Jeff Beck Blow By Blow Recommendation

I see the original cd quite a lot used, is the remaster that much better? I know there's an SACD, but I don't have a player.

Thanks

 

The SACD is very very fine. The multi-channel mix is fantastic. They don't pan anything around the room, but leave added guitar parts, keyboards parts, etc. to come at you from different speakers, and leave them stationary.

This results is a nice consistant soundstage that brings out various things in sharper detail.

They may have used the 1975 Quad mix. Regardless, this is a great way to hear the album.

Jeff

 

It IS the quad mix. Purists hate it. I love it.

I wish CBS would do this MUCH more often, especially on the 3 Dylan SACDs that should have the quad mixes (Nashville Skyline, Desire & Planet Waves), but have NO MC mixes at all.

 

I have the Mofi gold CD - it is very nice indeed. I used to have the gold MasterSound, which wasn't at all bad either, but I like the Mofi better - a bit smoother. The MasterSound was a tad bright to me, as is often the case with those discs. I imagine the latest CD remaster would not be that different from the MasterSound version.

I haven't heard the SACD - sounds like I should.

I'd love to see Wired on SACD too

 

I have the Gold MasterSound, the regular CD, and the vinyl. I like the vinyl best. The music has a large dynamic range, and it's well recorded. It doesn't need any digital push, and is too "up-front" on CD. The vinyl allows you to relax and listen, be drawn in.

The vinyl on this is one of the best reasons to start spinning vinyl if you're not already doing so.

 

Hi Dan- Which pressing do you have, what matrix numbers also. I have been looking for a version that will stand up to my MOFI CD, but no luck yet with my two plain jane copies of this LP.

Thanks!
John

 

Hello John, I will try to remember to look tonight when I get home. Please let me know about your plain jane copies, too.

 

I have the MFSL gold, Mastersound gold CD, and a first pressing Orange label Epic LP (I bought it in 1975). I have not done a shoot-out but will try to remember to check them out tonight too.

 

Thanks guys

So far the mofi sounds interesting.

The vinyl does sound great though.

 

Hmmm, no reports of the MFSL Blow By Blow suffering from the "Smiley-Faced EQ. Syndrome" yet. Interesting, very interesting. I haven't heard this one yet.

The MFSL "Wired" on UD1 is excellent!

 

Hi Dave

Yes that is interesting.

Maybe it's the one

 

We can only hope Ken. Actually a buddy of mine does have it. One problem though....he's getting married in 1 month and is kind of lost at the moment, so no listen for this guy for a while.

 

Much appreciated!!

John

 

I'll save you the unnecessary pain Ben. "The Mastersound is hard sounding and too bright". The MFSL is the better of these 2 on the very brief comparison I did about 3 years ago. All IMHO of course.

 

Hi Dave- No smiley face eq on this one, its the best CD version Ive heard. Also, I got rid of the mastersound gold and plain CD in favor of this. That whole breath of life thing. I would recommend tracking one down if your source is CD. Its quite good. Lastly, its one of those gain system releases, so dont expect UD I quality, those are much more natural and analog like.

John

 

Excellent John thanks! Well as we've come to know here, not all UD2's are bad, he says while thinking about Simon & Garfunkel, Steppenwolf, Ten Years After....

 

I too like the vinyl better than the regular CD, for much the same reasons, but the vinyl does sound pretty cloudy and murky on "Diamond Dust" and doesn't show this great track off to its best advantage. The SACD 2-channel version does, and to my ears it beats the vinyl by a pretty large margin.

I don't have the Mch mix because I bought my BBB too soon. I wish Sony/Columbia would do an upgrade program so that early buyers aren't punished this way.

 

OK, lets have some fun.
I've spent the last few hours with the MFSL, Sony Mastersound, and my orange label LP. Please be patient and try to put up with my pontificating,

It took just about 15 to 35 seconds to agree with Night Gort "Extraordinaire" Dave. (i.e. attention collectors, I have a Mastersound Gold CD for sale). This CD is bright city. It shows how much I've listened to this CD.

