Platinum SHM-CD Issues from Japan

Last year Island Records in Japan started to reissue (again!) vinyl replicas of all the Queen albums on the new Platinum SHM-CD format. As the name suggests the metal part of the disc on these CDs is platinum, which is supposed to have an impact on the sound quality. So far A Night At The Opera, News Of The World and Queen have been issued, with Sheer Heart Attack due for release in March. At the same time there is a similar release with plain old SHM-CDs.

I've just bought the three available albums, and I've got to say they look great. Of course, this is about the 12th CD issue of these albums in Japan, but this has to be one of the best.

Each album comes in it's own box, which as always has an OBI. Inside the box is the disc, all of which are a rather nice green colour, and the vinyl replica sleeve. The sleeves match the original UK issue and there is also a replica of the original Japanese OBI (which was included in the 2008 issue, but not the 1998 or 2004). The original inner sleeves are also included, and there is a lyric booklet as well with English and Japanese text.

All in all, as album reissues go, I really like them.

Fascinating! Thank you so much for the information and photographs! That made my day! Oh hell yeah!

Don't throw out your old cd's. As an audiophile I can tell you that 99% of remasters are a downgrade. Buy if you like, just don't give up your old ones. Look up "loudness war" and see why. Queen is meant to be fully dynamic.

[QUOTE] [b]the dude 1366 wrote:[/b]

Don't throw out your old cd's. As an audiophile I can tell you that 99% of remasters are a downgrade. Buy if you like, just don't give up your old ones. Look up "loudness war" and see why. Queen is meant to be fully dynamic. [/QUOTE]

No serious Queen fan would ever do that.

These look great...
I'll start saving...

Thanks for sharing!

I'm no expert on audiophile issues, but how exactly can the material of the disc improve the sound quality? Isn't the music on CDs' a bunch of 0's and 1's regardless of the material?

It's like claiming that the sound quality of CD-R copies made on Sony -brand discs is better than the copies on Maxell -brand.

You're not wrong, its like people who claim a £200 hdmi cable gives a better picture than a £5 one, all they do is transfer zeros and ones.

I understand the contrast in the songs but there is without doubt that there are a good many Queen songs that are WAY to extreme in volume from one direction to the other. It makes some of them unlistenable. You turn it up to hear parts of songs that you would not otherwise and then it is too loud. You turn it down and then you miss parts of songs. So I would welcome some changes concerning that.

great version, but the cd label is so sad

Jam, would you mind posting a photo of one of the CD's data sides, with a regular CD next to it so we can make a visual comparison? :-)

[QUOTE] [b]DLCVinnuendo wrote:[/b]
great version, but the cd label is so sad[/QUOTE]

I actually kinda like it, but it would be so much better if the track listing was actually on there!