---

Posted by ftg3plus4 on 05-07-2010 at10:05:

  A Briefing For The Ascent (CD vs LP)

I originally got this album on LP, and when I replaced it with the CD I was surprised to find that several things had been edited out:

(1) The introductory sketch performed by Terry and (I assume) Greg.

(2) Most of the long lead-in to "Going Home."

(3) The little spoken "instructional cassette" intros ("Part 3 - The Battle").

While the removal of (3) was a definite improvement, I've been curious as to whether there is, or might be coming up, a CD edition that restores (1) and (2). Anyone know?

---

Posted by audiori on 05-07-2010 at11:07:

 

I believe we have the master that includes all of the edited stuff so it could certainly be restored if Terry wanted to do that. I don't know which version he prefers.

There has been talk about bringing back both Knowledge & Innocence and Briefing.. possibly even as a set. (This is not an official announcement of anything.. just mentioning that it has been on our minds) So far nothing is definite.. everyones attention has been on the new Dogs stuff, the Return to the Neverhood and other things.

---

Posted by ftg3plus4 on 05-07-2010 at11:18:

 

As far as I'm concerned, the perfect version would restore (1) and (2) but keep (3) out.

Speaking of K&I, I noticed that the CD version edited one really small thing from the LP version: the "scratchy-record" outro of "Riders of the Western Skies." Not a big loss there, of course.

---

Posted by Jimmy Brown on 05-10-2010 at08:56:

  RE: A Briefing For The Ascent (CD vs LP)

quote:

Originally posted by ftg3plus4 I originally got this album on LP, and when I replaced it with the CD I was surprised to find that several things had been edited out: (1) The introductory sketch performed by Terry and (I assume) Greg. (2) Most of the long lead-in to "Going Home." (3) The little spoken "instructional cassette" intros ("Part 3 - The Battle"). While the removal of (3) was a definite improvement, I've been curious as to whether there is, or might be coming up, a CD edition that restores (1) and (2). Anyone know?

This is why I kept my cassette even after I got the CD. I liked even the segments that were just footsteps between songs. It really tied the album together.

---

Posted by DwDunphy on 05-10-2010 at14:16:

 

While I like all the dialogue intros and such, the only really annoying thing is how "Where Dreams Come True" is chopped almost in half. It could be that Terry didn't like the falsetto singing on it, or thought it had become too precious over time, but I take the stand that it is what it is. Chopping the song like that just seemed so extreme.

---

Posted by dennis on 05-16-2010 at06:56:

 

I prefer the CD version.
All that extraneous stuff just gets in the way of the music.

---

Posted by sondance on 05-17-2010 at23:15:

 

wow, i got in the way of the music once... it was not a pretty sight

---

Posted by dennis on 05-18-2010 at18:21:

 

Right?

---

Posted by sondance on 05-18-2010 at21:53:

 

left

---

Posted by jyroflux on 05-18-2010 at23:23:

 

she's gone

---

Posted by pegotico on 05-18-2010 at23:28:

 

yep but where?

---

Posted by John Foxe on 05-19-2010 at13:40:

  More is better than less

I'd like to see the whole recording restored, meaning everything on the cassette, plus any outtakes & extras on the end.

If you separate out the interludes into separate tracks, then whoever doesn't like it can rip/reburn as they see fit. This way should please everyone.

---

Posted by dennis on 05-22-2010 at04:35:

 

Less is more.

Maybe as a double version?

Have the first disc be "stripped down" and the Second disc be "pimped out."

---

Posted by ftg3plus4 on 07-21-2010 at13:21:

 

quote:

Originally posted by DwDunphy the only really annoying thing is how "Where Dreams Come True" is chopped almost in half. It could be that Terry didn't like the falsetto singing on it, or thought it had become too precious over time, but I take the stand that it is what it is. Chopping the song like that just seemed so extreme.

I didn't notice anything like that. Am I just not remembering the LP version very well or do you have a different CD version??

---

Posted by DwDunphy on 07-22-2010 at15:39:

 

On my CD, I have only the last verse and chorus. The rest is gone. It's not a disc flaw as the edit is perfectly added in, but if there are CD versions that actually have three verses on it, then now I'm feeling kinda burned.

---

Posted by ftg3plus4 on 07-23-2010 at06:54:

 

quote:

Originally posted by DwDunphy On my CD, I have only the last verse and chorus. The rest is gone. It's not a disc flaw as the edit is perfectly added in, but if there are CD versions that actually have three verses on it, then now I'm feeling kinda burned.

Can you give me the track titles & times on your copy, as well as what label it's on? I want to compare to mine.

---

Posted by ftg3plus4 on 03-21-2022 at14:00:

 

I know this is a really old thread, but...

I have been in the process of creating a custom "hybrid" version of BRIEFING, with the main stuff restored that was edited out of the CD version, but also with most of the intrusive spoken parts ("Part x - The X") still left out.

I decided to check into DwD's comments about "Where Dreams Come True," and sure enough the CD version was 2:59 in comparison to the LP version of 4:26. Overall, it looks like the CD version is some 4 minutes shorter than the LP.

I may have some comments about the album later, but I just wanted to mention this part now.

---

Posted by Jimmy Brown on 03-22-2022 at18:11:



I can't get to my cassette copy at the moment; it's in the back of the closet shelf. But discogs lists the time as 2:59 for that version. On the other hand, it lists 2:59 for all versions. I remember all the words from the lyrics on the site here, so I'm not sure what may have been cut.

Can you tell what makes up the additional 1'25"?

My CD version (1993, Frontline) has the whole 2:59. The final verse and chorus start at 1:40, which would have DwDunphy's version only 1:19, or 1:34 if they included the instrumental music from the beginning of the song. Seems extreme to cut it short like that.

---

Posted by ftg3plus4 on 03-23-2022 at07:06:

 

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy Brown Can you tell what makes up the additional 1'25"? My CD version (1993, Frontline) has the whole 2:59. The final verse and chorus start at 1:40, which would have DwDunphy's version only 1:19, or 1:34 if they included the instrumental music from the beginning of the song. Seems extreme to cut it short like that.

They didn't cut the song down from 2:59 to something even shorter. They cut the song down from 4:26 to 2:59. (So technically the difference is 1:27.)

I did a comparison between the LP and CD versions, and here's what's different.

The LP version starts with footstep sounds and "Part 4: The Ascent."
Verse 1 is "You come to me in silence of the night."
Verse 2 is "The stars come nightly to the ancient sky."
Verse 3 is a repeat of verse 1.
At the end Terry sings: "To be with you where dreams come true / To be with you where dreams come true," with the last 4 words sung higher.

The CD version starts at a point about 1:20 into the LP version. Thus, the intro (footsteps etc.), the 1st verse & 1st chorus are all cut off. Also, at the end, the bars with the last 4 words are edited out, so the song ends with "To be with you."

Honestly, I wouldn't have noticed that the song was shorter if DwD hadn't pointed it out, and I wouldn't have known what was cut out without carefully comparing the versions.

---

Posted by Jimmy Brown on 03-24-2022 at06:20:



Thanks for the explanation! Now I need to dig out my cassette. I know it has the "footsteps and 'Part 4: The Ascent'" part, but I don't remember if it has all the rest.

Then I need to buy a cassette player.