Jimi Hendrix-Smash Hits remaster

Smash Hits is also going to be released on vinyl. Hope they use true analog. Does anyone know if the other vinyl Hendrix LP's put out by EH are true analog? I read all the hype in the Hendrix magazine second issue detailing all the effort going into the remastering but consider it to be biased for obvious reasons. According to the articles the CD's were prepared all in the analog domain right up until it was necessary to convert to digital. No such detail on the vinyl prep which Eddie Kramer was involved in. I was hoping they stayed out of the digital domain altogether for those. I have A/B'ed Electric Ladyland EH vinyl and CD and found them to be very close. This leads me to believe that they cut the vinyl from the same source. Any comments, observations or corrections anyone care to make. I am assuming Smash Hits will be prepeared the same way.

 

I bought the disc today(on sale here locally for $6!), and it sounds good. It doesn't sound to me like they used no-noise.

 

All Experience Hendrix LPs are digitally-mastered. The Classic Records reissues of "Band Of Gypsies" and the mono "Axis: Bold As Love" are all-analog.

 

I'm not going to bother with this one because I have all of the Hendrix remasters, so I have all of the songs on it. Besides, most are from the AYE album.

I have no arguments with the sound, either.

 

Well, "Smash Hits" purchasers, what's the story?

 

I purchased the limited edition and numbered vinyl version which sounds very good to my ears - and - yes, I would say that "Stone Free" sounds just as Steve described it.

I assume that was how it was released on the original "Smash Hits" - although I have that original vinyl - it is still in my in-laws basement badly damaged from a major basement flood - I can't remember if that's how it sounded since I haven't played that version in probably over 20+ years.

 

Stone Free was indeed re-channeled stereo on the original lp. I have never heard a proper stereo mix of this song. If this new release offers anything - any ONE thing - that is head and shoulders above what is already available - it is worth the discount price it's being offered at. If not, it is a very good Jimi intro. For those that need no introduction, it is tossing 7 bucks in the trash.

And that 7 bucks can get you the Canadian Who's Next, which I understand is very pleasant. Or lunch for 2 at Burger King which is... adequate.

 

I've been listening to this new re-master and without doing a song for song comparison - Overall - I think the new "Smash-Hits" re-master is a bit Bright. When compared to the other Hendrix compilation I have, which is the Reprise "Essential Jimi Hendrix Vols. 1 & 2", I think the earlier release has a mellower sound with a warmer bottom-end. Even though the guitar parts seem a bit more prominent in the new re-master, in the "Essential...", the guitar parts sound less mid-rangy & more natural . Don't get me wrong, this is a cool compilation and @$6.00 (@Best-Buy) the price is too good to pass! Hey its Hendrix!

Its also got my favorites which the "Essential. . ." was missing: "Red House", "Stone Free" & "Manic Depression". Someone mentioned that this may be cool for the car and I agree!

 

I'm still not sure what the point is of reissuing this old comp, especially without any bonus tracks.

 

Yep! If ya gotta have this compilation, the only way to go is the original mono British Track LP. Kinda strange how rechanneled stereo still shows up on occasion. I mean, how can record companies boast of the latest technology and then include a track using a 40-year-old gimmick?! Gotta love that 24/96 rechannelled stereo!

 

Is the mono master missing?

 

What exactly do you mean by that? Flat transfers don't use EQ.

 

There have been four attempts at getting the Jimi Hendrix Experience albums "just right" on CD.
The first Reprise albums were mastered without NoNoise, but were apparently equalised incorrectly. There was some talk of these CDs having been mastered from a tape prepared for vinyl cutting and re-equlised for CD.
The second batch of Reprise albums were remastered with heavy NoNoise (RE-1 after catalogue # on CD inner ring dead space)
The third attempt was the first on MCA and the last under Alan Douglas control. The NoNoise was used less heavily and sounded better than the 2nd Reprise versions. The covers were revamped and look really substandard to me.
The latest attempt is by MCA/Experience Hendrix and supposedly uses the original master tapes for the first time (but NB Joe Gastwirt still claims he did this also) and was remastered under the original recording engineers guidance, but so were some of the Beatles CDs. I suspect the tapes were better, NoNoise appears to have been abandoned but maximisation has been used. I like these the best, but others may like the 1st MCA's better as they weren't maximised.
Band of Gypsys has had 2 versions in the US. The first Capitol 25th Anniversary version used a copy master for that CD and the sound is very slightly phasey and has some bass distortion. There was a nice mini-vinyl version of this also (see ebay) The Experience Hendrix version uses the deteriorating original master tape and although the sound is clearer, there are some minor crackling noises introduced.
Jimi Hendrix Concerts is mostly subpar recordings of great performances. EH should be releasing better sounding versions than these. The Albert Hall performances sound as though the tape drive has wow and flutter audible and there is revrb plastered all over the performances.

