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Somehow I have found a couple of sources of CDs locally since HMV closed. Marvelous new double album from Biffy Clyro. I am also digging Matthew E. White, EELS, the Lumineers, I am Kloot and, in particular, Lord Huron. It’s a good year already. Reading reviews of the Lumineers album, you can feel the pushback from Mumford and Son’s success. It sounds like Bob Dylan circa 1961; fairly compelling. However, Lord Huron is a far superior production and I love it: it is Fleet Foxes meets the Polyphonic Spree. It should be vinyl nirvana 8/10 music 1/5 loudness.
An interesting observation about the Lumineers is that they clearly mention the studio (Bear Creek), producer, mixing engineers and mastering engineer (Bob Ludwig). In the past they would have mentioned, in the liner notes, the type of microphones and the console board. It’s a strange thing, provenance: I presume that the album was recorded digitally – but I don’t know: the studio has both digital and analog equipment. Why not tell us about the recording. An example of a record label that distinctly emphasizes provenance is 2L – a Norwegian recording company. 2L records in super high DXD resolution and the sound of their recordings is awesome (I purchased a couple of their CD/SACD/BRA recordings last year).

I also picked up 2 back catalog recordings this week. I picked up Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s Deja Vu, a recording that I had on tape about 20 years ago. The disc was listed “digitally remastered” – the back cover informs us of the name of the remastering engineer – but no date! There are many albums that have been remastered 2 or 3 times, and I know that the CSN debut album was remastered as HDCD about 1o years ago. So what about this one? I am not sure, but I presume, after a bit of googling, that this was a 1994 remaster (in other words, pre loudness war and likely to be really good). Of more interest was “Discover America” by Van Dyke Parks, a disc that I bought used in the US in 2002. From Discogs, this may be the 1990 version (which I suspect it is) or the 1999 remaster. It is an enjoyable disc, but the mix is a little muddy. So, I spied a new release on Bella Union that came out last year in Europe. It was priced at euro 22.99 in my local HMV. So I waited and finally acquired it for euro 8 at another place. Now here’s the catch. I open up the packet, and there is minimal artwork, a flimsy replica liner note and a disc: nothing else – no nice little essay by Parks about the recording or by someone who’s life was changed by it. No information about the recording’s provinance: and then it hits me – is this a REISSUE or a REMASTER? Is it just a repackage of the disc from 1999 or worse the original 1990 CD. I am beginning to suspect so. So it may be a reissue of a remaster. In any case, Bella Union should inform us in the liner notes, and preferably on the outside cover – is this AAD, ADD, is it remastered – if so – by whom and when? If it is just a reissue the CD does not justify premium pricing.
I note that Rumours has been REISSUED again as a deluxe edition – the record company in this case make it clear that this is the 2004 remaster; and rightly so. As I have mentioned before, generally the 1990s remasters are the best digital recordings available, and virtually no album that has received a 21st century (iPod era) remastering improves upon it’s predecessor. That applies in particular to the Rolling Stones (1999 remasters). Read this nice list…

~ by Pat Neligan on February 4, 2013.

Posted in Digital Music