SPIRIT - It Shall Be : The Ode & Epic Recordings 1968-1972

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by moops, Dec 21, 2017.

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  1. shadlet

    shadlet Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Has anyone compared the sound quality on these to the recent Procol Harum releases on Esoteric; specifically the Shine On Brightly box set, which I thought was pretty good?
     
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  2. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I’m almost exclusively an OG vinyl guy, including Spirit’s first few albums, but this set has filled in more than a few gaps for me. I’m thrilled with it, both for what’s included and for the sound, which I think is spectacular for CD. Sure the cover art and sequencing could have matched all the albums, but who would have thought that this nearly forgotten band would have this good a retrospective more then 40 years after the fact? The perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of the very good.:)
     
  3. moops

    moops Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Geebung, Australia
    I posted earlier in this thread that I wasn't going to bitch about sound quality, but as I make my way through this set, I felt I had to stop by and actually give it kudos for how it sounds. I just finished the Sardonicus / Feedback disc and I'm currently listening to the mono mix of the first album on disc four and this is a consistently great listen. Some care has been taken here, it sounds great !
    I really enjoyed Feedback, which for some reason I've neglected all these years.

    Anyone new to Spirit should grab this before it disappears. :thumbsup:
     
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  4. Ern

    Ern Senior Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    Can anyone confirm that 1984 is still Mono?
     
  5. I concur. Great sounding box from start to finish. Highly recommended.
     
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  6. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Hi Don...love Spirit too.

    I have an original MONO s/t promo, and for a fold down, it is likely one of my all time favorite mono listens. Doesn't sound like some of the later MONO folds. I don't know how they did it, but the MONO master is at least as good as the stereo version, and with a couple tracks (tho not possible) actually sound like completely different & amazing mixes.

    Anyone else a fan of that MONO mix??!


    (and yep, that Grape you shared rules!...thx again!)
     
  7. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    I am going to buy it today at the local purveyors of great music...I'll share pertinent info...if you're interested.

    Like my obsession with Love and Arthur Lee...can't get enough Spirit!

    :edthumbs:
     
  8. Bull Moose?
     
  9. Ern

    Ern Senior Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    Bump
     
  10. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Yep. Got it.
     
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  11. shadlet

    shadlet Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    How does Randy's guitar break on Ice sound, at about 2:08, from the Clear album?
    The Legacy and especially the Repertoire have major distortion there. The Edsel has the least distortion I have heard so far.
     
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  12. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    I am listening right now and I hear no distortion whatsoever at that point or at any point during the track. It is a wonderful remastering job - quiet, clean, with all the orchestra instruments sounding clearer than I've heard even from the original LP.

    A great headphones listen.


    [​IMG]


    Here is my review:

    Oh, and for the question of who did the high quality remastering:
    24 bit remastering by Bill Wiseman at Broadlake Studios, Herfordshire

    Of course the stereo mastering can't (and would be unfair) to compare it to Hoffman's SACD miracle Mobile Fidelity remasters, but this isn't brick-walled (so turn it up), and is really quite good, a high quality, reserved remastering job (minimalist, like Steve Hoffman's work)...and the first time on CD MONO 1968 LP (what I got it for) is very good....better than the stereo CD included, though that is still quite good too--
    --if I didn't have our hosts SACD cd to compare it to. Not fair, not fair at all.

    ;)

    The Clear remastering is quite wonderful , and using the original mix for the remastering of "The Family That Plays Together" is wonderful. That is all I've heard so far, but if that is any indication of the remainder, which I have no doubt it is, I am very satisfied--a completist's dream really.

    It is in a nice clamshell box, 5 CDs each in nice reproduction mini LP sleeves, with the corresponding album art on each CD also --really not cheap looking as indicated above, as I prefer a clamshell box to anything else; and the shiny glossy paper on the box is comparable to the Beatles MONO box along with those nice mini LP sleeves. No cool inner sleeves though.

    It is--the complete ODE/Epic years with Model Shop and many extras including Time Circle & Feedback, and as I said above, the original remastered 1968 stereo mix of "The Family That Plays Together" & first time ever MONO 1968 LP on CD. Cherry Red did a nice job. Love it.

    Read the Cherry Red Records notes below, or better yet (for Spirit fanatics), get it for yourself while it's still available! It has a nice little booklet (nothing earth shaking but still nice) with some nice pics of the members of Spirit. See the link below for the complete track listing.

    Spirit: It Shall Be, The Ode & Epic Recordings 1968 - 1972. 5CD Remastered Clamshell Boxset - Cherry Red Records

    Cheers
    LK
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2018
  13. Ern

    Ern Senior Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    Bump again
     
  14. Further

    Further Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Sure sounds like a mono mix to me. I hadn't heard the tune until just now, just threw it on to check it on headphones. Soundstage is dead center, except one strange thing. At the very beginning of the tune, the organ begins in the left channel and then pans into center, where the rest of the mix stays stable the rest of the time. I have nothing to compare it to, though. One thing that I found interesting in the notes is it lists "mono single mix", "mono mix", etc. beside other tracks in this collection but nothing beside 1984 and it's flip side, Sweet Stella Baby, just simply stating that they are "A & B sides of single - Released in 1970"
     
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  15. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    Interesting. On the Legacy Clear the opening organ chord of "1984" is mono. That is the only copy of the song I own currently.
     
  16. Ern

    Ern Senior Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    Intriguing...
    Thanks for the info
     
  17. art

    art Senior Member

    Location:
    520
    Does it sound good? Bill Wiseman's stuff is often a tad too bright, loud and compressed. Really want to get this.
     
  18. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    You really should, not too bright, loud or compressed.
     
    moops likes this.
  19. art

    art Senior Member

    Location:
    520
    thank you!
     
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  20. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    It is good. I agree with the above--not too bright, loud or too compressed.

    The only big difference is that Steve's MOBILE FIDELITY SACD sounds more widely separated between headphones or speakers, like a 60's mix should be. Wiseman's remaster (1968 st) sounds more central like a mono mix, but not quite mono. It is a tad less dynamic and possibly a bit flat...but still, if I didn't also have Hoffman's SACD I would think this is pretty darn good, still do. But I would almost say it was two different mixes, not just remastered.

    As far as the MONO 1968 st LP, I really like the job Wiseman did on that...and prefer it over Wiseman's stereo mix.

    And "Clear" sounds as good as I've heard. Very clean, crisp, well separated between left and right, with all the instruments (especially Clear's use of orchestra) sounding very distinct and dynamic.

    Can't wait to hear Hoffman's remaster, as Clear is pretty darn good on this Red Cherry box set. Today I need to listen to Wiseman's "The Family That Plays Together" touted as being remastered from the original 1968 mix. Should be great.
     
    art likes this.
  21. Dok

    Dok Senior Member

    All indications appear to say this won't be happening unfortunately. I had been waiting on it as well.
     
  22. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Darn!
     
  23. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    While we’re on the subject of Spirit, their 1975 double album Spirit of 76 is as good as the early LPs, though more rocking/psychedelic/spacey.
     
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  24. shadlet

    shadlet Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Cool! Thanks for the review.
    That is how the Shine On Brightly box was presented - a really handy little set.
    You mean Steve's "Audio Fidelity SACD" correct? Anyway, great review. Importcds has the box for $27 and change.
     
  25. tlake6659

    tlake6659 Senior Member

    Location:
    NJ
    Is the stereo mix on the first album on this set a remix (same as the sony legacy cd) or the original mix?
     
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