ABKCO Announces Sam Cooke SACD Remastered Series

Earlier this week, ABKCO Records announced that they plan to release 4 of Sam Cooke’s classic albums as single inventory, Hybrid Layer SACDs in the U.S. and Canada. The Hybrid SACDs are playable on SACD, CD and SACD compatible DVD players.

The Sam Cooke Remastered Series follows in the steps of ABKCO’s SACD Remastered Series by the Rolling Stones. As we’ve previously reported, the Stones Remastered Series has been very successful, moving over 2.6 Million SACD discs worldwide.

With the success of the Stones SACD series, ABKCO officials had previously indicated that it was likely that they would release other titles from their catalog in the SACD format. This week’s announcement confirms that is indeed the case.

According to a statement from ABKCO: «Nearly 40 years after he cut his last record, Sam Cooke continues to influence generation after generation. From gospel to new wave, from rockers to rappers, nearly every form of popular music today bears the unmistakable imprint of the legendary Sam Cooke. The infectious melodies, the smooth styling, and of course, that incredible voice. Now the legend that is Sam Cooke lives again, restored and remastered to the highest possible standards using DSD technology on dual layer hybrid SACDs.»

Sam Cooke Remastered Series
The Sam Cooke Remastered Series from ABKCO Records will include 3 Hybrid Stereo SACDs as well as a Hybrid Multichannel SACD release that will feature a 5.1 surround remix. All 4 of these discs are scheduled to be «available in stores» in the U.S. and Canada on June 17th. The SACDs are as follows:

Hybrid Layer Multichannel SACD

  • Sam Cooke at the Copa

    Hybrid Layer Stereo SACDs

  • Ain’t That Good News
  • Keep Movin’ On
  • Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964

    Sam Cooke SACDs Available Internationally
    ABKCO also announced that the 4 Sam Cooke Remastered Series SACDs mentioned above will be distributed internationally (outside the U.S. and Canada) by Universal Music International. Again, this follows the arrangement ABKCO used with the Rolling Stones Remastered SACDs.

    In an interesting twist, I’m told that the album «Tribute to the Lady» by Sam Cooke will also be available outside the U.S. and Canada from Universal Music International as a Hybrid Stereo SACD. I assume the reason that this SACD is not available in the U.S. and Canada markets is due to ownership rights to the material on this album.

    High Fidelity Review reporter Brett Rudolph was at the launch event:

    The party allowed people to hear from the first time tracks from Sam at the Copa, which Abkco has remixed into multi-channel format. Although I am not usually a huge fan of studios remixing titles to 5.1, this is definitely an exception, it is extremely well done, and adds another dimension. There is definitely a notable difference in presence and tone, and while the newly remastered tracks are great, the tracks we were able to listen to in surround sound were nothing short of amazing, given the sources they had to work from.

    About a week later, having listened extensively to the demo disc that the company provided, I can honestly say that ABKCO has once again shown just how well an aging recording can sound if it’s remastered correctly. Both the stereo SACDs and the multichannel SACD should be worth adding to your collection. Sam Cooke at the Copa — Coming to Hybrid Multichannel SACD in June