 

I mentioned earlier in this thread that I thought that the original 1st issue Polydor AYE was mastered without any noise suppression. Last night I did a side by side comparison to the Experience Hendrix version and I can say that the 1st issue Polydor (pressed in Germany) is significantly better that the current version. IMO it sound like a flat transfer, I cannot say with all certainty that it is the first generation but it is much cleaner sounding than the EH version. The EH version sounds overloaded to the point that there is slight distortion on the vocals. The polydor is mastered much lower and the vocals have a you are there sound. It sounds sonically very much like my original UK track LP version (however the LP is mono). Although I have not yet compared the Electric Ladyland Polydor, I am lead to believe it to would be similar. There was also an Polydor CD issued around 86 called the Singles Collection it was a 2CD set which collected all the A&B sides of the released singles this also did not use no surpression.

There was also a Limited Edition UK release of "The Ultimate Hendrix" on Polydor which was HDCD mastered. Unfortunately, I have the disc but my DAC does not provide for HDCD decoding so I can't vouch for the sound.

I did pick up the Smash Hits CD yesterday, I will say if you collect Jimi buy it just for the booklet! The back cover of the booklet has the alternative LP cover that was never used. For those familiar with the original LP poster, it is alternate version of the poster with the title graphics. Many years ago I was offered an original cover slick of this cover for $3K, I was not able to come up with the money and though I would never see it again. Hopefully the reissued LP will use this photo on the back cover.

 

Actually it doesn't - but the reissue LP has a nice big booklet inside the sleeve that with all probability reprints exactly what is in the CD booklet.

Even though the reissue vinyl isn't being offered as low a cost as the CD (I paid $15.99 for the vinyl) the booklet is nice and big - and printed on fairly heavy stock paper - so it is nice.

And according to the sticker on the cover of the LP - this vinyl was sourced from the original 2-track masters - which from the way the LP sounds may just have been kept in the analog domain with very minimal digital processing, if any at all, added.

 

Another thing about SH-which should be no surprise to anyone on this forum-is that it is mastered LOUD. When I played it, BROTHER, did it jump out of the speakers. Of course, this is Hendrix-loud is the way to go. "Purple Haze" also had another thing missing from a lot of today's discs-good old fashioned tape hiss. It is a nice sampler of Jimi-I bought it because I don't happen to have AYE on disc, and it was nice and cheap. Unlike Uncle Al, I happen to think for $6, it's a good buy.

 

The best version of Stone Free live I ever heard, IMHO.

Best - Ed

 

Yes - that is the Royal Albert Hall version, which is in poor (mono?) sound quality on the Concerts CD (all other CDs of RAH also sound bad, I'm led to understand). Compare to the sound quality of the RAH "Little Wing", found on the box set - what a difference! Gives me hope that, one day, the RAH show(s) will be released with similar quality.

Check out the version of "Stone Free" on the Fillmore East CD. Very much like the RAH version, except better sound. I think you'll like it.

 

Maybe I'm saying it wrong then. It may be more of a result of poor initial recording techniques used. I haven't A/Bd it with the original Reprise vinyl so, maybe I should do that. I think the AYE CD has many problems though, among them, very quick fade outs at the end. Also the fact that many songs are essentially dull MONO (due to bounces, I guess) with high clarity on the STEREO vocal overdubs. This was a poor way to record a band capable of strong musicianship. You would expect this technique on The Beach Boys recordings, not Hendrix.

Also, although they are maybe "slightly" different, the AYE Reprise and the MCA with Bonus Tracks(I stand corrected, as I previously stated having the MCA/EH issue!) are NOT that much different (sonically). The MCA issue doesn't state No-Noise (I don't think) but was Joe Gastwirt mastered.

 

Good point Steve,

And it kinda says as much in many of the liners about the single "taking off" and Hendrix rushing (or being rushed by Chas) to finish lyrics and such to quickly do an lp.

Eddie Kramer was probably on a learning curve too. There really is an improvement on Axis Bold as Love, I think.

 

Maybe, maybe not. To quote the 1993 CD:

Eddie Kramer also weighed in:

 

So? That doesn't mean they "reluctantly" mixed it to stereo...