Wc65mustang, I would agree with you in so far as dynamics are concerned. My A&M copy although very clean is not as quiet and the timbre characteristics sound a bit off compared to the MoFi IMHO. In almost every case a first pressing domestic seems to be more punchy and sometimes more forward than the comparable MoFi. I think this is the main cause for general distain by some for the OMR reissues, can't say I always agree. Happy holiday! |
R_f_sayles, thank you for confirming what I thought I was hearing. It does sound almost like veil of white noise, which on first listening confused me as to what was going on. That very quiet brush work and the baritone sax make for a very unusual combination of sounds to my ear, not being accustomed to this combination. Also, I totally agree with your assessment of the Analogue Productions 45rpm Fantasy jazz series. All of these reissues that I've heard (about 15 or so now) have been superb. (I wish I'd managed to pick up a copy of "Waltz for Debbie" before it went out of print, but I expect the 33 will be lovely.) As to Tom Port, he's a seller of new and used vinyl/CDs on the web. He has strongly held opinions, some of which I agree with and many I don't (e.g., his opinion of the Speakers Corner Mercury reissue series). While I've not liked many (perhaps most) of the MoFi reissues I've heard, "Teaser" is one I have liked. The criticism Port makes about this reissue is the naturalness of the sound. That is a problem with many MoFi reissues in my experience: very unnatural messing about with EQ. That's not the case on this one. Bill (Wc65mustang), the brown label A&M may be more dynamic; I'd have to re-listen for that. And, there may well be brown label copies that sound better than my copy, I'm not trying to make a comparison. My priorities cause me to focus more on instrument timbre and inner detail, which is what I've liked about this version, and that is unusual for me given my reaction to most other MoFi's I've heard. When Port says "it's just a mess and should sound like a mess", that's simply not what I hear and is my only point. . |
Rushton, agreed and I am not trashing the MoFi in any way. In fact it is one of the better MoFi releases IMO. As r f sayles so accurately points out original releases seem to display more forward and punchy characteristics. However, this is not always the case. For example, I've purchased all of the Led Zeppelin immediately on release. The only one which has decent dynamics is Houses of the Holy, which ironically is the worst of the first 5 albums. The later releases on Swan Song are fair to good but certainly not nearly as excellent as other releases from other artists of that period. I've not heard the remastered Zeppelin releases so perhaps somebody else can jump in with a comparison. |
Van Morrison -Too Long in Exile on UK Polydor Yo La Tengo -Fakebook on Bar NONE records (again!) Van Morrison -Astral Weeks on Warner Bros. CA. w7 David Grisman -Dawg Jazz on Warner Bros. brown label Velvet Crush -Teenage Symphonies to God on Crelp Records Bud Powell -The Amazing... on Blue Note Japan Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd -Jazz Samba on Verve (Speakers Corner?) Antonio Carlos Jobin -Wave on A&M Speakers Corner Mozart -Clarinet Concerto K622 on Musical Fidelity/ Stereophile |
