Question for Mick Jones

[Steve Hoffman]

Hi Mick.

You mentioned in another post that the DCC Everly Bros. 24 karat Gold CD was one of your favorites. Can you tell me what exactly you like about it? Song selection? Sound quality?

Thanks!!!

[Joel Cairo]

Mr. Hoffman:

I realize that your question was directed to another listener, but I'd like to give you my $.02, for what it's worth...

It's preaching to the choir to mention it here, but if you can only afford one Everly Brothers CD, this is the one to get. Not to knock Gregg Geller's work, but you don't have to go any farther than a comparison of "Cathy's Clown" to the Warner Achives anthology to accent this point. Although part of it may simply be a case of tape generations, the clarity of the separation on yours is phenomenal, the tonal balance is **much** more natural, and every instrument displays [with particular emphasis on the drums and electric guitar] a transparency and dynamic range that make the disc a joy to listen to.

I'm 41 years old, and have lost track of how many times I've heard "Cathy's Clown"... and I've never particularly cared for it. I will honestly state that after listening to your remaster, I finally "get" it-- now I know what the Brothers had in mind when they recorded it!! So, consider this a big thank you!

[...and thanks also for giving me a version of "Let it Be Me" that I can listen to without the strings giving me a lobotomy... very nice, even though the song is **still** a bit much!]

Now, lest I turn your head with praise, a couple of points **do** occur to me:

1. The "10:00" version of "Poor Jenny"...? Couldn't they cough up the "1:00"?

2. I know you didn't want change the tenor of the orginal LP lineup too much, but I REALLY would've liked to have you do "Walk Right Back"... not to mention "Crying in the Rain" and/or "The Price of Love"... was this a licensing thing?

Back to the plus side, though, the disc has a great representation of the Cadence material, and it DIDN'T come packaged in one of those @$#%^&*!!$% "lift cases".

So, although you didn't ask, those are a few of MY reasons for loving this disc.

Now don't even get me started on the Elvis and Doobie Bros. "greatest hits" CDs... I'm fairly sure that when God wants to listen to "Little Sister" or "China Grove", those are what s/he throws on... :^)

Thanks for **all** of your efforts over the years, Mr. Hoffman... I've been watching for your mastering credit ever since the MCA "Vintage Classics" series-- and I haven't been disappointed yet!

Joel Cairo

[Steve Hoffman]

Joel,

Thanks for your kind words regarding our Everly Bros. CD.

Just a couple of comments:

The 10:00 version of "Poor Jenny" is the USA hit version. The other versions are just alt. takes as far as the US is concerned...

We wanted to do a few more WB songs in there, but it was a licensing problem, as you surmised. As it was, I'm sure you noticed the Rhino plug in the CD booklet? 'Nuff said!

Glad you liked the disc!

[Mick Jones]

Sorry I haven't replied earlier, but I've only recently returned home, via the pub of course, from a Derby County Reserves vs Chelsea Reserves football match, or soccer game as you Americans would probably say.

I've loved the Everly Brothers music since I first heard it back in the '60s. I still own an old lp 'Don & Phil's Fabulous Fifties Treasury' on Janus Records (distributed by Phonogram) from thirty years ago which contains the Cadence hits, so I suppose that I am slightly biased towards their pre Warners material. I just did not have any idea how good these late 50s / early 60s recordings could sound, despite buying many other versions over the years, until I heard the DCC 'The Everly Brothers' Best' gold CD.

Thus it was both the song selection, as it has so many of my favourites, and the sound quality, which is far superior to any other version of this material that I have heard, and actually better than what I had imagined was possible.

I would certainly buy an 'Everly Brothers' Best Volume 2' on DCC containing the cream of their Warners recordings, but I suppose that this may be too expensive to licence.

[Steve Hoffman]

Thanks, Mick. Comments like these and others make it all worth while for me.

Sometimes I forget, working alone in my little room, that people really care about their music, what ever type it is....

[Unknown]

Can we start the drumbeat now for DCC's "London Calling" ?......

[Drew]

Ya know, pigmode started a thread a few days ago called "2 favorite DCC titles". I thought a better thread might be "How the DCC versions changed my perspective on certain albums/music."

I always thought Eagles "Hotel California" was the most overrated song/album of all time until I heard the DCC Gold CD. A week later I went back for Eagles "Greatest hits."

I used to be a prog rock snob. But I know have everything from Sinatra to Metallica in my collection. These are artists I never owned any title from until I bought them on DCC gold. (Friends don't understand by the way)

My brother used to drive me nuts with the Cars back in the 80's. I bought the Cars "Greatest Hits" the other week.
The soundstage in "Drive" never sounded so good. Can't wait to hear it with single ended triodes. ;)

I'm not an authority on the Everly Brothers but DCC's Greatest Hits sounds extremely organic to me. (Thats a good thing)

Just my $.02

[Sckott]

The great sound of the Everly Brothers DCC disc pairs possibly the best recording methods (vocal and guitar) and reproduction (mastering) techniques all rolled into one very enjoyable collection. What also hits you is how damn good it sounds given the age of the recording.

Same goes for the Orbison disc. It totally kills me that the recordings were done that proficiantly so long ago.

Mick, have you ever written songs in your life? ;) nudge nudge

[ December 26, 2001: Message edited by: Sckott ]