I sent mine back to Music Direct today. Here’s hoping for similar luck. The LPs really do sound great.
I know some don't like to use Amazon, but for box sets it the best. They send off your replacement box and you have almost a month to evaluate and choose among both boxes the best discs before sending the rest back. Fast and free with Prime
What's the sense, I already own those 4 CD's, some Japanese some original. They all sound good. The only cd's I have doubles of are the anniversary Dark Side of the Moon. I play my original the most.
My guess the sense is to get all these titles back in print for people that weren’t there 25+ years ago.
Well, not everybody owns them, and this looks like a good way to get all them in good sound, at a reasonable price.
Has anyone managed to compare the BG Court And Spark from this box to this 2009 CB cut on Rhino that's pressed at RTI? Joni Mitchell - Court And Spark
I think they will release the albums individually. My question is, how are listeners finding the difference between the Bellman cut of Court and Spark versus the new Grundman? I have an OG pressing and picked up the Bellman to see how it stacked up. Gotta be honest, I really prefer the original. And I don't have a super duper system.
I haven't yet compared, largely because I didn't keep the Bellman which I found a bit bright. My least favourite Bellman cut as I usually like his work a lot. The Hejira he did is my favourite so far, but I have yet to hear the later ones.
Having listened to all the vinyl in the box set now, I can confirm it all sounds ticketyboo to me - both the quality and the remastering. The covers are also fine unlike the previous box set. I've also, with some difficulty, acquired the 192kHz download version which is also excellent. I do NOT like the 48kHz remaster - I presume used on CDs - which sounds far too harsh and digital.
I have a 1974 US Terre Haute pressing Joni Mitchell - Court And Spark don't know how it's rated, but the new release is head and shoulders above that one, I don't think there's room for any subjectivity here, it's positively more dynamic, more separation, and also a tad less bright.
The box set arrived today from Amazon. So far, I've only delved into Roses and Court and Spark. The only album in this set which I already owned a copy of was Court and Spark, a WLP. The new version is brighter than the WLP, but also more separation and better bass extension and definition. I've grown to love Court and Spark over the past few years, so it's nice to have an excellent vinyl copy readily available (on dead silent vinyl, to boot). No problems at all with the records I've listened to so far, except for a very slight warp on each. Overall, this set was well worth it and gives me a chance to get into Roses and Hissing in particular, which I don't have any experience with.
Just finished court & spark. This box is just stunning imo as was the first box. While I do own all the originals with most being in good condition, don’t have the patience to a/b and over analyze a comparison. These new pressings are totally black, detailed and sound fabulous. What more can one hope for? Thanks Joni !!
My thoughts, also. I'll probably compare at some point, but in no hurry. I really like box sets like this: Otis Redding, ZZ Top, Dylan, Curtis Mayfield, etc.. I'm planning to get the Bernie Grundman remaster of Blue that comes out Oct. 7th. I already have his original mastering from 1971 and the Hoffman/Gray from 2007. Were there any shootouts when this came out in the first box?
So I guess we are awaiting an archival type set of unreleased material from the period covered by the Asylum box set. Good to have a nice download of Miles of Aisles.
Yes, I'm particularly looking forward to more live recordings from the 1974 tour, which have already been confirmed for Archives 3. You can't get enough of a good thing
They're both excellent, but I prefer the Hoffman/Gray which is on my very short list of amazing masterings. I loved it so much I bought their Sweet Baby James release, and I don't even like James Taylor!
If I order the box set (say, from Amazon) today, will Court and Spark include the duplicate track of Same Situation?
I can verify now having listened to some of the CD boxed set last night that my copy also has the indexing error on Same Situation. A minor annoyance. But man the CD sounds FANTASTIC, really well-mastered. I haven't A/B'd with Steve's DCC mastering, but just from memory I do think I slightly prefer the latter for the midrange warmth, but I can't imagine anyone not loving the sound of this album in the new boxed set. I also have the LP version of the new boxed set and do prefer the vinyl Court and Spark to the new CD - but just by a smidge - they are VERY closely matched sonically, really it's just down to a tiny bit more midrange and detail on the LP.
I wish the digital downloads would be fixed quickly. I’d love to pick up this set on Qobuz or HD Tracks. But without knowing if they’d fix the error with a replacement track, there’s no sense in buying it now.
Can't you just... not play the extra track? Either take it out of the playlist, or remove it from your library altogether? Or is there some other problem with the combined track I'm not aware of...?
There have been demos of the songs from Hissing on YouTube for years. I hope these are on the next archive box as well
