Here Is Barbara Lynn on Light In The Attic vinyl!

Light In The Attic has become one of the best reissue labels in the business. From the outstanding Michael Chapman reissues of a few year ago to their Record Store Day soul boxes, these folks don't get the self-glorification of the reissue labels that have the online big box retailers behind them, but deserve even more praise as they have been putting out quietly some very overlooked masterpieces - like their latest, Here Is Barbara Lynn, originally issued on Atlantic in the mid 60's.

Here Is Barbara Lynn is a record that has it all - outstanding songs, an outstanding singer, and - incredibly for the era - a pretty good R&B guitarist. As far as classic R&B goes - this one is a true gem. Lynn is a great singer and could have been as big as Aretha - she has a more down home voice, that does not have the operatic range of Aretha but is just as affecting - the songs are on average way better than her peers of the Atlantic roster typically had, mostly written by Lynn.

I understand the source was a 24/96 transfer of the master tape. It sounds terrific, better than an original - if you can find it, because this is a known classic in high demand among collectors. Get one, Light In The Attic have done an amazing job. Fantastic, quiet pressing too.

IQ - The Road Of Bones on triple vinyl!

 IQ The Road Of Bones on triple vinyl, the new (2014) record from the UK prog bang whose roots trace back to the 80's, and it is a great one, one of my favorite recods of the year.

 The technical part is - a nice, clean, quiet triple vinyl pressing in a triple gatefold sleeve, and it sounds very, very good.

The music is wonderful, easily IQ's best since the underground classic Subterranea. Beautiful, intricate expansive songs that are very much in a tradition following from early Genesis through to Marillion. Peter Nicholls is an excellent songwriter and a great lead singer. Paul Cook returns on drums bringing IQ back closer to their roots. The Hackett era Genesis influence is clear, but this is a band that still gets better even after 30 years.

The tone is overall dark and baroque, this is not neo-prog or Dream Theater like heavy prog, it is very much classic progressive rock, very British prog. Symphonic in places, very epic.

There is almost two hour of amazing modern prog here, and even dropping the 'prog' part - to hours of fabulous songs, wonderful stories, and not a minute of it wasted. A record that you will listen to end to end and still find new layers.

A great record, one of the best of 2014, from a band that never got the dues it deserves or would have in an earlier era. Find it while you can, this is the real deal.

I wish they would put out  a hi-res digital file of this one, which must surely exist. That would be stunning.

JOHN COLTRANE Offering - Live At Temple University Vinyl:

The long awaited first 'official' release of the legendary and much bootlegged late 1966 Temple University concert is a major, major event. First time from the single microphone mono master tapes, mastered by Bernie Grundman. Although Coltrane lived less than another year after the Temple concert and made a handful of live appearances, for all intents this is the last true concert Coltrane gave before illness started to overtake him. That alone would make the Temple recordings legendary, but even more, this is the sole document of what Coltrane's performances in the late period were truly like. For sure, his late period quintet with (an unusually restrained) Phraoah Sanders is well documented, but as was his performance practice at the time, there is an ad-hoc cast of supporting players, some unknown locals, added, and Coltrane himself is clearly reaching for a higher level at Temple.

The sound is problematic yet magnificent. Only the horns are captured full-on by the single mic, but that is interesting of itself - Coltrane himself sounds incredibly present. Alice Coltrane is also well captured if somewhat distant, only the bass and drums are further back and somewhat less defined. But it is about the music, which is absolutely hypnotic and very special. Sonic considerations fall apart when faced with music as powerful as this.If you are looking for audiophile sonics, look elsewhere, music like this isn't for you anyways.

This is not free jazz, it is too highly structured. If a label must be placed, let's call it 'post-avant garde'. That comes closest. It is a roar and a sonic wall from start to finish, but the eye of the storm is acutely melodic and spiritual, almost a gospel revival and thi is no more evident than on the reworking of My Favorite Things. This was the typical 'crowd pleaser' Coltrane often ended sets with, and the version at Temple is a  remarkable revelation that embodies everything that went before and everything Coltrane represented in the final months of his life.

Coltrane delivers a smoking hot solo, then passes to Steve Knoblauch on alto, who picks up right where Coltrane left and delivers a solo that must be the greatest of his life. This is what Coltrane did late in his career - picked up young local players and let them blow, and putting them in the cauldron that was the late period Coltrane band made faceless players rise and step outside themselves to reach a higher level - Knoblauch does it here big time. At a mid way point, Coltrane exhausts his horn and starts to sing - chant, more accurately, beating his chest as he does. The bata drum chorus behind swings and shimmys and brings an ethereal, world music drum chant to transform the tune into a spiritual revival.

Despite never having been released until now, Temple University has cast a long shadow on players for almost 50 years. It is quite possibly - likely - the single greatest concert performance Coltrane ever did, and is unique in the Coltrane discography as the only representation (outside the later Olatunje recording, which truly is unlistenable) of late period Coltrane performance practice. It is a scorcher of a performance, from an artist that can never be equalled. It is essential.

Rounding Up Some Recent Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure Vinyl - CTI, Sarah Vaughan, Otis Spann, Howard McGhee, J.J. Johnson:

 After a bit of a lull in interesting titles, both Pure Pleasure and Speakers Corner have reissued some very interesting titles lately. I tend to (wrongly) think of Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure together for some reason, even though they are quite different, but share pretty much the same manufacturing partners. CTI have been top of the list for both, which is something they have in common.

Pure Pleasure has reissued Freddie Hubbard's Straight Life, a fine title from the mid 70's that has aged very well. It is contemporary for the time, still contemporary today, is not a fusion record but a modern hard bop date with the usual CTI anchor in Ron Carter, Joe Henderson on tenor, George Benson, Herbie Hancock mostly on Rhodes, Jack DeJohnette. It is pretty straight ahead, the nod to fusion - or more so rock - is that it is a very hot date, with DeJohnette particularly laying out a harder, more rock oriented beat, and Hancock very electric. To those who mistakenly dismiss the 70's, this should be a wakeup call, a loud one. The music is fantastic and all the cast are far advanced from their Blue Note beginnings. This, in my opinion, is Hubbard's prime period. It is Joe Henderson's prime also, both on his few CTI appearances and his contemporaneous recordings on Milestone. These guys had broken out of the Blue Note shell and were on fire, and this is one of the trilogy of Hubbard masterpieces on CTI, and has never sounded better or been pressed better - original CTI pressings were pretty bad, suffering from the oil crisis induced quality decline in LP pressings of that era (except in Japan, where the original CTI pressings are excellent). Essential.

