Billy Joel MFSL SACDs

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by afterm.ath, Mar 13, 2018.

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  1. afterm.ath

    afterm.ath my life! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philippines
    Do these SACDs sound great? Are they better than the stereo/surround single-layer SACD released back in the early 2000s? I'm planning to get The Stranger, 52nd Street, and Turnstiles on SACD but I'm not sure if I should get it.

    Side note, does a 35DP 52nd Street sound good?
     
  2. Lovealego

    Lovealego Senior Member

    I thought The Stranger and Nylon Curtain were not as good as I was expecting. The rest were great. Standouts are An Innocent Man, Songs in the Attic and Greatest hits Vol I & II. Those three sound especially good.

    Turnstiles MFSL has original New York State of Mind mix. Not very good sounding at all. The remix done for Greatest Hits and all remasters of Turnstiles sounds much better.
     
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  3. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Do you know if the original USA CD of Turnstiles has the remix or the original mix?
     
  4. Lovealego

    Lovealego Senior Member

    My old Turnstiles cd had the remix, but I believe the Japan mfr ones for USA may have had the original? Not entirely sure. I just know that the original was issued on early cd versions of Turnstiles. First time I heard it was the MFSL SACD and it was not what I was used to for that great song. It left me wanting the remix.

    Just listen to your disc. Does it have lots of hiss, and warbly piano opening? If so, its the original.
     
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  5. GLUDFSSR

    GLUDFSSR Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Greatest Hits sounds Great
     
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  6. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    OK, thanks.
     
  7. The Greatest Hits set is great. I'd even recommend it to mild Billy Joel fans if they enjoy SACD sound.
     
  8. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    The Greatest Hits is the best mastering. My favorite Billy Joel by MFSL. All other MFSL‘s are between okay and poor.
     
  9. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    I like them all, though some are slightly better than others. Having not heard the original SACDs, I would recommend the MOFI’s unreservedly. Not least because they’ll surely be OOP pretty soon and will cost a fortune to acquire then..

    Very fond of the Glass Houses SACD especially. Also, the AF disc of Streetlife Serenade is well worth getting too.
     
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  10. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    I don't think there ever was a JPN for USA cd for "Turnstiles."
     
  11. Lovealego

    Lovealego Senior Member

    I wouldn't call any BJ MFSL's poor. But yes, the Greatest Hits seems to be better than the studio albums. This was the same phenomenon with the Hall & Oates titles where the Greatest Hits sounded better than the individual albums of the same songs to me.

    Audio Fidelity did Glass Houses and 52nd Street which are as good as the MFSLs so you could get those instead. Might be more expensive though.
    Also Streetlife Serenade sounds fantastic on Audio Fidelity. I never knew this album very well until this issue and its better than I would have thought.

    I should note I have never listened to the SACD layers of these titles, only the redbook. I wonder if the closed in sound of Nylon Curtain and Stranger "open up" on the DSD layers.
     
  12. Instant Karma

    Instant Karma Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    My favorite Billy Joel album is Piano Man. In my opinion, there is no better sounding version than the MFSL. I had the Japanese 32 or 35 dp release previously, and got rid of it after I heard the MFSL. I am referring to both the redbook and SACD layers.
     
  13. nick99nack

    nick99nack Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spotswood, NJ
    Buy them all, especially Turnstiles for the original mix of "New York State of Mind".
     
  14. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    The MFSL Stranger and 52nd Street have a "dark" sound. At first I thought it was a muffled effect but at louder volume they really blossom. That said, the Sony SACD from the early 00's is the shiznit, plus 5.1.
     
  15. ShallowMemory

    ShallowMemory Classical Princess

    Location:
    GB
    It's beautifully packaged too.
     
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  16. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I couldn't agree more! In my case though my ears got used to the sound and I don't need to play it very loud to enjoy them.
     
    nick99nack likes this.
  17. afterm.ath

    afterm.ath my life! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philippines
    What's the difference between the original and new mix of NYSOM?
     
  18. afterm.ath

    afterm.ath my life! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philippines
    Considering buying it, but probably not since it doesn't have Vienna.
     
  19. Andreas

    Andreas Senior Member

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    The remix features a different --- in my opinion inferior --- saxophone solo.
     
  20. C6H12O6

    C6H12O6 Senior Member

    Location:
    My lab
    I'm not much of a Billy Joel fan, but I have to say the MFSL SACD's are consistently well done. Kudos to Rob LoVerde, he did an excellent job. A work friend of mine has them all and the Sony Essential 3.0 compilation in his office, and it's easy to hear the difference. Also pretty amazing how much compression comes into play once you get to the final albums, which may be why MFSL didn't license them. (And the late '80s stuff sounds terribly, terribly dated, partly because of the production.)

    Except for the re-recorded sax solo on "New York State of Mind," MFSL's Greatest Hits set feels like the Joel release to get thanks to the restoration of studio album versions on almost all other cuts. If one had to tweak the compilation, I'd use the original LP version of "New York State of Mind" and use the original studio version of "She's Got a Way" from Jamie Tate's transfer of the original vinyl pressing with some speed correction. Still would have plenty of room to spare if you want to include any missing favorites, and almost all of the missed songs included on Essential 3.0 from this era could be squeezed in.
     
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  21. afterm.ath

    afterm.ath my life! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philippines
    Does the MFSL SACD of Greatest Hits have Honesty? If so, is there somewhere I can purchase an affordable copy of it (used in at least VG condition or new)? If I choose to buy a Redbook version, where can I find the first pressing copy with Honesty on it (because from what I’ve heard, only the very first pressings have Honesty)?
     
  22. C6H12O6

    C6H12O6 Senior Member

    Location:
    My lab
  23. Rob Hughes

    Rob Hughes Forum Resident

    So, if I understand correctly, the MFSL Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2 has the same version of songs as on the MFSL albums, except for New York State of Mind, which gets the remix with the new sax solo (and of course The Entertainer from the un-MFSL'ed Streetlife Serenader). Is that correct? Or are there single edits on the MFSL Greatest Hits? TIA, RH
     
  24. fitzysbuna

    fitzysbuna Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    just wondering about the normal cd layer versions of these are they any good or should I look elsewhere ?
     
  25. fitzysbuna

    fitzysbuna Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    ok thanks ! I just wanted to make sure because sometimes the mastering is different on some of those SACD discs
     
    George P likes this.
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