Blood Sweat & Tears

Even though a lot people usually pick their second album to be their favorite, Child Is Father To The Man has always been mine. What can I say, Al Kooper is the man ! even though the second album cooks too. As there are at least 3 to 4 different versions of their first two releases floating around out there, I'm curious to know which album and version you prefer.

For CIFTTM, I've always enjoyed the Sony Mastersound, as I found it to be pleasant on the ears unlike the current remaster which hurts the ears on some of the brass parts. I haven't heard the MOFI so cannot make a comparison of the two.

For the second album I definitely prefer the MOFI. The current remaster is far too bright with very little warmth to my ears.

I hope you will contribute your opinions to this thread as I know many of us love these 2 great classics.

Best - ED

 

I also prefer "Child is Father to the Man" over the more commercially successful Blood Sweat & Tears second album.

IMMHO, I think the Columbia half speed LP of Child is the best issue for sound. I like the Sony Mastersound CD not because of the sound necessarily, but because of the content. I like the initial mixes and the outtakes because it gives me a feel for how the album developed. Maybe if we get enough promises for sales, Steve will look at re-issuing the LP.

Note that I have not heard an original domestic pressing to compare the half speed with.

The major stumbling block would be contractual. David Clayton-Thomas, that big ol' hunk of ... (insert your own description) owns all the rights to the name "Blood Sweat & Tears" and he may want truckloads of cash for something he had zero role in creating. That may not sit well with Alan Kooper.

Also the original members of BS&T were not the best of friends when they disintegrated. A lot of egos needed massaging when Al decided to be the "leader" of the band.

 

My story: around the time that everyone was raving about the MFSL CIFTTM, I scored a mint vinyl issue of a early 70's US Columbia pressing (I'm gueesing at the date - Red Columbia label, gold print with the Columbia logo and the "eye" icon printed in a continuous circle, no 360 sound logo). While most of the 70's pressings are NOT sought after, I found no reason to seek out the MFSL CD after I heard the warm rich sound on "I Love You More That You'll Ever Know". I'm sure Tom knows of a better pressing, but I doubt he can get it for the $2 I spent.

 

I enjoy both of these albums. They both are very dynamic with some really great horns and bass; a real workout for a good hifi. I bought both the MFSL and Sony Mastersound cds (CIFTTM) and found them to be very close in sound quality. However, IMO, the MFSL has the last work in definition and clarity. I do like the Sony however for the bonus tracks that I don't think you can get anywhere else. I also have an original Columbia lp and found it to be quite good.

As for BST (self titled second album), the Super Disc 1/2 speed lp is fabulous. Some of the best bass that I have on lp really comes through. I am awaiting the MFSL cd and have not heard the MFSL lp so can't comment on the sound.

Just my $.02.

 

KLM,

Is it the Japanese or the US. version, UD1 or UD2?

 

I am one of those who prefers the 2nd self-titled LP to Child, but I enjoy them both. I have the Mofi CD of BS&T (Japan), and it's wonderful. I have two different domestic vinyl copies, and I find the reissue to be closer to the Mofi sound than the "360" label LP, which has a background hum another member once commented on.

The current remaster of Child is pretty digital & hard-sounding, but I bought it mainly for the outtakes-Refugee from Yuhupitz is one of my favortite BS&T tracks; I wonder how it never made an album the 1st time around

I also just scored a (supposed) mint early LP of Child off Ebay that I'm looking forward to. If anyone knows where I can find a Mofi of Child, please let me know!

 

Recently heard an Al Kooper interview on WFUV and I enjoyed listening to what he had to say. I'm one who always enjoyed the music but never knew too much about the 'behind the scene' info of artists and their stories.

There was so much quality material from my era, that an incredible amount passed me by. Child Is Father To The Man, is one I don't remember owning or even listening to. I owned & loved the LP B, S & T and recently picked up the great sounding SACD.

After enjoying the interview with Al, I should seek out Child Is Father To The Man, and listen to his work.

 

John T:

If you enjoy BS&t S/T for the instrumentation above D.C Thomas's vocals - you will love "Child". It's all there - dynamic arrangement coupled with blue eyed soul, set somewhere between rock and jazz. There is no doubt that Al Kooper carefully composed the blueprint for their later success. The music has some "phsychedelic leanings" typical of the era - but if you can hear beyond such dated material (think of Big Brother's Cheap Thrills), you will love this record.

I listened to this agisn tonight and it reminded me of a brief time when popular music could have structure, arrangement, looseness yet have soul and rock all at once.

 

I recommend Al Kooper's soft cover book "Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards" (Billboard Books). It's an update of his autobiography from the '70s that is long out of print and goes for big bucks. He has some NICE things to say about Steve Katz, with whom he played in the Blues Project and, later, BS&T.

As someone who participated in some of the legendary recording sessions of the '60s and thereafter with a great sense of humor, Al relates stories almost as entertaining as his recorded work. His website (alkooper.com) is also a lot of fun to visit. Name me another artist candid enough to accurately critique his catalog of solo albums on the Internet for all to see!

 

I know very well the commercial success B,S, & T found after their 2nd release, and then the great pains they went through AFTER that big party! Its even tougher when egos get in the way.