So is George Benson's Body Talk, reissued by Speakers Corner. A great choice by SC, a great Benson recording that predates his gradual descent into smooth jazz, still a jazz date that heads towards funkier, more street sense territory, this is prime Benson - the guitar dominates, his technique is incredible as is his melodic sense, these are solid tunes, with an "A" cast - and Benson is on fire - explosive, with a sense of carving out a new direction and taking jazz into more accessible, physical territory without ever losing the essence. There is a sense in these CTI recordings of artists breaking out of the confines of the 1950's bebop model, and no longer bound by Coltrane's direction, free, innovating, yet at their technical peak. Inspired. A fine job by Speakers Corner, a flawless pressing, and a very enjoyable record.

 Pure Pleasure have just reissued The Divine Sarah Vaughan, and again show that they have been quietly curating a reissue catalog of prime material that American reissue labels don't even know exists or have the courage to bring back to life. A Roulette period Sarah Vaughan recording and one of her best, well deserving of "The Divine" title as this is jazz singing that has been lost to the influx of faceless, mostly white, traditional 'jazz' singers catering to older white males with pleasant, inoffensive, generic jazz standard recordings that are usually demonstrative of the worst in 'audiophile' recording. There can never be another Sarah Vaughan, nor another The Divine Sarah Vaughan - this prime recording is a stunner, Vaughan had matured well beyond her earlier, better known Emarcy recordings and her phrasing, nuance and expression had come to a point of absolute mastery, and this record - one of her masterpieces - is the prime exhibit. The orchestrations are wonderful and subtle, never overblown or sugary, and form a perfect backdrop for Vaughan's masterclass. The remastering is outstanding, easily exceeding in transparency and richness any original pressing, and is dead quiet. You will never be able to listen to any of the current crop of "jazz" singers again, and the only disappointment here is that The Divine Sarah Vaughan shows just how much the recording industry has fallen in being unable to uncover, nurture and develop artistry on this level. Essential.

 Perhaps not as essential, but still very worthwhile, is the early 60's J.J. Johnson Sextet recording J.J. Inc., featuring Clifford Jordan on tenor among other top players. Speakers Corner have given this minor gem a sturdy, fairly forward remastering that is perhaps not their absolute finest, but excellent still in every respect. This is a solid hard bop date very much in the idiom, distinguished by creative sextet orchestrations and fie playing. J.J. in particular is on fine form, and the band is up to the challenging, melodic material. No classics here, just a fine date from the period, given a good sonic cleanup. Recommended.

 Otis Spann's blues classic Walking The Blues is reissued on Pure Pleasure, an original Candid recording that is a classic of the acoustic blues genre. A bass and drum-less trio led by Spann's virtuoso (yet never showy) piano, this is a wonderful record that is magnetic from start to finish. The sound is crystal clear and detailed, but betrays some limitation of the 60's recording in that the piano is a bit on the thin side. Nonetheless, the sound is excellent and the playing has such elegance and conviction that more than compensate for any minor sonic drawbacks. Pure Pleasure have done an outstanding job and a real service by bringing this fine record back to life.

 Also from Pure Pleasure, the absolutely fabulous Return Of Howard McGhee, a mid 50's Bethlehem recording that is just stunning. An amazing band with the far too seldom heard baritone of Sahib Shihab and Duke Jordan on piano, this is a typical Bethlehen date of the era - short, concise tunes, excellently recorded. The difference in this case is the level of inspiration and sheer joy in the playing, And maybe joy in being just released from the slammer, and inspired as he had a lot to prove with this comeback record. Shihab is a treat, as is Jordan. McGhee is a wonderful player, with a rich tone and quick, agile runs full of harmonic and melodic ideas. This record is simply a joy to listen to, and Pure Pleasure have given it fabulous sound, making it essential and elevating it, after half a century, into the great recordings of the 1950's.

Masterpieces By Ellington - Duke Ellington on Analogue Productions, or - how Quality Records Pressings can screw up...

Just arrived - "Masterieces By Ellington", a historic 1950 recording by Duke Ellington. Skipping the back story of this recording, it is truly outstanding to see this fabulous recording reissued on vinyl, and the job AP have done is beyong amazing. Often you will read a review qualified by saying something to the effect of 'for 1950, the sound is...' - well, here, there can be no such qualifier. The sound is light years beyond anything recorded today. There is not only a timral, tonal richness and analog organic quality - the definition and lifelike-ness is astonishing, as are the wide dynamics, somethimes, the full band comes in and the dynamics are almost frightening. The dimensionality is so lifelike, it is hard to distinguish this as a mono recording. You have to wonder about why stereo or MCH were ever introduced when mono is capable of a recording such as this.

The music is genre-defining. The last of the WWII era Ellington band's recordings, and the first time Duke could record his finest compositions in full concert length, this is historic. It simply cannot be missed.

But - and a big but. The pressing simply isn't up to the quality of the mastering, and does this magnificient, timeless music a big disservice. QRP - Quality Record Pressing - claims unashamedly to be the best pressing plant in the world. The problem with making such an inflated claim - unprovable as it is - is that you then have to keep that promise.

The pressing is flat. It has the usual marbling and light scuffs typical of vinyl today - but has multiple pinpoint dots, which are literally tiny, microscopic gaps - throghout, and despite my usual meticulous efforts - First RV mostly - the pops during quiet passages cannot be eradicated, and are intrusive, and wholly unacceptable.

Of course, Acoustic Sounds will not post anything approaching a negative comment about their product on their store website, so all you will find is positives there, as well as on the usual professional reviewer sites. My lengthy experience is that if I got a screwup, a whole lot of the pressing run is going to have that same screwup.  It seems to me that AP/QRP rushed this out to hit the Christmas market and the quality conrol just wasn't there. Unfortunate, and a real disservice to this great music.

The SACD coming next year will no doubt be a stunner. Wait for it. Even with the sub-standard pressing, Masterpieces By Ellington is revelatory, revolutionary, and beyond essential. You have been warned about the pressing, so buy forewarned, or wait for the SACD. Either way, this is magnificent.

