Dave, it is your thread, but I maybe have a suggestion to make. I think it is quite a good idea what was done on the "The best SHM-SACDs" thread: Instead of simply putting these titles in a black and white (recommended vs. non-recommended) category, maybe it would be helpful to provide another category, like for example: a) Best digital version. Period. b) Very good but maybe not the overall best. Still, a very nice listen. c) Not recommended (due to weird EQ choices etc.) Just a thought.
A long time update. Any that have been removed are still good sounding, but I've just found another I prefer. My MFSL Gold CD recommendations: *= UD only, not UDII UDCD 505 Supertramp: Crime of the Century * UDCD 507 Blind Faith: Blind Faith * UDCD 516 Elton John: Madman Across The Water * UDCD 519 Cat Stevens: Tea for the Tillerman * UDCD 520 Def Leppard: Pyromania * UDCD 523 Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation UDCD 526 Elton John: Goodbye Yellow brick Road * UDCD 527 The Band: Music from Big Pink UDCD 529 Various Artists: After the Hurricane: Songs for Montserrat UDCD 530 Hall and Oates: Voices UDCD 532 Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story * UDCD 534 Supertramp: Breakfast in America * UDCD 535 Boz Scaggs: Silk Degrees * UDCD 536 Elton John: Honky Chateau * UDCD 540 Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers UDCD 541 Harry Nilsson: Nilsson Schmilsson UDCD 542 Various Artists: Red Hot and Blue UDCD 543 Elton John: Tumbleweed Connection * UDCD 548 B.B. King: Live at the Regal * UDCD 550 The Who: Quadrophenia * UDCD 551 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes * UDCD 554 Stevie Wonder: Innervisions * UDCD 555 Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl* UDCD 556 Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second Helping * UDCD 557 Keith Richards: Talk is Cheap * UDCD 558 Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East * UDCD 560 Elvis Presley: That's The Way It Is * UDCD 562 Cream: Disraeli Gears * UDCD 567 John Lee Hooker: The Healer UDCD 573 Dave Mason: Alone Together UDCD 574 Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You UDCD 577 Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign UDCD 578 Manhatten Transfer: Extensions UDCD 584 Neil Diamond: Hot August Night UDCD 593 Muddy Waters: Folk Singer UDCD 600 John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy UDCD 603 John Hiatt: Bring the Family UDCD 606 Alan Parsons Project: Tales of Mystery and Imagination UDCD 635 Albert Collins: Cold Snap UDCD 649 Cat Stevens: Teaser and the Firecat UDCD 651 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis Again UDCD 658 Billie Holiday: Body and Soul UDCD 659 B.B. King: Lucille (Perhaps not the best, but still decent) UDCD 661 Cat Stevens: Three: Numbers, IZITSO & Back to Earth (3 CD Set) UDCD 669 Traffic: Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory UDCD 674 Steve Winwood: Talking Back to the Night UDCD 675 Iron Butterfly: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida UDCD 676 Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker: Hooker 'N' Heat (just ok IMO) UDCD 687 Ten Years After: Ssssh / Cricklewood Green UDCD 691 Steve Winwood: Steve Winwood UDCD 702 Ted Hawkins: The Next Hundred Years UDCD 704 John Hiatt: Riding With The King UDCD 714 Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf UDCD 723 Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Sky Is Crying UDCD 741 John Hiatt: Slow Turning UDCD 757 Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit (Dual Layered SACD/DSD)
15 min. edit limit. My MFSL Gold CD recommendations: *= UD only, not UDII UDCD 505 Supertramp: Crime of the Century * UDCD 507 Blind Faith: Blind Faith * UDCD 516 Elton John: Madman Across The Water * UDCD 519 Cat Stevens: Tea for the Tillerman * UDCD 520 Def Leppard: Pyromania * UDCD 523 Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation UDCD 526 Elton John: Goodbye Yellow brick Road * UDCD 527 The Band: Music from Big Pink UDCD 529 Various Artists: After the Hurricane: Songs for Montserrat UDCD 530 Hall and Oates: Voices UDCD 532 Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story * UDCD 534 Supertramp: Breakfast in America * UDCD 535 Boz Scaggs: Silk Degrees * UDCD 536 Elton John: Honky Chateau * UDCD 540 Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers UDCD 541 Harry Nilsson: Nilsson Schmilsson UDCD 542 Various Artists: Red Hot and Blue UDCD 543 Elton John: Tumbleweed Connection * UDCD 548 B.B. King: Live at the Regal * UDCD 550 The Who: Quadrophenia * UDCD 551 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes * UDCD 554 Stevie Wonder: Innervisions * UDCD 555 Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl* UDCD 556 Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second Helping * UDCD 557 Keith Richards: Talk is Cheap * UDCD 558 Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East * UDCD 560 Elvis Presley: That's The Way It Is * UDCD 562 Cream: Disraeli Gears * UDCD 567 John Lee Hooker: The Healer UDCD 573 Dave Mason: Alone Together UDCD 574 Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You UDCD 577 Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign UDCD 578 Manhatten Transfer: Extensions UDCD 584 Neil Diamond: Hot August Night UDCD 593 Muddy Waters: Folk Singer UDCD 600 John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy UDCD 603 John Hiatt: Bring the Family UDCD 606 Alan Parsons Project: Tales of Mystery and Imagination UDCD 635 Albert Collins: Cold Snap UDCD 649 Cat Stevens: Teaser and the Firecat UDCD 651 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis Again UDCD 658 Billie Holiday: Body and Soul UDCD 659 B.B. King: Lucille (Perhaps not the best, but still decent) UDCD 661 Cat Stevens: Three: Numbers, IZITSO & Back to Earth (3 CD Set) UDCD 669 Traffic: Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory UDCD 674 Steve Winwood: Talking Back to the Night UDCD 675 Iron Butterfly: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida UDCD 676 Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker: Hooker 'N' Heat (just ok IMO) UDCD 687 Ten Years After: Ssssh / Cricklewood Green UDCD 691 Steve Winwood: Steve Winwood UDCD 702 Ted Hawkins: The Next Hundred Years UDCD 704 John Hiatt: Riding With The King UDCD 714 Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf UDCD 723 Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Sky Is Crying UDCD 741 John Hiatt: Slow Turning UDCD 757 Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit (Dual Layered SACD/DSD) UDCD 780 Beck: Sea Changes
Glad to see you like the Beck. I bought the LP and enjoyed it. Since they regrouped under Music Direct management, I purchased the Little Richard, Surfer Rosa and They Only Come Out at Night on SACD and didn't care for the sound of any of them. Made me a little gun shy.
