Bill Evans, Undercurrent & Moonbeams,Vinyl

Any consensus on which vinyl issues are best for Undercurrent and Moonbeams? They've been on my list for awhile and I'm ready to buy.

 

Bill Evans Jim Hall: Undercurrent (1962) Toshiba-EMI

 

Wow! Thanks,that was interesting reading. Now, where do I find a Toshiba-EMI....ebay? Maybe the MFSL silver?

They talked about United Artists Jazz (UAJ) "bendy tenor" labeled vinyl being less than desirable especially with the P or ear in dead wax. I have a Herbie Mann UAJ 14009 mono,Brazil,Bossa,& Blues and while it has some SN it could be from age/condition. VG+ copy from GW this past summer. The record actually sounds good as in not flat or dull as they described the P/ear copies for Undercurrent and some other bendy tenor LP's.

 

The MOFI doesn't have good reviews on Discogs (hiss/white noise)but it is relatively cheap.

 

I have the MOFI Silver. There is some tape hiss but it's not a problem for me, at least not on my copy. I think it's worth considering if you can't find the Japanese pressing at a reasonable price. All of the old U.S. copies I've run across have been beaters.

 

I have both the MFSL and the Japanese King version. I think the MFSL is quite good, and would recommend it. My King is in... OK shape, still sounds really cool. If you are inclined to make the effort to track a good copy down, I'm sure you wouldn't be sorry.

 

I have an original bendy sax p,ayer label and can confirm that it is a bit lifeless. I was a bit shocked though I paid so little for it that it is not important. Besides, it was worth it for the gorgeous nm cover.

 

I finally got around to buying an Undercurrent MFSL silver on Sat. and just giving it a spin this Mon. morn while the home is quiet. I think it's great. Any background noise, tape hiss, etc.. is not destroying my enjoyment of these two wonderful musicians. Thanks for the feedback. Now,I'm off in search of that Moon Beams

 

I got a hold of the original mono mix and it's a pretty striking example of how new mixes can still sound so wrong compared to vintage mixes. The 2002 Ron McMaster mix seems to be the most common one now - remixed from the original three-track, it doesn't seem to have any egregious compression (the DR numbers are pretty high), and you can see how it's an "improvement" from the extra clarity and separation between instruments. The narrow stereo spread of the mix is a little weird sounding, but that is another issue. Listening to the vintage mix, it's got a warmth and a pleasant, rounded sound to it that beats the newer mix. It may be the difference of a tube console and I'm guessing a solid state console on the 2002 mix, with the latter sounding cold and very hard in comparison.

 

I just got a reasonably priced XRCD of Moonbeams which I’ve been looking for for quite a while... a reasonably priced copy, and am loving it. The Alan Yoshida mastered later XRCD version, there are 2 XRCDs of the album.