D'Angelo - "Black Messiah" (15-Dec-2014)

Here's Ben Cane's analog explanation from his Twitter Account....
@kanevibrations: It’s a double LP and yes it was pressed from the hi def digital master which came off our tapes. It'll sound great!


From a follower: Question, why not press straight from the analog tapes? Is it more fluid/effective?


@kanevibrations: You can't pause the cutting of a lacquer so it would require two identical sigchains eq/compression/tape machines and it would be nearly impossible to hit play at right moment for song transitions. Finally, almost no mastering house is set up for that anymore. #allyournewvinylcomesfromhidefdigital

 

Thanks guys, I have been so busy with work I forgot the exact date on when the vinyl was coming out, grabbed one on my lunch break at Amoeba. Can't wait for the weekend to crank it up!

 

You know, listening to these 2 albums I can't help but feel that I'm alive in one of the most exciting times ever in popular music. And I've been around for a while.

 

This guy is so new school....
Thousands of records, from the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Cars, etc, have plenty of songs that cross-fade into one another. All done analog of course. And you don't need two tape machines to do it... just someone good at tape editing (a dying breed these days). It's true though that it is much easier (and cheaper) to do it all digitally, and with the audio in the digital domain they can do some tweaking that can't be done in the analog domain, which I'm sure they did.

 

Interesting. I haven't heard that comparison in the media, but the first time I listened to To Pimp A Butterfly I kept thinking of the similarities to Black Messiah... all the way down to the artwork. A couple of landmark albums.

 

I just finally got around to listening to my Black Messiah LP and it's one of the best-sounding new records I've heard in a while.

 

So there is no major difference between the US and EU pressed vinyl of Messiah?

 

Has there never been a vinyl version of "Voodoo" cut all-analog? I've never heard anything but the CD.

 

No one knows if the original is or not but I would assume not at this point. It's likely cut from a 16/44 but may sound good or better than the CD depending on mastering choices. There are more places cutting all analog (albums being cut AAA) now than there was in 2000.

 

That's true. I do find it so odd that certain artists will go to the trouble and expense of analog recording, and then use digital masters to cut vinyl releases from. Not that it's a bad thing per se, but, well, you know...

 

Based on the responses posted above, I'm guessing that each song was recorded on its own tape reel. Reading between the lines a bit, it seems that they didn't go through the trouble of splicing those reels together when they sequenced the album, and therefore did not create a master reel. They could have also taken the song reels and copied them to a second-gen tape, and then used that tape to cut the lacquer, the same way Sean Magee and Steve Berkowitz did with The Beatles Mono Masters. I guess they made the calculation that the hi-res digital master had advantages that outweighed the potential pitfalls of those all analog approaches. I'd have preferred all analog myself, but the vinyl they made does sound very good.

 

You may be right. The decision he and his management made to bump up their release date may have contributed to not having the time to edit the tape for analog cutting. I'm interested to hear what the LP sounds like when it arrives.

 

You're absolutely right. For an album that is comprised of material that was recorded from 1999-2012, every song had to be recorded on its own tape reel. In essence, that is how Voodoo was recorded, but there was a master for that one.

 

Quoting myself from January, but hey at least my ROCK SOLID reputation remains intact.

The Vanguard just got added to Bonnaroo and were granted a special late-night set, so if no other dates close to me get added, I'm definitely making the trek to Tennessee for that show.

 

I have both. Visually the differences are very subtle, the only ones I noticed were:
- on spine, the text on the EU version is grey, on US version its white
- the outer edge of the actual vinyl on the EU version is very sharp, on the US version they are round and smooth (typical for RTI pressed vinyl)
- the labels on the US version were very scratched for some reason
- both versions have light scuffs and scratches on the records from the black paper inner sleeves (nothing too bad but still noticeable)

Sound wise I havent made any thorough comparisons but the EU press seemed to be a bight brighter cut (more highs).

 

Thanks Marko very much for your detailed comparisons! I guess sound wise when others will catch up we can make a consensus but I'd be surprised if there're major differences.

 

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/q-russell-elevado/115836-voodoo-mixologies.html

Russ Elevado at least wrote that "the entire process was analog, including mastering off 1/2"" I don't know if the vinyl was actually cut from tape or from a file taken from the tape. But after having compared the original US, original EU and Light in the Attic reissue like a madman I only kept the US original. The bass was deeper and there was more air around the instruments. It sounded the most natural all around. All three pressings were great but the US original was the best. I'd give the LITA a 9/10, the EU a 9.5/10, and the US a 10/10. 'Cut by the Inhabitant' in the deadwax.

Black Messiah is great, too. I have the EU vinyl which is perfectly pressed. It doesn't sound as good as Voodoo, though.

 

"The making and re-making of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah"
>>>
http://www.thevinylfactory.com/viny...king-and-re-making-of-dangelos-black-messiah/

 

Heads up "Voodoo" fans,

Common's "Like Water For Chocolate" is being reissued on vinyl. For those unaware, it features the same musicians, producers, engineers, etc. that were featured on "Voodoo" and was recorded simultaneously at Electric Lady.

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/common-like-water-for-chocolate-15th-anniversary-vinyl-reissue.html

 

Fantastic album! D'Angelo features in the track Geto Heaven.

I set up a contest for a free LP for LWFC at Wax Poetics.

http://www.waxpoetics.com/news/cont...ssued-on-green-vinyl-by-respect-the-classics/

 

My favorite hip hop LP... I listened to this constantly when it came out. Definitely his peak, for me.

 

I love the US original pressing of Voodoo as well. There's more depth and air around the instruments. Not to mention, the instrumental segues are perfectly sequenced for the album sides.

 

Up on eBay at a naturally ridiculous price... anyone can tell the quantity this beauty is produced?

D'ANGELO AND THE VANGUARD THE CHARADE b/w 1000 DEATHS 7" VINYL EP RSD 2015
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DANGELO-AND...582?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2edff05a76

 

They pressed 4,000 copies of this, so I expect it'll be easy to find for some time to come. That eBay price is just nuts.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on this. Streamed it, loved it, will be buying the reissue.

Back to Black Messiah - the more I play it (and I've played it a lot), the more I think this is D'Angelo's best record yet.