Friday Music roundup - Traffic, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Monkees vinyl:

 Friday Music has a pretty marginal beginning, as the mastering talents of Joe Reagoso are, to be kind, not major league calibre and certainly not in line with a premium reissue label standard.

But since he brought Kevin Gray on board for many titles - particularly those from the Columbia catalog - things have become very good.

Edgar Winter's "They Only Come Out At Night" is a fine sounding reissue of a record that is somewhat dated, but still enjoyable. It won't be on anyone's "best 500 albums of all time" list, but it's a great slice of American glam rock, emphasis on the 'rock' part. Party rock, early 1970's style. Frankenstein and Free Ride. Never sounded better. Clarity, definition, warmth, musicality, and rocks with great bass definition and rhythmic drive. Recommended.

 Friday Music are starting into the Island Traffic catalog, a pretty good choice as true audiophile reissues of this catalog have never been done. Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys signalled the beginning of Traffic MK II, a seminal album. The die-cut corner was likely intended as a gimmick to attract attention to a band that had not been around for some years, and to attract Traffic buyers to a version of the band that was far away from the original, pastoral rock of the original.

The title track is a blatant rip off of Dave Brubeck, so obvious that it would be litigated today. The record is overall a slick 1970's production, very polished, at variance with the earlier Traffic's more home grown sound. Still, dated as it is, it works, and it is a fine record that broke some boundaries at the time.

The sound here by Gray is excellent, although I can't really say it is better than an original, although it is obviously a good quiet pressing. My die-cut original Japanese pressing is just as good as this one, so no advantage there, but for anyone coming to this record for the first time, or wanting a modern pressing of a classic, this reissue can be solidly recommended.

 Friday have reissued two great Johnny Winter titles, mastered by Gray. Second Winter is a stone classic and sounds phenomenal here. Definition, bite, rock, drive, presence - it has it all, and the blues cutting through. Johnny Winter And Live is just as good - it actually is better than any original I have heard, and puts you right there - live. Johnny Winter may not be top of mind these days, but these two records are must haves. Fine job.

 On to The Monkees Greatest Hits, mastered by Reagoso solo. It's great to have this one out there, as I really think having the "hits" is just about enough Monkees for most, although Headquarters and Pisces Aquarius Capricorn & Jones hold up pretty well as albums on their own. This is a fun record from start to finish, beautifully sequenced, a blast from the past. Some real Monkees fanatics are going to pick this one apart, but from my perspective it is near perfect, and highly recommended as what it is - a party record, a fun record, sounds great, and all you need to travel back to that era and the essence of what the Monkees represented.

So - summing up - some great titles here, Friday have upped their game quality sound wise, and I'll keep looking out from more from them in the future.