage that was removed in later prints is intact.
One of the most interesting points of this disc though is that the poster on the wall at 1hr 4 mins in the perverts bedroom is completely uncensored.
On all of the negatives of this film (even the uncut Blu Ray versions) that have been released (except one negative from Sweden iirc?) the poster was optically censored by the director who stated he smeared vaseline over the image. Referenced Here .
Yet on this print the offending image is completely uncensored. The image is of a man's leg by the way, not sure what the problem was with it. Interestingly the director states that the Japanese VHS is the best version of his film.
This means the print on this disc must have been extremely early, circa 1980? Or, it is from the Swedish negative? It may not be a Swedish source, again it is just something I recall reading. Someone please correct me if this is incorrect information.
Here is the cut list if you want to check for yourself. Also the BBFC entry for the same Intervision release.
https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=592069
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/exterminator-1970-2
This is the Alpha Films (logo at the start of this Laserdisc) submission, notice the longer runtime? Yet the BBFC still cut it, unless it was pre cut by the MPAA?
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/exterminator-film
As for the disc itself, it is P&S PAL with an old school analog audio track. It has an Intervision logo and an Alpha logo before the opening credits as well as a copyright notice.
The picture is a little washed out, not overly so, just in darker scenes. Cue marks are also present, another hint at a straight telecine maybe? The audio is superb though. I noticed as well a blooper at the beginning of the film where the boom mic is visible, maybe the transfer wasn't framed right?
This is definitely a disc worthy of further investigation I think. I will check it against the uncensored Blu Ray another day to be 100% but regardless I think this is an interesting little disc.
Footnote: One little piece of trivia to add. The opening Vietnam sequence was actually shot at the same spot as the tragic disaster on the set of The Twilight Zone that claimed the lives of Vic Morrow and 2 young children just 2 years after The Exterminator was filmed there. It was also worked on by the exact same special effects guy who worked on the Twilight Zone in the exact same spot. Read more at the Google Books link I referenced earlier. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 10 Jul 2020, 12:30
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Singin' in the Rain #52A (1952) [CC1210L]
Never seen Singin' In The Rain before. I ended up buying the wrong Criterion version and ended up with the CLV disc. I wasn't going to watch it and just move it on and buy the CAV edition. Two things though came out of watching this disc.
1. How the hell have I never seen this film until now and just dismissed it because it's a musical and they are not something I am in to. This is a great film, really really enjoyed it! The film buzzed along at a rapid enough pace and the numbers are all utterly iconic, especially that scene with the lampost of course. Every pore of this film just oozes pure, golden, iconic cinema. Plus of course, it has one of the most famous song's ever written in it.
One scene I really enjoyed was the Broadway sequence near the end. The whole thing was superb, but the part where Gene Kelly is dancing with the 'the dancer' (Cyd Charisse) on the deserted beach road was just magnificent. I haven't the first clue about choreography, dancing or anything like that, but you could tell that the sequence itself was incredibly technical, but add in the extraordinarily long, billowing veil as a part of the dance and you could just see how difficult, yet masterfully executed that dance was. If you watch closely, or use a jog wheel if you have one on your remote control, you will see the absolute fluidity and precision of Gene Kelly's dance expertise he musters to keep that veil under control. Especially towards the end when The Dancer is swaddled in the veil then unwrapped to fly away out of his arms. I wonder how many takes that took to successfully complete?
Plus the backdrop art on that scene was just wonderful. The kind of imagery I dream up in my mind sometimes of places and beaches I have seen on my travels. The whole thing is just iconic. Brilliant film. I'll be upgrading to UHD if one is released for sure. Firmly in my top films of all-time list now.
2. The CLV disc is nothing to be sniffed at. The image is actually superb. One of the very best discs I have ever seen in my experience watching Laserdiscs. Colours and detail are clear and concise. I imagine on a really high end set up, with a Lumagen etc in tow, this would look and sound even better. Goodness knows what the CAV version would be like if this single disc CLV edition is the benchmark.
