Reissues of Gould's '55 and '81 Goldberg Variations coming October 2015

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by senseabove, Sep 11, 2015.

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  1. Scott Wheeler

    Scott Wheeler Forum Resident

    Location:
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    fine
     
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  2. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident Thread Starter

    FWIW, the mono switch I have mostly gets used on older pressings to cut surface noise and minimize pops/clicks/etc. On the modern reissues of mono records I have, I usually hear very slight to no difference with the mono switch engaged.

    (And that's also, if I've understood correctly, assuming a mono reissue is cut with a mono head. If it's a mono album cut with a stereo head, like [I suspect] some of the otherwise excellent Japanese Verve reissues I have, flipping the mono switch actually cuts some of the highs.)

    So, maybe to "fully" extract the mono goodness, sure, a mono cart or switch would be nice, but they certainly aren't necessary. Also, if you're hankering for a mono switch, there's someone in the classifieds who makes and sells one you can just drop in the chain.
     
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  3. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    It sounds fine, but there are a few topics here at SHF that can help you find what you can do to play real mono, I think our host Steve Hoffman himself has posted details about this not long ago ;)
     
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  4. dogpile

    dogpile Generation X record spinner.

    Location:
    YYZ - Canada
    Although there are some mono recordings are very appealing to me (including this GG 1955), the thought of delving into mono recordings will be costly due to my anal tendencies for perfection :oops:

    Hardware purchases like mono cartridge, a second tone arm and perhaps a new phono pre would be considered - and I don't even own a single monoaural recording!

    I think I'll stick with the 1982 stereo version.
     
  5. RelayerNJ

    RelayerNJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Whippany, NJ
    I just got a copy of the 55 version and will be returning it. There's some surface noise, but there's also some distortion on the recording. I'm not sure what that's all about, but it's annoying. Also, for something recorded at 30th Street Studio, the sonics are pretty poor. I haven't heard an original to compare, just a version downloaded from iTunes.
     
  6. fitzrik

    fitzrik Forum Resident

    Location:
    dublin
    A heads up to be aware when buying or ordering this. I ordered some albums off Amazon.co.uk including the '55 title listed here. It turns out the copy I got is not what was being discussed above but a variant on the DOXY label who are well known for releasing cheap records of public domain music, more than likely cut from commercial CDs. Not what I wanted at all so I will pass it on sealed. The likes of Amazon are unclear as to which label a record is on when you look it up and are best avoided.
     
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  7. fitzrik

    fitzrik Forum Resident

    Location:
    dublin
    I think this is misleading. United are awful and seem incapable of pressing one decent record. Most pressings I have gotten from MPO over the last 25 years have been quite good.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2015
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  8. crispi

    crispi Vinyl Archaeologist

    Location:
    Berlin
    You, Sir, are completely right! I hereby officially retract my comment regarding the current quality of MPO pressings.

    In my defense, the pressings I had experience with, all from 2012–2013, were noisy affairs (and still are, even after repeated cleaning). Newer pressings I bought after having made my comment are all excellent, indeed.

    However, to further diffuse matters, all UNITED pressings that have made their way to Europe and into my hands are flawless. Figure that.
     
  9. fitzrik

    fitzrik Forum Resident

    Location:
    dublin
    Ha ha. You're lucky about United. Almost uniformly bad for me. As for MPO, I haven't noticed their pressings so much recently, either for bad or good. But maybe with the current vinyl surge, their QC is not what it was.
     
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  10. buzzlulu

    buzzlulu Forum Resident

    Location:
    pR,NY,USA
    Any more updates on how these vinyl reissues are?
    I have the CD which contains both the 1955 and 1981 performances however I wanted to try ONE of these on vinyl.
    Seems like the 81 is the one to try due to the fact that it is now sourced from the tapes instead of digital.
     
  11. dogpile

    dogpile Generation X record spinner.

