Search - Jon Anderson :: 3 Ships

Don't be too scared of this re-issue...

Jamie Tate | Franklin, TN | 11/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, so the do-it-yourself Photoshop look of the back cover where a more recent (and out of proportion) picture of Jon's head was placed on the smaller body of a 1985 Jon Anderson may have you thinking this is yet another careless reissue from Opio Media. Don't be afraid. And so what if the bonus tracks are thrown into the album's running order disrupting the flow we've all grown to love. It's not a problem. I can find ways to play it back in the original running order. And even though there are some bits that have been lost to early fades (Three Ships for example) I'm still not worried. And who cares if I see the name of the engineer who ruined the CD issue of Animation on the back cover. Never fear... this is actually a decent CD re-issue.



Like I said before I though Jon had squeezed me for more money when I saw remastering credit given to Mike Pietrini. Last itme I saw his name in the credits of a Jon Anderson CD it was for remastering the CD version of Animation. For that release he took a needle drop from a worn record (pops, ticks and scratches included!) EQ'd the crap out of it and then ran it through a limiter to the point of distortion and then they charged me $40!



However, for this release Mike may have regained some credibly. Basically what he did to make this 22nd Anniversary edition is rip the very nice sounding original Japanese CD of 3 Ships into his DAW and insert some bonus tracks. There was some minimal EQ and compression added but it's tastefully done. Two of the bonus tracks were ripped from the CD Change We Must (a Jon Anderson solo solo album from 1994... one of his very best releases, IMHO). Mike did a nice job of EQing these two tracks to fit in with the Japanese 3 Ships CD.



Also, there is a bit of a surprise on Ding Dong Merrily On High. There's something different with the backing vocals. Either they used the "BGV UP" mix or they took the original mix and overlaid the backing vocals at a higher level. The mix is the same but when I phase canceled it with the original CD I was left with only the background vocals. Kind of a neat addition. My only complaint is Mike must've EQd this track a bit when mixing the vocals in. It's just a bit on the dark side even though the original Japanese CD was bright and clear.



One last thing. Why was producer Roy Thomas Baker's name taken off the credits? Is there some rift between Jon and Roy? Is it a money thing (avoiding a royalty payment perhaps?)



Overall this is actually a decent release with some thought given to the sound quality this time. If you can't find that Japanese CD (catalog #32XD-886) this re-issue is a worthy place holder."

Do NOT buy this from a third-party seller. It is NOT out-of

S. Fennell | Somewhere out there.....beneath the pale moon ligh | 06/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1985 Christmas release from Jon Anderson is an excellent album, but it is most certainly NOT out-of-print, and available for a heck of a lot lower prices than some people would lead to you believe. The CD was re-released just this past Christmas season in a brand-new edition with 5 bonus tracks, digitally remastered, and it sounds great. Go directly to the artist's website at JonAnderson3Ships dot com, order it directly from there, and by-pass the foolishness of the inflated prices you see here."

Another Mess from VoicePrint

Oldfield Fan | Ireland | 11/25/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"
This was a favorite of mine when originally released on Vinyl.



However, As with Animation, this CD version is not remastered from the original Master Tapes, but is in fact a transfer from Vinyl. The sound quality is horrendous.



Secondly, most albums with bonus tracks place the tracks at the end of the original recording. For some insane reason they have decided to scatter these tracks randomly through the CD breaking the natural flow of the original. They're not even Christmas songs....



Thirdly, They have replaced the original Anderson head on the picture on the back cover with a more recent picture!!!!. The rest of the photo is the same, just the head is different! It looks stupid beyond belief.



This is another attempt by Voiceprint/Anderson to con the public. Shame on you all........."