Criterion really pulled out all the stops with this one I think. It really is well done and looks and more importantly sounds great across the board. If you cannot find the CAV version, or want to save a few Euro's, definitely get this CLV edition. I don't think you will be disappointed. Highly recommended. And again, I'm very disappointed in myself for waiting this long to actually see the film! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 14 Jul 2020, 00:05
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 15 Jul 2020, 12:33
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Is this some special cut made in 1977 of the first two movies, with the third one just added on?
Sort of.
I have the Japanese versions of both the 'Saga' and 'Epic' cuts.
Godfather, The: Collector's Set [PILF-1814]
Godfather Trilogy, The: Collection Set [PILF-2476]
Godfather, The: The Epic 1901-1959 (1990) [PILF-1147]
I always get the Saga and Epic the wrong way round so apologies if I get it wrong again here. The Saga is the first two films in chronological order. This includes all the scenes in Italy with Vito etc. It also includes a LOT of extra footage. A lot of this footage is welcome as you get to see some important scenes fleshed out a little further to see why and how something happened. The Saga was made specifically for HBO TV back in 1977. It was released on VHS and LD later, hence what you see in the links above.
The Epic came later and comprises all three films in chronological order, sort of. It's the Saga for the first two films and then an extended version of part 3 separately. If you are hardcore, you'll do it in one sitting! I did the Saga in one sitting, that came in at 7.5 hours runtime and i took a couple of comfort breaks through it. The Epic is about 9.5hrs, I've yet to find a good time to do that in one sitting though.
An aside on all of the above, HBO and Cinemax have screened the 7.5hr Saga in full, in one go, in HD. It was available on their VOD platforms until maybe a year or two ago. I haven't seen any moody copies of it floating around though. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 22 Jul 2020, 11:03
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Well....it arrived yesterday morning Ted, a mint copy perfectly packaged from a Lddb seller in Rotterdam :thumbup:
Great news! Yeah, he's good isn't he? ;)
So late last evening got a chance to get into the cinema to test things out; didn't have time to view the complete movie but watched the first 20 minutes or so and was reasonably happy with both PQ and audio transfer for a 1974 film, some aliasing and perhaps a little digitally processed looking here & there at times but not too bad really.
So on to the much anticipated chapter 21 (The Big One) and.......sadly it was somewhat underwhelming on my outfit tbh.
:shock:
It definitely slowly intensifies and the chairs (and ribs) are vibrating in harmony but none of the really low earthmoving pant flapping sensations that are the norm in more modern movies released from the 1990s onwards, it sounded more like a lower mid/upper bass type of subwoofer test tone generated by your AV amplifier, actually towards the end of the chapter the ground really did properly shake till briefly pausing the playback revealed it was actually a heavy freight train passing by! :lol:
I am absolutely gutted that you didn't suffer a rectal prolapse. :cry: The freight train is concerning though. Do you live on the set of Brewster's Millions? :lol:
Anyway after testing out I went back to the house to google search any past reviews of Earthquake and soon learned the possible reasons why the soundtrack on this LD didn't meet the expectations I had - firstly there were some interesting discussions on this forum some years ago where a much respected member @disclord (who I believe is sadly now no longer with us) stated that the P/S LD 10002 is by far the best one to get with the original stereo audio with the proper Sensurround audio track included, on 42072 the widescreen release from 1994 Universal had for some reason remixed the audio into Dolby Surround format and the end result was rather lacking in comparison.
Reading the notes regarding Earthquake LD on lddb database, someone had reported that the JP widescreen release has both superior PQ and audio over the US widescreen remaster that we posses, also apparently the Bluray version has the same original audio mix as the P/S LD but the DVD releases have the messed about with surround track such as on 42072 if I've read correctly.
