DCC Archive Calling all 222 DCC members

The Beatles - Abbey Road. Period.

 

Beatles and Stones.

Mike

 

I'd love the full Beatles/Floyd/Zeppelin catalogs done by Steve, but if I just get to choose one, it' going to have to be:

The Beatles - The While Album

[ October 28, 2001: Message edited by: Holy Zoo ]

 

Gotta sort of agree the Zoo man,

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin
This one would really make my day!

 

Beatles - Rubber Soul w/ stereo & mono mixes & bonus tracks: Day Tripper & We Can Work It Out. Put it on SACD hybrid disc.

I'd be happy. For awhile. Then I'd want the rest done the same way!!

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

The Who - "My Generation" With the B-Side "Bald Headed Woman" also Including Both versions of "Circles" and whatever other bonus tracks Steve could unearth.

 

I'll say Van Morrison's "Moondance".

 

THE definitive version of "Dark Side of the Moon."

Depending on the format, it'd be nice to have both the stereo and quadraphonic mixes.

 

For the record and CD ......... "Phil Spector's Greatest Hits - Back to Mono"

 

If we're talking about pure fantasy, trying to imagine something that would send me speeding to the CD store leaving skid marks behind, I'd love to be told that a Steve Hoffman-mastered gold CD of Neil Young's "On the Beach" has just been issued.

Since it's never been on CD AT ALL, at this point it'd be nice to see it done with some kind of deluxe treatment (say, a DCC gold CD). For my money, it's far and away Neil's finest album.

 

Boston- "Boston"

 

There's so many things.......I'm trying to think of something that hasn't been attempted.

Either something by Neil Young. U2's "War" ("Joshua Tree" would be nice since the MFSL is selling at ridiculous prices) or maybe Alan Parsons Project "Turn Of A Friendly Card".

 

Hmmm, it would have to be Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Abbey Road tied neck-in-neck for me. Well, thinking about it a bit more, the current EJ version sounds ok (Steve could do sooo much better), while the Abbey Road version sucks, so I guess I would have to go with Abbey Road. Yes Regis, that's my final answer.

 

My choice - Robert Johnson's complete recordings -

- but taken from any existing 78 rpm vinyl, which I'm led to understand is far superior to the deteriorated (?) master tape.

I have no idea how many of these old 78s still exist, but someone really should compile what's left and release it (with no or minimal sound processing) Considering the artistic and historical value of these recordings, and the poor sound of the master tape, it would be a crime to let these 78s gradually disappear, largely unheard.

Meanwhile, back to reality, I would just like to see DCC release the stuff already in the pipeline - The Doors and ZZTop. Let's start with that!

Dob

 

Yes - Fragile

 

Well, for the greater good I'll vote for Abbey Road, too, but I'd love a DCC of Manfred Mann's Chance...how I picked that out of a possible list of dozens I can't say

 

"Master tapes" don't exist - magnetic tape really didn't even exist at the time. Everything was done direct to disc. The best stuff available today is probably original metal parts. Of course, they key is the proper transfer of those metal parts...

 

Some metal parts do exist, but very few, and some of the 78's used were put through the CEdAR treatment of course, which works well sometimes to analogue 78 recordings (made before electricals, or discs made with amplified cutters and magnetic tape too)

dOb should check out the Complete Robert Johnson Recordings, which I still believe is in print, 2 CDs from Sony. They were a part of the "roots N Blues" series from Sony, and barring a couple of Italian import Cds (that occasionally might sound better) this set is where to go. It may be the only way, in fact. Uhh, and Luke is again correct. You should have seen the way those sides were cut, especially when Robert did many sides at one time. The 2 CD is actually a box set, with a VERY "worth it" libretto on Robert's lyric and history (incl. some translations and interpretations, since some of his lyrics were slurred, a common thing in early blues "Negro" music...as they called it. Those recordings represent the earliest known blues verse, used over and over. 12-bar, and Robert liked to use simple dramatics in his playing, sometimes sounding like 2 players were there, but it was just him. Jimi Hendrix played the similar way, where he would use his thumb along with his four fingers, to give you the illusion of two melodies going a once.

The only thing that can be "audiophile" about Robert Johnson is the fact that his music was such a strong influence to British 60's pop and rock, and an historical trip back to a more primitive time, raw and honest. Other than that, you have to appreciate the age and the way these recordings were made, and the way they have to be used in order to be reproduced well. Don't mess with Robert.

[ October 28, 2001: Message edited by: Sckott ]

 

Astral Weeks

 

OK, but are you saying that every time a Robert Johnson recording was released, they went back to the original metal parts? I think it more likely that someone made a transfer to tape, many years ago, that everybody has been using since. This has become, by default, the "master tape".

I know that 1936 seems almost pre-electricity, but Gone With The Wind and the Wizard of Oz were both released in 1939, three years later, with fabulous sound (well, a heck of a lot better than Robert Johnson) and picture quality.

However, it seems ridiculous to assume that any sort of expensive, newfangled equipment was used to record Robert Johnson, and I can accept the fact that the sound we now have on CD is as good as it's gonna get...

...until I saw a post by Steve himself (I'm pretty sure it was Steve) on the old DCC board, saying the sound he heard on an old Robert Johnson 78 was superior to anything currently available.

That's what got me started on this.

 

Wasn't there a Mastersound release of "King of the Delta Blues Singers"?

 

Yes there was. I'd avoid it. The Roots N Blues 2cd is good to get.

And yes, if you are lucky enough to get any Robert Johnson 78, I'm sure it's going to sound better than any Cd. The 78's were processed to make the music sound better on digital format. If you've ever taken a 78 and transferred it directly to digital, smacked it on a Cd it sounds almost twice as noisy as the 78. Try it sometime

No, the COmplete Robert was noise reduction big time, but it's alright. It IS an organic experience to listen to a 78 in its natural state. Steve has much more in experience than I'll ever have.

 

I don't think so. Pre-1990, perhaps, but I believe they did new transfers for the 1990 set, and did some even newer transfers when the set was remastered (don't know the date on that).

A few things to keep in mind. One, those were huge Hollywood productions. A lot of money went into those. Robert Johnson, on the other hand, was just some black guy making a few records...

I don't know if the recordings were made acoustically (ie, into a horn) or electrically (with a microphone), but I can bet the cutting lathe was *not* powered by an electric motor. Rather, it was powered by gravity, with a falling weight. At least that's what George Martin & co did at Abbey Road...

Well, of course, it's all how it's done. I remember reading something that said the only/best way to reproduce 78s like that is to play them back on an old player with a HUGE horn, then put a microphone in front of that. I can't say I've heard the results myself, but I guess it is really supposed to sound wonderful.