Click Here to find the CD package online, and the Mastered CD tracks to Download…
For the Solstice and Holidays, and with 25% discount on both the CD package (ready for shipping around New Year’s Day) or the CD Master audio download (ready now as WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF), I want to share what I came to think of as something like my musical diary of a working band.
The Story…
It was more than just finding a new CD to come up with. In fact it started with me over a period of months just listening to tracks that had accumulated at different times on a mastering/recording box I have (Alesis ML-9600).
Some of these were mixed DSD studio takes downsampled to CD resolution for reviewing, others were live band rehearsals capturing the room in stereo with 2 mics. Others were from shows where I had a DAT recorder at 16/48 plugged into a mixing board.
So the story of how events (rehearsal, studio recording, live shows) progressed at seemingly random steps slowly emerged from these playbacks. Then I wanted to organize a thread of them for myself as a warm recollection of a lot of talent and a lot of work and even more so, the fun and enjoyment shared among the musicians during the journeys.
The CD…
And that was the genesis of this different kind of album. It’s one that took all the hi-res and lo-res, well prepared and getting prepared, and live material, and put 10 songs together that helped visualize in an audio fashion that story, ending with my migration to Hawaii (“Help Yourself”on ukelele). It’s just my personal version of that story through these tracks. I am so grateful to have been part of it.
Click Here for the 18-page CD booklet as a PDF with Notes, Lyrics, Photos, and Links.
Then I wanted to share it with anyone interested. I also wanted to optimize the fact that all the source recordings were going to be mastered as a homogenous album for CD release. In other words, all I wanted was a good sounding CD, nothing else. This is not the focus of the SACD hybrids or DSD Downloads. So I then worked critically on that final CD mastering using the tools I had.
A lot of people who have been listening to me for 20 years or so haven’t had time or inclination to get on fast tracks to h-res and all the gear and software that takes plenty of both of those ingredients (time & inclination), not to mention some extra dough.
I felt in a retro way that it should be simple to provide an honest and very good sounding CD to anyone and everyone, instead of isolating the music towards only those with hi-res (DSD, HRA) inclinations. Something to carry to the car or to someone’s house or to just keep laying around in the living room to play a bunch…
The Holidays…
So by putting this out I’m breaking down some of the walls I myself created diving into hi-res (which I still love don’t get me wrong). And this disc still contains all the important qualities I’ve been tuned into for all these years: good honest performances, good room/mood/ambient captured in recordings, and good studio preparation (mix/master) for release. Is it hi-res? No. Does it sound real, live and natural with high quality? Yes!
So here it is for you to enjoy as well. In addition to the 25% discount offer that is good through New Year’s Eve 2015, I am including a free copy of the “David Elias & The CasualTees” CD with all of the CD disc orders. This has a limited edition quantity (signed if you like, one or both discs) of 50.
Use these Discount Codes for the Bandcamp 25% off:
CD (w/ downloads and streaming): raretogo_cd
Download Only (with streaming): raretogo_download
The CD will begin shipping right around New Year’s Day 2016 + 1… (that’s Jan 2nd or so). Yes if you buy the CD you get the CD Master downloads as well as unlimited streaming from the album page. Bandcamp happens to sound very good to me, however it is streaming the CD and HRA masters I have there. You can in fact preview any of the albums I have there in full — not clips, the whole song.
You can find either media to order using the discount codes above right here on Bandcamp…
When I get the discs (I like the new package a lot!) that are being replicated right now (real CD’s not CD-R’s) I’ll start shipping the CD orders to you with the free “Live in San G.” copy as well.
I suggest you download the PDF to read and reference for all the lyrics and other notes. The lyrics are even written like a story this time (i.e., paragraphs). What can I say, it just happened.
So be well and enjoy yourself through the holidays and into the new year. My thanks to you always for listening and to the musicians and studio/sound people on these tracks with endless gratitude.
Aloha,
DE
the art of listening... 