Yes from what I have read while searching LDDB and the LDDB forums for information, disclord definitely knew his stuff. Very knowledgeable. That is very interesting to know the P&S version is the one to get. I couldn't find anything about a Sensurround track on anything but the version we both have. There are mumblings that the Blu Ray has it, though you would be looking for the German Blu Ray and from what I have read elsewhere, it has been fiddled with substantially so it isn't the true experience you'll be getting (afaik). This semi-applies to the German Blu Ray of Rollercoaster too, except that release has the Sensurround track untouched (again afaik). I have the UK limited edition Blu Ray which carries the uncut version of the film that the German Blu doesn't have, yet the UK Blu doesn't have the Sensurround track so it's 6 of one half a dozen of the other! :crazy:
I'm truely sorry your spleen remains unruptured, your pelvis remains unshattered, your bowels safely plugged and your rectum retrievable within a 3 mile radius. When a chap has a cinema rig and a sound system that can close black holes in nebulas as yet undiscovered by the human race and Earthquake sounds like a mere wet shart in a pair of discounted, unbranded grey tracksuit bottoms, well....it just leaves the common observer chap feeling somewhat deflated. :cry: |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 24 Jul 2020, 00:13
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Ladies and Gentleman it is with regret that I have to announce that I heard off laserfanhld-gb earlier today.with some news.
During a second exhibition run of Earthquake at his gaf, he wrecked his cinema rig. His bowels unplugged and fell out of his arse while his entire skeleton shattered akin to a festive birthday piñata swaddled in a blanket of riotous Sensurround bass around 6 minutes in to chapter 21 on the discs.
From what I understand the police called to his gaf only to find a carcass that used to house a skeleton amid the smouldering rubble of his home cinema.
If his soul logs on at any stage it may fill you in on his Sensurround adventure.
:thumbup: |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 24 Jul 2020, 11:56
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Is that from the lot where I'm not at all jealous you got that Alien 70mm disc?
I know nothing. I just came here to express my jealousy. 
Sensible side note: I think the CLD-704 is supposed to be good? I may have that mistaken with another player though. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 24 Jul 2020, 12:08
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Just went through all of those on LDA and the 704, imho, sounds like the pick of the bunch. Though everything you have there looks great. Maybe best to hook them all up with a known, well mastered disc. Try them each on your rig and see which comes up best?
http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/laserdisc_archive/pioneer/pioneer_cld-d704/pioneer_cld-d704.htm |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 24 Jul 2020, 23:52
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Hello.
So, after reports came in late yesterday of a man whose entire being capitulated under an assault of extreme bass terror while watching the (now infamous?) Earthquake Laserdisc, I decided to break out my little Zoom U-44 audio capture rig and conduct an analysis of the two audio tracks contained on said wonder discs.
These are my subpar findings. Please look forward to them. :angel:
Disclaimer:
Capturing the audio proved to be a real pain in the rectum. Only because for some reason Reaper decided that it wanted to constantly crash on me at various intervals. Eventually I got two captures. One of the analog stereo track, the other of the digital stereo track. Unfortunately I captured one at 44,100 16 bit, the other at 48,000 24 bit so there is disparity in that sense. However I ran FFT analysis at such a high rate this is still going to be really bloody accurate. Or, accurate enough for the purposes of this test.
It took so long to stop Reaper crashing during capturing the audio that when I finally got two captures and saw the sample rate differences I just didn't have the will to do it all over again. I'm sat here watching my beloved Mets playing the Braves on Opening Day and it's taken 5 innings to get it wrapped up! #LGM :thumbup:
Background:
This whole thing stems from recent forum discussion of the exospherically noisy 70's disaster flick Earthquake and it's Oscar-winning use of building-destroying Sensurround bass. It appears that this particular disc Earthquake (1974) [42072] contains the original Sensurround audio track that was used in cinemas (and promptly turned them all to rubble) in 1974.
The discs sound great on my Yamaha YSP-2700 16 speaker soundbar and sub setup. Though my subwoofer will only go as low as 50hz. You need to be getting down to around 20-30hz to get the full buttock-splintering effect. Of course, to get the full fat, full beans experience you will be wanting to pick up a bunch of original 1970's Cerwin Vega horns (available on eBay sometimes) and placing about 50 of them in a wall to get somewhere near the original effect audiences heard in 1974.
Fellow forum user laserfanhld-gb has a half decent :lol: home cinema at his gaf and promptly purchased a copy of the same Laserdisc. He was underwhelmed with the Sensurround track along with any surround or stereo processing that may be in his chain and ejected the disc feeling somewhat underwhelmed.