More on Music Matters Blue Note: Hank Mobley Soul Station 33 rpm, The Magnificent Thad Jones 45 rpm, Lee Morgan The Sidewinder 33 rpm

I am kind of running out of words to use in describing the new series of 33rpm Blue Note from Music Matters.

If you haven't heard them, do it. This is the best these titles have ever sounded and ever will. If you have the 45, particularly those repeated from the Analogue Productions 45 rpm series, well, yes -  you need to get these, and hopefully you have a used record store in your area to ease your pain. They completely invalidate the sonics of the AP BN series.

However, Soul Station was done in 45rpm by Music Matters, not AP, and sounds good at 45. Why, then, would the same company and the same team (admittedly now sans Hoffman) do a double dip and reissue Soul Station yet again?

The reason is - because they can do it better. And not just better - way better, so way that it justifies the double dip, which double dips rarely do.

And this one is overwhelmingly justified.

I don't need to tell you about the music. It is probably Mobley's greatest record, one of the top 20 Blue Notes in history, and probably Blakey's finest moment on record. Being anchored by the light touch and incredible swing of Wynton Kelly and the big bottom of Paul Chambers is a dream combo.

So to the sound - it is organic. The earlier MM 45 was less so, favoring a more delineated sound, that maybe has more transparency - but here, it sounds as a whole. The sense of 'harmonic inner timing" is here to a much greater extent than before. And the tonality - that is a whole different matter. The sheer brassiness of Mobley on this date, the swings, the dips, the slurs, the swoops - the sheer range of his sound, and his burnished tone - all here, right out in front. There are no speakers, just this huge ornaic sound straight out in space ahead of you. Blakey bombs and shimmers, the metal hits, the shimmying of the cymbals, the big swooshes, the drama of Blakey all perfectly represented like the day in Hackensack they recorded it. A monster record, and all I can add is - the previous MM was great, and I listened to it and enjoyed it. The new MM I can't stop playing.

On to a Music Matters 45 I had inexplicably overlooked. Actually, a record I have totally ignored until I had the idea come to me that I should pick up the MM45.

First - the cover. What a totally amazing image of New York in the late 50's, and no one besides Music Matters would go back to the original cover materials to get the original shot so it can be shown so crisply and clearly.

The music is an amazing set of varied tunes, not the typical blowing formula or uptempo/ballad/uptempo a side formula so often used in this era. This is a beautiful, almost autumnal record, from a unique voice. I came to Thad via the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band recordings of the 70's, the greatest big band operating in the 70's, way past the end of the big band era. Thad always marched to his own beat, even against the tides of the times, and that is no less the case in the late 50's on The Magnificent Thad Jones.Thad has been somewhat diminished historically, overshadowed by his brothers Hank and Elvin. Undeserved, but understandable as his body of work as sole leader is quite small.

Magnificent Thad Jones is a treasure. The sonics here, mid-50's, are astonishing. Barry Harris' piano actually sounds like a real piano, unlike a lot of RVG recordings of the ear. Thad sounds amazing, with a huge, wide open tone - I can hear echoes of dixieland in Thad, echoes of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley, and a very unique harmonic voice, very advanced, always swinging. The fourth track, where Billy Mitchell's tenor lays out, is a masterpiece of advanced ballad playing that is so stunning, and at times the sound so incredibly beautiful, it is not just a one track masterpiece. It sums everything that came before, and points ahead as a roadmap to free jazz, without ever losing the song. Incredible.

This may be one of the very best pre-1960's Music Matters Blue Notes, so don't miss a completely unique, unforgettable record. The cover alone is worth the price.

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder. Done by Analogue Productions on 45 rpm, now done by Music Matters at 33 rpm. In every way, the 33 supersedes the 33. Again, the AP 33 sounds like they thought it was a Barry Manilow record, not a hard bop record with boogaloo swing. The MM 33 has what is now becoming apparent will be the signature sound of this new series - completely organic, holistic sound, incredible transparency but not clinical, transparency to source and the holistic analog signature of the master tape, astonishingly low noise floor, a massive big sound with floor crushing timing.

Of course, The Sidewinder is an essential record. Morgan's trumpet, coming back after a lengthy drug related layoff, has a confidence and swagger, and a new maturity. Joe Henderson is massive and skirts the edges of his sound. Billy Higgins throws up a wall of shimmering cymbals. It's all here, and I daresay, an original could not possibly sound this good. This is the definitive Sidewinder, despite a sense for a few seconds - seconds only - with the opening bars (the bass figures) that there is a slight wobble in the master tape, which is immediately dispelled when the horns come in. I only mention it as the AP did not have that slight sonic hesitation at the start,  which says that the MM 33 comes from the true, one and only, authentic master tape. Obviously a well used master given the popularity of Sidewinder - but still one capable of giving up glorious sound in the right hands - which are the hands that brought the Sidewinder to life once again, via Music Matters.

It's time for Record Store Day 2014 - a Preview:

Tomorrow another Record Store Day hits, with the inevitable lineups, Ebay poachers and scalpers, a frezy for what could be high value collectables - and a ton of titles, in my opinion, most of rather limited merit. Some have complained that RSD is a cash grab, which it certainly is, but a cash grab with a noble purpose - to get the beautiful sound of 'ca-ching!' ringing through the independent record store industry, struggling to survive, and that is the most worthwhile cash grab I can think of.

Yet this year, I find less of interest than ever before. But there are gems, and here are the ones I have picked up:

1. Grateful Dead - Live At Hampton Colisseum 1974:

A Record Store Day tradition - an unreleased Dead live recording, mid-period Dead and still vital, and although this year it was not mastered by Chris Bellman at Grundman's, no matter - it sounds excellent, and the artwork, particularly the inner gatefold, is superb. A great show from a period that is not always front & center, sounds great, a great release.

2. Mastodon - Live At Brixton:

A live set from Mastodon, a very good one, pretty heavy, a decent if not exceptional live recording covering their 'big' tracks, includes a DVD which is why this is the most expensive record I picked up. Worth having, if not entirely essential. Any Mastodon is a good thing.

3. Bruce Springsteen - American Beauty:

4 tracks, leftovers mostly from his High Hopes LP, sonically similar - brickwalled, but as they had the good sense to go to Grundman for mastering, not as bad as it could have been. Regardless, there are ok songs here but nothing that comes near essential or even illuminating.

