That's right. Patrick Mulligan confirmed for all of us what I had suspected in listening to the set. In the comments to my video he stated "I co produced this set with Joni Mitchell and worked with Bernie Grundman on the mastering. They are absolutely cut from the original analog master tapes and are not digital. Thanks for the review!" Fremer does seem a little off with his assessment of the sound. I wouldn't miss out in the vinyl set. It's beautifully done. The best Court and Spark I've ever heard.
Back in the day his reviews were pretty spot on. Certainly as recently as when he did all The Beatles reissues. Last couple of years some of his reviews have been a little strange and even contradicting what he previously said about some records. I think the DSD Mo-Fi scandal has scrambled his brain with regard to digital v analogue. Why he is not checking the facts before jumping to conclusions I don't know, but the JM box does not sound digital and /or compressed even if it's not AAA. Maybe age is catching up on him. Still enjoy his videos however. I've defended him here in the past as some members have no appreciation on the positive influence he has had on the record buying community, but in this case he's way off for some reason.
It’s not just that he’s not checking facts, he’s actively avoiding them. He was told they were AAA but then he goes on about how the producers must have prepared digital files. Which I’ve said over and over again is 100% not the case. After this review I don’t see how anyone can consider him an authority on audio.
Two more weeks gone and still no news about the C&S CD replacement. We know how this is going to end. As I said already: no CD replacement, no further purchases of the Archives series for me.
Tweeted them about it. Noticed that a user has added this note to the Discogs entry which should help to gain attention: “This version of Court & Spark has a mastering defect. Track #5 is a repeat of the same song that is already merged together with song #4 (as it should be). So, the song "Same situation" appears twice!”
Sorry if this has been brought up a ton, I’ve followed this thread for a while but didn’t see the issue with the Court and Spark CD. I just purchased the CD box set from Amazon. What do I need to look out for? edit: I see the post above me says a track is repeated twice. Has anyone bought a set recently that has this issue? Funny enough this problem was there a couple of months ago with the YouTube uploads of the remastered songs. I thought I was going crazy when I heard the same song twice on the playlist.
They fixed the digital deliveries but I don’t believe the CD set has been pressed again, so the set you bought will probably have the error with the repeated Same Situation.
Thanks for the info. It’s seems there is always something amiss with these box set releases. I’ll make sure to stay current with this thread for if and when there is a replacement.
That's not entirely true. Okay, you need Apple Music (the best mainstream streaming service sound-quality wise anyway) but you don't need headphones. If you're already geared up for home cinema (or multichannel music) with an AVR, speakers, etc., it's not too much for a stretch to assume some, like me, will also have an Apple TV box (the best streaming box), these albums can be heard in Dolby Atmos just fine via the Apple Music app on the Apple TV box. You also don't need Atmos speakers, e.g. if you're set up for the more standard 5.1 surround sound, Atmos automatically gets turned into 5.1, as dictated by the metadata in the Atmos stream. What I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that these remasters are also available on Apple Music in Hi Res Lossless format (24 bit, 192kHZ ALAC). So you have a choice of the 2022 Atmos remix or, if you turn Atmos off, hi res lossless 2022 stereo remaster. So I don't think I need the faulty CD box...
Have those of you who had initial problems with the pressing quality managed to come up with five clean records? Has anyone given up on finding a full box set of acceptable vinyl pressings? I’m looking for hope and encouragement, fellow forum members!
I had only one issue on one record, For The Roses. Got a second box and picked a perfect set from both.
Hi, I'm new here . Read the forums many times over the years when comparing different versions of records or files (very helpful thanks), but never made an account until now. What inspired me is reading this thread while comparing the (digital) remaster to the original (or whichever is the widely circulated streaming version) of The Hissing of Summer Lawns - perhaps my favourite Joni Mitchell album. I was blown away first listening to the remaster and indeed teared up at several songs, hearing instruments and clarity in the mix that I'd never heard before and fully revealing the extent of rich lushness of these immaculate songs. Edith and the Kingpin particularly got me - wow!! Must be one of Joni's very best songs in my eyes. Upon A/Bing the tracks in order to decide what I'd like to keep in my local library as the definitive version I ended up mixing and matching (is this a crime to people here? ). I found that the remastered version certainly spaces out the mix and lets you hear all that stuff that was sort of a smudge in the original, which works for songs that are more of an even keel and for sitting in the detail of but not ones that rely on the driving dynamics in my opinion. Joni's voice is incredibly clear but is sort of central in the mix and in a 'room' with the other instruments (you will notice here I have very little technical knowledge of music production), whereas in the original master sometimes you couldn't tell if a sound was her voice or which instrument it was, but everything was tighter to the dynamics of what was chosen as the main melody(?), for example the swell in Scarlett Conquering at 'impossibly gentle hands'/'covers her eyes at the x-rated scenes' or the filthy lowend chainsaw groove of The Jungle Line. All in all I'm trying to say I think this makes those original tracks sound more dynamic and 'bouncy'. (I am listening on good equipment incase anyone is wondering!) This is why I was surprised when everyone in this thread reacted so strongly to the Michael Fremer review when he mentioned compressed dynamics, calling him crazy etc. I think this is what he must have meant. I understand dynamic compression is also a measurable technical quality, but I think there is also dynamism lost in this new version. Song by song, Original: In Paris They Kiss On Mainstreet, The Jungle Line, Scarlett Conquering, Harry's House, Sweet Bird, Shadows and Light 2022 Remastered: Edith and the Kingpin, Don't Interrupt the Sorrow, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, The Boho Dance. Cheers! Hello! Toby
Hi everyone, I sent an email to Rhino a month or so ago regarding a replacement “Court and Spark” disc. This is the latest email I received: “Thank you for your email, and I apologize for the tardiness of this response. Unfortunately, I have been advised that the corrected replacement discs need to be re-pressed. This is currently in process, and I will update you when these discs become available. I am very sorry for the delay and thank you for your continued patience. Sincerely, Mac WMG Specialty Customer Service” Slightly ambiguous, but it appears the issue has been noted and replacement discs are (hopefully) in the works. Here’s to hoping we get them sooner rather than later.
Thanks for the update. From what they wrote to you, it looks like the "corrected replacement discs" also had an issue? Yikes...
Wow, how did they manage to goof up the replacement discs as well? That would explain the extra delay I suppose. EG.
Ok idk if this has already been brought up here or not but: Are these reissues remixes or just remasters? Just listening to them on streaming, there seems to be a bit more echo, some backing vocals are less prominent in some areas and more prominent in others, etc. Nothing major and they don’t make or break the listening experience for me (in fact, I quite like the mixes on Hissing, and considering that’s an all-time top 10 album for me you’d think I’d be resistant to any messing around with it, but “In France” sounds even better now imo!) Just something I noticed. Can’t wait to see what she does for the archive release from this era.
I just sent a follow up email on this yesterday. Guess I really don't need a response now. Maybe we'll also get the defective corrected replacement discs as a special bonus.