- Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:59 am
#25827
Just received COTLD in the mail last night. A wonderful surprise, since I'm in the US and was not expecting this so quickly. I literally got it on its release day!
I still have not been able to listen to it, but I will say this: what a thing of beauty! Easily the very best DW release in my collection so far. A big thank you to all involved in making this happen!
What I really loved about this release:
- The thick, sturdy sleeve.
- The booklet.
- The numerous liner notes.
- The fact that there is NO poster.
- The fact that there's a digital download to go with the release. As long as the download is in WAV or FLAC format, I couldn't be happier. I am not necessarily a fan of vinyl that's sourced from digital files (99% of the cases nowadays, I know), and I am definitely not a fan of colored vinyl, so this is the best of both worlds. I can admire the artwork, read the liner notes, hold a tangible item in my hand, and enjoy the convenience of a digital file. I'm all for analog sound and prefer it in a lot of cases over digital, and even have a tube amp, but, again, let's not fool ourselves. Pretty much everything nowadays is sourced from digital files, so having the option of listening to that source is a great plus in my book.
And a few suggestions, of course (wouldn't be a true collector if I didn't nitpick!):
- How about offering hi-res digital files as well? 24/96 FLAC files would be absolutely terrific. I'm assuming these new digital re-masterings have all been done at least at that resolution and bit-rate (it'd be a real shame if they weren't), and most player/streamers/receivers nowadays can accept up to 24/192, so why not? Now, THAT would TRULY be the best of both worlds! In all honesty, I would probably never play the actual record if I had a great-sounding hi-res digital file. But I would certainly admire the entire package.
- I know I am REALLY nitpicking here, but any chance that the liner notes could be printed on a different type of paper, one that is not a fingerprint-magnet? It's impossible to flip the pages without leaving some nasty stains on them, unless one wears gloves...
- The jacket is a thing of beauty, as I said, but my only problem is that the height (not the thickness) is non-standard, so I can't find any after market outer sleeves that will actually fit the thing inside. There's no way to protect the box/sleeve. If anybody knows of any over-sized outer sleeves, please let me know.
- The artwork. I can only imagine how mind-bogglingly stunning this release would have been had it used the original artwork. ANY variant of it. I know I am not alone on this one. The one in the inside front cover would have been such a joy to behold on this paper/sleeve type! I'm honestly not a fan of any of the original covers so far. Please do consider the inclusion of the original artwork. There's really no way of beating that, specially when it comes to Italian films of this vintage.
Finally, loved the OBI strip!
Again, thanks to all involved with this release. Looking forward to more Frizzi/DW in 2014.
Faster with that hands, MOVE! 