4. Frightened Rabbit Live At Criminal Records:

I loved Frightened Rabbit's last LP, but this left me pretty cold. It is the most brickwalled RSD release I have this year, and sounds very hard and digital, quite in opposition to what were warm, woody semi-acoustic performances. A let down, and could have been better had more attention been paid to the sound quality.

5. Tame Impalas - Live Versions:

Fantastic. Quite different from the LP studio versions, much more of a Hendrix/Cream psychedelic and hypnotic groove, a record that grabs you from the A-side lead in groove and doesn't let go until the B-side run-out. Sounds really super for a live recording. Thrilled to have picked this one up.

Pretty decent colored vinyl, too. I would suggest you grab this one.

6. Steve Earle - Townes (The Basics):

Unadorned, basic versions of Steve Earles's covers of Townes Van Zant, which is the way it should be - the dialog between Steve and Townes, the conversation with these great songs, demands minimal intrusion and that's what this is. Superbly mastered for vinyl. Decent pressing. Well worth checking out, one that will get repeated spins over a long period.

7. Flaming Lips: 7 Skies H3:

A distillation of the gimmicky 24 hour song of a few years ago. I approached with caution. I like the cover. The swirl vinyl looks pretty cool. So I'm in, but not expecting much when the needle hits the grooves.

But - WOW! This is the best RSD release Flaming Lips have ever put out there. The music is almost a (mostly) instrumental soundscape for a landing in  another galaxy - exploring sounds, textures, melodic fragments, and even noise - but all the way through it is highly cohesive, moody and melodic, exploratory and gripping. I love it. Get one.

8. Sun Ra - Outer Spaceways Incorporated:

From ORG, a Black Lion title from 1968. Interesting.

I am no Sun Ra scholar or follower, his recordings are so disparate and spotty to find that this catalog never could form anything approaching a cohesive entity, and getting into Sun Ra is very difficult due to the many low quality self recorded albums he did and the great distance between a good Sun Ra night and a not so good one.

This is a fantastic, vital Sun Ra record that should open a lot of ears to what Ra was about. These are long live tracks, wholly representative of Sun Ra;s cosmic free jazz vision rooted in 1950's be-bop and the big bands of Fletcher Henderson in particular. It opens with a free jazz big band ensemble statement, with (guessing) Ra on piano, very much out of Powell/Nichols/Monk, and a very extended drum solo that is amazing, a primal, thunderous walk across those outer spaceways. Mesmerizing. Elsewhere, there is more free jazz head blowing, interspersed with very straight up hard bop piano soloing, and the occasional horn solo coming out of the young tenor lions of the era.

A fabulous recording and the highlight of RSD for me.

9. Charles Lloyd - Live At Slugs:

Two tracks on a 10" at 33, an undocumented early Lloyd quartet with Gabor Szabo, Ron Carter and Pete LaRoca. Interesting, as this is not yet fully formed Lloyd as evident on the pre-Atlantic era recording of Dream Weaver. The sound is limited - it was recorded in a club in the early 60's on a portable table top Nagra, so take that for what it is. Carter suffers worst, and sounds like he is not that familiar with the music, droning and vamping. Szabo is outstanding, and comes trough very cleanly. Lloyd comes through ok, a little rough at times, and LaRoca is a bit muffled. Interesting, limited in value by the sonics, not great Lloyd, and inessential - but worth a listen, although I doubt I will listen to it again in this lifetime.

10. Jerry Garcia - Garcia:

Rounder Records reissue of a largely forgotten early Garcia solo effort that really does deserve re-evaluation, as it is a truly wonderful, enjoyable record that has great songs, some experimentalism, and great playing. Very well mastered as well, and the dreaded white vinyl isn't too bad. Well worth checking out.

11. Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky:

I had finally got the title track out of my head, where it has bounced around inescapably for 30 years after I first heard it while participating in a bit too much weed.

Whether you have heard the title track enough for this and the next two afterlives, it's actually a pretty good record that has the vibe of the late 60's, a certain hippiness and a certain happy, free and optimistic vibe, and it grooves, and Greenbaum is a good singer, and this is a great artifact of the era.

Had never owned this album, glad I do know. Maybe Spirit In The Sky, a monster hit back in the day, has enough distance now that we can look at this record fresh, again. It is a good one, and sounds great on this well done RSD reissue.

12. Joan Baez - Blessed Are, Big Mama Thornton - Sassy Mama:

Two Vanguard reissues I was looking forward to:

Joan Baez - Blessed Are, a double album, consisting of relevant covers and strong originals, is among the finest Baez records of the era. Vanguard have remastered it well, it sounds alive and vibrant.

Big Mama Thorton's Sassy Mama is even better, from the other end of the spectrum. It positively rocks, slides and shimmys and is another truthful, vibrant remaster. Hugely rocks, and is a must-have.

13. Otis Redding - Pain In My Heart (mono):

Bringing up the end is a vinyl reissue of Otis Redding's Pain In My Heart, mono version. While I have never bought into the fetishism of mono aficionados - 'more punchy' and all that - this is a very good reissue and the mono mix is much less dark than the stereo, almost as if a light has been shone on it, or scrubbed up a typically muddy early Volt recording. There is a sense of hearing these anew, or renewed, and a freshness that brings classic recordings and a long gone ear back to life. So this is highly recommended and worth picking up.

See you on RSD Black Friday (or a few days before).

HI-RES Audio Roundup:

Some random thoughts on the state of hi-res downloads and some titles I have picked up recently:

First, there is certainly a pickup of new releases appearing as hi-res downloads. In the Popular category, a lot are at 24/44 - showing that hi-res was not really a consideration in recording, as virtually all recording now is at 24bits, but often higher sampling is not even a consideration as the album is targeted at CD (and maybe vinyl). Quality rarely enters the equation in the music business.

And, unfortunately, all too often the mastering, even at 24bits, it the same as the CD mastering - brickwalled.

So unfortunately I tend to avoid new releases in hi-res, until the labels understand that it is entirely reasonable to provide a hi-res file that hasn't been squashed to within an inch of its life. The vinyl isn't brickwalled - so the uncompressed master exists.

Second, I still see tons of shots taken at HD Tracks about "provenance" and such other rubbish, and the usual paranoia about compression and so on. For the most part, these people haven't a clue.

