Updated April 2019
INTERNAL LINKS
The Supreme Recordings List
The Divinity-Descriptions & Awards
The Demi-Gods-Descriptions & Awards
The Basic List-Large Scale Orchestra & Opera
The Basic List-Pop/Jazz/Folk/Ethnic Music & Soundtracks
The Basic List-Essays & Controversies
The Honorable Mentions List (and Some Descriptions)
Audio Critique
This is the new file for records, and maybe CD/SACDs in the future, that I found "interesting", but had sonics that were not good enough to earn entry in The Honorable Mentions.
This is, of course, a very popular and famous LP. I owned it myself 40 years ago, but I quickly became sick of it due to constant radio play, plus hearing it at my friends' homes, so I traded it away. Ten years later, after I opened my audio store, I again heard it on a (far too) regular basis, at least in the 1980s. I've rarely listened to it since then, and I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived earlier this year. I hoped it would be "fresh" again for me and, to my surprise, it almost has been. I don't have an original pressing any more, and I have no intention of looking for one in mint condition, but I did hear this LP countless times, and on countless systems, many of them of outstanding quality, so I feel I have a pretty good idea of its overall potential quality when it comes to engineering and sonics. This is what I found with this reissue...
This (2 LP) album is another big success for ORG. The sonics are far superior to what I remember hearing (on any system), and I am definitely taking into account the improvements of audio components over the last 25/30 years. The sound on the ORG reissue is much cleaner, more immediate and dynamic than I've ever heard it. It also has greater separation, capture of space and there's a noticeable reduction in homogenization.
The quality of the tracks are variable, and so are the reproduction of the instruments within the individual tracks, which indicates to me that there are inherent and serious problems with the master tapes, which are beyond fixing. The fact that all this varying quality is easily noticeable, is actually positive evidence of the high quality of the mastering by ORG. In the end, while certain tracks do reach the sonic level required to make The Honorable Mentions (of The Supreme Recordings), the album's sonic variability eliminated this option for me. Still, if this album is a reader's real favorite, it must not be missed.
This is the third ORG album I've heard in my own system. All three of them have been outstanding, in either absolute or relative terms, and that superlative also includes the quality of their pressings, which are as good as I've experienced. However, so far the two ORG reissues I've heard have NOT been compared to either the original pressings or any reissues from other sources. This status is about to change. For the remaining 5 ORG reissues, I have both originals and reissues here to make actual direct comparisons with, and some of them are true "killers". Stay tuned.
I was just a little kid at the time, but I'm still old enough to remember when Elvis became "rock and roll's" first superstar and a household name. I liked some of his music back then, but he was never a favorite of mine. Worse, his music was so overplayed that I became sick of them, and never felt the need to own any of his 45's, or later albums. Many years later, I learned to appreciate his talent, and his perfectionism even more, but I still didn't feel the urge to actually own any of his records. I remember purchasing his "Greatest Hits" album when it came out on Classic Records. However, even after four decades, I soon realized that I still didn't want to hear his songs more than once, so I sold the album. This brings us to this latest album.
This album (2 LPs) has 4 "big hits", 1 "small hit" and 7 "fillers", which is what happens when you get to Volume 3 of anyone's "Greatest Hits". The sonics are variable, which makes sense since, as far as I know, most of the songs were recorded at different times. What is somewhat strange is that the entire first LP sounds worse than the second LP. It has "ping pong" stereo, which was common with popular music (and jazz) records when "Stereo" was new. More seriously, it also has some added distortion, equalization and a slight "reverb", which make the voices, in particular, sound unnatural. However, there is some really good news as well...
The second LP, which has 3 of the 4 "big hits", sounds quite a bit better. It still has the exaggerated stereo effects, but the other problems I mentioned, which are much more annoying to me, appear to be basically absent. In fact, the 2nd LP is good enough to be in The Honorable Mentions category. (LP 1 "Big Hit"- "It's Now or Never", which is actually an uncredited version of "O Solo Mio"; LP 2 "Big Hits"- "Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Little Sister" and "Good Luck Charm".)
The pressings are, as expected now from this source, as good as it gets. My advice is simple, and consistent with earlier 45 reissues; If you are a serious fan of this music, then this album is a must buy. For some fans, it may even be worth it for "Are You Lonesome Tonight" alone, because Elvis almost sounds like he's right there, alive and young again, and singing in your listening room, just for you.
I was just a teenager when these albums first came out. I never owned them, since I wasn't a big fan of folk music, but I heard the "big hits" constantly, like everyone else back then. I did enjoy some of their songs, but (like Elvis and the Beatles) this music was so overplayed back then, I eventually became sick of them. When I operated my audio store, I occassionally heard these albums when some customers brought their copies in and asked them to be played, but I was never impressed enough to later purchase them for personal (or even store) reasons.
