New Hendrix reissues - Winterland and (sort of) In The West, 180g vinyl pressings:

 With the usual controversy coming with any new Hendrix product - why not everything (Winterland), why reissue In The West when the original Royal Albert Hall cuts are substituted with, well, actual 'in the west' cuts.

I can't get too hung up about it - Winterland is awesome, 8 superbly well mastered and pressed RTI discs and the material is smoking hot. I listened end to end, all way through, in one sitting - it is that good. Hendrix at his live peak, tight and relaxed, in the groove, blazing. Great stuff.

In The West was well pressed at QRP. I actually find the material lesser than Winterland, yet still a more cohesive statement than the original, of which I have a fairly nice Japanese original, so I have no complaints as to whether this record really, is, "In The West", and since Hendrix was dead when this record was compiled and released, there really is no 'original' anyways. This may be closer to Hendrix than the original anyways.

We must surely be getting to the end of what is viable from the Hendrix vaults, RAH and more live material notwithstanding. These are two of the best - Winterland at the very top.

Two best of the year - Joshua Abrams vinyl, Samuragochi Symphony 1 CD ...

Here are two of the very finest releases of 2011. Format is now anydrogynous - we can move freely between digital and vinyl, and appreciate both where one may be superior to the other.

On top- the Eremite label produces a 180g LP by Joshua Abrams - "Natural Information" by the Chicago bassist/multi-instrumenatist. Best described as mostly acoustic psychedelic world sort of jazz, soundscapes based on polyrythmic textures that may have MPS era Don Cherry as a starting point, but is totally unique and highly fragrant, potent music. Exemplary RTI pressing and production. An amazing, unique and highly recommended record.

 

Now we come to a CD available on Denon from Japan, composer Mamoru Samuragochi and his Symphony 1 - "Hiroshima" beautifully played by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, conductor Otomo and given an exemplary recording by Denon.

Here is a deeply affecting, powerful original work that has 3 very lengthy movements that would be near impossible to do on vinyl. Virtually unknown in the western world, Samuragochi has written what will one day be considered among the very best classical works of the 21st century, perhaps of all time. This is not Japanese native music - it is western symphonic music, clearly at some past point strongly related to Mahler, but subliminating Shostakovich, Hovhaness, Havergal Brian and a whole lot of others into a very unique voice. Clearly programmatic, the music presents Hiroshima honestly without a political point of view - as human, tragic, yet hopeful, and the climax comes at a split second and is a devestating flash of light that tonally overwhelms with the complex emotion it portrays.

I can't get this off the CD platter. Absolutely a must have CD - essential in any quality collection.

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon, 2011 180g vinyl pressing - another EMI beancounter screwup!

I doubt I need to post a picture of the 2011 vinyl reissue of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. So let's go straight to the heart of the matter - how it compares to the Kevin Gray mastered vinyl EMI put out several years ago.

Despite Michael Fremer's positive review of this new pressing, I have to piss all over another shitty efforts by EMI's beancounters. Fremer claims the Rainbo pressing is good, and even that Rainbo is focusing more on quality control. If that is the case, they sure missed the mark on their biggest opportunity of the decade to showcase what they can do. My first copy of DSOTM looked like it had been run over by a Fedex truck, heavily and deeply scuffed edge to label on one side. About a half inch wide scuff at that - just real ugly. I took it back to my local store and we opened another - same thing. And another - same thing. I figured they are all going to be just as bad so I walked out with the third defective copy, and tried it out at home. I asked at a couple of other area stores - they say folks have been complaining to them about the shitty pressing too, and they have had returns - which, in vinyl folks, the retailer cannot send back to the manufacturer - they have to eat the shit for the labels.

Yes, that scuffing is audible. But really, there are ticks and pops all over so it doesn't really matter. Sonically I find this new remaster less dynamic and robust as Gray's - mellow, or more like veiled, not bad at all, but not nearly as engaging as the earlier version.

Of course, neither comes close to my Toshiba Pro-Use DSOTM. That is awesome.

But for both sonic and pressing quality reasons, stick to the earlier Gray version. It's a quality piece of vinyl and better (analog) remastering. This one is just a cash grab.

New Blue Note vinyl from Toshiba Japan - 200g mono LP's:

Here we have a new series from Toshiba-EMI Japan - Blue Note mono pressings on 200g vinyl.

The technical stuff: Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant. Pressed at Quality Records, Chad Kassem's new Kansas pressing plant. Sleeves printed inthe USA. Taken from the original RVG mono master tapes (which are known to be 'fold-downs' of the stereo tapes, but wrongly assumed to be nothing more than a straight fold-down). Horribly expensive to import (I got mine from HMV Japan). The usual high standard of packing the Japanese are known for - LP packed outside the sleeve, even outside the inner sleeve, with a round bottom anti-static sleeve contained in a separate white cardboard cover. Japanese outer sleeve. Bulletproof.

Now, much will be made (and is being made by Chad Kassem/Quality Record Pressings) about a Japanese record company using a US plant to press vinyl. Unfortunately, I have to say this turns out to be a terrible mistake.