Of course, HD Tracks usually have no idea of 'provenance' and those jumping up and down about this are either manic depressives or obsessive compulsive. Since the dawn of the record era, 'provenance' has been a complete non-issue. When people bought records, and then CDs, there was never any information or concern about who 'mastered' it, what the exact tape source was, whether it was a first generation stamper or not, or anything else. It sounded good or it did not, and particularly in the case of CD, such provenance was by far no indication of any sonic qualities. But regardless, no one in their right mind ever went to a record store and gave a seconds thought to whether it was mastered by some 'name' technician, whether any hint of dynamic compression was applied, or anything else. Hell, whole continents had vibrant record industries that never, ever received a master tape, and produced glorious sounding records. All that mattered was the music, and whether it sounded good or not.

Now the internet age comes along, and it enables those wankers who sat in their rooms obsessing over whether they had a first pressing or not, or scour the internet for any information that might validate or invalidate their compulsion (and listen according to what such dubious information tells them), and can connect in a forum with others similarly afflicted.

HD Tracks has no such information. We didn't go into a store in the 90's and ask the counter staff for who mastered the CD or what the tape source was. We bought it, and enjoyed it (or if it sounded ugly, we took it to the local used store and sucked it up). Why does anyone think HD Tracks should be any different?

And further, HD Tracks does get stuff that is way too compressed. That is unfortunate, and wrong. The much smaller HighResAudio out of Europe told me that they reject a full 30% of stuff the labels send them, as either too futzed with, too highly brickwalled, or where they suspect an upsample. Good for them. HD Tracks will offer that stuff for sale. I understand that, just as those record stores in bygone days had records that sounded fabulous and ones that sounded like crap. If they don't carry it, the customers interested in those titles will just buy it elsewhere, and that is revenue left on the table.

The Pearl Jam 24/96 are an example of hi-res files taken directly from the latest masters for CD, where the compression was added at the hi-res stage before being downconverted for CD. This is fairly typical, the likeliest is that the compressed 24/96 was what was sent to create the 24/44 glass CD master. But these were analog recordings and almost certainly a 24/96 straight transfer of those tapes was the first step by the mastering house. It is that file that should be made available by the label for hi-res download, not the compressed one.

On the other hand, The Clash remasters at 24/96 also have some compression added but not to the extreme of the Pearl Jam, and this clearly was a choice made artistically and it doesn't bother me a bit. Ditto the very excellent Rush 24/96 series. Fantastic.

On to some recent hi-res acquisitions:

1. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Cole Porter Songbook (24/96):

A  fantastic, classic recording. The hi-res transfer is robust and accurate. Crystal clear, with all the natural bloom and detail possible. Timbrally accurate. Ella's voice comes completely 'out of the box', immediate, alive, and the orchestra just rocks. Superb soundstaging. Everything is just right. A must-have.

So is the Ella - Ellington Songbook, which (at 24/192) might be an even better recording. Certainly, there is a very robust tonality here. The colours of the Ellington orchestra are superbly captured. And the music is timeless. A superb transfer. All the Ella transfers in hi-res are (except the Irving Berlin Songbook 24/192 which is a defective file yet to be replaced by Universal).

2. Paul Bley - Plays Blue, Live In Oslo (24/96):

A rare solo recording by Bley, actually a fairly rare late period recording. The first track is a very long improvisation that shows how Bley, advanced in years, has such a living history to draw on - and can bring it all together not as a history lesson, but as a statement of where he is today. The other tracks, also improvisations, are more self-contained and no less profound. Bley's playing is beyond technique and his conceptions are immediate and alive with intellect. ECM's live sound is beyond reproach, as this label has got the sound of a live piano to perfection. Close, with all the extraneous sounds of the performance intact, this is an essential document and undoubtedly one of the top jazz recordings of the year.

3. Billy Hart Quartet - One Is The Other (24/88):

This is a great working band, yet their last record impressed but didn't grab me down deep. Cerebral, and a bit precious at times. This new one follows from that, but forges a more immediate emotional connection. This is still a very cerebral outfit, contemplative, but within that, it has more fire. More blues underpinning, more post-bop, more of a Herbie Nichols aura in spots, even a bit of Ornette evoked at times. And a whole lot more fire from Hart himself makes this a superior album, and the usual fine ECM recording - and superb in hi-res form - makes it another early highlight of the year for me.

4. Pat Metheny Unity Band - Kin (24/96):

The last Unity Band recording was a pretty straight up Quartet date with Chris Potter up front, and it was very impressive.

This new one, Kin, does not do as much for me. Metheny, as he has a tendancy to do, tries too hard to be eclectic instead of being direct, and too often this record fells like it doesn't know what it wants to be or what it wants to say, being all too often a mashup of disparate instrumentation, often used for effect rather than purpose. A pleasant enough record, but I prefer Metheny in a more simple setting.

Sounds very good in hi-res without a doubt.

5. Mogwai - Rave Tapes (24/96):

Here is one of those cases where there is certainly a fair amount of dynamic compression applied, probably much more than  'audiophiles' will tolerate, especially if they have read some crazy "DR Database" numbers beforehand.

It actually sounds really good, better than the vinyl in fact. It is a very good record, less dreamy and abstract than the previous "Les Revenants", which is a superb and essential record. It is a bit more electronic-y, and a bit more of the club than the cosmic landscapes Mogwai have often painted. The compression probably suits the music well, and this is a download that can be highly recommended.

6. Bryce Dessner - St.Carolyn By The Sea (24/96):

This is a fascinating recording on the DG label that points to a new frontier - a true synthesis of orchestral/classical form with 'rock' instrumentation. Bryce Dessner, guitarist in The National, composes a classical work, St. Carolyn By The Sea, for orchestra which, unlike earlier attempts to blend rock with a classical orchestra (Deep Purple's Concerto For Group and Orchestra, for example) is not some lame attempt to integrate a rock band into an orchestra work - which usually results in a rather weak piece of orchestral music with a rock section grafted on - but a classical symphonic work that has modern instruments, an electric guitar particularly, organically part of the orchestral fabric. This is not a crossover or hybrid - it is a through composed suite, and one that works perfectly. It is a very tonal, somewhat hallucinogenic piece of music, a hint of lineage to Bartok and Hindemith, very emotionally direct, and sounds fantastic. Originally a DXD recording (32 bit 384k sampling) - it would be VERY interesting to hear the original DXD file!  The coupling - a suite by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood - is much more British in charachter, and much more 'in tradition', and is also a wonderful piece of music that feels like film music of the Gunning/VW/Korngold variety. Works perfectly. Completely recommended, not just for the adventurous.

