Traffic: The Studio Albums 1967-1974 vinyl box set (05/17/2019)

You are welcome, my friend. Feel free to personal message me if you would like to continue the conversation. I am more than willing to talk.

 

It’s a forum. He has the right to talk about it. You totally missed the point. He wasn’t being entirely serious.

 

Fascinating what kind of domestic detours a simple Traffic box set can inspire! "Getting our heads together in the country" indeed!

 

you got it !
as serious as the matter is, and i imagine not just for me, i must admit, though, that the funny bone in me took advantage of the opportunity to write about being despicable, "but i'm a guy!', and it still makes me laugh. thanks for posting. my whole operation of using ebay gift cards has been shot down. maybe it'll save me from the virus in the long run...

 

that guys post makes me think of the shark in Jaws

 

thanks for the support, but it's really not like that between us: she tells me about every - single - thing - she buys, proudly. of how much she saved because it was on final clearance, and along with a coupon sometimes. much more than the $220 i was ratted out for (a shiny grain of what i've shamefully gotten away with over the years), it was that, and how over and over, i lied and denied, as that good time friend up the block continued to RAT ME OUT. a healing is underway between my wife and i.
so looking forward to replacing the Grado needle/cart i got, and then turning those Traffic records ( i also have the double Absolutely Free remaster, and a Sly Hot Fun 45 that haven't yet been spun. the Medicated Goo / noodle factory 45 on Fontana, and a '68 German Donovan tour book, that i never saw before, are both still on their way from Duetchland. keeping an eye on the tracking #'s to limit my exposure). at least the stream hasn't run dry .....just yet !

 

That’s where a lot<of my music is stored so when I go in and come out my wife will say I’m ‘out of the closet”. Then I will say I’m out and proud as a music fan!

 

finished setting up the new cart yesterday, and played the first three albums from the set today . great sound. i was hearing things that were not on the crumby copies copies i was familiar with. if you're on the fence, go over the top. it's worth it. so then i see a fold-out in Mr Fantasy : ALRIGHT ! then i remembered each is supposed to have its own poster, but the rest really suck. wasted expectations. 2nd albums was a picture from a junkyard, JBMD i thought MUST be the gatefold picture "ok this is gonna be great" - not. just a blow up of the front cover. Low Spark looked like it was a good one, until i saw cowboy boots illustrated on them. so there was only teh one good poster.
i understand why On The Road and Canteen are not in it, if it's about what the thing would end up having to sell for - they are not The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but the exclusion of Lat Exit, i don't get that. maybe it's something about copyrights that those records aren't included.
it's wrong that Chris Wood doesn't have any credits on Barleycorn. God, Glad, just Winwood ??
i bet my wife would even like these records too ! we've come a long way, but i'm not going to push it. she has seen me laboring, day after day, on finding out how - to, and trying to align the new cartridge properly, without bringing it all up. the elephant in the room. that neighbor ? i can't imagine how she can feel good about ....herself

 

No doubt about the sound. I had major problems with the last 3 pressings. I went through 3 boxes because the last 3 albums were all scuffed due to the heavy cardboard inner sleeves.

Hope you have no issues.

 

right, i had concerns in the back of my head from having read here about poor pressings. just finished Barleycorn; the separation of SW & JC's voices on the title track, specifically: amazing. all records should be mixed / sound as well. while i knew almost all of the songs, i never really turned on to the 2'nd lp, but, Dave Mason, who i'd had a second class opinion of, man, it sounded to me like it was his record ! i brought Low Spark down, but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow. yeah, hopefully the rest are as perfect. at least Low Spark and Shoot Out, as I do have a good enough copy of the Eagle, but it too will probably be as revealing. what about cardboard inners ? these are all paper with plastic.

plastic

 

The last 3 LPs in the set have cardboard inner sleeves. At least in the boxes that I went through

 

That's a lot of hassle you had to deal with, especially considering what it cost, so good for you to not have settled for unesesarrilly scuffed records. I did get to play most of low spark: again, so revelatory, and played through fine. Was it manufactured in the EU? This set rivals the B Springfield one

 

Jim Gordon and Rich Grech RULE on Low Spark. i have to go back to the CW bio ; i remember SW was not happy with this incarnation, yet Low Spark may be his / their best record ! maybe it was something about playing live with them. Jim Gordon on Many A Mile !! this new pressing gives me so much greater an appreciation, and insight, for such a familiar friend.

 

What was the question and reply?

 

Funk, I'm going through the thread. if no one else got back to you about your absolutely no need perspective and you still haven't picked it up, please believe me: I've so far played through Low Spark, and it can not be stressed enough that the sound of each record is literally like night and day in regard to both sq and hearing more than was there before. I know only too well about spending big on originals and then the next day it's remastered better or whatever, for $15, but if you love these records 1/2 as much as anyone else, this set is a must. Just saying....

 

Do you happen to know what the actual advantage is in converting analog masters to dig? It seems hopeless to understand how and why either can sound better than the other

 

Given the sq and revelatory aspects, I say it's well worth the risk. I've only heard through Low Spark so far, and as close as it came to de$trying my marriage, I'm glad I got it when I did (she's keeping a close eye on everything the$e day$. Receipts and everything). Except for a seam glue issue on one, ev r y thing perect so far. As evil an entity as amazon is, my UK purchase, so far, even better than just good

 

There isn't an advantage other than if the tapes are not in great shape and they want to avoid cutting from them directly. Obviously faults such as drop outs can be corrected in the digital domain. It's easy to copy tapes and remaster in one location and just send files to the cutting facility over the internet. A digital copy can also be used as a source for all formats. Whether the new digital version sounds better is likely dependent on the way the original Lps were produced. These sound really good but can't help wondering how much better AAA would have sounded using the current Abbey Road cutting chain.

 

You'll never know the clarity and the revealing harmonies, background vocals, instrumpets. Etc. Id love to say more power to you on saving $, but this is not the set to ignore. Just saying.....

 

Thanks for the reply, Classic. Makes good sense. The word digital has a negative connotation, but the reality is that it can be most beneficial to a recording and the whole practicality. In marketin g aspect can't be ignored

 

No, thanks for the suggestion, but I'm going to pass on the set in any case. There are other records I'd rather spend my money on for now. If this had been something really special, like a Kevin Gray remaster and cut from from the analog tapes, I would think differently. I can stream the CD versions on Qobuz (John Barleycorn is 24/96) and these 24 bit versions may show as well sooner or later. This doesn't really strike me as that great a value for the $150 Amazon is asking.

 

It sounds like you know what you want ! I'm guEssington that Kevin Gray is a noted engineer...
I bought mine through Amazon UK for 95 USD total, and had it in just a few days. I believe they sourced the new masters? from the original tapes but went digital for the various reasons they go that route.

 

Yes, and has worked with our host on many remasterings too. You can always count on Kevin's work to sound great.

 

It's also why you're quoting me, then posting this above made me laugh !

 

just got to the Shootout record. it's a big step down from Low Spark, in my opinion. Shoot Out is a cool song, Roll Right Stones, i don't get. the stones themselves may have an energy the song lacks. Evening Blue gave the album oxygen, Tragic Magick is great, but Uninspired is a sleeper. a long sleeper at that. except for minimal surface noise at the very very end of Low Spark, the set so far is outstanding. Eagle Flies is not a record i'm very familiar with, so i did a quick check with my ( U.S.) original, and man the old one was easily better sounding than the new. the first song, at least.