Brain Salad Surgery mini LP Edition

I created this thread in order to do some research before spending quite a lot of money in an edition of ELP'S classic.If any of you has this album , could you tell me if it opens like the LP sleeve? Does it come with a poster?Which bonus tracks does it have? I think that to know this is important because , picture yourself (If you are an American) spending US$ 89 in a single record!!.

Actually is more or less US$ 27 (89 of mine) , but due to the exchange it feels like U$$ 89.

Can anyone provide more information on this particular release and where to order it?  I went to my usual source and found five different versions for sale without any information.  I'd love to replace my old unremastered version with that one.

Edited by Slartibartfast - July 09 2008 at 14:41

Could someone tell me if the version that costs US$ 13 on Best buy is the mini LP version?Because if it is that one , the guy in my local record store is rippping me off I have to pay more than the double for it!!! It's a much better option to wait until a relative goes to the US and buys the record for me.

Slartibartfast wrote: That sounds kind of low for a deluxe mini LP.  I'd be surprised if Best Buy would even stock it.

crimson87 wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: That sounds kind of low for a deluxe mini LP.  I'd be surprised if Best Buy would even stock it.   I thought the same , but when I looked at the track list, It is the same as it appears on Best Buy US$ 13 BSS.It has a version of Jerusalem and Karn evil 9 instrumental.I just want to make sure that I am spending my money in a collectors edition and not an average one.

Several things... first of all, Shout!Factory has been doing all of the new remasters/reissues for ELP's discography, between this year and last. They only released one edition (as far as i know) of BSS, and that's the mini-LP style one. I can't tell you how it opens or the contents, but this is definitely NOT a japanese mini-LP (the japanese are the ones that strive to totally re-create the original album package). I'm almost certain the one you see at Best Buy is this Shout!Factory edition, which is the only CD release to my knowledge that has those two bonus tracks. That would also explain the price difference, as Shout! Factory is not an import, and the John Lennon/Platic Ono Band japanese mini LPs that I have seen at best buy run 35-45 bucks.

Personally, I don't find the bonus tracks to be worth it. They are nothing more than curiosities for big fans. (I consider myself a diehard ELP fan, but) honestly, why sit through the instrumental version of Karn Evil 9 that just has the vocals removed, and why settle for an inferior version of Jerusalem (it's not all that different or interesting)?

I haven't heard the DVD Audio, but would love to get a copy of the album in surround sound. If you are looking for the CD edition, I'd say definitely go with this version, as another already pointed out. This is the edition that I've always listened to, and although it was remastered in the mid-90s, I find the quality to be excellent (as Rhino always makes their products). The cover changes its image depending on the angle from which you look at it... I dont know what to call it. Anyways, there is only one bonus track, and it's a "making of" interview, but I prefer it any day to the new bonus tracks.

Hopefully, that'll help you out a bit.

Slartibartfast wrote: Yeah, I was thinking how BSS is a really good candidate for a surround sound mixing.  Which means I'll probably have to acquire both the mini LP and the DVD-A versions.

A friend of mine, who saw a show at the time of their BSS tour, told me ELP used a quadrophonic speaker set up live - so I'd imagine the music is destined to sound good in 5.1!