Chet Atkins In Hollywood Gold CD vs XRCD

I've read that the out of print Classic Records 1993 gold CD reissue contains the original 1958 master recording and that the 1989 and 2001 MFSL and XRCD reissues, respectively, contain the 1961 Lp master in which Atkins redid his guitar parts but reused the original 1958 orchestration tapes.

So, it appears the MFSL (aluminum CD) and the XRCD of the title are the recording. And the 1993 Classic Records gold CD is the original recording.

Given that MFSL and XRCD both chose to issue the rerecording, is the 1961 version superior? Did Atkins not like his original guitar parts?

 

Don't know about that. I have the early LSP LP on early label. My copy sounds nice and was cared for well. I think it's a 1961 era pressing.

 

Apparently the original version from 58 had a different album cover -- a picture of a guitar over a city.

The 1961 reissue with newly recorded guitar parts had a new cover of a woman in gold pants.

 

Here's the 1958 original Lp cover. Original guitar tracks.



And the 1961 reissue. Same orchestral tracks as on the 1958 Lp. But guitar parts were redone.

 

So the question is, why did MFSL and XRCD issue the 1961 version (with redone guitar parts) instead of the original 1958 version?

I think only Classic Records issue the 1958 version in 1993 for a gold audiophile CD. Now impossible to find.

 

I have the Classic Records gold and the MFSL and like the former better. It is wonderful, one of my favourite CD's. The artwork on the XRCD is sexier though, perhaps they chose it for that reason. Surprisingly, the MFSL uses the original artwork, but is inside the booklet only.

Goran

 

Maybe because that's all the label would give them? Or maybe MFSL asked for the original masters and were given the 1961 tapes. If Chet re-recorded the guitar parts, I think it's safe to say that he probably considered the '61 version the master.

 

Does the Classic have different guitar parts than the MFSL?

 

I have both versions on vinyl, and can confirm the different guitar parts. Why Atkins chose to rerecord it is anyone's guess. It's been a couple of years since I compared them, but I remember that the differences are often very subtle, but sometimes significant. Mostly they are tone or inflection changes. I guess it says something about Atkins' attentiveness to the exactness of his work.

I've heard exactly what you've heard about the Classic using the 1958 tapes and the MOFI/JVC using 1961 tapes but can't confirm since, like you, I can't lay my hands on one! I only have the JVC.

 

I love that album cover.

 

Yep.

But the original cover was definitely classy.

 

What's interesting is that the current Classic Records Lp reissue is the 1961 version with redone guitar parts.

http://www.classicrecords.com/item.cfm?item=LSP 1993-200G



Does this suggest a general consensus among audiophile reissue companies that the 1961 guitar overdubs are superior to the original master recording?

 

BTW, here's a picture I found online of the 1993 Classic Records gold CD (OOP).

 

The mystery deepens! Calling Joe Harley.... Maybe he can tell us about the tapes if he was involved in the XRCD reissue.

 

I have the Classic vinyl version with the original cover. Sounds beautiful...

 

I wonder if someone who has both the out of print Classic Records gold cd and the XRCD or MOFI aluminum CDs could rip a brief sound sample of each and post them for comparison purposes so we can see how different the guitar sound is on the original vs the remake.

 

Some interesting info on wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chet_Atkins_in_Hollywood

 

Pretty album.

The Living Stereo banner (on stereo copies) dates the guitar cover to '58-'60 while the Living Stereo lettering on the 'chick' cover dates it to early '60s. Country Gent guitars were first intro'd in 1958 iirc... so prominently displaying the guitar on the cover late '58-'59 would make sense.

Only heard the MFSL aluminum, a 2-CD set with 2 other albums.

 

Same here but would love to get my hands on the Classic Records gold CD.

 

Who was the mastering engineer for Classic Records gold CDs? Do they still produce gold cds or do they just focus on vinyl now?

 

They are long OOP but I have quite a few titles, mainly classic & jazz. I pulled a few booklets but they don't mention the specific master engineer:

"We start with our proven approach of using the most experienced mastering engineers in the world for the delicate transfer from the most original stereo source tape."

 

Joe Harley just posted some additional info on the tapes and album cover used for the 2001 XRCD version:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=4462786&postcount=137

 

My LP has the original cover with the cityscape scene. Pre-1961. Nice condition. I paid $.99 for it. Plays well and is quiet.

 

Hate to bring up an old thread but does anyone know what differences to listen for between the 1961 version and the 1959 original?