Sometimes I wonder if some of us are listening to the same artist. Elvis Presley was a disaster in 1976; loaded up on pharmaceuticals, uncommitted to his craft, lazily throwing away 1/3 of his concerts with Amen/dive-bomb routines and endless band introductions, along with a backing band that sleepwalking through shows on autopilot. Aside from a couple of reinvigorated shows from late-December, Elvis' live work from 1976 is a travesty. To each his own....
It's not a question of whether or not he regularly boosts the treble. It's more a question of whether you are OK with that or not.
I do like most of Vic Anesinis work, but if you compare the same tracks he has done with the works of Steve hoffman or Kevin Grey (who did some of the Friday music Elvis releases) Anesinis mastering is more treble boosted and does not sound as natural as Hoffman or Grey (or Kevan Budd for that matter). Also try and compare the original US vinyl release of Elvis is Back! with Anesinis version. It's night and day. I also have a japanese vinyl from the 70's of Something For Everybody that sounds a lot better than the FTD or Anesini remaster.
You're comparing apples to oranges though. I have a Japanese original pressing of "That's The Way It Is" (1971) and it totally creams the DSD sourced FTD / Legacy. However, we're talking all-analogue mastered vinyl by gentlemen who were perfectionists (by and large) at the art and were aiming for that incredibly rich and sweet treble that NO digital systems can ever effectively re-create. If I compare the Legacy / FTD to early Japanese vinyl I'd never play the CD's. With that said, when you compare the CD's done by Vic to any other CD's with the possible exception of some of the SHM-CD's from the early 00's, you'll hear how good they really are, . My "Elvis Is Back" (Japanese SHM) is much better than the FTD or even the Legacy. Mind you, the Analogue Productions 45rpm vinyl kills that too!
It sure is. The original cuts were compressed and EQ'ed for LP cutting (read: trimmed low and high end). The Anesini mastering is gorgeous.
Interesting. I have the Speakers Corner pressing and like it very much, yet I've never heard a US first pressing. Have you, by any chance, compared these two?
The Analogue Productions 45rpm set of "Elvis Is Back" is the album I would play anyone to demonstrate how good those "old plastic records" can really sound.
The Anesini mastered "Complete Masters", has that same "breath of life" analog, organic sound , to my ears. I do not hear treble boost. But I surely would rather have a microscopic hair of treble boost, versus under. That would make it lifeless, dull and comparable to noise reduction. IMO.
Just read that this new Hawaii disc is being remastered by Jean Marc Juilland who's done great great work for FTD.
That is the rumor. As you stated, Juilland has done some fine work for FTD in the past (such as From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis Tennessee; Good Times; and Promised Land), although, IIRC, none of it has involved any restoration/remastering of audio from a tape like the '61 concert. I was hoping Jeansson would have a crack at this '61 tape considering the stellar work he did on the live '50s material on the A Boy From Tupelo set. Regardless, the sound quality should be a significant improvement over what has been released in the past.
TODAY is the next LEGACY issue. Info ... https://www.nowdigthismagazine.co.uk/product/elvis-the-man-107 When i heard that JMJ had done the mastering for this cd/book,i was wondering were he went after his last work on FTD.
The announcement of Today getting the next Legacy Edition treatment is odd to say the least; although, on some level, not a total surprise. Clearly Today is not a bona fide Elvis classic, or even a noteworthy album in the Elvis canon. So, under that analysis, it would never be a contender for the Legacy Edition treatment if we were talking about another artist. That would be like Bob Dylan's Under The Red Sky getting the nod for a Legacy Edition; it wouldn't make much sense in the context of the riches and legacy his catalogue has to offer. That said, most of us are aware by now that Sony elected to use the Legacy Edition banner in a different way for catalogue management of Elvis Presley. The most frustrating aspect of it is that for sensational Elvis titles like "Elvis Is Back!," Sony simply produced a two-fer. But for "Today," consumers get a 2CD set with alternate mixes and live soundboard material (which is mediocre at best, but at is another issue). If anything, a title like "Elvis Is Back!" or "From Elvis In Memphis" should have been coupled with a disc of breathtaking alternates. Why save the format of bonus content for lesser titles? Truly bizarre.
I think I'll pass, "Today" is better than the two that followed it, however like those two I hardly ever play the FTD's and I can't see the addition of a "Legacy" release changing that.
I'll take From EP Blvd or Moody Blue over Today.....any day!! That being said, I'll be picking this up as I dont have the FTD.
It looks like Sony came up with a new concept for the newer titles which includes rare material, instead of just releasing expanded two-fers like they were doing in the beginning. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is. It does seem strange that they have been focusing so much on the 70's over the last few years (TTWII, MSG, Stax, Aloha). The only exception is The Young Man With The Big Beat box set.
Personally speaking I don't think that's a fair comparison at all. You might not like Today but it is the last proper studio album made by Elvis and some of us do really like it. It's certainly more consistent that the 3 Stax albums that preceded it or the 2 Jungle Room albums that succeeded it. If you are going to compare it to Dylan's albums then I think Infidels would be a more appropriate comparison but that's a moot point.
The only thing the Legacy Edition will have going for it is that it will likely include Anesini's 2007 remastering on the master recordings, so for fans that did not obtain the Complete Masters box set, this is an economical way to add some of the '07 remasters to their collection. The FTD version of the album has always had a reputation for inconsistent sound quality, so this should make some fans happy in that regard.
The original album The undubbed masters with Duke Bardwell on bass The 1975 composite live show (mostly from Dallas) from the Silver box.
Nothing wrong with Today as far as I'm concerned. A nice varied selection of songs. Looking forward to the FTD !