7. Sibelius Complete Symphonies - Storgards (24/96):

Well, there is a hell of a lot of fine competition on this turf. Perhaps not complete cycles in hi-res, but still, there are classic cycles from the past that are interpretively hard to surpass. Karajan, for example (incomplete, though). The Kamu/Watanabe cycle on SACD from Tokyo FM is simply mind bogglingly revelatory, and in a league of its own as an interpretation. Berglund, particularly his Bournemouth cycle. Barbirolli, on EMI (and a very nice 24/96 transfer recently). Tough competition.

The Storgards is sonically fantastic, a very fine Chandos recording. Good start. The interpretations are broad and compelling, at times searching for a different point of view, overall fairly broad and leaning more to Tchaikovsky than Kamu does. No great revelations here, but a very solid, well thought out and well played cycle that is completely enjoyable. As an interpretation I prefer it to the Vanska cycle ongoing on BIS. Vanska may be more urgent, but Storgards goes deeper.

Problem is - there is a Kamu cycle on the horizon from BIS, and Kamu is not only a hugely under-rated conductor, his Sibelius, as we can see from the older Tokyo FM recordings, is probably a game changer.

8. Cecil Taylor and Grachan Moncur - Blue Note (24/192):

I can't say enough good things about the hi-res Blue Note transfers. That two Cecil Taylor titles have arrived - Unit Structures and Conquistador - is cause for celebration. They are challenging and uncompromising for sure, and guaranteed to clear out any dinner party that has gone on too long. There is no question that these are masterpieces of early free jazz - radical free jazz. The music is what it is, either one immerses oneself in this world, or one is repelled by it. It deserves to be played loud. The transfers are impressive. Taylor is percussive, horns bite. The bass is solid, and the angularity of the music has not been blunted. Grachan Moncur's Evolution is to some less challenging and is not free jazz, but it is post-bop and avant-garde, and a classic of the genre. Hi-res really brings out the depth and width of the trombone tone, as well as Jackie McLean's tart tone.

Apparently The Ultimate Elvin Jones is on tap along with Don Cherry's Complete Communion. Bring them on.

Ornette's New York Is Now is out now. Absolutely killer date and sounds fantastic. Believe it or not, two of the 5 tunes on New York Is Now have become standards. Name another Ornette album that you can say that about! 

9. America - Complete Warners Recordings (24/192):

Here is a case where hi-res causes a complete critical re-evaluation and brings music I have consciously ignored for decades onto the radar. "A Horse With No Name" is still one of those annoying songs that got played so much back in the day that it just sort of got stuck in your head, and you couldn't get it out, and it drove you crazy until you got a chance to put on some ELP or Zeppelin to drive it out of your head. Still is. But despite that, these absolutely wonderful transfers, which have such a fantastic golden tonality, and show exactly what true hi-res done right is capable of. These are not only competitive with anything recorded today, they blow most of it away.

In particular, later albums like Holiday and Hideaway are really great albums!

This is where hi-res does a great service. I would never have sought out these records, but they are a truly welcome addition to my growing collection, even if I still never need to hear "Tin Man" again.

10. Miles Davis - Jack Johnson (24/96):

This one has appeared a couple of places - HD Tracks, Acoustic Sounds. I liked the 24/96 Bitches Brew, and the 24/192 Kind Of Blue knocked me out. This one is unimpressive. Compared to the Japanese DSD version ripped from SACD, it sound dimensionally flat and tonally bleached. The DSD sounds rich, vibrant, dangerous. It roars, stomps, slices, none of which strike me as being the case with this hi-res file. If MOFI get to Jack Johnson, hold out until then, otherwise, track down the Japanese DSD.

11. Love - Forever Changes (24/192):

This is what hi-res is all about. Just a sublime knockout. Dynamics, timbre, dimensionality. This has a reputation, probably undeserved, of being a mediocre recording. That reputation was passed around on certain internet forums, most likely for self serving motives. Don't believe it. This is a completely natural recording with loads of tone and harmonics. And it is a great, great record. This hi-res transfer is just stunning.

I was looking forward to the MOFI DSD. Might pass on it now. Get this one, it is great.

12. Cream - Goodbye / Eric Clapton S/T (both 24/192):

Surprised that these appeared this week, and apparently mastered from the analog tapes at Sterling Sound.

Goodbye Cream is a mismash of a record, multiple recording dates, half live, half studio - leftovers. Another case where the internet experts have passed around the notion that one side's analog masters are MIA since the days of the MOFI gold CD.

Well, regardless, this sounds amazingly good, all the way though - with one exception. Sittin' On Top Of The World really does sound distinctly inferior to the other two live tracks, and of course the studio tracks. Very likely, this is a case of it is what it is - this track was recorded at a different venue on different equipment than the others, and it is a case of the raw materials to work with just aren't up to the hi-res treatment. Not that it doesn't sound good - that Jack Bruce bass is just so propulsive and driving, that big Gibson bass tone. Ginger Baker's double bass drums never came through so cleanly or so full of bottom end power. It is really Clapton's sound on this track that is problematic, recessed somewhat, and at the end - that final electric flurry - almost sounds like tape degradation. But overall, this is a fantastic sounding transfer that greatly exceeds any prior incarnation - even the MOFI.

On Eric Clapton's self titles debut problems, there are no issues stemming from the recording or master tapes. It sounds incredibly good. What I really like about transfers like this is that no 'audiophile' tinkering has been done - just a straight, honest mastering that preserves every nuance of the original tapes. Cut at such high sampling rate, the recording just breathes, sounds wide open with incredible depth and separation. Clapton assembled quite a 'choir' around him, and almost every voice comes through here with great clarity, and the inner timing of the music, and the beat, is just superb and completely natural. I forgot I was listening to digital - always a good thing.

I would say that these new Cream/Clapton reissues in hi-res may just set a new benchmark in the rapidly evolving high resolution marketplace, and if these indicate a new trend - going to the analog masters, using what is obviously top equipment at a top mastering facility, and avoiding any audiophile tinkering - hi-res is about to get a whole lot better.

