Blind Willie McTell - any OK CD versions?

The Yazoo CDs are expensive and not exactly jam-packed, but I gather they have the best sound (by the general sort of not-no-noised standard ... that's what's important to me, not "clarity" or absence of surface noise).

I have the 2CD Sony Legacy set -- misleadingly titled "Complete." It's bad. But there are a bunch of newer versions out there of the great bluesman's stuff. Any suggestions warmly appreciated!

 

I have the first Yazoo, and it sounds just fine, as you've already heard. It might be worth looking into the recent release on JSP. It's 4 disks covering 1927-1940. Not all of the JSP boxes have sound as good as their Louis Armstrong and the first of the two Django Reinhardt boxes, but I have a couple of the others and I've been more than satisfied with them. And you can't beat 4 disks for $25 bucks! I can't vouch for the sound on this particular set, but if it's anything like the Carter Family box--a big improvement over the series on Rounder--then I can't imagine it's not worth the price.

L.

 

Thanks for the tip. I thought JSP used substantial noise reduction, but I'll check it out!

 

I should add that you might want to check out the series of releases on Document Records: "Complete Recorded Works," several volumes. They don't always work from the cleanest and most pristine best sources, but they really work at presenting a careful and complete archive, and they don't mess with the sound of the '78's even when they're very noisy. I like the stark black and white packaging, too.

L.

 

Good idea. I'm familiar with this label -- Austrian, isn't it? -- the packaging can be a little off, e.g. the Charley Patton disc that appears to have a picture of Freddie Mercury on the front!

 

There are two I know of that are good

Document Records Essential

http://www.document-records.com/search/cdinfo.asp?docID=CBL-200007

and Catfish Definitive

http://entertainment.msn.com/album/?album=661319

Catfish may be out of business now

 

It's possible that on some releases they've done so, I've only heard four of them. The Armstrong (done by John R.T. Davies) and the first of the two Djangos sound wonderful. The Carter Family doesn't sound NR'd to me, but it may be. Compared to the Rounders, though, it's like four layers of blankets removed! The second box of the Django may also have been processed, my ears are not acute enough to tell you what's going on, but I can say that for whatever reasons it doesn't sound quite as lively and warm as the first volume, which is credited to Ted Kendall. The fact that the second box and the Carters box have no remastering credits have led some to speculate that JSP may have taken the transfers from another label, taking advantage of loopholes in international copyright laws.

I have no idea if this is true or not. In anycase, the sound of these is more than acceptable, if not ideal. And as I said, for the price, hard to beat.

L.

 

I have the Catfish box and am pleased with it. I'm not sure if Catfish is actually out of business but, their Canadian distributor can't seem to get anything out of them and their Web site has disappeared.

When I was in England in July, I tracked down as many Catfish titles as I could find. I came back with 29 Catfish CDs. Some online sellers still have Catfish stuff listed as "in stock." I think I'm up to 46 titles from their catalogue and there's a few more I still want to track down. I think they are (were?) a really good label.

Cheers,
Chris