I have been enjoying quite a bit of the fast growing QRP output - and at the same time thinking 'this is all a bit too fast and too much output for a new plant' - and sure enough, I have been finding QRP pressings pretty good as far as flatness and centering goes, but no better than RTI (even a bit more inconsistent) in terms of quietness. To be blunt - I find that QRP, just like RTI, produces records than have tons of micro scruffs and scratches, and simply too many ticks and pops.


Getting down to these new QRP pressed Toshiba-EMI Blue Note pressings - I got Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, and Hank Mobley's Soul Station. Both I have on 33rpm King Blue Note, Maiden Voyage also on AP 45 rpm, Soul Station on Music Matters 45rpm. Sonically, bearing in mind I am comparing mono to stereo, I prefer the direct and robust sounding mono Toshiba Hancock to the Analogue Productions which is too smoothed over and lacks punch and dynamism, but the Mobley I prefer the Music Matters for its more vivid and tonally rich presentation.

But both Toshiba pressings are, unfortunately, much too noisy for a $60+ pressing. The quality, while obviously better than, say, a Rainbo pressing, just isn't at the top echelon yet. And QRP messed up BOTH labels- see the picture below for what I mean - this just is not the quality I expect at this price point, and sheesh, even Rainbo can get a label on a record cleanly.

 

Sonically - interesting, and worthwhile. Quality needs to take a big step up.

SMILE 2011 The Beach Boys - well worth the wait!

Just rush out and buy this one. The Beach Boys "Smile" is finally out, and done the right way, and it is a masterpiece all around, no matter what one's view is of its state of completion, whether it really is Brian Wilsons vision, or what has been done to bring these 1960's recordings to a 2011 release. What Brian Wilson's ultimate vision of Smile might have been is irrelevant, there likely never was a cogent vision or end game, it is likelier that Smile was always destined to be a perpetually changing thing. No matter.

What we have here, on two nicely pressed and very reasonably priced 180g vinyls, superbly mastered for vinyl by Chris Bellman, is an entrancing listen from start to finish, a captivating wide open door to an era that never truly existed, a music that truly did make me break out in a big smile. It's the real deal, readers, and you need to get a copy right away. This record has good vibes pouring out of it. A huge heart. For once, EMI have got one right.

I'm not going back for the big box, but I am sure going to pick it up on CD - it is just that good. Not to be missed.

Bono KNOWS you are stupid - stealing from the middle class to give to the rich...Achtung Baby!

Bono knows we are stupid. He's the type that drops in on the Occupy City protests to get his picture taken with a slice of his "market" to keep up his street cred, all the while picking every loose pocket he can find in the crowd. These guys, MAJOR rich guys, are worse than the crooks on Wall Street. Those guys are obvious sharks. Bono et al are worse because they pretend to be great humanitarians, but are in reality the biggest capitalists around.

Here is the new 4 vinyl set of Achtung Baby by U2. List price $170USD. The original album on two slabs of 180g vinyl, along with a couple of remix LPs. Yes..that is right...U2 set ANOTHER world record - this time - MOST EXPENSIVE single album reissue ever.

Just for the record, I got mine for $120 CDN. Still a huge, huge ripoff. Here's why (if it isn't perfectly obvious already):

The records are superbly remastered by Bernie Grundman. That's the good news.

There is a sticker on the box stating "Pressed in Germany", which is a flat out lie. The records are manufactured by the underwhelming budget plant Gzvinyl in the Czech Republic, and the pressings are best described as 'serviceable' - they are not terribly quiet, they are very dirty and need a cleaning straight out before first play, and let's face it - for $170, anyone should expect a Pallas or RTI pressing at minimum.

The pressings are placed into rather rough cardboard sleeves without lining. At $170, there should easily have been a polylined inner or a round bottom inner before the cardboard inner sleeve. The discs are scuffed and dirty as a result - a cheap product. Obviously done at the lowest possible cost to maximize margin. U2 do not give a rats ass about quality. Just money.

The box itself holds the discs rather loosely. All the inner sleeves, as well as 3 or 4 outers, have split seams as a result. Really pisses me off that this thing lists at $170 for such a totally carelessly produced ripoff.

Why worry about value added - like a CD, or even a download code? Neither are here for your $170 list. Thanks, guys. I get newly recorded albums on vinyl for like $16, better pressed, sans seam splits, that include a download card. 

So there you have it. Bono loves you. A well remastered, mediocre pressing, dishonestly represented, one album and 40 minutes of remixes, arriving in poor condition due to careless package design, and a record setting price gouge. We, myself included, are so stupid this set is already pretty much sold out. Quality or value are not concerns.

ORG Dumbs Down to Hoffman for uninspiring new series!

Announced on the Hoffman vanity board - ORG - Original Recordings Group - engage the Hoffman/Gray team to do a new series of vinyl reissues based on the Atlantic Jazz catalog and the Black Lion jazz catalog.

Sad. ORG has been distinguished till now for using the best remastering talent in the business - Bernie Grundman. Those ORG 45's by Grundman - the Coltrane/Impulse, the Getz Au Go Go, the Weather Report, Nirvana, and so many others have a transparency and tonality - and an honesty - that Hoffman can't go near. Remember how disastrously Hoffman screwed up "Coltrane" on a $50 AP reissue?

