So yeah, I mean, Discogs is user generated content. Clearly users don’t have the ‘90s era of Sterling fully documented as yet. Sterling is credited with some of the ‘90s Miles reissues and I suspect more will follow. The ones credited use the “SS,” and no “Sterling” stamp like they had in the ‘70s. What other plant not only used “SS” in their run outs but would have been handling Columbia in the ‘90s?
Not surprised. It’s like AP, MOFI, and other high quality labels have a short list of titles and they stick to it, and us suckers keep buying them at higher prices each time around. These old worn out titles are easily licensed and are probably dirt cheap.
I was joking. Analogue Productions has already issued Tapestry (and Stardust!) on 45 rpm (the Grundman cut). Is this out of print as well? Perhaps to make room for a recent MOFI LP and SACD? Perhaps once the MOFI's go out of print, it's be on the UHQR menu.
I have the Classic Records 33 rpm which is likely the same mastering on one disc. I'm not sure this is that long an album to benefit 45 rpm. I'm assuming they are reusing Classic plates used for single sided clarity issue.
Oops, incorrect information here. The Tapestry was on ORG and has been out of print for years. Time flies. .
I've seen no evidence of that. If it were the case, there would be multiple matrices for the Classic (because each lacquer only produces 500-1000 copies), and the stampers prepared would probably have been used already. You can't make new stampers off a "one-step" father ("convert").
RTI, who pressed all of the early Classic Records releases, have the number of steps marked in the deadwax matrix. Matrix number scheme used for the processing: Side A: xxxxx (2) or (3) Side B: xxxxx (2) or (3) Later adjusted to include the side identifiers: Side A: xxxxx.1 (1) or (2) or (3) Side B: xxxxx.2 (1) or (2) or (3) (1), (2) and (3) indicate the matrix process used: The 3-step process means that the master lacquer disc is used to make negative fathers, positive mothers, and finally stampers. The 2-step means that the master lacquer disc is used to make a negative father, a mother and then convert the father into a stamper. This is used for small runs and in the case that extra stampers a required, the mother is used to produce those stampers. The newer 1-step process (often found on MOFI UltraDisc One-Step records) means that the master lacquer disc is used to make a negative convert which is used to produce directly the vinyl (w/o using father, mother and stamper). As already mentioned above the side identifiers .1 and .2 are not always included in the matrix scheme.
I got out my Classic 33 again today out of curiosity. I never played it much due to quality control issues. The sound quality is excellent and to my surprise side one played much more quietly than I remembered. Then, on side two about five minutes in the stylus just got stuck and the same passage kept repeating. I ran it through the Audio Desk U/S. I only had the VPI 16.5 at the time KOB camE out on Classic. Problem solved. Rarely have I seen anything seemingly so severe resolve with cleaning, especially when it had been thoroughly cleaned when new. Now I have essentially the UHQR 33 and it plays quietly enough. I may still be in for the 45 but on 33 I’m good.
It's not about length of an album, as I have said before. Sure, an album which might have previously been put out at 28 minutes per side, particularly if it's a dynamic one, will be helped. But it's about the better portrayal of transients, of inner detail and space. There's not a single person whom I know who has heard both the Classic 33 and 45 who didn't think the 45. Moreover, on the 33, you can compare the "Flamenco Sketches" on side 4 with the 33 and, as good as the 33 is, the 45 is better.
Meanwhile, I pulled out my Classic 33. And it's outstanding. It's not bright in any way. It was tube-mastered. It's full, rich, tonally and harmonically sophisticated, and I can practically "see" the room. There's lots of small dynamic nuance to help make the music come alive. The MoFi gives some brightness to Evans' piano, but the whole presentation on the Classic sounds right. Even Evan's piano comes off well here. There's a natural shimmer and air to the cymbals that's so good, so ahhhhh, unlike the MoFi. And when Cobb punctuates a syncopation with the snare or tom, you feel it. It's this aspect to the Classic that is one of the improvements over the 6-eye. Coltrane's and Adderly's saxes are practically in the room, they're so 3-dimensional and full-bodied, so well fleshed-out. The one thing that 6-eyes have is more perceived air on top, but they're not as rich, nor have the low end presence. And the one thing I learned recently, that Chamber's bass was put through a reverb chamber, explains why it's not as taut or dry as I expected when I first heard this pressing (which was the first time I heard the album, way back in the mid-'90s). Miles' trumpet is deeper in the room. You can see that he was not close-miked and was back a bit. And you can locate him in the 3-dimensional space. I remember being impressed the first time I heard this that the 30th Street space could be made out while listening (to some degree - better systems than mine are even better at picking that sort of stuff up). Y'all should be excited that the 33 (single disc, though?) are coming out again.
They are different masterings, you cant compare. Inner detail and all that is just baloney as far as Im concerned, so no, not everyone.
This is a great description of the Classic! This is exactly how I hear it and why that mix/mastering is so addictive. Jimmy Cobb's riveted K cymbals just shine with air and shimmer galore, whereas that is lost on the MoFi (I guess in favour of heavier bass?). I got to hang out with Jimmy Cobb once and one of the questions I asked him was about those Kind of Blue cymbals and if he still had them — unfortunately they were stolen and never found.
The Classic was only pressed in two small runs, as I recall, and both were very small (750 or so), so one set of stampers could have been used for all the 45's. I remember missing out on the first run for the NAMM show and ordering as soon as the second run was announced.
The 2lp was three sides 33rpm and one side 45rpm (alternate take of Flemenco Sketches). There was a four single sided edition of the album, that had no bonus tracks.
No, I haven’t see any details yet, but AP has reused Classic metal parts on at least a few releases, including the UHQR Aqualung, and the recent Brubeck Time Out reissue.
Correct. The Classic 33 consists of the whole record on one disc, the "corrected" speed of side 1 on side 3, and the alternate take of "Flamenco Sketches" cut at 45 on side 4.
Yet another reissue of yet another album that pretty much everyone who would be interested in it already owns at least two copies of. Pass.
I have various versions that sound fantastic. This trend of $100+ re-issues is pathetic. I guess its all about limited supply and future flipping?
Maybe others are into flipping but I'm interested in the stereo 33rpm as I have the excellent Kevin Gray mono and have not heard a Classic Records stereo which appears to garner only praise.
Some people want the definitive version, some people like to collect nice high quality reissues, some people take pride in having copies that have increased in value, and then there are the flippers.
I shot Acoustic Sounds a message and got a confirmation back that both the 33 and 45 will be "pressed using metal parts derived from Bernie Grundman's corrected speed masters." (emphasis mine) I take this to mean the masters that BG cut for Classic, but I thought it was also interesting to know that they will be using the corrected speed versions, as I knew he had cut both, at least for the 33. (I didn't know which version had been used for the 45.) Was the MoFi KoB done at the original speed, or the corrected speed?
