Half Speed Mastering

I yearn for a time such as when I was young and didn't know if a record sucked unless it misstracks or was outright horrible.

Isn't Half Speed Mastering a bit over rated and maybe more of a Marketing thing (like Blu Spec Cds)? I know its a biggie marketing thing to have "half speed Abbey Road" sticker on the cover. 

I would be curious what Kevin Gray and the boys opinion on the process.

Isn't Half Speed Mastering a bit over rated and maybe more of a Marketing thing

Apparently not. All cutter heads have resonance issues and that is treated with feedback from windings in the cutter head. But it can still be an issue and by cutting at a lower speed the resonance is pushed up an octave.

Its also easier for a tape machine to playback all the highs present on the tape. IMO the biggest technical challenge is getting the bass right but all cutter heads have good bass bandwidth so that much of it isn't an issue.