It's well known that Hoffman doesn't know or understand jazz. He fattens up the bass, scoops out the mids, and turns down the top end - he's scared shitless of sizzling cymbals, and he wants to make jazz sound like a groovy mellow so-cal country rock shit. The Music Matters series sounded much better than the AP Blue Notes because Ron Rambach and Joe Harley were in the room producing, making sure Hoffman didn't mess up. And the Music Matters reached a whole new level over the past couple of years when Hoffman got booted out and Gray started doing them without the Huff.

So why would Jeff Bowers engage this douche to remaster a new series? Huffy sure does need the work. Universal, Capitol/EMI, so many others have banned Hoffman from working on their titles. Seems Warners is pretty much all that is left. But Grundman sure does know the music better, and has not only a better studio, has better judgement in remastering. He's honest. He doesn't play to the gallery.

The answer can only be - Jeff Bowers is falling into the Hoffman forum bullshit. He's going for what he wrongly thinks is a social media audience that he wants to tap into. He's SOLD OUT.

Proof? Look at the post that the duplicitous Hoffman hits his lemmings with. "Forum friend Jeff Bowers" is how the Huffy describes him - a short time ago, Hoffman let his rabid followers shit all over Bowers and ORG in a terribly destructive way, as well as continually taking thinly veiled barbs at Grundman, purely out of jealousy. Now Hoffman gets a gig from Bowers - and they are forum buds.

I guess Bowers is the latest Stockholm Syndrome victim. That's how Hoffman operates - try to destroy if you aren't hiring him, best of pals and open doors to the Hoffman forum kingdom if you do. Kind of how the mob operates, when you think about it.

It's all pretty sick, and very sad. I feel sad for Bowers and ORG that he feels this is necessary, and that his standards have fallen so low. I have been a huge fan of ORG since day 1. I think I won't be alone in getting off the bus now that Bowers has joined this sick club.

Not that the music gives me much incentive. Black Lion is hardly a candidate for expensive audiophile treatment. For the most part, it's catalog is made up of American ex-pats recording in the UK or Europe during the mid to late 60's with local pickup players of distinctly average to low calibre. If you want to hear late Ben Webster blowing hot air into his mouthpiece backed by some local hacks, go for it. If you want to hear Dexter blowing hard and backed by a four-square rhythm section, be my guest. There is so much better material by any artist on Black Lion - and much better recorded - to be mined. Most, of course, not accessible to Hoffman. Black Lion did have an avant garde imprint, Freedom, that was picked up by Arista - red hot stuff by Marion Brown, Archie Shepp, Charles Tolliver, Randy Weston, many others - all in their 1970's true prime. This stuff would all be very worthwhile, totally not commercially viable as audiophile reissues, and in any event, outside enough that Hoffman would totally screw them up.

Black Lion is very, very minor stuff for extreme completists only. The jewels in European jazz, aside from ECM, are Steeplechase and MPS. Now...if Bowers did some Steeplechase...we would seriously be talking.

Atlantic jazz is just as chequered - there are some obviously gigantic recordings by Coltrane, Coleman, MJQ, Charles Lloyd, Rahssaan - and some of the later stuff by Eddie Harris, Les McCann, Herbie Mann and others are very good. Problem with Atlantic was Joel Dorn, who didn't met a recording session he didn't want to fuck up with strings, horn sections, and other crap - he ruined most of Yusef Lateef's 1970's output, as well as a lot of Harris, Laws, and so many others. Most Atlantic were not all that well recorded, and the truth is - most Atlantic master tapes were lost in the infamous warehouse fire decades ago. So one has to wonder what Hoffman will be remastering from, anyways.

There really isn't that much Atlantic 60's stuff that hasn't been reissued to death, and in the 70's the crown jewel of American jazz is without a doubt the Milestone catalog. Why not REALLY break the mold and do a Milestone reissue series?

All in all, I think Hoffman sums this situation up well when he claims:

"I asked OrgMusic why they wanted these to be mastered by us (usually they would use Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman in Hollywood). I was told that "Hoffman/Gray are dialed in to what audiophiles want to hear- and we want our stuff to stand apart. Steve and Kevin mastered our best sounding record ever- Rickie Lee Jones- Pop Pop- people still talk about it- and we pressed it at Pallas. We broke the mold- now I want to do that again". "

Bullshit, Steve. You didn't ask Bowers why they wanted you. You asked them for a promo blurb to post on your forum. ORG already stood out - Grundman, exciting, often off beat titles, wide range of genres, and great pressings. There is nothing in Black Lion or that hasn't been done with Atlantic that remotely breaks any mold. And another sly little insinuation there that Chris Bellman isn't as "dialed in" as the great Herr Huffmein is. Cheap shit. Bellman doesn't do much ORG anyways, Stevie, Grundman does. But you really wouldn't know, would you?

Now ORG have dumbed down and don't stand out at all.

If ORG does any Atlantic Ray Charles, just make sure Hoffman doesn't cut up the master tape, ok?