*updated* Don’t Be Afraid – We’re Here to Help
That’s right kiddies. Don’t be scared.
The newly remastered Don’t Be Afraid will be available for download from the iTunes Music Store and Amazon on April 1st, 2008.
This is no joke.
More to come soon.
March 28th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Nooooo.
Will you at least have a CD copy available for those of us who don’t run Windows or Mac OS? :[
March 28th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
My faith in humanity has just gone up by ten points.
Ten more points are waiting patiently in the wings for a non-iTunes rerelease.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
What precisely was done for this “remaster”? That word worries me. These days, with the so-called “loudness war”, some remasters are much worse sounding than the original. For example, Iron Maiden’s remasters from the mid-90s (those CDs with bonus video tracks). Horrible stuff.
‘Don’t Be Afraid’ hits the roof, it even clips at some points. Making it any louder – that is, compressing the dynamics – will harm the sound quality.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Stormwatch makes a good point. Everyone is in love with compression now adays. Especially with a mind towards MP3 formats where most of the EQ bands are blended together or stripped out anyway. I sure hope this sonic masterpiece retains it’s BITE!
March 28th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
.7Z the bonus CD and attach it to the ‘full album’ download ..?
March 29th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Amazon sells unprotected MP3s, right? Maybe you need a download application, but there is a Linux version. I guess other Unix are out of luck, unless you can download with the application.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
The goal of remastering was to maximize fidelity, without regard for volume. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the result, which is clear and punchy without being squashed.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
So is the version on Amazon the remastered version? How do I tell if I’d be buying the right one?
April 1st, 2008 at 5:29 pm
@Brian:
I’m rather impressed; the remaster seems to have brought out more of the subtlety present in the original.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Maybe someone could upload a sample of original vs. remaster, so others could check the difference? I suppose, for example… “Closing In”, 3:30 to 4:30, would be a good comparison.
Amazon’s preview sucks here, because they only play the beginning of the song. And doesn’t do much for DBA, with all the spoken intros…
April 7th, 2008 at 1:40 am
It’s like hearing the album for the first time (which is saying a lot, for this dedicated fan). The remastering provides for a richer listening experience, with a great many sonic details now clarified. I wouldn’t have thought it possible without hearing it. The sound is fresher, livelier, clearer, and punchier. The remastered “Closing In” is nothing short of stunning, by the way! Many thanks for this wonderful surprise.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Is there any bonus songs?
April 9th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
InSoc’s greatest album…to date! Oh how I wish Kurt would have kept this going. Don’t Be Afraid is a masterful piece of musical art….it’s just beautiful from beginning to end. And to hear it re-mastered?
Thanks Kurt
April 10th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
hey guys, i just downloaded the album from Amazon. It sounds great. one problem though, on Empty at the 2:55 mark, there is a noticable skip in the audio. i downloaded the track from iTunes, and it is there as well. just making you guys aware as i am sure you would want to know and fix it.
oh and its the one of my favorite albums of all time, other than that it sounds amazing!
thanks.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I have the skip Andrew mentioned, too. I thought it was a glitch in my iTunes player at first, then noticed that the skip remained. Other than that, the album sounds sublime.
April 13th, 2008 at 7:16 am
I’m trying to have a friend I-tunes it for me. He says there’s a “don’t be afraid” but the year for it is 98(ish). Is this the re-mastered version or is the original up there?
May 17th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Why hasn’t anyone answered if the DBA re-edition disc is for real or just an April Fools Day joke!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Anyone know if that skip on “Empty” has been fixed?
May 27th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
1. Sorry about the skip, guys. I guess that’s here to stay. I blame Kurt.
2. There will be a CD version of this release later this year from Dancing Ferret Discs.
3. All the downloadable versions of DBA available on the net are the remastered version. The old one has been removed (except obviously for used copies on Amazon, etc.)
PJR
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:27 am
Just got the new physical CD in the mail. The skip in “Empty” is on the disc, too, and the last two tracks are swapped. Track 10 is “Kebabtraume” and track 11 is “White Roses”.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
yeah, i just got my hands on the physical 1.3 and Andy is correct. guys, this just seems sloppy. i am more than willing to shell out any amount for anything insoc and i am very disappointed.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Thanks for rereleasing this. Now I finally own this awesome album. Thanks again guys!