David R. Modny
02-21-2002, 10:39 PM
I'm happy to report that the new Wounded Bird reissue of the Hollies 1983, Graham Nash, reunion, synthesizers-from-hell album "What Goes Around" is indeed mastered from the real master tape, unlike the countless other low-rent, half-assed bootleg vinyl to CD transfers that have popped up.
Apart, from being one of the truly dreadful albums of all time, considering the expectations that I had for it when it originally came out my senior year in high school, there's something I want to comment on about this current reissue - based on my own previous half-started, never completed attempts to transfer this one from vinyl to disc (just for fun).
This current reissue is a something that's a truly rare breed these days. As someone who had the original vinyl sound drumbed into my brain a few months back, this transfer appears to be a good old fashioned, straight, non-normalized, non-re-eq'ed, non- brightened, non-whitened release! The fact that it comes from a label known as Wounded Bird (check out their $1.98 web site at www.woundedbird.com), with no mastering engineer listed, proves that when push comes to shove...a sensible straight transfer will still beat any new-fangled buzzword-based "technology". It's still garbage in garbage out and in this case by NOT creating garbage, we get something refreshingly listenable. I didn't think CD's could even sound like this anymore....down right relaxing. Scary part is...to a generation raised on louder, harder, and brighter is better...they'll probably say something is wrong with this disc!
Don't get me wrong...this recording is the anti-thesis of breath of life. Early-80's synthesized, electronic drums, cheezy production. It's just nice to hear a CD (put out by an unknown label nonetheless) that, for once, doesn't betray the original vinyl for the sake of current mastering trends.
I wish I could say the same for the other discs I bought today...more on those later.
PS - We also get the B side to "Stop In The Name of Love", "Musical Pictures", thrown in for good measure (which was actually a bettter tune than most that were on the album!)
Apart, from being one of the truly dreadful albums of all time, considering the expectations that I had for it when it originally came out my senior year in high school, there's something I want to comment on about this current reissue - based on my own previous half-started, never completed attempts to transfer this one from vinyl to disc (just for fun).
This current reissue is a something that's a truly rare breed these days. As someone who had the original vinyl sound drumbed into my brain a few months back, this transfer appears to be a good old fashioned, straight, non-normalized, non-re-eq'ed, non- brightened, non-whitened release! The fact that it comes from a label known as Wounded Bird (check out their $1.98 web site at www.woundedbird.com), with no mastering engineer listed, proves that when push comes to shove...a sensible straight transfer will still beat any new-fangled buzzword-based "technology". It's still garbage in garbage out and in this case by NOT creating garbage, we get something refreshingly listenable. I didn't think CD's could even sound like this anymore....down right relaxing. Scary part is...to a generation raised on louder, harder, and brighter is better...they'll probably say something is wrong with this disc!
Don't get me wrong...this recording is the anti-thesis of breath of life. Early-80's synthesized, electronic drums, cheezy production. It's just nice to hear a CD (put out by an unknown label nonetheless) that, for once, doesn't betray the original vinyl for the sake of current mastering trends.
I wish I could say the same for the other discs I bought today...more on those later.
PS - We also get the B side to "Stop In The Name of Love", "Musical Pictures", thrown in for good measure (which was actually a bettter tune than most that were on the album!)