A second attempt, this time letting the audio flow through untouched proved to be the sweet spot. And thus his body exploded in to a beautiful confetti shower as it surrendered to the extremes of proper, beautiful Sensurround destruction. He's going to explain the experience in his own words another time, so I'll leave it there for now.
The goal of this entire process is to analyse the main quake, where Sensurround is pushed to the limit, to see if there are differences between the tracks and if indeed the tracks actually hit Sensurround frequencies. I personally think that the Digital Stereo track sounds a bit squashed, like there is too much going on to really make it sing. I obviously cannot comment on the full force of the bass as I don't have the rig to cope with it at all. On my setup though, I prefer the Analog Stereo track.
Process:
Sample rate woes aside, to make this as fair as possible I captured the entire duration of the earthquake. The quake begins around 30 seconds in to Chapter 21, which is at the very start of Disc 1 Side 2. The opening 30 seconds or so of Chapter 21 are fairly quiet, so I started recording at 15 seconds in. This was a good marker to ensure an equal start for both captures.
The earthquake lasts around 8 and a half minutes, so I captured it in full on both occasions.
The audio was captured in Reaper using a Zoom U-44 audio device over USB-C. I used a toslink cable to capture both the analog and digital tracks (confirming this with the decoder output on my soundbar, Analog and PCM respectively). No point using RCA imho.
Both *.wav files were then run through Speck for spectrogram analysis. I then ran a full FFT analysis of both tracks in Adobe Audition CC 2020 and looked at the results.
Findings:
TL;DR the above? Grand. Here's the results. It's quite interesting.
Below is an analysis of the entire quake on the Analog Stereo track. You can see the frequency range spans across a wide spectrum but what we are interested in is how low it gets. In this instance we're hitting 23hz at it's lowest point according to Adobe Audition CC 2020.
https://i.postimg.cc/L5qk92pC/Earthquake-Analog-Audio-Full-Track.png
Taking a look at the Digital Stereo track yields slightly different results and a clearly different curve. Note that here the audio apparently goes down to 1hz!? I'm taking that with a pinch of salt, though the curve is interesting as you can clearly see the swoop between 1hz and 20hz. So even if we discard the really low frequencies detected, we're still hitting reasonably attainable frequencies of, say, 10-20hz. Well within Sensurround levels. Incidentally, although the screenshot doesn't show it, the average volume at 23hz is -67db on this one, not far off the Analog Stereo track average at 23hz.
https://i.postimg.cc/6q07xP7j/Earthquake-Digital-Audio-Full-Track.png
Below is a comparison of both tracks, taken at the very start of the earthquake. This is the scene in the cinema when the ground begins to shake as the actors on screen open fire. First the Analog track, then the Digital track.
https://i.postimg.cc/d1VmfGSK/Analog-Stereo-Quake-Start.png
https://i.postimg.cc/rmZC2zvR/Digital-Stereo-Quake-Start.png
Finally, here are two full spectrograms of the Analog and Digital tracks respectively. I think here you can see some differences between the two tracks. To my completely inexperienced eyes, it looks like it captures some differences, though it looks fairly minimal and not as good a representation as the frequency analysis waves.
https://i.postimg.cc/jd76BxvC/Earthquake-LD-Analog-Stereo-Track-wav.png
https://i.postimg.cc/gc5qMXVf/Earthquake-LD-Digital-Stereo-Track-wav.png
Conclusion:
I'm no sound engineer or expert, but I think there are definitely some findings here even to my very inexperienced eyes (ears? :think: ). It appears that the Sensurround track is present (note the prolonged, super-low frequencies throughout the quake) that's not really ever been in doubt. The digital track appears to me at least, to be slightly narrower and squashed. Even taken at a different sample rate.
With all of this in mind, I think you really will need a rig that can have it's legs stretched by such a demanding low frequency soundtrack. This is probably why it doesn't sound at it's best on the average home sound system, even a <30hz capable rig.
