Thriller!

by

Cold Blood

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"Thriller" is to my mind essential Cold Blood. I've been surviving for twenty-five years off a cassette tape dubbed from a very scratchy copy of the album, checking periodically to see if it would ever be reissued. Truly, I can't imagine what took so long. This is the perfect blend of jazz, blues, and funk, the best the '70s, or any decade, has to offer. Of course the essential track is the cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." But the straight-ahead blues of "Feel So Bad" can't be beat. Neither can any other of the tracks for that matter. If you don't know Cold Blood, there's no better introduction than "Thriller." If you do know Cold Blood but don't know "Thriller," you need to buy this CD. Now.

In 2006, the first five CB titles were issued in Japan in LP-replica mini-sleeve CD format on the Bomba label:

COLD BLOOD - BOMBA BOM24086

SISYPHUS - BOMBA BOM24087

FIRST TASTE OF SIN - BOMBA BOM24088

THRILLER - BOMBA BOM24091

LYDIA - BOMBA BOM24092

The audio mastering on those discs are all superior to their Collectables/domestic counterparts.

If you really love these CB albums, get the Japanese releases before they are sold out, as all mini-sleeve CD's are limited edition.

They are certainly more expensive than the domestic CB titles, but are definitely worth the price.

Link to the Japanese remaster.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.