By the way, I see a ton of new BIS titles appearing on The Classical Shop this week, as well as on Qobuz. These are relatively older recordings - i.e. before BIS started to record at 24/96, which is really only within the last year or two - so virtually all these are unsanctioned upsamplings of 24/44 recordings to 24/96, and although they sound perfectly fine within the confines of 44k sampling, this is a completely dishonest practice and these should be avoided at all costs. For acquiring BIS hi-res, there is ONLY one legitimate source - eClassical.

Returning to Music Matters 33 rpm series: GRANT GREEN Idle Moments, TINA BROOKS True Blue:

I think my position on the new Music Matters Blue Note series at 33 rpm has been pretty clear. These are the gold standard of Blue Note, and a significant step ahead from the (magnificent) 45 rpm series.

Quite bluntly, it seems to me that, despite the angst of a minority online who have chastised Music Matters for issuing titles that have previously been available on the Analogue Productions 45 rpm series (and the odd duck that Music Matters themselves issued at 45 rpm), Music Matters have done a real service to lovers of this incredible music by this select 33 rpm series. The sound is simply mind boggling.

Idle Moments was done at the AP 45 rpm series and screwed up by Hoffman. It sounds dull, muted, the timing is all off. Tempo Di Hoochie Koo, for whatever weird reason, Hoffman cut the top end, sucked out the upper mids, and completely messed up the inner timing. Music Matters get it right - more than right.

Just like the new MM Blue Train, this record just roars out of the speakers. It is immediately propulsive and powerful. The bass is strong and deep, but more importantly, has a sense of organic inner timing, of inner rhythm. Bobby Hutcherson is completely different than on the Hoffman incarnation - metallic, percussive, rich with overtones. Swinging, completely in the pocket. Joe Henderson's tone is deep, full of wood and spit. Green himself is just amazing - subtle, swinging, in a groove. This is hypnotic, dark, beautiful music that for once - maybe the first time since the original RVG (which it exceeds by a wide margin, by the way) this great music is presented as exactly what it was in the studio - a masterpiece of dark, understated, yet subversive 3 am soul.

Forget 45rpm, the Music Matters 33 rpm gets it right. My copy is a perfect pressing and worth every penny, it knocks the socks right off the Analogue Productions 45 rpm and costs $15 bucks less.

On to Tina Brooks - True Blue. If there ever was a national anthem of Blue Note, True Blue is it. The story of how Music Matters recreated the incredibly complex variations of the color blue on the front cover would be a book on it's own - the attention to detail in recreating this brilliant record, and the abandonment of any notion of cost efficiency in getting there, shows just how deep a love and commitment to Blue Note these fanatics have. This would be worth the $35 just for the cover, but on to the music.

Here, we have Music Matters own 45 rpm version to compare to. The first thing that hits me is the bass - the 45 sounds hollowed out, but on the new 33, it sound full, tuneful, and driving. Where on the 45, which in its own way sounds quite good, Tina's tone sounds like a weak Hank Mobley, here is sounds like it should - coming out of Bird, rich, urgent, insistent, swinging - and Freddie Hubbard no less so. While on the earlier MM Freddie, in comparison, was much less brash and brassy, here he is opened up and sounds huge, bright, right out front. As with the other Music Matters 33's, the soundstaging and complete disappearance of the room is astonishing - this just leaps right out in front, a massive three dimensional sound, so very alive that you can just reach out to the sound in front of you. You can literally see the ceiling on this record, and hear Freddie's wide open, big sound bouncing off.

Alfred Lion messed Tina Brooks around and never really gave him his due. He recorded Tina, and held stuff back to effectively starve him out and keep him out of the limelight. He was a problematic guy for sure, but so were half the artists on Blue Note, and Tina should have and could have been bigger than Hank Mobley.

Music Matters finally give Tina Brooks the tribute he is long overdue. This music has the street in it, and a joy that the previous Music Matters only hinted at. This is 'the' True Blue.

Rounding up some DSD - MOFI SACD, Japanese SHM-SACD, some recent SACD titles:

I never bought into SACD as a format, believing (correctly) that as a physical format it was going to be short lived, even as a niche, as it was inevitable that physical formats were on the way out. Besides, I have had an awesome redbook setup, and SACD, maybe due to the players themselves, just sounded to me like a CD with better bass and smoother, muffled highs.

However, having entered the hi-res arena full blast, I started to become interested in seeing what the DSD capablilities of my Chord DAC might be - and, with the assistance of a 'ripping partner', I started out by having every dual-layer SACD on hand ripped, extracting the DSD ISO file and converting them to .dsf files.

To some extent, now bypassing the physical limitations of a disc player, my opinion of SACD changed quite a bit.I generally prefer hi-res PCM - the higher the sampling rate, the better, and starting at 24/96 and moving up, PCM hi-res to me sounds more open and more transparent, and comparably DSD sounds ever so slightly veiled, or softer, or less three dimensional. But regardless, I am quite happy to have both, and enjoy direct DSD tremendously.

For sure, there is a fair bit of DSD I just consider to be a complete botch. I have the Analogue Productions John Coltrane - Standard Coltrane, for example, remastered by Steve Hoffman - and it is a complete botch job. Hoffman insisted on reducing gain by a whopping 6 dB on this one, digitally, and that is a whopping amount of resolution chopped off, completely defeating the purpose of higher resolution audio. He did it so his acolytes will all swoon, chanting about how 'dynamic' it is and how 'smooth' it is - because he has taught them that anything louder than a whisper 'fatigues' the ear and is a result of that nasty 'compression'. Stupid.

Similarly, Hoffman's Blue Note titles for Analogue Productions were digitally volume reduced also, by 2 to 4dB in most cases. Again here, that is shaving off resolution in favor of some artificial notion of 'smooth' - and in extreme cases, like Jimmy Smith's Back At The Chicken Shack, the cut is so severe that it renders the music at the level of a bad CD (truth is, on the AP Blue Notes, the CD layer sounds better than the SACD layer). For Blue Note, avoid these like the plague and get the 24/192 PCM if available - they sound hugely better, even though I am not completely convinced that Bernie Grundman's studio has the best 24/192 mastering chain.