Regardless, I'm glad I went to the trouble of documenting all of this. Maybe it will prove enlightening to someone far more experienced? Maybe I'm full of s**t. Either way, I hope this post helps in some way. :thumbup:
Side note, as I type this the Mets just won their opening game. That's the high point of the new baseball season over and done with for me then! :lol:
Further reading:
Here is some interesting information from Kef who state that Sensurround could get as low as 10hz!
https://us.kef.com/blog/sensurround-a-startling-new-multi-dimensional-film-experience
Some discussion from former Sensurround exhibitors and enthusiasts:
http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/f1/t002087/p1.html
A very thorough Amazon review of the Blu Ray debacle:
https://www.amazon.com/review/RGVHFWXC7FKIQ
More bowel-perforating Sensurround information than your mind can handle, in 70mm!
https://www.in70mm.com/library/process/sensurround/index.htm |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 25 Jul 2020, 15:41
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This video is super interesting. I'm going to try and get the Windjammer Blu Ray now solely off of the back of watching this video. The amount of effort that has gone in to the restoration is mind boggling.
Restoring a battered old 35mm film is one thing. Fully restoring a film that was the sole surviving one ever shot in Cinerama Cinemiracle, ruined by cuffing and vinegar syndrome, oh and missing bunches of footage from different elements is a whole different ball park.
To quote Samuel L Jackson, its not the same ball park. Its not the same league, it's not even the same f'ing sport!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_LwpI2kZFs |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 27 Jul 2020, 22:32
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Got a few new discs today.
Christopher Lloyd masterpiece Cadillac Ranch.
https://i.postimg.cc/hjQQxcMk/LD1.jpg
Two oddities I know nothing about here. Blind buys but I will watch them at some stage.
Celestial Clockwork and Berlin Blues.
https://i.postimg.cc/D0qWj695/LD2.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/gj9XHQTn/LD3.jpg
Another DTS disc for my collection, this time from Tina Turner.
https://i.postimg.cc/HW57kWr5/LD4.jpg |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 31 Jul 2020, 08:52
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| 40? Gordon Bennett!! You went all out. I love it. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 31 Jul 2020, 20:54
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Received the 50 Pro today. Just set it up and ran a couple of tests. I'm short a toslink cable so haven't tested audio yet. It's a bit odd it isn't throwing the RCA audio over HDMI though. Am I missing something?
The rest of the device is magnificient. Star Wars borders applied to 'erase' the subtitles. AR modes tested etc.
I love it. I forgot what having a DVDO VP was like as it's been years since I had one, well two. I'd go for a Lumagen but I just don't see where I actually need one to justify the expense. Crazy enough I bought the VP50 Pro just for Laserdisc...and maybe my PS TV and/or PSP.
I just wish Star Wars Definitive Box didn't suffer from that pixelated VCD look so much though!
Really pleased with this though, it will make viewing and capturing my discs far more enjoyable I hope. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 10 Aug 2020, 23:07
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Challenge accepted! Are we talking full, unfettered bowel prolapse here?
Absolutely! Just don't be fooled into a false sense of security by the low key start....as soon as Turner mouths "we like to play it rough" you'll quickly see what I mean! :crazy:
Just gave that track a quick shot. Presently writing this post in the back of an ambulance after suffering a full bowel prolapse.
Consider my Easter bonnet well and truly tipped in your general direction Sir!
What a great disc! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 20 Aug 2020, 10:47
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FYI, on SKY Q in the UKTV Play on demand section, the episode 'The Germans' has been re-added and is uncut (watched it earlier this week). A disclaimer has been added prior to the opening credits, and somewhat bizarrely, stated again at the start of the opening credits of the episode.
Only thing is, it's in SD and in entirely the wrong aspect ratio (same as all the other SD VOD content on SKY Q for some reason). I assume the episode is also available on the UKTV Play TV anywhere app.
Regardless, the US Laserdisc box set with the garbage cover art or the BBC Laserdiscs are still the way to go for the original, uncensored broadcast episodes presented properly. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 01 Sep 2020, 09:54
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Stumbled upon this while scouring the last outposts of the Yahoo Japan Auctions Intergalactic Night Railroad late yesterday evening. Snapped it up this morning.
