Doobie Brothers the Captain and Me half speed

Has anyone heard the most recent pressing of the Doobie Brothers the Captain and Me half speed master? It just started shipping from Music Direct a few weeks ago. What do you all consider the definitive version of this album. I have an unknown pressing from the 70's, and the WB regular CD. I would like to hear the DVD-A version of this album, but it seems that its a multichannel format only. Any comments? Thanks!

 

Olive label WB US. I had a German LP WEA/WB that was real close too.

This record is often found in the dollar bin, don't forget, even 1st pressings.

 

Actually, the DVD-Audio is a two-sided disc with stereo on one side and surround on the other. I think it sounds great.

 

REALLY!?!?! You just made me one happy man! Thank you!

 

This is a great album that really deserves the Hoffman treatment.

I have 2 LP copies, both on the palm WB label. Just out of curiosity, was this LP ever issued in quadraphonic? I ask because although I can find no discernable markings on one copy it's distinctly different from the other-- parts just aren't there, more like you can barely hear them in the background-- whereas the other copy is full and intact. I've got no way to play quadraphonic LP's, so I don't know how to tell for sure.

John

 

You can play quad albums in stereo, you just won't get the effects as intended, but yes, the album was released in quad. Catalog # for it is BS4-2694. There's one on eBay now, has the QuadraDisc logo right below the "The" in "The Doobie Brothers"

 

For anyone who is interested, don't buy the new 1/2 speed master. It does not sound good. There is no headroom and it sounds like everything above 12K is rolled off. Although it sounds like a very quiet pressing, I have my eye on the DVD-A, I'm hoping for the best.

 

Ever buy the DVD-A? I am thinking about it but they run some 90 bucks new on Amazon

 

What about the Speaker Corners, "The Captain and Me that Kevin Gray remastered? How does it sound?

 

I have it as well and i agree with your assessment, it's a very dull and disappointing version, i also have friday's music "America" pressing which also is very disappointing.

 

I never heard an US first press, but the original German copy I have is one of the most impressive LPs in my collection.

 

Really? I have US WB WLP and, typical of Ted Templeman productions, there is little bass and thin sound. Hardly a reference-grade recording. IMHO, of course.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on this. I too have been wondering about the new vinyl release and was contemplating whether or not to buy...I was lucky enough to get the DVD-A of this from our Forum classifieds and really look forward to hearing it. I would still like to have a really nice sounding LP of this though. Can anyone comment on the question posed earlier about the Speaker's Corner pressing? What about Nautilus half-speed? I'm always looking for the olive green WB but no luck so far...

 

The olive WB US original I have sounds great. The quad is OK. The Nautilus is OK. The DVD-A is fantastic. Have not listened to my SC yet.

 

Get yourself a West German pressing on LP. That's as good as vinyl gets or get an Olive Green US pressing. Both sound very nice. Much less outlay on top of that!

 

The DVD-a disc is one of the better sounding Hi rez discs I have. Well worth it, though I bought mine for 15 bucks when it first came out.....

 

The West-german pressing is the LP I usually grab for reference or to impress my friends. Not thin at all. Very nice bass and treble extension, very balanced sound.

Just like you said.

 

I will have to re-audition this, then. I assume a US WLP is as good as it gets, but who knows... Not a huge Doobs fan, so I will not investigate further in terms of acquiring pressing variations, but I will clean & listen and report back.

 

+1

 

The Captain & Me is one of my favorite albums.

I recently picked up the Friday Music half speed / 180 gram vinyl (2009). It sounds excellent. It even beats a number of original cuttings, which are all over the place due to so many cuttings (a huge selling LP). The 180 gram is nicely balanced, with a clean, smooth extended low end, smooth top end (not rolled off or dull as reported), quiet surfaces, and cleaner detail than any other copy except the US -1C and late 1970's white label -1A cuttings. To me it sounds similar to Steve's A.P. Creedence vinyls as they relate to the best CCR originals: more open sounding, warm, smooth extension top & bottom, overall a slightly more relaxed or polite presentation. The most 'audiophile sounding' release of this album that I listened to. The US -1A, 1B & 1C are all compressed in comparison to the 180 gram. Because of this they come across with better attack, they rock a bit harder.

Copies compared: original US -1A, -1B, -1C plus unlettered -1, -2 and -3, late 1970's W/B white label with -1A, UK Kinney cutting & German (palm tree labels). I didn't include the old Nautilus pressing as its too brightly EQ'd for my tastes. The UK & German are nicely mastered & quiet but lack the resolution and presence of the better US copies. The un-lettered 1, 2 & 3 are just OK, nothing special.

 

You have an olive pressing of this? I thought the palm tree was the first.

 

I love the sound of this album too. I have a -1B palm which I think sounds great. Does the 1C sound better to you?

 

Yes, the 1C is a cleaner sounding cutting. The 1A and 1B sides all have a surface noise like sound in some of the quiet spots. I thought it was just the vinyl but after comparing two dozen or more copies (both olive & palm tree labels, pressed years apart) realized it has to be a product of the cutting itself. Same slight, underlying paper rustling / shearing noise in the exact same spots. Never found a 1A or 1B without it. Its not a problem once the music gets going.

The olive label gave way to the burbank (palm tree) label in 1973.

 

James...this album, one of my top 5 favorites, was released March 2nd, 1973.
In a short 9 months, Warners used two different labels...just how often might a label change it's appearance ????

 

I have the original US pressing.
I have the CD-4 Quad record
I have the DVD-A.

The truth is, the two surround discs have the best sound. The CD-4 record sounds better decoded (but I haven't been able to do that in 20 years). The DVD-A surround mix is almost the same mix. The stereo side of the DVD-A beats the original vinyl pressing, although I find it a bit bright.

I dismantled my surround set up about a year and half ago - going for good old two channel, so I am NOT a total surround sound advocate. Yet... both the CD-4 Quadradisc and the DVD-A 5.1 mix are, hands down, the best music surround mixes I've ever heard.