This is now released anyone have an opinion yet? Thanks

I have had this a few days and although I understood stack work it was never something I had time to really take the time with - If that makes sense?

However with Tom's stack and teaching it has re-ignited the child within me to test myself to see whether an older mind can still memorize a lot of information!

The extra information on the DVD's really helps sell the deck being mixed or able to be shuffled and mixed.

There is a subtlety on disc 2 that I feel is worth the price of the DVD alone, I will not say what it is as I feel it should be kept underground.

On the downside the recording quality I feel is poor but maybe this is just my copy of the DVDs also the constant images and music between the performance clips and the teaching of the performance is really annoying as this is very loud and the explaination dialogue is quite quiet - I kept having to mute it!

On a final note I feel this is one of my favorite purchases in a while as it can be used in many ways.

Tom has also been helpful regarding a few question's and is always willing to share his thoughts and advice.

I hope this helps with a possible purchase decision, if not feel free to contact Marc Lavelle at World Magic Shop and I am sure he will answer any further questions.

Kind Regards
Rob.

Thanks for that Rob. I'm awaiting my copy in the post.

Given the delay in getting this one to market, any sound quality issues are inexcusable....especially given how often Penn and Petty rant about poor production values. Be interested to see if all copies have those same issues.

My copy is on its way, so I should be able to let you know soon. Although I must admit, I have never been that impressed with the production value o WMS products. Tom, however, is a good friend and I know he's been working on getting this out there for a LONG time. I look forward to watching it.

Hi All! I know this shows as my first post but it is not lol. I don't have the email address I registered with and thus couldn't get my password so a new account it is I guess


Anyway, I pre-ordered this and received it today so I just wanted to throw my two cents in as a "review". I humbly acknowledge that while being a professional magician for about 15 years I am by no means a name in any magic circle so please know that my thoughts here do not come from any "authoritative" viewpoint. I give a lot of credit to any magician willing to publish material and subject themselves to the critique of "peers".

I have used the Aronson stack almost daily for about 10 years now and I am a sucker for buying anything that has anything to do with the mem deck. I own just about every piece I can get my hands on that anyone has published about stacks or mem deck work. While I have not memorized any deck but the Aronson stack, I am very familiar with all the usual suspects mentioned when talking about mem decks. I was very eager to get this set because of that.

If you are TOTALLY new to mem deck work or have considered learning one but never did a lot of research or decided on one, I will save you the time of reading the rest of this review and simply say that you could do far worse than "Recall" as an entry point. The set teaches a neat stack with some neat features, covers normal seights that are used in conjunction with a mem deck and has some nice effects for you to work with as well. While the learning os the stack is explained in this set, it is done so very briefly but in enough detail that you should have no problem getting started on your learning.

So why was I disappointed? Well, the marketing for this set pumped up that if you're new to mem deck you should buy this and if you've used a mem deck for awhile then you HAVE to buy this. While I don't really pay attention to magic ad copy all that much I did feel it was an interesting statement. That's where I become disappointed. The slights taught are all items that others have published elsewhere (credited well by Tom, give credit where do), and the effects are all effects that have been published elsewhere as well with slight variations (sometimes VERY slight). The stack itself is nice and has a few bells and whistles built in that can be used without having to learn the stack but you need to want those specific bells and whistles to even think about dropping the stack you know to learn the Shadow Stack.



Now, having said that, being very used to mem deck work I have to say I was slightly disappointed in this set. From a presentation standpoint, the quality is fine. It isn't stellar but there's nothing that is glaringly annoying about the camera or sound. I see above that volume was an isuue for someone but it was not an issue on my copy. My copy did have 2 points during explanations on disc two where the audio was muted for about 10 seconds each time right in the middle of explanations. I don't know if this is just my copy or an error in mass production.

The subtlety DrRob mentions above on disc 2 is nice, but DrRob and I will have to respectfully disagree with it being worth the price of the dvd set.

You can tell Tom is passionate about the mem deck which makes for nice presentation but Craig Petty should have ironed his shirt for the recording though (I luv ya Craig, just taking a friendly poke at ya there!)

All in all, will I learn the Shadow Stack...probably not. I do many versions of the routines on the set already (including a diary routine of Simon Aronson's) and the few features of the stack don't appeal to me enough to learn a new stack JUST for them but they may appeal to others....again it's just my humble opinion.

Bottom line: I am glad I have it for collection sake and Tom did a very nice job with the set but I won't be using the stack and I think it is a nice place to get into mem deck work if you aren't already but long time mem deck workers probably aren't going to find much they don't already know and/or use.

Thanks!
Mike

Great review Mike, thanks

That's a fair review Mike - thanks for that.

The whole point of the project was to make memorised decks more accessible (if that's the right way of putting it) to performers who have never come across the tool before.
I wanted it to be a complete teaching aid from beginner to mem-deckspert - although I agree the "if you already use a mem deck you have to buy this" was maybe a little over the top (marketing was out of my hands!)

On the whole - I think the project acheived it's goal - it has gotten many more magicians into the realm of memorised decks - including some young magicians.

Thanks for the kind words!

No problem Tom!

Having your work at the mercy of a marketing department has its drawbacks!

I agree with you. The project hits on everything a new mem deck worker is going to need to get started, has some routines that can be used while still learning the stack and then moves to routines that require solid recall of the stack. It covers the entire range of everything a new user will need to work some AMAZING effects. If that was your personal goal with the project then you should be very proud sir.

Looking forward to your future creations!
-Mike

Interested in this but have so far not been able to find a list of deck features. Is there one available?

Cheers,

Jamie.

Just finished my first look through this set, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I, too, noticed one or two explanations where the sound was briefly muted. One should note that it was mere seconds, and during the beginning of the explanation. Nothing required to learn the material is missing.
I also noted that the 'Play All' button on the first disc doesn't actually 'play all', but rather restarts the menu.

Minor flaws, in all. Sounds levels are good, sound is clear, and even in dark or noisy areas during the live performances, everyhting is easily seen and heard.

Jamie,

You asked for features.
- The top half of the stack is based around a 3-phase gambling demo.
- 26 cards can be spelt to, without using any estimation.
- A CAAN a la Shin Lim's Think, but without the drawbacks.
- The deck is set up to function as a pump deck.
- A story deck routine is built in.
- A relatively easy Ace production.

Just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm sure Tom will chime in here.

Just one comment. I had no sound issue with my set and my hearing isn't all that good.

Gil Scott

Don't forget the any called for Poker Hand Denis! You can cut the deck and deal out any poker hand you want.

There are a few other smaller features - but those are the major ones - oh re. the spelling features - you can also spell to 5 four of a kinds (5s, 6s, 7s, 8s & 9s)

Relatively easy ace production - if you can count to 4 you can get the 4 aces. The one on the DVD was just a fancier way of doing it.

Anyone know what the method was behind the development of the shadow stack? Was there any logic applied to the order of the cards?

Well, I memorized the shadow stack and watched the dvd's. Definitely good for a general all purpose memorized deck set of tricks but I'd like to expand upon some of the tricks taught. The Spellmaster trick could use a little work. Has anyone thought of any spellmaster 2.0 versions?

Cheers,
Milan

Does anybody here that bought Recall ? Please p.m me! Thank!