    Location:
    YYZ - Canada
    Just received the 1982 vinyl. Will do A/B against my digital mastered copy and report back...
     
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  12. lrpm

    lrpm Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    The 1955 recording is a landmark performance. It is absolutely necessary to listen to this version, regardless the sound quality, the mono setup or anything else. Moreover the approaches Gould took in 1955 and 1981 were completely different, thinking one could substitute the other is completely wrong. Both performances are completely different. In my opinion in 1981 Glenn Gould tryied to distance himself from the famous 1955 recording, and the result was a very original and nice version of the Goldberg variations. But the 1955 version has all the force, urgence and brightness of a young Gould in the route for conquering the world, the masterwork of a genious. Please listen to it in any version, look for it in youtube, whatever, and then decide for yourself.
    And forget using the mono cartridge, those are right for vintage mono releases but everything released nowadays is cut with stereo equipment and meant to be played with standard stereo cartridges.
     
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  13. dogpile

    dogpile Generation X record spinner.

    Location:
    YYZ - Canada
    I have the 1955 version on CD only and prefer the 1982 version, hence, my hesitation about buying it on vinyl.
     
  14. dogpile

    dogpile Generation X record spinner.

    Location:
    YYZ - Canada
    Here are my findings on the new analogue pressing vs my Canadian 1981 pressing.

    Packaging is excellent and vinyl quality is also excellent - very clean surfaces and flat pressing.
    The sound level of the analogue pressing is louder so I did my best to match volume levels during the A/B.

    I preferred the analogue pressing (slightly) over the digital...
    - high notes were slightly cleaner and focused.
    - lower octaves had better extension with more solidity.

    I've had several copies of the original and all of them had some degree of background noise...finding a quiet copy is very difficult.
    I'm happy to report that this new analogue pressing is very quiet.
    However, there was some soft background hiss, possibly from the original analogue tapes....not sure.

    Nothing wrong with this MPO pressing :tiphat: and I'm very happy to add this to my GG collection.
     
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  15. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    These are really great pressings and the mastering is top notch, just played my 1981 performance reissue the other day, twice in a row, what a recording... :)
     
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  16. lrpm

    lrpm Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    Sorry then, from your post I understood you didn't own any monoaural recording. I understand you could prefer any versión, I only urged you to listen to the 1955 one at least once. I see you already did.
     
  17. driverdrummer

    driverdrummer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Irmo, SC
    Is the State of Wonder cd a good choice?
     
  18. buzzlulu

    buzzlulu Forum Resident

    Location:
    pR,NY,USA
    Dogpile
    Thanks for the report
     
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  19. vwroccet

    vwroccet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashville, TN
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  20. doug1956

    doug1956 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Waterloo Ontario
    I have the original vinyl issue of the 1981 version, which was digitally sourced, as well as the analog sourced 1981 version released on
    the CD "A State of Wonder." So I definitely need an analog sourced vinyl version!
     
  21. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    The vinyl was mastered from high resolution digital transfers of the Original Analog Master Tapes. The mastering is really great (and very well pressed), I prefer this new mastering to the State Of Wonder CD set.
     
  22. Hedin

    Hedin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norway
    Do you know if it was DSD?
    I to prefer this over the State Of Wonder CD.
     
  23. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    Not DSD, it was a 384 Khz source.
     
    Hedin likes this.
  24. gubarenko

    gubarenko Guy From Russia

    any proof of that?
     
  25. bklynbass

    bklynbass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Though I'd revive this thread... I recently obtained the new(ish) analog Sony LP of Gould's '81 Goldberg Variations. I think it sounds better than the original digital recording which by comparison sounds like a Synclavier. But does anyone else find the piano on the analog version to have a particularly dark, almost "rolled off" tone? I just compared the sound to a 70s reissue of the '63 Bach Partitas which is way more lively. It's almost like they wanted to differentiate the analog version from the digital by warming it up and perhaps went a bit overboard when they mastered it. Is anyone else hearing this?
     
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