Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello Painted From Memory SACD Oct 6

^ absolutely.

 

Enjoyed reading your post!

 

Thanks. At the time of the release I had a friend at Mercury in promotions. I think)(it's been so long now) that I was told shortly after the 'Painted from Memory' CD came out that Mercury Records was in financial trouble and either they went under or they were acquired by Universal. So I think that didn't help the situation and the Sessions show was only commercially released on VHS. I actually bought a few extra copies of the VHS just in case the tape got damaged which can easily happen with wear and tear. Thankfully my VCR still works fine. I literally have watched that VHS about 30-40 times. I was a bit disappointed when the DVD came out and they chose the title track from 'Painted from Memory' for the DVD. I felt that Elvis sounded great on the Sessions show but for some reason on the song 'Painted From Memory' he seemed to struggle a bit for just a few brief moments.

So will you be getting the MoFi SACD?

 

Very interesting post. Yes, I am planning on ordering the sacd. Would like to give it a try. Am trying to collect different masterings and formats of most of EC's music when available.

 

I would be very curious how the redbook layer of the SACD sounds compared to the standard CD. My current player doesn't play the SACD layer so I would only buy this if the redbook layer sounds better then the original 1998 CD. That won't be an easy task as that 1998 CD sounds great.

 

For what it's worth mine shipped. I will report on how it sounds as soon as it arrives from Elusive. What's with the pricing at Music Direct?

 

Can you compare the redbook layer to the 1998 CD? I would greatly appreciate it as I don't have a player that plays SACD's so I"m only interested in how the redbook layer sounds.

Thanks

Scott

 

Yes as soon as I get it I will do so. It will be here n a couple of days. Won't have time to compare it until Thursday though as I will be out of town.

 

No problem I appreciate it. It's $29.99 at Music Direct. Isn't that what they normally charge? What did you pay for it from Elusive?

 

It is the same price at Elusive at this time so I don't get the What's with the pricing at MD? Perhaps Elusive had it cheaper?

 

Oh I just heard it was $37 there.

 

So I did a shoot out today. The Mofi beats the original CD in every category. It sounds much smoother to my ears, has improved depth--the instruments sound more 3D than the CD. Clarity and presence are remarkable. I had forgotten how much I liked this album. EC does over sing a bit (you can tell that this is from his latter period when he had voice lessons to both preserve his voice, expand his range as much as possible, etc.) but, really, it works for the songs he wrote with Burt because they are larger than life ballads but not bombastic.

Whatever instrument is most forward in the mix at any given time sounds like its in the room with me. A pity that Mofi couldn't do this as a 5.1 mix.

The original CD isn't bad--it is a bit louder than the Mofi but sounds pretty good but the Mofi is much smoother, warmer sounding (which compliments Burt's orchestrations). A winner. I wish that they would do EC's albums like Imperial Bedroom and All This Useless Beauty. The melodic content and material would lend itself so well to a similar mastering.

 

That sounds great. Did you compare the SACD or the Red Book layer to the standard CD?

 

I s

Ah...I knew I forgot to list something. It was the SACD layer to the standard CD initially.
Last night I compared the redbook layer and the redbook, while not quite as revealing as the SACD layer, was still better than the standard CD. It was warmer, richer with improved depth and dynamics. It wasn't as dramatic a difference as the SACD layer but it was exceptionally good.

 

Btw do you have the MoFi Hybrid of Billy Joels 'The Stranger'? I was thinking of getting it but wanted to find out how the redbook layer sounds compared to the 98 CD remaster.

 

I do but I don't have the 98 remaster (I had the 87 mastering) but, if it is comparable to the 98 remaster for The Nylon Curtain, I can compare and that one was mildly compressed and a bit on the bright side. The Nylon Curtain -- there was no comparison--TNC Mofi won hands down. The Stranger (mofi) sounds marvelous on both to my ears however YMMV. The Mofi is, naturally, more dynamic but I enjoyed the transparency of the Mofi as well. I also, though, enjoy Rob's mastering style some don't.

 

I really want to buy this.

 

If you do, make sure to NOT buy it at amazon or Best buy or places like that as they are charging the full retail price of $37 vs. Elusive disc or even Mofi.

Now MOFI, please work on "Imperial Bedroom", "All This Useless Beauty" before I kick the bucket (which hopefully won't be for 40 years).

 

Just want to make sure I read this right when you say it's sounds marvelous on both you mean the SACD and CD layer?

Thanks again,

Scott

 

Big thumbs up from me. I agree with everything Wayne had to say FWIW. This is one special recording. Burt is 89 now and just played a 4 night stretch at the Blue Note in Honolulu but I haven't been able to find any reviews. I'm not on FB so I don't know if something has been posted there. Any fans of 'Painted From Memory' need this edition IMO.

 

I just bought this the other day and it sounds fine. No need to upgrade but I find that is the case a lot of the time. I rarely buy "audiophile" discs anymore

 

Using the coupon "Festivus" at Deep Discount I just ordered this for $25 shipped. I'm sure it won't be a huge upgrade but I just have to have it, love this album and saw them live promoting it.

 

Is there much of a difference between the original cd and the SACD sound wise? I have the record and it sounds fantastic.

 

I just got the MFSL SACD, and I'd say there is a significant difference between it and the original CD (which I have played many times; I like this album a lot). In a nutshell, the MFSL has more clarity and realism. I don't always get excited by Mofi's SACD releases -- they usually sound good, and sometimes sound great -- but within the first 30 seconds of playing this, it had my attention.

IMO it sounds very, very good. If you like this album, I highly recommend this MFSL release.

 

I got the SACD, the vinyl... and I already had the HDCD.
In terms of clarity and, as Downsampled said, realism, the SACD wins. I have to admit I was disappointed with the vinyl. It was quite noisy and had an obvious stain on the surface of side A that affected the sound.
I don't know if the SACD is worth the money if you can play the HDCD, and the vinyl... well, I always wanted to have the vinyl edition and now I have it. I doubt I'll play it very often.