Iced Earth

Well, this is very interesting to read:

JON SCHAFFER Says ICED EARTH Will Re-Record Early Albums, Calls Original Record Contract 'A Bad Business Deal'

We are going to be re-recording [our older] records over the course of, probably, the next 10 years. We're going to be doing a lot of the ICED EARTH catalog because I don't own the master rights and there's no real income coming from that. If we redo those records, then everybody in the band will be able to get a royalty in the future moving forward. It's going to be a big project and it's going to be a lot of fun to do, to really dig back into those records — especially, like, the first six. That's what we're gonna focus on. I don't know which one we're gonna start with yet. I have a pretty good idea which one, but the guys and I will talk over that in the next few months. Not to take away, because I think those albums are great, but the fact is that it was a bad business deal for ICED EARTH, and for us going forward, we want to be able to have control of our catalog and of our destiny.
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http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/jo...original-record-contract-a-bad-business-deal/

I don't notice anything wrong with the recordings of the first six Iced Earth albums to be honest, so it sounds like this is definitely a financially motivated move by Jon. It will be interesting, if unnecessary, to hear the old songs re-recorded with Stu Block singing.
 
What?!? I'm not sure if I find that a good idea. Really. This way, all these individual records (in personnel, style and sound) will become more 'samish', generic.

I can imagine it to be nice to do several songs from several albums and do a double/compilation album (Gamma Ray, Amorphis), but redoing complete albums... I hope that won't take much away from their legacy. Dimmu Borgir fucked up when they redid Stormblast. It changed way too much. Their second effort became just a wall of sound while the first had haunting atmosphere.

I am sure Schaffer will do a better effort, trying to stay close to the older material, but Jim Morris (producer) was a good friend. Schaffer was indeed satisfied with several of those 6 albums. It is pure financial indeed. I can't blame him for wanting a bigger slice of the pie, but this seems quite radical.

I would be milder if the old personnel would be involved in some way. They contributed too, back then.
 
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They already did the early material with Barlow on Days of Purgatory and it was great. Redoing the Barlow-era material is just idiotic and quite pathetic.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
They already did the early material with Barlow on Days of Purgatory and it was great. Redoing the Barlow-era material is just idiotic and quite pathetic.
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I confess I loved Days of Purgatory but it felt as a different undertaking to me with lots parts kept from the old recordings.

I think you guys are too much focusing on Barlow only. The music on (e.g.) Night of the Stormrider is as awesome as possible. That can never be improved.
 
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I'm not only focusing on Barlow, it's everything. With the exception of Burnt Offerings (of which they've already re-recorded the only worthy song in "Dante's Inferno), there's nothing wrong with the recording of any of the Barlow albums (at least not bad enough to require a full re-recording). The first album had terrible everything and Stormrider had average vocals.
 
Schaffer might agree with you or even find the old ones better than you. But he needs the money. It is going to be strange.
 
Yeah, I won't buy that. I like the sound of the original albums just fine, thanks very much.
 
I guess I don’t understand how this is gonna make him that much more money. The albums are already out there, most fans already have them. Sure, new fans will find them but they will mostly stream them. Is there some kind of legal right that Jon will have to put up these new albums online and in stores and remove the old versions owned by a label? Cause if not they’re just doubling up.

Also, how do new members make money off rights from old songs? They didn’t write them so their names still won’t be on them and writing credits are only real lucrative thing as far as recordings are concerned.

I just don’t understand the logic.
 
I guess he's going to bet on two horses. The old one will still be running even if it will hardly make money (in his view)*. I expect some extra promotion for the original versions (not by Iced Earth):

The first two albums:
"BY ORIGINAL LINE-UP"
The others:
"BY ORIGINAL LINE-UP FEATURING MATT BARLOW"

*it is a bit double edged if the side-effect is increase of original album sales:
A: the new albums sales could go down (competition)
B: he'll get more original album money
 
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Don’t see this making him any money, in fact it even seems like a waste of money. He probably (mistakenly) assumes that the new ones will be considered better and more definitive by the fans. They will probably cost more to make than the amount of money they’ll bring in. Dante’s Inferno 2011 was a nice curiosity but I’m not spending money on a whole album of that.

Something I would check out though is if they played an entire album live and recorded that.
 
I just think Schaffer is trying to rewrite his history. "Barlow? Who's Barlow? That guy? No no, that's not the real Iced Earth. Today is the real Iced Earth. These are going to be the best albums. Iced Earth fans are going to win, they're going to get so tired of winning."
 
Setlist of the opening night of the tour:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iced-earth/2018/garage-saarbrucken-germany-6be10a52.html

I've only just found out that they haven't played Iced Earth since 2014 :eek:

Assuming this setlist is correct, it's the first time they've played Travel In Stygian, Last December and the whole Something Wicked Trilogy with Stu.

Otherwise a pretty standard, but solid setlist. I would've liked to see Ghost Dance played.

So now Burnt Offerings and Gettysburg are the only big songs they haven't played live with Stu. They probably will on next album's tour or when Barlow comes back, or when they replace Stu with someone else :p
 
Gee, I'm glad I'm not an Iced Earth fan.

Yet.
 
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