Amazon JP exclusive Paramount BDs

Amazon Japan often offers exclusive packages of BD/DVDs,
such as steelbooks.

On August 3, 2012, as a tie-in promotion with Paramount Pictures' 100th anniversary,
they will release 12 of Paramount's BD titles in special digipack.

Although they come with some lobby cards and poster cards,
they are just repackagings of previously available titles.
But if you like digipack, and/or tend to be tempted with the words like "limited" and "exclusive", they may be of your interest.

Amazon JP's promotional page is here.

Leon: Integral Version

• 133-min version
• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

Saving Private Ryan: Special Collector's Edition

• 2-disc set
• Miniature replica of Japanese theatrical souvenir book (24 pages, 105 x 148mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Each has:

• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

Top Gun: Special Collector's Edition

• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

The Untouchables: Special Collector's Edition

• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

The Hunt for Red October: Special Collector's Edition

• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

Ghost: Special Collector's Edition

• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

Godfather: Parts I-III

Each has:

• 3 lobby cards (130 x 160mm)
• 1 poster card of the original poster artwork (160 x 130mm)

BTW, Paramount itself will release repackaged Godfather trilogy boxset on August 10:

The disc contents are identical to the previous set.

Chicago Live in Japan - a Japanese engineer's recollection

As I wrote before, Warner Music Japan recently re-released
Chicago's "Live in Japan" album (1972) in mini-LP replica style CD.



To promote this release, Warner Music Japan's official YouTube channel
has 2-part interview with Tomoo Suzuki, the recording engineer of the album.
He also supervised the remastering of this reissue.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Since it's in Japanese only and there's no CC available,
I'm afraid it's useless for most foreigners.

However each part has a sample audio from the remastered album near the end,
"Low Down" (Japanese version) (at 6:20 of Part 1) and
"25 or 6 to 2" (at 5:40 of Part 2).

Also, after "25 or 6 to 2", they look at the actual mini-LP and shows what's inside (at 8:16).

FYI, here are some tidbits from the interview:

• When they asked the live recording, Japanese side didn't expect the band would agree, especially after the Carnegie Hall live album.
• The band asked Japanese side to prepare all the equipments, while they would bring American producer and engineer(s) to Japan.
• The recording was done with a pair of 8-track 1/2 inch tape recorders.
• While the tour started in Tokyo, Japanese team deliberately chose Osaka for the recording.
  They expected Tokyo would be a "good rehearsal" for the band, which would make them feel much comfortable in Osaka.
  Also, they figured audience in Osaka would show more excitement and appreciation honestly than those in Tokyo, who often behave too well-mannered and stay calm.
• Japanese-language version of "Low Down" was a complete surprise for Japanese, including the recording crew.
• While many live albums have "fixes" (especially today), it's not possible for this album, simply because the band had returned home.
  Suzuki also said "equipments those days were much simpler, there's less room for manipulations. So you get what the band performed".
• At the time, Suzuki was 25 years old and only one year experience as a recording engineer/mixer, and mostly served as an assistant. He was very surprised when James William Guercio personally told him to do the mixing down.
• After Wayne Tarnowski examined the recording at Roppongi sutdio and gave general directions, he returned home. The rest was up to Japanese crew.
• When mixing down was finished, they sent the result as a laquer disc to America, and it was accepted for the release.
• Some time later Suzuki visited America for study and met Guercio again, who told him it was very good. "I felt very happy," Suzuki said.
• The success of this album led Suzuki to many other "Live in Japan" projects, suh as Beck, Bogart & Appice, Santana, Mountain, Bob Dylan, Cheap Trick.
  "Without this album, my life would have been completely different," Suzuki said.