Paradox Box Set Reviews

forgottenglory

forgottenglory

Earth. Soul. Rock n' Roll
Jan 26, 2003
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London, UK
www.forgottenglory.com
Have you got your Threshold Paradox Box Set yet? If you already have it, them please tell us what you liked about it? You don't have to limit yourself to the music. You can talk about the packaging if it struck something with you or the whole box set as a concept concept. What are your favourite tracks? etc. If you have any constructive critisicms then by all means voice them in a civilised manner.
 
Well cover is broken. If you (Rob) don't want to know what you are missing then don't read on!

The box. It is beautiful in itself, bold silver logo with the item name on three of the sides. Nice gloss card, and robust enough to protect the treasures within. It looks very professional and catches the eye.

The booklet. Intro by Karl. Sleeve notes that we have come to expect with accompanying two/three liners from band members all on a back drop of pics. Particularly like the WL pages with a copy of the Cult of The Immortal tape liner and the "slhouette" T shirt (did have one, went MIA many years ago). There is some great info in there just giving that little inside peak to the tracks and versions.

The format. I really like the way that each album is put in the spotlight with time relevant extras. The 8 disc idea really gives you a sense of difference and as someone has already said, is reminiscent of the vinyl days. That said it is a real pain if you are trying to clean the house whilst listening! I particularly like the snap shot covers viewed only through a giant T window.

The tracks. Truly excellent. Overall the tracks will be decided upon by the individual listener. We will all prefer different things but it is great to hear the variety, contemplate some very different versions and enjoy some new tracks (well, old new tracks or is it new old tracks?). But what you definitely get from this opus is a feel for the wide musical ability of the band. A couple of the more commercial sounding tracks also make me wonder what would have happened if those versions had been released at the time.

Rather than "review" tracks, some personal thoughts.

I can see why Fist Of Tongues wasn't used as it doesn't really get Thresholdy until about 2 minutes. But I would love it live. The other two newbies, Smile At The Moon and Half Way Home just go to confirm the wide musical spectrum the band is capable of covering but chooses not to.

Interesting to hear DW on Conceal the Face, the cassette track that Jon's vocal was always hardest to sing along to! Also good to see Shifting Sands unleashed on the world.

Of the reworks etc. it is great to hear such things as the extras in Somatography and the version of Turn On Tune In.

My overall rating is this is astounding. The whole package is breathtaking and it took me a while to even play a track. This box is definitely amongst the absolute best items in my musical collection and ranks alongside much bigger named artists.

Can't wait to see them play in Zoetermeer and already counting the days until the next album.
 
forgottenglory said:
Do you think because it's too much work given the quantity of material to review?
Click to expand...

Absolutely!

I have already said that Paradox is a treasure box. I'm still digesting it and to give a complete review is impossible.
I'll do it in chunks then.
The track I find myself listening to most is Half Way Home with Glynn Morgan on vocals. It says so on the booklet, that his vocals only improved over time, and yes, there is no doubt about that. The harmonies in the chorus are simply out of this world.
Glynn's is THE voice for Threshold, again IMO.
Karl's guitar solo on that track is nay bad either, to say the least but then we all know he is THE guitar voice of Threshold anyway. :)
 
phonic said:
Absolutely!
I have already said that Paradox is a treasure box. I'm still digesting it and to give a complete review is impossible.
I'll do it in chunks then.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, then it is perfectly alright to review whatever you're comfortable with. You could always come back as many times as you like to leave you thoughts as you go through the bounty.

BurningDownTheMiddle said:
Interesting to hear DW on Conceal the Face,
Click to expand...

Conceal The Face is my favourite track on Wireless! I'm very curious to hear what it sounds like with Damian.
 
I nearly answered this thread at about half past nine this morning, but accidentally descended into incoherent raving (Yeah, I know, that hasn't stopped me before :loco:)

So... "Paradox" then...

I am going to go on about the presentation. This type of thing reminds me of poring over my Dad's LP collection when I was a kid. Does anyone else come over all nostalgic at the smell of LPs?

I like that it's all shiny with silver bits.
I like the extremely satisfactory way it opens and closes
I like that its just asking to be autographed by the whole band!
I like that it says "Made in England"! :)
I like that each disc is in its own sleeve with the album cover peeping thru.
I like that the discs are all black with the sort of embossed effect for the band logo.
I always like the notes on individual tracks from Rich and Karl
I like the double page spreads for each disc with all the photos and knicknacks
I especially like that the design has been kept in house thanks to the inestimable Mr Pete Morten. :worship:

I have only listened to the discs twice, but so far I'm loving "Half Way Home", "Conceal the Face" and the acoustic version of "Safe to Fly". Possibly more on that after a few more spins!

Rant over.
 
phonic said:
The track I find myself listening to most is Half Way Home with Glynn Morgan on vocals.
Click to expand...

