Fremer, for one. I believe that Roy Halee also commented that the master tape was lost or damaged after the first pressing. So if that's true, Classic records also did not use the original master. I don't have an A1 pressing, I believe it may say A3 or 4. Anyway, on my system, my original pressing comes in 3rd. Classic records (33.3) is 2nd. One Step is 1st.
I already pointed out that Fremer posted Bob Irwin's message regarding the tapes. Specifically, that those for Bookends, Bridge, and Greatest Hits were never lost.
Yes, I saw that later. Should have read through all of the posts. So, the master tape was never lost. Therefore, I would assume that both Classic and MFSL used this tape for their respective releases.
I preferred the MoFi One Step to the Classic 45. Unfortunately I no longer have the Classic for comparison. EDIT. I DO still have the Classic 45 set. (It's listed for sale on Discogs but hasn't yet sold.) I will try to do a fresh listening comparison and report back.
LATER. I repeated the BOTW comparison between the MoFi One Step and the Classic 45. This comparison was longer and more careful than the first I did, and I reached the opposite conclusion. I preferred the Classic 45. Comparing the title track, the difference in mastering was obvious. The One Step has more upper midrange/lower treble energy, giving the impression of more space and detail. By comparison, the image on the Classic seemed small. I couldn't tell which was more accurate. However, moving on to Cecilia, it soon became apparent that the Classic was really the more detailed. This was especially apparent in the bass, where the bass and drums sounded like real instruments, not indistinct thumps as on the One Step. The One Step had more bass, but not better bass. Listening to The Only Living Boy In New York confirmed this impression. On the One Step, there was again more bass, as well as the more prominent upper midrange/lower treble I noticed on the title track. This gave the track a lush presentation, and a degree of "wow" factor. However, the Classic again had the edge in sheer musical information. The mastering on the Classic was less immediately impressive, but more detailed. So I now give the edge to the Classic 45. My copy is no longer for sale on Discogs. As many have observed before me, frequenting this forum is expensive!
What I'm getting here is simple, Grundman is a first rate mastering engineer. Right now, second to none imo. Sure, he's dropped a bollock or two along the way but overall I'll take him over anyone right now so not surprised his work gets the nod over high end boutique releases.
I don't believe the comments on Monk happened recently. The only reason I found them was by using the search function. Possibly some quotes remain outside of this thread. I used a lot of different keywords, including searching for the Impex pressing. It was a lot of turning over stones so to speak. Simon & Garfunkel was strictly a shootout and while the MoFi was good, it came down to do I really need to get up to flip the record after 2 songs. For me, Bridge Over Troubled Water is a chill experience to get lost in the music and the MoFi didn't accommodate that experience or relaxation mode.
I only found some comparison for MoFi and the Impex and I compared them myself to find the MoFi is far superior to my ears.
Cool. I didn't buy either of those. The Impex was decided against since people said the MoFi was better. I have the Columbia 2-eye. Personally, I don't the One-Steps are worth it. I can appreciate why these are pressed as people need a decent option. Edit: I also decided against the Impex because there were some comments on non-fill issues. I am trying to avoid having to send anything back during quarantine and doing the back and forth. If you were asking about where I found the Columbia info, I am not sure at this point, but my decision was made and the record is here.
Not to throw off the current discussion, but thought I would share this photo as I was just doing some organizing in the home office and it felt relevant. (And for the record I am in the 1-step Fragile camp)
could post a similar picture, have you listened to any or are they all sealed copies? and what plastic covers are you using?
Curious as to why the lettering on the spines appear larger on one box and smaller on the other, of Bill Evans @ Village Vanguard and Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Waters?
Oh yeah I got those copies with the wrong font off of ebay. J/K. It is just refraction from the outer poly covers. Sorry I am really bad at photography!
I listen to all the titles, but have several sealed copies too. For the unsealed copies I keep the records stored separately outside of the boxes. Here are the bags: https://www.bagsunlimited.com/category/1403/lp-record-bbox-setb-sleeves Box set sleeves with flap.
Thats about 5k collection at current prices. Prices that you can get pretty much immediately now. That’s whole lotta steppin goin’ on
