Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

612.0. "TIME-LIFE Rock n Roll" by COMET::LEVETT (cd Broncos windy Superbowl) Wed Jan 21 1987 13:24

	Yesterday I received through the mail an ad for the TIME-LIFE
series on Rock and Roll. For those not familiar with how TIME-LIFE works
it is something like this.  For the introduction offer you get a freebe,
in this case a rock and roll trivia game for a 10 day free trial.  If you 
don't want the selection (first one is 1958) you send it back at their expense
and keep the game.  Every other month you will receive a new package that
you can return or buy.  I've done this on their series of photo books and
have been quite pleased, though I knew from the beginning I wanted the complete
series.
	Now some of the particulars.  You can get either 2 virgin vinyl 
records or a chrome tape for $14.98 or 1 compact disc for $16.98.  TIME
states that ALL songs were pressed from the ORIGINAL masters, which had been
remastered digitally and the sound quality therefore is superior to anything
else on the market and in many cases cleaner then the original records.
A friend, who has their jazz series confirms that the recording quality is
very clean and would probably be a good buy for someone who would like this
type of package.  Each year album, cd, are the hits of that particular year,
with special discs on the big groups/people of the Rock era, ie., Elvis,
the Everly Bros, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, etc. (Don't know what they'll
do about the Beatles)?!!?
	Does anyone have any first hand information on this particular series
from TIME?  If need be I can list more specifics about this offer.

_stew-

    If they are anything like their books they can keep it.
    If anyone gets them I really would like to see a review posted
    here. Nothing I hate more than a chopped version ala k-tel.
    
    -j
    

    Well folks, I can add a little light to this topic, as I have purchased
    five of the two record sets so far (got into it BEFORE they offerred
    the CD version). The records are very well produced; I believe that
    they really did digitally re-record the original masters. If the
    master was mono, it stayed that way on this collection - no fake
    stereo in this collection.
    
    How does it sound? Great - the set dedicated to the Beach Boys are
    the best sounding recordings of their stuff that I ever heard. The
    recordings have been cleaned up (we all know Brian Wilson's deafness
    produced some pretty unbalanced recordings). I've got a massive
    LP collection, and these records find their way onto the turntable
    pretty regularly (that is, when I'm not listening to my CD's :-))
    
    I really haven't detected any K-Tel like chopping on any of the
    selections, and this style of rock is my favorite - I'd know if
    the recordings were tampered with. I can't vouch for the CD quality
    - although I'm giving serious consideration to swapping over to
    that format for this collection. By the way, with shipping and
    handling, a two record set ends up costing $18.41. It's somewhat
    pricey, but worth it, in my opinion.
    
                        Ken Gosselin