Friday Music is currently the fastest reissue label when it comes to reissuing old albums but it seems to me that they are not well revered as the other reissue labels like MoFi, DCC, etc. Does Friday Music use the possible lowest generation analog source? What are your thoughts and comments?
I'm sorry I'm a little short on time now, will be back later (I hope), just wanted to express my basic opinion.
There are some good ones from Friday Music. For the most part, look for Kevin Gray's name on the mastering credits. If it's there, it's worth buying. Some examples are Kansas "Point of Know Return" and "Leftoverture" and the S/T Boston album.
I have about a half-dozen of their releases and I wouldn't call them a true "audiophile" label. I say that because none of them have truly outstanding dynamics that set them apart from either good original releases or other audiophile reissues. They aren't expensive, they are generally fairly quiet and the vinyl seems to be free of crap and/or imperfections, so they serve a market. I think they are a decent enough buy when an original can't be found in good condition.
yes, this exactly. I'm not staying away from them but I also would shell out $50 a record for anything they have done.
Ahh...but they are expensive. Their vinyl is now as expensive and sometimes more expensive than MFSL. They are not known to use original tapes or do all analog mastering. Kevin Gray is long out of the picture. I have a couple of dozen of their lps and I wish I had payed closer attention - I would not consider them audiophile at all. Kind of the US version of Music On Vinyl. Some hard to find titles you may want to get from the 90's have been coming out from them (ABB) but you wish someone 'audiophile' had tackled those releases. I don't like to blame the pressings on the label - but I've never received more problem copies from any other company. I listed about 20 titles with non-fill and off center probs (ABB!) some time ago in a thread but I don't know where that went. Are they audiophile? That's in the ear of the beholder. But not to me. Of course that only becomes a problem because they now charge 'audiophile' prices.
I've had 6 or 7 of their titles. A couple sounded pretty good, the rest sounded pretty bad. I'm really surprised, and kinda pissed, that they get so many good titles to reissue. Is Joe Reagoso even a real mastering engineer?
So basically for me you have to have audiophile goals and audiophile procedures to make audiophile records Trying to use the best existing sources, quality mastering that tries to sound better than average, rigorous technical methods (like staying 100% analog if the source is analog), great mastering gear, and so on... I don't think Friday Music represents that in any way. Agree with above statement that Friday Music is much like the US version of Music On Vinyl, just regular reissue labels, not really bad, but nothing special about them...
Not an "audiophile label", but they have issued some audiophile quality releases alongside some real crap.
I have a copy of Grateful Deads "Mars Hotel" on Friday Music and I was so disappointed with it that I bought the MFSL CD and it blows the Vinyl out of the water.
When he started issuing vinyl he said something along the lines of..(and I paraphrase) - 'there is software that can allow anyone to do this..' I'd like to think he eventually got KG involved because he discovered that wasn't true. But who knows.
The last one I bought was about 2 years ago and it cost me $30CDN, so I can't comment on current pricing. I certainly would not pay equal to a MFSL pressing for a Friday Music release. I don't own enough MOV titles to give a proper evaluation of their output, but some of them , like Alice In Chains-Unplugged, are outstanding. Unfortunately they are super expensive in Canada, so I tend to buy extremely selectively from them.
That's part of my issue with MOV in the states as well - not always bad - but not worth the $$. Friday Music used to be more affordable here - but still not sure even those were worth it. Now? No way.
I'm reading Fremer's review of one of his releases...brutal! This reissue was "mastered by Joe Reagoso from the original Atlantic Records tapes at Friday Music Studios, Surf City, CA with Kevin Gray." Now, what does that mean? First of all, the lacquer scribe says it was Kevin who cut it, but at Cohearant Mastering, where he has his lathe, not at Friday Music Studios. So if Joe Reagoso mastered it from the original tapes, he did so to some digital format and Kevin cut from files. That can sometimes lead to decent results but not here. First of all, if this was from the "original tapes," it means the original second or later generation tapes strung together to produce the greatest hits package in the first place. It must mean that because it certainly doesn't sound like the original original master tapes and if Mr. Reagoso did get Atlantic to ship him all of those tapes and he put them up and transferred them to digital and used first generation digital masters to assemble this package it sure does not sound like that! But if that's what he did, I'll tell you what he also did: he equalized the crap out of these tapes to produce a steely-bright, hard and flat top end, a hollowed out midrange and a bulbous low end. The staging is flat and un-engaging too. In fact there is nothing positive I can write about the sound of this reissue. From the first to the last note it just plain sucks. It evidences a heavy hand on the EQ knobs the robs any warmth and subtle textures from the performances. I can't even say "this sounds as if it was cut from a CD" because the CDs of this material sound much better than this. Adding insult to injury, the pressing I got had visible non-fill and what's worse, it was audible. This should have been caught and rejected by someone along the line. This would not even be acceptable sonically or physically as a $16.99 reissue but at $27 it's a ****ing disgrace. Pardon my French. So yes, you'd better run. Run as far away from this one as fast as you can. The sound is atrocious, the presssing quality is too. The cover art is well done. Whoopie. If Friday Music plans on reissuing more of the catalog (it's previously been reissued by both Rhino and Sundazed, though decades ago and both sound far superior to this, though those were the original LPs not a hits compilation) I suggest a thorough re-think before proceeding. This is advertised as a "limited edition". That's good news. The more limited, the better Read more at http://www.analogplanet.com/content...s-reissue-youd-better-run#3a7BUV1ilvADfA4R.99
They are a reissue label that has made some remarkably good sounding records. Friday Music's Moody Blues reissues sound great, for example. Their version of the first Loggins and Messina record, Sittin' In, is the best sounding pressing of that record, ever. Friday Music's problem has been their record quality. When they are bad, they are baaaddddd. I went through maybe half a dozen copies of the Moody's In Search Of The Lost Chord before I found two good sides. Mind you, that was not one LP with two good sides, but two LPs, each with a single good side. It was the best I could do, and that is an absurd solution to the problem, one I haven't had to resort to with any other title in 40 years of album collecting. I will buy a Friday Music title if it is the only way I can get it but I cross my fingers with the first play. I'm hoping against hope that the vinyl is good.
An audiophile reissue company must also have audiophile equipment, preferably tube, to use in mastering the LP from the analog master tapes.
If you look at their website http://fridaymusic.com/dept/rock?cp=80419_80572_80574 most of their stuff retails for $15 to $30, I think most of the $30 titles are double lp's. Single Mofi's or AP's go for $45 -$50. It kills me to see the represses that cost $30 that you can commonly find for a $1 in great condition. Even if you are not close to record stores, you can get better quality and price on Discogs on most originals. I buy the stuff that was never released on vinyl for the most part. I have not heard any represses that are as good as the originals. At the risk of sounding negative, they primarily exist to sell inventory to record stores of titles they like to always like to have in stock. Getting used inventory is unreliable and people with pay $30 for new product rather than waiting or looking for originals.
I have been very happy with my purchases from them..which include Renaissance titles, Paul Rodgers The Law, Mr. Mister, and others, all on CD.
A vinyl industry committee should be established to regulate the vinyl reissue quality based on a industry standard just exactly what CTIA does to telecommunication laboratories. If a reissue label does not meet a certain criteria, standard or procedure, they should not be allowed to operate.
Drives me nuts how bad the covers look. All scans from printed pieces, it appears. I've yet to see a FM release that has jackets that looks as good as the originals. That said, most of the titles I have sound pretty good. Audiophile, no, but pretty good.
