Thanks Gian. I just ordered that collection. I guess I figured I had a lot of it already, but it will be nice to have all in one place, and as you say, they got the Mary Skeffington song in both versions. Looks like a nice set.
You make very good points, Stu. Indeed, when the band has their own vision that the producers or record label squashed, that’s a different deal. I just bought a bunch of 13th Floor Elevators, for example, and I notice on one we of their albums their intended running order is different from the original release, and they’ve restored the original order on one of the discs.
This sort of debate crops up all the time in the land of Beatles reissues (Benefit of Mr. Kite was supposed to be earlier on side one! The Beatles only cared about the mono Sgt. Pepoer! etc.)
I take all that with a grain if salt, I guess. But the idea of “improving” the records is a contentious and difficult topic. I mean, do you fix the channel mistake on “Eleanor Rigby” in stereo? (Answer: Yes, on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack!😜).
There’s a thin line between “fixing” poor stereo separation to making a new “remix” but where that line is can ba hard to determine.
I will say, in general, I find Giles Martin squarely crosses that line and I don’t listen to his “remixes”. I do give him credit gor making clear versions of the White Album Sessions and Esher tapes available, but I never listen to his mixes of the proper albums. If you find a good pressing of any album from the 60’s, 70’s, or even ‘80’s you get a much less heavy handed version if any of the records.
I see what you mean about the spoken word bits in so many psych albums like the ones you mention. I think they just give it period charm, but I can totally understand wanting to get rid of them on some listens. And I do find myself skipping tge one shlocky or novelty song on a lot of those records (The Move—Zing Went the Strings it The Twilights—The Cocky Song, etc.)
In that way CDs are helpful …just a quick oress on the fast forward😜

Totally agree - don't like remixes or modern music by band members added to the original.

I personally love the narration on Ogden's, it's still fun to me and an essential part of the whole. The narration on Happy Prince is also priceless, very camp and fey, but it is an Oscar Wilde story, so it couldn't be voiced any other way. Strip that out and it is a lesser experience, even if I would never listen to it in polite company. The 2 short tales on the End LP for me really ground it and seem to link between old east end London and the new swinging psychedelic era a bit like the film Performance, and I think the contrast adds something. The only narration I can't stand is on Fire's Magic Shoemaker, which I find really tedious and cringe-worthy.

Ogdens is fine but another I don't like is Jigsaw-Leatherslade Farm.

Just out of curiosity is there any good spoken word psych albums? Maybe with psychedelic background music. I'm sure there are some but I can't think of one at the moment 🤔

No unfortunately not Paul,i can think off 2 though not psych,but still may interest some who come here,there is the Gullivers Travels featuring Mike D'Abo,that was released on the Instant label,the short subdsidiary of Immediate.

There is one story i love that was narrated with the beautiful and rather relaxing voices of Judi Dench and Michael Hordern,of The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshoppers Feast,and the music and vocals on this rather beautiful album is no other than Edwards Hand,ex of Picadilly Line,Rod Edwards(also in Jade too) and Roger Hand.It was recorded and put together between October 1974 to August 1975 at Decca Studios,and features musicians like Gerry Conway and Tony Carr,the narration was done at Air Studios and was engineered by one. Geoff Emerick.

It's a totally different beast to the Roger Glover version,and i do enjoy the Roger Glover and Friends version.........the music on the Judi Dench and Michael Hordern version,is just sublime,mostly soft and gentle acoustic with beautiful harmonising from Edwards Hand,while Judi and Michael give us their voices that you could quite easily slip into.

This all entailed with the new verse written by William Plomer to go with the 28 beautiful new illustrations by Alan Aldridge,resulting in the illustrated book of The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast .This album was released in tandem with the release off the new illustrated book,with the poems set to lovely music by Rod Edwards and Roger Hand,and off course the immistsakable voices of Judi and Michael...it really is a lovely album to listen to,and the cd i have is WIZZ 0801,with the website "info@wizardpresents.co.uk",the cd is immaculate,you could hear a pin drop ,it really is that good,sounds fabulous.

Thr only other things that come to mind are the Timothy Leary albums,where he talks over music for meditating or taking a trip.

Joe,yes there is going to be an extended 2 cd set of BB Blunder "Workers PLaytime",as far as i know set for April,with 2 additional BBC tracks never before released,but apart from that it seems to be the exact same tracklist as cd 2 on Sunbeams cd reissue,this new version is coming from Esoteric Records..

Interesting, Stuart. Maybe this time we’ll get an uncut “New Day,” although I have yet to hear one on any CD. I did enjoy the long bonus tracks on the Sunbeam release a while back.