Michael Stearns Planetary Unfolding 2015 remaster

[drone on]

Just saw a member comment.  No details.  Groove Unlimited has the CD album for sale.  So you don't have to drop $50 or more for a copy.  Please advise anyone if you have details about this reissue. 

[ffcal]

That would surprise me.  I heard last year that Stearns did not own the rights to the release, and that owner of those rights had not been cooperative.  But maybe they worked it out??

Forrest

[Castleview]

https://michaelstearns.bandcamp.com/album/planetary-unfolding

Found it on Bandcamp. Pretty pricey at $15 but considering how rare it is to get a physical copy, that might be worth it.

[drone on]

You can get a new copy at Groove Unlimited for $23.  Therefore don't buy it on eBay or Discogs.

[cvac]

Looking at Stearns' website, if you click on the CD cover, it takes you to an order form for a third party company that does CD/DVD on Demand products, i.e. CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. This is not readily apparent from the website. I would assume whatever stores like Groove are selling are this CD-R product unless anyone can state that they received something different. I'm not really a fan of CD-Rs, so I went ahead and purchased the album from Bandcamp. It appears to be broken into two long tracks. I haven't listened to it yet so I can't report on sound quality.

[dreamin4ever]

How does the newly remastered cd sound compared to the original (Sonic Atmospheres) cd? I just pulled it out from my collection and listening right now.
I was hoping M Stearns would perform live someplace USA after the 2013 AmbiCon gig. The one that I missed. And now regretting it. I know he was AWOL for about 10+ years before that weekend. Heard rumors that he was going to perform a live show somewhere earlier this month. But that did not happen. But the music still lives on......
.......How about a one off gig somewhere in beautiful country Michael Stearns?

Let me add that the AmbiCon 2013 gig, M Stearns was my favorite artist for that event. I felt it was way to short of a set for Steve Roach and Robert Rich to accomplish what they normally do best.

Edit: Checking on eBay while listening to Within - The Nine Dimensions, that cd is up for sale on eBay for $150+. I guess it's more rare than Planetary Unfolding.

[drone on]

Groove Unlimited always states if a disc is CDR or CD.  Their Planetary listing said CD.

[drone on]

And I just got confirmation from Ron Boots that it's the original CD, not a CDR

[Seren]

bought the download off bandcamp

[nels]

Well, in my hands I hold an original pressing of "Planetary Unfolding" (Sonic Atmospheres) that arrived in the mail today courtesy of Earth Turtle/Michael Stearns Productions for a mere $17.50 (the price includes S/H).  I remember seeing this in a Tower Records circa 1990 and regretting for the last 25 years not purchasing it because it seemed forever doomed to be out-of-print.  Apparently ET/MSP has "left over" pressings of some legacy recordings in their so-called "office stock" which they will sell while supplies last.  Just for fun, I went onto Amazon and see that the cheapest offer for a new copy of the Sonic Atmospheres edition (i.e., the one with the painting of what looks like a planet with stars overlain) is selling for $179.98.   Although the remastered version which ET/MSP is also currently offering is probably sonically superior to the old Sonic Atmospheres version, I'm happy to finally have obtained this album and at a reasonable price.

[drone on]

Huh???  I could not find anything on his website about this, and googling Earth Turtle/MSP gave no results except a link to his website, where again I found nothing about this.  Please let me know cuz if I get this from Groove it'll cost twice as much.  Thanks!!

[phobos]

Huh???  I could not find anything on his website about this, and googling Earth Turtle/MSP gave no results except a link to his website, where again I found nothing about this.  Please let me know cuz if I get this from Groove it'll cost twice as much.  Thanks!!

http://michaelstearns.com/styled-2/styled-6/index.html
click on the album cover and it opens abox with purchase details for the CD, or click on the office stock link

[drone on]

Thanks, I emailed them yesterday and they led me to the order form.  I don't know where that "17.50 shipping included" figure came from in the previous post, because I paid $15 for CD and $5.89 for first class shipping.  I then noticed on my order confirmation that some company "made and shipped" my order.  This sounds like order on demand for a CDR, which I definitely don't want.  I'm awaiting a reply back about this.

[nels]

My understanding is that the original artwork for "Planetary Unfolding" is the wild looking painting with the lion and the man's head with the red beard.  This album has been remastered and I think if you get the remastered version then it is likely "made on demand" as a CD-R with that painting on the cover.  The Sonic Atmospheres version with the painting of the planet and stars (by George Landry) is their "left over office stock".  I sent them an email requesting the Sonic Atmospheres version and someone from ET/MSP quoted a price for $17.50.  I sent them a check and promptly got the CD within a week.  Personally, I wanted the Sonic Atmospheres version for sentimental reasons--it having been pressed on CD in the same era as early Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny, and similar American space music artists of that time.  It's also a real CD and not a CD-R and has the cool planet painting ... although the remastered CD-R version probably has better sound quality.   

[drone on]

Their website is very misleading then.  It says all the discs are leftover office stock, nothing about discs made on demand.  But I think you're right about all this because I did also see that "inquiry" form.  But actually I did make an inquiry first because I emailed them last night.  In her reply the office rep never differentiated between the original and a CDR.  So yeah, I bet what I ordered is a CDR version.  By the way, that other cover is actually the original Lp artwork.  The planet artwork was for the CD release.

[ffcal]

The original artwork for the LP is also the same one used for the cassette.  I have the CD version (though I'm missing the tray card), and I think it sounds fine.  I'm not sure how much it could be improved with remastering.

Forrest

[cvac]

How does the newly remastered cd sound compared to the original (Sonic Atmospheres) cd? I just pulled it out from my collection and listening right now.

I can't say because I don't have the SA CD. If I manage to track it down I'll try to compare the two.

The FLAC Bandcamp download has a Dynamic Range of 11, which means it's not a loudness war remastering job if that is what people are concerned about.

[cvac]

I sent them an email requesting the Sonic Atmospheres version and someone from ET/MSP quoted a price for $17.50.  I sent them a check and promptly got the CD within a week. 

Do they only accept checks? I haven't written a check in years.

[drone on]

So I finally sorted it all out.  I found out they still had Sonic CD version copies.  $15 plus $2.50 each for shipping.  I bought three, sold two for a small profit.  No one is paying $50-$70 for this CD anymore, believe me.  It almost wasn't worth the trouble.  I tried to cancel my remastered CDR order but no one replied.  I played both back to back.  The remaster is louder.  Which means nothing really.  According to Stearns website they're reissuing  Chronos soon .  Remastered original mix version or something like that.  It will be available on CD.  I've a feeling they mean CDR.  There's also a new Ron Fricke film imminent with music by Stearns.  If you want the original Planetary CD I'd haul ass to the website pronto.

[ffcal]

If you want the original Planetary CD I'd haul ass to the website pronto.

Thanks, drone on.  My old copy is scratched and is missing a tray card. so I just picked up a "new" one.

Forrest