Mel Street - self-titled album from 1977 and the Country Soul album from 1978

I have just gotten this twofer CD issued by Poker Records (distributed by Cherry Red) in 2009 which I was able to score an inexpensive copy on eBay recently and the mastering isn't the most dynamic sounding of the albums and yes, this is the first time these 2 albums were legitimately on CD. One track in particular, If I Had a Cheatin' Heart (the biggest hit from this period of his career and his final Top 10 hit), does have an audible click near the end of the track sounding like it came from vinyl LP rather than the master tape otherwise the mastering is as clear as a good master tape.

The DR values are a 9-10 on the CD.

foobar2000 1.6.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-03-01 19:03:13

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Analyzed: Mel Street / Mel Street / Country Soul
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR10 -0.10 dB -11.29 dB 2:32 01-Close Enough For Lonesome
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.15 dB 3:00 02-If This Is Having A Good Time
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.30 dB 3:17 03-Virginia How Far Will You Go
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.42 dB 2:36 04-I'll Leave This World Loving You
DR9 -0.10 dB -10.79 dB 2:36 05-This Lady In My Bed
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.38 dB 3:16 06-Barbara, Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.30 dB 2:30 07-Only Time Will Tell
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.65 dB 2:48 08-(I'm Just A) Redneck In A Rock And Roll Bar
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.76 dB 3:05 09-This Has Got To Last
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.03 dB 2:56 10-Daylight Strangers, Midnight Friends
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.03 dB 3:03 11-My Friend The Jukebox
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.67 dB 2:57 12-Shady Rest
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.06 dB 3:09 13-Lola Mae
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.37 dB 2:32 14-The Fire Gets Higher
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.37 dB 2:58 15-She's No Honky Tonk Angel
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.28 dB 2:54 16-Never Been To Heaven (But I Sure Been Close)
DR9 -0.10 dB -10.98 dB 2:52 17-Let The Phone Just Keep On Ringing
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.36 dB 3:06 18-Memory Eraser
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.11 dB 2:59 19-If I Had A Cheating Heart
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.50 dB 2:45 20-The Only Way She's Got To Go
DR9 -0.10 dB -10.96 dB 2:50 21-It Should've Been Me
DR9 -0.10 dB -10.85 dB 2:41 22-At The Club Alibi
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Number of tracks: 22
Official DR value: DR10

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 1411 kbps
Codec: CDDA
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Since the big hit from this has a very audible click as an example and that the mastering of the music is fairly loud, I do hope that Mercury Nashville were to reissue these 2 albums on streaming services and download sites from the master tapes with dynamics preserved and yes, the music on these 2 albums, the final albums released in his lifetime, is excellent.

 

Good to know. I gotta get this.

 

For most people who are just starting out on Mel Street, either get the Gusto 20 All Time Greatest Hits and/or the Deluxe/Highland Mel Street's Greatest Hits for single disc overviews of the GRT/Metromedia Country/Royal American material with great sound, or for a more compressed sounding but more comprehensive overview of the GRT/Metromedia/Royal American days, get the Borrowed Angel 2 CD set on the Encore label in the UK. Still any of his music is essential for any hard core country fan.

 

Yes you do.