I became a big B, S, & T fan after 2nd release, and I thought the 3rd album offered up just as well, or even better than 2. For years- I picked up whatever mint looking vinyl copies I could find, as it was out of print.

After 3rd album they became REAL obscure, with mucho personnel changes, and then the fact that they lost all hipness with the rock set.

What do y'all think of their later stuff? My personal fave LP is New City from 1975. However, I also love hearing "You're The One" from "More Than Ever"- the lp with the cover of the LP on the cover, and also "Blue Street" from "Brand New Day"

My vinyl of Brand New Day is mint, my copy of New City is horrible, but a (supposed) mint copy is one its way from Canada as we speak. Gotta make CD-R copies!

 

Does anyone have the SACD of BS&T's second album that they can comment on? I haven't picked it up yet, although I do have the MoFi 200 gram LP (which is OK, despite the poor pressing -- very noisy). The best LP that I've ever heard of this is one pressed by "Direct Disk Labs" #SD16605 which is incredibly well defined.

 

Dave,
The MFSL CD of Child Is Father that I have is an UD2. I don't recall if they made a UD1 and haven't heard one if they did. Sound of my cd is the best version available.

 

feinstein,

I have the SACD of "Blood Sweat and Tears" and it is one incredible disc. Humorem said that he thought that the MoFi CD has very good sound too, but I have not heard that one, so I can't make a comparison. I don't think he compared them either.

All I can say is that I thought I knew this album pretty well, based on my memory of thrashing the LP way back when it was released. God, I loved that record. But when I first put the SACD on I thought I was hearing this 30 year old recording for the first time. The tremendous bite of the brass was a revelation, and the overall sound is superb. There are a couple of bonus tracks as well. There have been a number of reviewers praising this SACD, and I agree with them. It's a knockout. For $17 from Best Buy you can't go wrong. There's one on eBay at around $12 too.

Possibly the MoFi CD may sound better, but can you find one at the price of the SACD? You've got an SACD player, so why bother? Get this disc and be happy. I guarantee you will be very impressed.

If you do hear this SACD, please come back here with your impressions.

Regards,
Metralla

 

I'm curious, why do you feel the MOFI is the best version available ? What makes it better than the Sony Mastersound ? Perhaps you can tell us what qualites the MOFI has that you enjoy.

Thanks !

Best - ED

 

You do keep proving that great minds think alike, Metralla... When I bought my first SACD player last year, I bought 5 SACDs from Chad Kasem. This one was among them.

For me, it demonstrates (as does the JSACD of Caravanserai that we both have) that we think we know what something sounds like until something better comes along. If the BS&T SACD does anything, it proves two things:

1. That as good as vinyl is, there j ust might be something better (and I'm beginning to think that something is SACD).

2. That, no matter how good an analog master is, it takes the skill and dedication of a good recording engineer (like our venerable host) to assure a quality product. Fort unately, Sony didn't just throw this release out without making sure it was as good as it can be.

I never dreamed I'd be hearing BS&T sound this good (Think I'll make a note to list my MoFi copy on ebay). Now, all we need is for Sony to put out the comp lete catalogs of The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Bylan and I'll be a happy camper.ˇr

 

Ed & KLM,

Sorry if there was any confusion on my posting as I was refering to the self titled BS&T (UD1) which BTW sounds excellent. Child Is The Father on MFSL isn't so fortunate as it sounds a bit compressed and happy faced EQed to the max! Not that good IMHO. Not one of the good ones.

 

Thanks Dave. I've been thinking about getting this, but I'm happy enough with the Sony Mastersound that I don't think I'll invest in the MOFI.

Best - ED

 

Until you get your SACD player Ed, you've made a wise choice IMHO.

 

Not anytime soon, however I may ask "Santa" come fall. That should give me enough time to research the market (and this board) for the best one out there.

Best - ED

 

Ed,
I thought the MFSL version of Child is Father had a quieter background and just a degree warmer bass and the horns really came through the background a little clearer. But as I stated, the Sony and MFSL are very close. I wouldn't recommend buying the MFSL version if you already have the MasterSound version and are satisfied. Hope this clarifies.

 

KLM,

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I'm going to stick with Sony Mastersound. As we know, most MOFI's aren't exactly "affordable" anymore.

Best - ED

 

Ed, just listened again to the two and boy it's a tough call. I mean I don't know for sure if I could tell the two apart. If I had to choose only one, I would probably go with the Sony as it is nearly identical sounding and had quite a few bonus tracks. If I didn't care about the bonus tracks and simply wanted the best sounding, i might go with the MFSL. That is unless someone is selling the MasterSound version for a lot less. I don't think the MFSL is that much better but it did strike me as just a hare more detailed. I was lucky and found both versions for a combined price of around $40. So in the end, I didn't have to choose one over the other.

 

Oh, No....

Wish I had waited for this thread. I found a BS&T self-titled on Mofi and it's ordered, so I also bought Child also on Mofi. That ran around $30.

Did I make a bad decision here? Will I be disappointed? I don't own any BS&T except for the remastered Greatest Hits.

Brian

 

Thanks, Steve.

Coming from you, that means a lot! Some of the ones on the thread were talking about compression, heavy eq'ing. Looking forward to getting the, now!

Thanks again!

Brian