Hi Dave What has motivated you to add this title at this point? Did you give it another shot (vs DJM) post gear upgrade? Thanks!
I have deleted a few posts which were of topic. Please stick with discussing the OP's MFSL Gold CD list as he intended. Thanks
You used to call this release a "total disaster" and an example of "midrange suck-out". What has made you change your mind?
I was pleased to see Elvis' THAT'S THE WAY IT IS on your MFSL gold CD list of preferred titles. Gotta agree ... although U do love RCA's three-CD set covering the entire affair. I know this is likely covered somewhere here, but I can't find it so I'll ask: UD and UDII: Are there titles that came out both ways? Why is UD preferred, it seems, over UD II?
I've got SEA CHANGE in its original CD format, plus Universal's DVD-Audio and SACD formats, and now, the MFSL SACD, which everyone seems to say is the one, right? IIRC, there were speed issues on some versions of this album ... is that right? Also, in addition to being the correct speed, the MFSL disc has a bonus track on it, correct? Anything else about the various SEA CHANGE discs out there I need to know?
Thanks again Dave...I still smile about having enough sense on my own to get the Skynyrd, before even meeting you ?!?!?
I'm trying to fill in for Dave on this, but I believe it is accurate to point out that many of the early titles were initially pressed in Japan. Some members feel that the earliest pressing were of higher quality and are sonically superior. This is controversial, so I'd recommend testing it yourself. My personal view is that the manufacture of CDs is a mechanical process and is subject to error. It is not a case of simply saving a given mastering as a WAV file, but rather it is an actual physical process. Additionally, there is something to be said for the idea that the first pressings are simply more collectible.
Thanks Dave ! Grabbed from a GREAT Amazon Marketplace Seller Friday, and received MONDAY !?!?!?!? It sounds GRRRRRRRRR-EAT !
I'm waiting delivery of Madman from an Amazon marketplace seller, so I would also be interested to hear your views. I also picked up Tumbleweed Connection and Honky Chateau on MFSL UD and these are now my favourite versions of these albums having owned four or five previous cd incarnations of these titles.
IMHO, Madman on MFSL did not live up to the standards of GYBR, Tumbleweed and Honky Chateau. Those three are my favorite digital versioins but the UDI I had of Madman was just too dull for my taste. Since it is from the UDI flat transfer era of Mofi, I assume this is down to the master tape being that way. YMMV. Others like it. I prefer the Japan for US MCA. I haven't found a DJM yet.
The MFSL Honky, GBYBR, and TC are superb. I hope to hear Madman soon, but if it's not better than the early MCA, then I'd be terribly disappointed. I'll track down the DJM eventually as I expect it and the MFSL to battle for "grail" status.
Hi Josh, It was the realism of the new MFSL I bought. After checking out another members copy of GBYBR and thinking "sheet, my MFSL didn't sound like this one." I've become reunited with all MFSL EJ CD's. The DJM is good, just not as IMO. Hi Roland, Post catalog UDCD 564 was all UDII with the one UDCD 567 exception. Several had both UD and UDII pressings depending on the release contracts MFSL had on the albums/artists catalog. Some, like Jefferson Airplane only had the UD pressings while some like Elton John had both. I preferred the UD's sound over their UDII brethren from any I've compared so far. Hi Dennis, The Japan 30DP 303 1st pressing with its very relaxed sounding imaging and sense of realism beat my MFSL.
Dave, have you heard the Audio Fidelity CD of "Second Helping". I only own that plus the 90's remaster. The AF is better in every way, but I'm wondering if the MFSL may be even better.
I'm curious about this as well. My stock US copy sounds *almost* as good as my LP, so I'm wondering how much better the MFSL can really be.
