The USA first pressing sounded great on headphones in 1973, one of those select albums along with Electric Ladyland & Dark Side Of The Moon that complement the head trip.
My AWATS SACD arrived today. It sounds far more organic than my previously preferred CD (from the Complete Bearsville Albums Collection). It sounds like there were a multitude of Todds all playing at the same time rather than 1 Todd playing countless overdubs, which is slightly ironic because the album has only 1 Todd & masses of overdubs. I'd recommend this SACD to anyone with SACD player & who likes AWATS. I wouldn't recommend this SACD to anyone who doesn't like AWATS as the album's core character remains the same; it just becomes slightly more enjoyable & accessible. Veering off topic for a moment : - For anyone reading this who's curious about Todd & unsure where to start I'd recommend the Complete Bearsville Albums Collection. This contains 11 albums (13 CDs) of Todd at his most varied & creative & is very good value for money. You may not like everything (I struggle with Initiation) but there's bound to be something you'll enjoy.
I thought the original never sounded "right" but the corrected version did. BTW, I order often from Bullmoose and I use my AMEX for all online purchases unless they don't take it. S/A arrived today but unfortunately my system is disassembled.
Dunno what it says about you, me or anyone else who loves this album (Tame Impala has covered International Feel live) but it's a top 10 album for me and my favorite Todd album. Listened to it on headphones all the time growing up.
You lucky guys. I've been listening to AWATS since it was released but my hearing has degraded to the point I doubt I'd hear the difference between the SACD and Rhino CD. I do get a thrill from the fact that a better sounding AWATS exists 45 years after release!
Picked up the new SACD of Something/Anything today but only had a second to compare the CD layer to the original Rhino CD. I was surprised to find that they sound very different. I will write more tomorrow when I have a chance to hear more.
OK, I just compared the first few tracks of the original Rhino CD to the redbook layer of the new Kevin Gray SACD. I always thought original CD sounded good, but listening more critically today, I find that it has too much bass and not enough mid and high frequencies. This gives the overall sound a murky, distant and somewhat dull quality. The redbook layer of the new SACD sounds much clearer, with less (and tighter) bass, balanced tonality, more brilliant on top and more forward midrange. Another superb mastering from Kevin Gray!
I listened to the SACD layer of A Wizard, A True Star yesterday. It sounds wonderful. I didn't bother with an A/B with my Edsel or my Rhino redbook; it clearly sounded better. I have been listening to this album since I first bought it on vinyl circa 1976, and I think I have all (or most) of the CD masterings. This one is the best so far. Can't wait for Something / Anything to arrive.
My Something/Anything arrived today. There's a far greater improvement between this & my CD from The Complete Bearsville Studio Albums than there is between the AWATS SACD & the CD from the box set. The CD of Something/Anything sounds flat & lifeless in comparison to the SACD with a lot of fine treble detail missing on the CD. The extra treble detail on the SACD doesn't make make it sound too bright, just more natural & enjoyable. A very big recommendation from me. On the inside of the gatefold sleeve of the SACD there's this quote "This product is provided, as is, without any express or implied warranties". ??????? This lawyer speak doesn't appear on the AWATS SACD. Does anyone know why a company called Analog Spark is issuing SACDs? Not that I'm complaining.
It’s really good, but I’m still interested to hear Kevin’s work on this album. There are too many releases this month, so I’m going to get these in a couple weeks.
I like the sound of my MFSL Something/Anything, too, but I was disappointed recently to see how digitally 'louded out' it is. It still sounds very good, but certainly not as dynamic as it could be. Still, I will probably not bother with the SACD.
Before getting the new Kevin Gray SACD, I compared the MFSL and the original Rhino CD. I preferred the latter.
I just got Something / Anything yesterday; will listen to the SACD layer tonight. I still can't stop listening to A Wizard, A True Star, though....they did a really good job this time around...
See my post on the previous page. A little more "open", bit of haze removed. About as good as this record is ever going to sound. Kevin did a great job with what he had to work with.
Just so things are clear, I did not directly compare the MFSL and the new SACD. The reason for that is because I had already decided that I liked the original Rhino CD more than the MFSL.