Before I go into the MFSL gold CD vs LP shoot-out, let me say that this LP (Blow By Blow) is a close relative (to me) of Blood on the Tracks. Let me explain. BOTT came out early 75 and BBB just a few months later. Both are CBS product with that textured cover feel you can't reproduce these days. Both MINT since the day I got them (i.e. I was already an anal retentive).
As mint as my Blow by Blow is (side 1: PAL 33409-1D machine stamped, Side 2: PBL 33409-1C hand carved) , the record does have inherent noisy vinyl (post 74 gas embargo vinyl). Listening to "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" on the dead quiet MFSL CD is truly intoxicating. IT TOOK ME 5 or 6 pristine copies of Blood On The Tracks (1-3 bucks each) to finally get one that BEATS the $30 absolute analogue UK pressing by a mile. What I mean is, if you are willing to buy 4 or 5 pristine orange label pressings of Blow by Blow (for 2 or 3 bucks each at garage sales) you can probably get a silent vinyl perfection (eventually). If you are not willing to do that, GET THE MFSL UD II GOLD. I have no doubt that if I had a silent virgin vinyl orange label I would never listen to the MFSL. Fellow Virginian Gardo does have a point, although I would NOT use the term "pretty cloudy and murky" to describe the LP. BUT the LP is indeed, lets say, less transparent than the MFSL CD. I'm still resisting SACD and DVD-A so I can't comment about these.

BTW, the MFSL has two fantastic shots of Jeff not available anywhere else. One with Fender guitar, the other playing air-guitar. Both by KING of rock photography and San Francisco resident JIM MARSHALL.

 

BC, thanks for that revealing analysis. i used to have an Australian vinyl copy of Blow by low, but it's long gone. Australian CBS vinyl was a poor cousing of the US counterpart. But I do remeber being disappointed with a lot of CBS vinyl that I bought as imports from the US back in the 70s - quite often, the LPs were warped, had surface scratches, and were very noisy. Australian CBS vinyl tended to be less noisy, but often sounded a bit muddy or muffled in comparison to the US - and the Australian copies had crappy covers. they would often take an album that had a gatefold cover in the US and rest of world, and release it witha cheap non-gatefold cover - very annoying.

For me right now, the MFSL gold CD of Blow By Blow is the best I've ever heard this classic album. The MSFL Wired gold CD isn't bad either.

 

YEP

 

Thanks Guys!

Hmmm Ebay.....

 

This IS fun, thanks for reminding me of that post 74 gas embargo vinyl!

OK, my vinyl is Epic PE 33409, Columbia NY machine stamper, side 1: AL 33409 1AE machine stamped, side 2: BL 33409-1AF machine stamped, 1975 CBS Inc. A Black/Blue bottom Epic label. No warp, perfectly flat (a gift!)

All Music Guide isn't very helpful, noting only vinyl releases 1975 Epic 33409, and 1982 Epic HE-43409.

Mine has the textured cover, I don't remember but I think I bought this one new, the inside white record sleeve is yellowed with age (a quarter century old plus ).

So while it's clear I don't have the first pressing orange label, I still think this pressing has a lot of juice to it. When the snare hits on Freeway Jam, it's just take-off time.

My LP notes AIR Studios, London, produced by George Martin. No mention of the mastering.

 

Black/blue Epic label started around the summer or 1979.

How do I remember? The Clash' Give 'em Enough Rope was released January 1979 in Orange label. By the summer of 1979 when Epic put out their expanded version of The Clash's first album it came in the brand new black/blue Epic label. Somewhere in between the label changed. Your copy is obviously pressed after the summer of 79. This does not mean the copy is inferior. I have not heard this version so I can't really tell. However, more often than not, the closer you get to a first pressing, the better the sound will be. Exceptions abound.

 

Just to clarify: my LP sounds very good EXCEPT for "Diamond Dust," which is at the end of the side and suffers pretty badly from the treble roll-off endemic to LPs in this regard. (The strings just don't sing.) For me, this spoils the climax of the album.

And I do urge BBB lovers to check out the SACD, which to my ears gets it just about right in the 2-channel mix.

 

Got-it. Sorry for the confusion.