Sam Cooke's "Night Beat" SACD due from Analogue Productions

Interesting. Did Ludwig filter out the hiss for the intro? On the ending he begins fading the track out before the instruments have decayed to a full stop. The AP doesn't fade the ending; one hears the entire track come to a natural close.

What's interesting is how high the hiss levels are on the original stereo mix, presumably only one generation removed from the 3 track session reels. I wonder if the original stereo mix on the 2005 Ludwig CD is actually an Lp production master 1 or 2 additional generations removed from the session reels? Otherwise, why would the hiss be so high for a mixdown at 15 ips from the 3 track reels?

The 3 track tapes used for the SACD are much quieter, and don't appear to have been NoNoised.

 

Presumably. He did similar things to intros on the Layla SACD and some of the Stones SACDs.

 

Inspired by this thread to just pull up the needledrop from my original RCA mono press. Among other revelations, wondering if anyone agrees with me that "Get Yourself Another Fool" - the last cut on Side 1 - might just very well be the most sublimely soulful recording of Sam Cooke's entire career? Such a perfect, understated arrangement with fantastic interplay between the piano and bass in the intro, and Sam riding on top of it all with just the right measure of melancholy, romantic resignation, and kiss-off at the same time...

 

Can you post samples of the mono mix? Would especially like to hear "Lost and Lookin" and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" so we can compare to samples in this thread from the 2000, 2005 and 2009 stereo issues.

Thanks!

 

It isn't free for one thing.

True, but of the available digital versions IMH the AP SACD is the way to go.

Live to 3-track, the 3-track session tapes then downmixed to the 2-track stereo master for release, afaik.

It's hard to say. The AP was afforded time, care and attention to get the actual first gen session tapes, good gear for the project at hand, calibrate playback carefully and so on with no need to change the sound to fit a perception of what is "viable for modern listeners" which might include midbass suckout, top end boost and more, possibly ending up raising noise levels, which in turn increases the urge to process with noise reduction etc...

Also consider that the original mixdown might have used a lot of compression, filtering and possibly some fairly noisy gear. It's possible they used a safety or copy in addition to all that. It might still sound good, just be noisy. But in this case it seems to me that AP took a preferable approach.

Bea-utiful isn't it?

 

Oh man was that great! Thanks.

 

does anyone know who has the best shipped price on this CD?

 

I don't see it listed...

http://store.acousticsounds.com/index.cfm?get=results&searchtext=cooke&categoryID=4

 

Anyone else pick this up? Thoughts?

 

I was thinking about buying this title, how does it sound? I am especially interested in the SACD layer, and the multi-channel aspect of the SACD layer. I have no experience with George Marino SACD mastering, or audiophile CD mastering.

 

This post was originally posted over 2 weeks ago. I am surprised that with all of the music lovers at this site, that there has been no one to offer any thoughts on this release.

 

the vinyl is one of the best I've heard...but didn't get the SACD yet...if it sounds anything like the vinyl, it will be astonishing.

 

Thank you. Did George master the vinyl?

 

yes.

 

Clips of the CD layer:

 

Still waiting for it to appear on Amazon so I can buy it.

 

Love the natural sound of the sacd layer. Too bad it does not contain the informative booklet of the 2005 remaster. But.. very recommended!

 

Me too. Is it ever going to happen?

 

I personally don't see any point in releasing SACDs without placing them in the two biggest global music stores, amazon.com and cduniverse.com.

 

Related sidebar...

Looks like one AP SACD made it to Borders, though it's a backorder...

Rickie Lee Jones: It’s Like This
http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=753088105661

 

I've listened to this new Night Beat SACD closely on headphones several times recently. I have to say I think this Analogue Productions disc is really phenomenal. It doesn't sound compressed, processed or EQ'd. it sounds like a flat transfer and very analog-like and warm.

 

I have been listening to the multichannel layer of this SACD quite a bit, man is it fantastic. In multichannel, Sam's voice just radiates throughout the house. I absolutely love it.

 

Glad to hear. Just sad I did not pick it up when I saw it in NYC last week.

 

This analysis needs to be repeated, because I am stunned at how awesome the SACD sounds. Some have made subtle digs in the thread at this release because Steve did not master it, but George Marino did a fabulous job of mastering here. Dare I say, it could not be improved on by anyone. Regulars here that love Steve's style will absolutely enjoy the sound quality, as it reminds me of a DCC-mastering from their classic period, but with the enhanced benefits that only true high-resolution audio can bring.

A minor complaint might be the packaging, which only includes a sparse booklet and pedestrian design of the back cover. Does everyone's copy on the backcover just include black text on a white background? That seemed a little plain to me. But it did not really matter, as AP nailed the actual sound quality.