When AP got rid of Hoffman, sound quality went up dramatically. There were mis-steps - the original mastering of Cat Stevens' Tea For The Tillerman, by Kevin Grey, was rejected by AP as too 'bright' (another convenient tag for Hoffmanites) and it was then done by the late George Marino, and although very good, it does have that 'audiophile' tinkering to mute the top end and punch up the bottom-mids.

Marino's DSD of titles from the Verve catalog apparently derive from 20 bit PCM, which is very strange, but they sound very, very good. Even better are Grey's remasterings from the Prestige catalog. The choices of titles are for the most part either bland (Verve) or downright weird (Prestige), indicating that Chad really doesn't know this music very well. But there are gems - Tommy Flanagan's Overseas is a major classic, if not generally well known.

The king of DSD right now must be Mobile Fidelity.  A few titles are lame - Chicago VI?? Doobie Brothers? But the Sinatra series has been sublime, and the sound is exceptional. I was never big on Sinatra - I was more a King Crimson type myself. Great sound can be a door opener to new discoveries, though, and my appreciation of Sinatra increases by leaps and bounds through the MOFI series.

Better yet, and more in line with my taste - Carole King's Tapestry on MOFI is downright amazing in the DSD incarnation. Superbly organic, natural sound with not the slightest hint of digital. A model of how good hi-res can be.

Even more where I come from - the Miles Davis MOFI remasterings. Awesome! Tonally, these are just so golden, burnished - the tone of Miles and Coltrane so filled with copper and brass, alive. Absolutely the best these have ever sounded - particularly Round About Midnight, which sounds like the curtain has been pulled back, with a wide plank wood floor, and the band playing trough the roof. Milestones is just as good. In A Silent Way is somewhat less of a revelation, but still superior, and the ugly edit on the first track is proof of the analog provenance! The Japanese SACD remasterings are excellent all around, but these have a tonal edge that surpasses them. Bring on more!

On MOFI as well - The Pixies, the last title released being Trompe Le Monde, and this is simply a fantastic remastering - it loses none of the power of the original, but has a greater tonal range and presence. And it is a fantastic record. If you have not discovered The Pixies yet, you have been missing one of the greatest bands of the 20th century.

The Billy Joel MOFI are somewhat less spectacular. They are solidly good, but have a slightly 'soft' sound overall, lacking some element of 'punch' or 'rock' to them. Very good, but not mind blowing - although far better than the 24/96 transfers starting to appear, which are needlessly compressed.

If there is another series strongly worth acquiring, it is the Japanese SHM-SACD series that was revived late last fall. The SHM part is meaningless to me as I rip the discs and play the DSD directly. The Cram - Disraeli Gears easily supersedes the earlier Mobile Fidelity gold CD. It is remarkably clear, dynamic, and powerful. There is not the sense of bloat present on the MOFI, and it sounds far better than original pressings - particularly the rather dull sounding original U.S. Atco pressings. Ditto, by the way, on the Japanese Wheels Of Fire of a few years ago, which easily surpasses the early DCC which had excessive tape hiss. The Supertramp Breakfast In America is very close, but somewhat better than the 24/96 available on a recent Blu-Ray Audio disc. I prefer the Caravan In The Land Of Grey And Pink (a favorite band and album of mine) to the Steven Wilson remix of a acouple of years ago. The recent Sex Pistols titles, particularly Rock & Roll Swindle, are a revelation.

There has been no temptation to make the Japanese SHM-SACDs sound 'audiophile' or to cater to the American audiophile demographic. They are generally exquisite flat transfers from original tapes. There are misses. Rainbow Rising is ear bleedingly atrocious. But The Police - Regatta De Blanc easily sounds much better and alive than earlier SACD incarnations, and there are great titles to come. 

Led Zeppelin and the Future of Hi-Res Audio Downloads:

You heard it here first.

Have you noticed lately that the stream of titles appearing on HD Tracks has been declining?

It isn't just because they screwed up their business by creating the most backward, customer unfriendly website, which they did. It is almost impossible to find new releases, other than the 'featured' titles on their home page. The search function is absolutely inept.

No, despite HD Tracks committing hare-kiri by  web design incompetence, it is much more than that. Warners catalog isn't being added to, those great Atlantic Soul and Jazz titles. Blue Note, despite their anniversary year, has slowed to a trickle. And so on. I just don't find much to buy at HD Tracks anymore - and I was a big customer.

Here's why.

In two months or so - beginning of June - the first three Led Zeppelin remasters will be available. They are essentially available on iTunes in low-res form already.

For several years, Apple have been insisting that labels provide files for iTunes in 24 bit format - preferably 96k or 192k sampling rate. So they have undeniably the biggest catalog of hi-res audio in the world.

And the Led Zeppelin remasters in high resolution will be the kick off event - to coincide with Led Zep in hi-res, Apple will flip the switch and launch their hi-res store via iTunes - and apparently, it will be priced a buck above the typical current file prices.

That's right - Apple will launch hi-res iTunes in two months.

And at that point, you can say goodbye to HD Tracks, Acoustic Sounds Hi-Res store, and ProStudioMasters, and probably all the other hi-res audio online stores. Apple will kill them, straight out of the box.

I'm not sure I feel good about Apple entering hi-res - I hate monopolies, and I sure am not an Apple fan overall. The reason labels will instantly migrate to Apple, despite business practices that are...well...not exactly consumer friendly, is that it is virtually certain there will be watermarking involved. That SHOULD be a deal breaker - for music fans at least - but the reality is, labels will hungrily embrace it.

But it is what it is. Apple is going hi-res, and will dominate the market, squeezing out everyone else. In some ways, HD Tracks did themselves in by their inept new website - but really, they never stood a chance. Chad and Acoustic Sounds entered in with a big splash, claiming they were going to be different - but the fact is, they were not, offering a lot of the same stuff everyone else does at the same prices, and also offering the DSD files of their own label productions - many of which, in particular the Blue Note titles remastered by Hoffman, are unexceptional sounding. (Side note - in remastering those Blue Note titles for SACD, Hoffman demanded that the volume level be reduced by at least 2dB - in some cases up to 4dB. Digitally reducing gain is done at the expense of resolution - digital gain reduction shaves off resolution, and in the case of the Blue Notes, they sound pretty dull as a result - in fact, the CD layer sounds better.)