Considering it's going to take 860,000 years to ship out of Japan I'll post these seller photos (until it arrives in my gaf) as I can't wait to share this whopper. :lol:
Here's a copy of a very early Jackie Chan fillum called Magnificent Bodyguards. It was released in 1978 (I think). It's available on Blu Ray and whatever, and that's great but...
Here is the Tokuma Ultra Vision 3D version of the film! It was released in cinemas way back in the 1970's as the first 3D Hong Kong film. It was released on different home formats but not in 3D!
This Japanese Laserdisc is the only version outside the 35mm print that is available in 3D on any format right now. There is a special edition Fist Collection (no, not a bunch of bluey's! :lol: ) of Jackie Chan films that was released on Blu Ray in Japan by Fortune Star. That set does have this film in it, but it doesn't state if it is a full feature. The blurb reads like a clip is shown in 3D but the box set comes with no 3D glasses etc so I'm not sure what the story is. Also, it was Japan-only and limited to like 300 copies or something and is now hyperexpensive.
The downside is the film is dubbed in Japanese. My plan for this though is to capture the disc, bit perfect, then trim out the disc side change etc in Premiere Pro. Buy the Blu Ray to add the original audio track (and hope it will sync!). Then i'll run the whole thing through ALASS and sync the English subtitles to make my own ultimate edition. Hopefully it's not rotten... :lol:
I love weird discs like this. It's why I buy Laserdiscs. :)
https://i.imgur.com/idRS1B5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FuZ1uun.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/H8EYWXj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aSXnvdz.jpg |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 02 Sep 2020, 13:55
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A few unexpected items arrived in my bagging area this morning from Japan.
First up, Virtual Trip: Bali. I'm looking forward to testing the 3D audio on this one.
https://i.imgur.com/HJPWkXl.jpg
Next up is the works of MC Escher with Infinite Escher. This was made by Sony HDVS team so should be fairly juicy!
https://i.imgur.com/n6diGOt.jpg
This is Kate Bush Live At Hammersmith Odeon. It's a recording from one of her famous short run of shows in 1979. From what I can gather, this appears to be the best version on Laserdisc. Please correct me if I am wrong so I can get a better copy! :thumbup:
https://i.imgur.com/CbR5Okw.jpg
This is a Pioneer sampler disc. There is a pink slip sheet inside that has a long list of items that are on the disc. Keen to see what trailers etc are on it. Picked it up as a curio.
https://i.imgur.com/oNBAM2L.jpg
GASP! Not a Laserdisc! This is a Superbit demo DVD. I think it was played perhaps in stores or maybe given to the media to showcase Superbit DVD quality. The disc carries DTS audio too, as per the Superbit standards of quality! Keen to check this one out. I only have one Superbit DVD, So Close, a Japan import, and it's excellent (better than the horrible 1080p version on Prime Video imho).
https://i.imgur.com/g5Byy97.jpg
Saved my favourite until last. This looks to be the definitive Shakatak Laserdisc imho, as it has Invitations and Night Birds on it (which are just mega). Shakatak: Twilight Sensation is a live disc, hopefully with whopper audio. Shakatak discs seem to be a little troublesome to find, it took me a good while to find any and then back in June of this year a few showed up, including this one. Just hope it's a good disc!
It's fookin' SHAKATAK! OF COURSE IT IS GONNA BE WHOPPER! :D
https://i.imgur.com/V2BqgiL.jpg |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 03 Sep 2020, 11:29
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Shakatak: Twilight Sensation (1984) [SM037-3368]
https://i.imgur.com/V2BqgiL.jpg
Who doesn't love Shakatak? What do you mean you've never heard of them!? Stop reading now and go raid a yard sale or head to Tidal or whatever streaming thing you kids today listen to your muzak on and go listen to some Shakatak then come back here when you are ready!
