Her first album is, if I remember, sweetened at Sear Sound, and I think I have a Classic Records copy. It is a very good album, but also the epitome of what gets played to death. Haven’t listened to it in years.
There’s a funny thing in audiophilia, about getting the same records to compare notes. Fine. What gets me is the 8th or 10th copy of the same album, different pressing, in the hope some small incremental change in sound quality of the album is going to transform the system.
I can certainly hear differences in pressings. It just that at a certain point, popular albums get played out for me and I don’t necessarily need yet another copy with some supposedly better vinyl formulation that may have come from the same metal work as a copy I already have. I’d rather spend my money on "new to me" music, which is often old. (I’m smitten with the post-bop, spiritual/soul jazz stuff of the early ’70s. Not exactly a high point for US LP manufacture, the reissue market is somewhat spotty--some don’t fully disclose sources, but you find bargains). I’ve mentioned the Bobby Hamilton Dream Queen, an unobtainium lounge jazz album that was recently recut by Bernie allegedly from the tapes for $30 US. Stuff like that turns me on, as do original copies. I don’t get hung up on the warhorses- have more than enough of those. I do think she is talented, but hardly ever listen to her.
The phenomenon of everybody buying the same record has been true since I’ve been in this hobby, called it very early ’70s. I broke away from that a while ago. It was what I consider to be the beginning of learning about music (though I’m trained but don’t make my living playing). The rest-- the marketing, the business side-- is part of where I spent decades- more on the legal structure stuff. Fascinating, but only part of the story. The rest- the archival copies, the provenance, the identification of earlier, better sources for parts, as well as chain of title, who owns the rights, and how you organize all this information, is where I’ve been focusing since I retired as a copyright lawyer.
