(LP Blue Note King Records Japan GXK-8077) 1978 .... recorded December 1964 .... both music and sound represent sheer class ....
It's nice that you can still hear rolled off highs. Every thing has rolled off highs for me. I went to too many rock concerts in my 20s without ear plugs. I didn't start using them until my 30s but the damage was done. Fortunately, it's not that bad.
I attended only a few concerts that were overly loud decades ago. Never went again, too loud for my taste.
The Miles Smiles MFSL hybrid SACD is now available for pre-order: Miles Davis - Miles Smiles (Numbered Edition Hybrid SACD) * * * (mastered from the original tapes)
Wow, Hans, you old dog, ha ha. I thought you were a big fan of the Blue Note Works series, and regarded them as generally the best CD versions. I am just me, so no authority, but I have a very large number of Blue Note Works CDs, and they always sound fine to me. There is much more presence than with Ronnie Boy, on the whole. They are my go-to versions and they never disappoint. They are derived from LP masters, so they can be better than later 24-bit CD versions, which come from the session reels, which, by then, were several years older. There is a flaw on the CD issues of Hank Mobley's "Dippin'" album after the BNW CD; the flaw is not present on the BNW version. I found that phenomenon also on the CDs of the first Horace Silver album - a trio. But, whatever you guys prefer, that's great. Re ears, I am also a house music DJ, and the clubs have the volume way too loud, so I lost some top end. But, I do most of my listening now on Pioneer DJH 2000 headphones - they sound great, by the way.
Lonnie Smith - Turning Point Blue Note (1969) TOCJ-4313 BN Works 4300 Series Organ – Lonnie Smith Tenor Saxophone – Bennie Maupin Trombone – Julian Priester Trumpet – Lee Morgan Guitar – Melvin Sparks Drums – Leo Morris
Seriously though...there's many reasons I love my wife but her thoughtfulness is definitely chief among them. She missed her bus on the way home from work tonight; to kill time she popped in to one of our local thrift/secondhand furniture stores. In addition to this funky 70's style wooden bowl set she bought for $10, the store sells records- she found an old mono copy of Miles' Someday My Prince Will Come LP in there for $2. It's not the greatest shape -Good condition at best, it skips a couple of times but it does play (the vinyl probably looks worse than it actually sounds). A nice surprise when I woke up and she showed me the record: "I saw this and thought of you," she said. "You don't have this one, do you? It was only two bucks." "As a matter of fact, I don't have that one, so thanks, honey." "Well, I know you like Miles Davis, so I grabbed it," she explained, before adding, "I take it this isn't some of his weird, f--ked up wah wah music, is it?" "Well, let's check it out, and you can find out," I said. Went downstairs, put the record on, and before too long she goes, "Hey, I actually like this one..." Unlike me and the kids my missus has no love whatsoever for Miles' fusion stuff, "It's just not music to me," is her verdict. Knowing her tastes in jazz, Someday My Prince Will Come is right up her alley. I'm pretty sure the copy she found was this one, so in spite of the so-so condition of the record and cover (the bottom was taped together with masking tape) it was still a good deal for a toonie: Miles Davis Sextet* - Someday My Prince Will Come
If you compare BN Works CDs to recent reissues like e.g. the HD Tracks downloads based on transfers by Yoshida and Grundman, the rolled-off-tops of the Japanese discs become painfully obvious. There are a handful of BN Works I still enjoy listening to regularly like Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, Pete La Roca's Basra, and Anthony Williams' Life Time.
Have you listened to the HDTracks Sonny Rollins Vanguard album? I think it's rather obvious that most engineers add more treble than necessary. That's not the case for all HDTracks, of course, but some would actually benefit from a slight top-end roll-off.
I plan on it Yeah, she's a cool chick for sure- intelligent, articulate, artistic, good taste in music/books/films etc...I lucked out big time. But then, so did she when she met me! And no, she has no love for music she considers "weird sh-t", be it by Miles or The Beatles or anybody...
(LP Blue Note King Records Japan GXK-8129) 1979 .... recorded May 1965 .... desert island platter ....
I am not in favour of top-end roll-off in general. Especially as on the APO Blue Note Hybrid SACDs. I like up front cymbals, but not excessive treble boosts. It's been a while since I heard the HD Tracks Sonny Rollins Village Vanguard.
Blue Note King Records Japan GXK-8129 is this one of the better 33 versions to get? I'd like a 33 but the MM 45 is tempting too but less so at $75. I'd like to have the best 33 reissue,OG's are out of my range too.
The Japanese King LPs date from the 1970s and are long OOP. I have no idea how rare they are these days. They are the best Blue Note LP pressings I have ever had.
There was a time when King LPs were considered superior to original LPs - with pressings that were (and to this day still are) dead silent and superbly mastered. Then, well, prices for original Blue Notes skyrocketed... and suddenly King LPs were merely "good alternatives" to and less "open" sounding than originals... let's see how people think in twenty to thirty years from now...
I had several original Blue Note LP pressings (12") back in the day and the quality wasn't always consistent. Some sounded great, others not so much.