Done? Welcome back. Now on with the rest of the review drivel. :thumbup:
If you are middle-aged or nearly dead then you really should have heard of one of the 1980's finest jazzy/flutey/disco-ey/fusion-funk-sort-of-thing-type-bands. If you are a youngster and still enjoy hanging around outside shops in a hoodie, trying to look menacing and asking adults for cigarettes then think of Shakatak as a band that would fit in really well in the world of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on Flashback FM.
Shakatak achieved success in several countries, including several hit singles in the UK and two number one albums in the USA. They had absolutely enormous success in Japan and a good chunk of the Far East too (Japan especially, they were exospherically humongous there). The band are still going today and still releasing music, though I personally don't listen to any of their new stuff as I prefer their really early stuff from 1980 to 1985.
Anyway, about this disc, Twilight Sensation.
Shakatak Laserdiscs, at least in my own experience, have proven rather difficult to get a hold of. Possibly because of their success in Japan people are unwilling to part with their discs? I don't know. Anyway, after a lot of waiting, some Shakatak discs finally showed up a few months ago. There's only a couple to choose from, and in my opinion, Twilight Sensations is the one to go for. Especially now I've had a chance to watch it. The other discs are a mix of videos and a live concert. All are Japanese discs, with a couple of UK CD Video discs (that are probably rotten now) and a solitary USA Laserdisc that is a video collection of greatest hits.
With Twilight Sensations you get a really good disc for your money. It comprises a mix of concert footage from a show the band did in Japan in October 1984, alongside a mix of scenic footage of London, interviews with the band, production processes and so on. It's all in English with no burned in subtitles, which I thought was unusual to see for a Japanese disc. The picture quality is superb, especially when run through a VP50 Pro and spat out at 1080P60. It's really very good and up there with one of the best discs I have seen on my humble little setup.
The audio is the absolute star of the show here though. The 80's sliding bass licks and drums just sound riper than a greengrocers plums :shock: and the piano and synths shine through crystal clear. Tighter than a nun's fanny and crisper than a Findus Crispy Pancake. Whopper. :thumbup:
A side word on the audio though, it does seem to be mastered just a smidge on the quieter side, but once you inject a bit of volume in to it's veins the disc really does start to sing. So keep that in mind that you may need to adjust your audio gear a little to get the very best out of this disc.
Even though the songs featured here are all early music, sure the band had only been going for 4 years at this stage, I like to think of it as a 'greatest hits' of sorts. You get all the big numbers here. The absolutely stratospherically mega Night Birds (probably the band's biggest hit) as an encore. My personal favourite, 'Invitations', which at first listen I was a little disappointed that they played it much faster than the album version. I got used to it quickly and enjoyed the faster tempo. Yer wan Jill Saward does a great job playing flute, bongos, singing vocals and dancing like an extra on the set of Sixteen Candles while absolutely sweating her jabs off (the disc picture quality is that good you can see drops of sweat running down her cheeks) under the hot stage lights. Fair play to her.
You also get another personal favourite, B*tch To The Boys, which, if you listen carefully, has that great tubular-esque synth bass that a certain Michael Jackson used on his Off The Wall album. Listen out for it. It's whopper. Streetwalkin' is a monumental success too. The sound of the saxaphone in this number will spill out of your speakers like how animators portray smells in cartoons. You'll be sniffing the air like a Bisto kid on acid, with a gurn on your chops to match!
https://i.postimg.cc/4d5zmwXV/f6ubFQ.gif
Maybe it's just me, but I can definitely sense that Shakatak influenced a few bands over the years. Have a listen to another awesome album by Psychic Mirrors for example:
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0520236430_10.jpg
https://psychicmirrors.bandcamp.com/album/nature-of-evil
https://tidal.com/browse/album/58537746
Or the awesome Bodyrock Shotgun by Zackey Force Funk:
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0433928390_10.jpg
https://mofunkrecords.com/album/bodyrock-shotgun
https://tidal.com/browse/album/90779215
This disc is tremendous. If you like a good music Laserdisc, and who doesn't, you would be an absolute knobber if you missed this. Hop to it and go get some Shakatak in to your life! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 07 Sep 2020, 14:22
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| And Crispin Glover (good luck with that!), Lea Thompson, Flea, Billy Zane and Huey Lewis! |
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