As for the sonics, both recordings have "ping-pong" stereo, which was common with popular music (and jazz) records when "Stereo" was in its first decade. The first album has consistent "OK" (upfront) sound, with some distortion and veiling, along with a high sound-floor. The second album is somewhat different; there are some superb sounding cuts (which are good enough to make The Basic List if you don't mind the "ping-pong" effects), but the other cuts have dubbing, which adds a noticeable and irritating distortion. Both of these albums are sonically superior to any of the original pressings that I can remember, though that judgment must obviously be tempered by the time gap of the comparisons (and the realization that my memory is not infallible). The Bottom Line- ORG has come out with two more successful reissues.
The quality of the pressings are, as expected now from this source, as good as it gets (with the surprising exception of one cut). So, at the danger of being repetitive, my advice is simple and consistent with most of the earlier 45 RPM reissues I've auditioned; If a reader is a serious fan of this music, then I believe these albums are "must buys". However, for those audiophiles specifically looking only for "demonstration worthy" records, with "dynamite sonics", then I would pass on album One, though the outstanding cuts on album Two may be a good reason to go for it.
Relevant Link:
ORG (Original Recordings Group) Website
TopAs far as I know, this Mercury recording of "Americana", from their "Living Presence Golden Age" (SR90018), never actually made (the late) Harry Pearson's "Super Disk List", but it was still promoted in The Absolute Sound (TAS), by Sid Marks, as a superior recording. I no longer have any clear memory of hearing the original Mercury pressing of this recording, but I have heard the Golden Import reissue (SRI 75050), which is pretty good. However, the "Sketches" are not nearly as good as Walter Piston's "The Incredible Flutist", which is on the same LP. In contrast, this new Speakers Corner reissue is dedicated exclusively to the "Symphonic Sketches", as was the original Mercury pressing from 60 years ago now, which means it enjoys a serious technical advantage. Curious, we compared the two reissues with each other. The results...
The Speakers Corner reissue was more natural that the Golden Import, which was somewhat dry sounding and, to pile on, the high frequencies were also noticeably exaggerated. We couldn't find one sonic advantage for the Golden Imports LP. Still, despite having a number of desirable sonic attributes common to most good Mercury recordings, this recent reissue is not one of their best efforts. The Chadwick is not quite as immediate, detailed and clean as the finest Mercury recordings. It also sounds rolled-off in the high frequencies, plus the sound floor is too high to hear the subtleties which distinguish the finest recordings. These sonic problems keep this reissue from joining "The Basic List". As for the Chadwick composition, it is definitely "Modern", but still quite accessible and not "avant-garde" in any manner.
This Mercury recording basically matches the above description of its Chadwick sister record, with the only serious difference between them is that this LP (as well as the original SR90103) has two compositions instead of just one. The Golden Imports reissued the McPhee composition (SRI 75116) and the Sessions (SRI 75049) composition on two different records. Since I have both of the Golden Imports reissues, we, of course, had to directly compare the three records.
The McPhee reissues sounded very similar, though the Speakers Corner was (again) more natural sounding (with more body), but this time the Golden Import did have its own sonic advantage; the Speakers Corner sounded relatively congested (homogenized) when the orchestra played loud. So, in the end, it was a mixed bag between them. However, this Speakers Corner reissue also includes the rare Sessions "The Black Maskers" recording. This time the Speakers Corner reissue has all the desirable qualities of the earlier Golden Mercury reissue (which is already in "The Basic List"), but with, again, greater natural body and it was even less homogenized as well, making it a total success.
As for the music, which is modern but still accessible, I enjoyed both compositions and especially the "Tabuh-Tabuhan", which I feel is somewhat different than the other Mercury recordings of modern music, probably due to its exotic and ethnic source and inspiration (Bali). So, I highly recommend this reissue for those adventurous readers who are searching for interesting 20th Century Music from composers who are not well-known, and who also require outstanding sonics as well.
The Complete List of THE SUPREME RECORDINGS
The Descriptions and Awards of THE DIVINITY
The Descriptions, Awards and Essay of THE DEMI-GODS
The Descriptions of THE BASIC LIST-LARGE SCALE ORCHESTRA & OPERA
The Descriptions of THE BASIC LIST-POP/JAZZ/FOLK/ETHNIC MUSIC & SOUNDTRACKS
The Descriptions, Award and Essays of THE BASIC LIST-ESSAYS & CONTROVERSIES
Some Descriptions and Essays of THE HONORABLE MENTIONS
The Alphabetized Classical Music Supreme Recordings
Purchasing Used Classical Records
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