3CD set. The essential material is the stereo remaster, the alt version of IHHCMN and all the non-LP Cale studio tracks. In other words CD1. Great sound. Plus live The Gift is nice. I'm enjoying it.
WLWH album sounds really nice. Improved reproduction since the 2000 and something version.
White Light/White Heat and
Here She Comes Now single mixes. Compared with the LP tracks, I think the White Light/White Heat and Here She Comes Now singles versions both sound a bit compromised - maybe the source tapes? And might perhaps explains the dubious sound on the Sundazed singles.
I Heard Her Call My Name alt. mix. To a lesser degree IHHCMN has the same problem as the WLWH single tracks, but sounds much much better than the Sundazed single. This alt. mix of the song is so good it's worth everything here for me. Sterling's guitar at the end is fab. The gem.
Temptation and
Stephanie. Same as on 'Gold' but better mastering and sounding great. Personally, I loved the off-key vocals on Stephanie which again points to what 3rd might have been with Cale. Both are beautiful and essential. Pearls.
Guess I'm Fallin' in Love. Is this remix quite right or is it just my hifi? The fuzz guitar far over on the left sounds like it's stuck inside the tweeter like a trapped insect. I love this track and it's a bit annoying that my hifi doesn't seem to get on with the remix. Sounds better on headphones, though.
Mr. Rains. Both these sound great. Vast improvements and at last these recordings make sense. I also prefer No. 2. Two haunting windswept monochrome landscapes with water reeds. Essential.
Beginning To See The Light. A curiosity. Sounds like a quickly recorded live take. And not unlike the post-Cale era live versions in terms of pacing and Lou's vocal. Charming and not at all what I expected.
Overall, very moving to hear these re-addressed versions of the material from the late Cale era.
Booklet. Starts with the usual full page large print quotes to clearly sign the cultural importance of this album - there for those who have impaired cultural radars and reduced visual acuity. The obligatory how to understand the album essay that explains everything to those who might need it. Nice interviews which I think have been put online. Image research great (credit to Alfredo
). Reproductions look good. I like the colour Betsy Johnson wedding shots. Like the contact strip for the WLWH publicity shots. Like the garishly coloured posters. I like the one with ousted Nico's name censored by a funny black fish shape.
I like the set. I think I'd only buy the 2LP, if I had the choice. Buy the double LP. Buy the double CD. Buy the 3CD if you're obsessed.