Glynn's vocals on this release are superb.

forgottenglory said:
Conceal The Face is my favourite track on Wireless! I'm very curious to hear what it sounds like with Damian.
Click to expand...

Better than it did with Jon (sorry Jon). Again DW shows his ability to own any track
 
Wow, what a awesome release. Glynn Morgans vocals are super impressive, and it really made me miss him being in the band. Really a cool release. Top Notch must have!
 
My initial thoughts:

The packaging and art work is first class. My only gripe is that I find myself getting up every 15 minutes or so to change to the next CD. Maybe a DVD with all the tracks on (in addition to the 8 CD's) would have been good. However, I can see how it forces the listener to go chronologically through threshold's catalogue and consider each gem within the context of the relevent time/album/lineup. Whilst listening to the 8 cd's in order one cannot but help making comparisons between the various lineups. I have to say that Damian's and Glynn's vocals standout. Mac has a good voice but IMHO his vocals do not fit the Threshold sound as well. Also, the present rythm section (bass and drums) is just so much better than in previous lineups. There are no weak tracks. CD2 with Glynn's vocals is the one I am playing most if I am not listeing to all 8 CD's. Mac's voice is suited to the quieter material and shines on the acoustic version of "Safe To Fly".

Finally, for the price this boxed set represents great value.
 
The packaging is stunning. The CD covers in black with the original cover shining through the T are especially beautiful. I also love the booklet with a double page for each of CD’s and some words on each of the songs. It’s great to hear the familiar songs in different versions because it makes me look at them from a different angle. My favourite track at the moment is ‘Conceal The Face’ and the one I’m not so sure about yet is ‘Long Way Home’.

I think that all three Threshold vocalists are very good and did a great job but I must say that I like Damian’s voice best and hope he’ll stay with Threshold for a long time.
 
I just wanna say that the new edited version of Paradox simply rocks!

I was a bit surprised that Pete didn't get to play on any of the unreleased tracks. But even more surprised that he was responsible forthe artwork. Great job!
 
Just got the box set today! First of all thanks to Karl for his generosity! YOU ROCK! \m/

There is no way I will be able to write a review of everything right now. There is just too much material to go through. I'm going to listen to one CD per day and review them as I go along
 
Arrived today. Wonderful package, I'm just putting CD no.3 in the player, but there's something I already want to say: Damian is a great singer and a great person, but Glynn has made an amazing performance! He's great on both the faster (Fist Of Tongues) and the slower song (Half Way Home)... I don't know if Damian is officially the "new" singer, if not Glynn may be a great option
 
CD ONE: PARADOX REVIEW

First of all, let me start by congratulating Pete Morten for the excellent graphic work. It all looks very slick and expensive. Opening the box set is like opening a box of chocolates and finding all those strange and wonderful shapes! My face especially lit up when I discovered the artwork on the individual sleeves. Very well done!

I have never been a big fan of the radio edit versions especially after hearing album epics The radio edits always sound like violent digital abortions. However, when I put on the CD, the first think that struck me was the immaculate production! One would hardly believe that this is a DTF release.

Conceal The Face: is my favourite track on Wireless mainly because of the lush keyboard parts which is the driving melody of the song. So I was anxious to hear what it was going to sound like on full electric. Although I miss the keyboard parts of the acoustic version I was left in awe of the intensity of the guitar parts which replaced the keyboards. There are very few guitar players who actually 'speak' to me with their instrument. Karl Groom is one such guitar player and one of the reason why I'm so enamored of Threshold. The guitars in that song grab me by the heart and take me to new heights of emotions which can only be experienced listening to Threshold. I also enjoyed how the keyboards take a back seat to create that particularly larger than life effect (classic Richard West baby!) in the background to support the passionate guitar wailing of Mr. Groom. Damian on vocals sounds so at ease on that song reminds me why I love Wounded Land so much and why it has a special place in my heart. Conceal The Face could easily have been on Wounded Land. What a great version and one I would definitely like to hear live! Well done boys!

Shifting Sands: I really love Richard's keyboards on this one. It has an interesting Eastern vibe to it which echoes the word 'desert' in sands. One of my gripes about Dead Reckoning was that some of the guitar solos were too short and left the feeling that they were incomplete. More could have been said but they were shortened to have a more commercial appeal. I really love the guitar solo on Shifting Sands! It's passionate, epic, most importantly sounds complete and therefore totally satisfying! I would love to see Threshold have longer guitar solos like that on future releases. You can always edit them out for your radio versions! It's so good to hear Damian's voice: my favourite University professor!
 
The more I read, the more I hate the fact I can't afford to get it! :(
Although my knowledge of the product is very limited, I have to say the plain but bold cover is fantastic. It gives it a very prestigious look, which is exactly what a best-of singles and rare B sides box set should have!

FG, I look forward to seeing your individual reviews of each cd :loco:

I may have to sell a kidney so I can buy it....
 
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