Hall & Oates - H2O [Extra Tracks] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Digitally remastered Japanese release featuring 3 bonus tracks: "Family Man (12inch Version/Rock Mix)", "Maneater (12inch Version/Special Extended Club Mix)", & "One On One (12inch Version/Club Mix)". Album Description

Hall and Oates H20 from 1982 review

I don't know about this one

You might be better served by a compilation. Very Best of Hall and Oates is very good, though (curiously) it leaves off Shes Gone. WTF?

Italian Girls, One on One, Family Man - these are all very good songs. The first is one of Oates best songs and a live favorite

Faccia bella cara mia!

Not too much here though, if you want classic Hall and Oates. Its better than Do It For Love (which just has the title track to recommend it). Slightly better than the Rundgren produced War Babies

Try to find a compilation with Italian Girls though, cos that tracks a lotta fun! October 25, 2008

great music

Great music ,sounds much better on studio then on live show.After hearing H20 for over 20 years,it is defentially one of my favorites. May 8, 2008

One of the most toppest albums

I would buy this album just for the hard to find masterpeices: Guessing Games, Go Solo, and Italian Girls. Those songs should have been famous. The chord changes are amazing. January 13, 2008

Been wondering about the U.S. remasters vs. the expensive Japanese K2 RM's?

Well, here's your answer: The Japanese win. Hands down. Big time.

To start off, I compared the album tracks of the 2004 U.S. remastered versions of VOICES, H20 & BIG BAM BOOM against the limited edition, Japanese, K2 remastered, album mini-LP-sleeve replication versions of the same titles. Then I compared the bonus track remixes on each U.S. remaster to their counterparts on the Japanese-only 12-INCH COLLECTION, VOLUMES 1 & 2.

The comparisons were performed using two Sony XA7 decks run via identical Acoustic Zen coax cables to a Camelot Uther DAC. Those of you who know your gear know that this is about as good as it gets under $25,000.

I cannot attest if the difference between the two remastering results are a result of:

1.) The K2 process being more robust than whatever mastering equipment was used (at Sony Studios in NYC) for the U.S. versions
2.) Whether the Japanese utilized source material closer to the original masters than the U.S. versions, or
3.) If the Japanese engineering was just better, or they took more time & care, than their U.S. counterparts.

Whatever the case may be, the K2 albums, and the two Japanese remix Collections, blow the U.S. versions out of the building. There is more of everything: More gain, bigger soundstage, more definition and, oh yeah, baby, more bottom end. The remixes on the U.S. versions are adequate; on the Japanese COLLECTION CD's, they THUNDER.

The three U.S. titles have nine additional remix tracks. All of these tracks appear on the two Japanese COLLECTION titles. All of the sonic accolades I attributed to the individual K2 album remasters apply to these two CDs also.

The bottom line? If you're a fan of the band, you have the cash and some above-average gear, the K2's and the dual-remix CD's are the ticket. While the entire RCA H&O catalog is available on the limited edition K2's (with the nice mini-LP sleeves), there would be some serious moolah required to acquire the full set. I consider the 3 titles mentioned here to be their best overall work from that period, so I opted for just those.

I'm currently piling thru all of the "Hits" packages from recent years to determine which has the best audio. It will be interesting to run the 2004 "Ultimate" set against the new "Essential" package.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 13.5MM X 13.5MM cardboard-sleeve, precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, everything else packaged with the original LP is precisely replicated and included, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and die cuts. An English-language lyric sheet is also included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have Japan-dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2 or K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "OBI" ("oh-bee"), a Japan-language promotional strip. The OBI often also lists the original album's release date, the Japan street date of that particular disc, the catalog number, and mastering info. Bonus tracks are always only listed on the OBI, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork.

The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake copies of Japan `sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

Also, there are older Japan mini-sleeve releases that have been supplanted with newer ones, usually with updated audio (such as JVC-Japan replacing older K2-mastered titles with new K2HD mastered releases).

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common with some of the Japanese companies (but, again, not always). Mini-sleeve collecting can get expensive quickly, so, if you're a novice, it is highly advisable to seek the advice of an experienced `sleeve collector! August 6, 2005

H2O has all the right elements!!!!!

Okay, this is another reissue that is a must have for any H&O fan!!! You'll just love the bonus tracks on this!!! June 16, 2005

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