CBS Mastersound Gold CD's

I have the Mastersound Kind of Blue.......I have been holding off buying the lastest non-gold reissue of this album.....do I need to get it? The Mastersound definitely sounds better than the earlier cd reissue.

 

Chicago Transit Authority for me!

 

Same here. I think it sounds good.

 

If you're talking about the first CD issue of KOB it's famous for sounding awful, and not only did they pick a lousy shot for the cover (why not use the original?) the photo is printed backward so that Miles is playing with the wrong hand, not to mention much later in his career. I have the Mastersound which was the first issue of the session at the correct speed. The more recent non-gold issue is also speed corrected. I can't vouch for the mastering job but the latest disc is bargain priced and has an unreleased take that doesn't appear on the Mastersound.

 

How About The Cta Mastersound Version?any Good

 

See posts 27 & 28.

 

In my opinion, the best CD version of Wish You Were Here is found on original Japanese pressings from CBS/Sony. This mastering is found on the original Japanese release with catalog number 35DP 4 and the original Japanese CBS/Sony plant pressing released in the U.S. under catalog number CK 33453. You know you have the right CK 33453 disc if it is divided into just two tracks. If the CK 33453 disc is divided into five tracks, you have the later, more common, inferior mastering. The 35DP 4 disc was only released with the good mastering, meaning with the disc divided into two tracks.

 

Just out of curiosity from Steve's comment, I played both the Mastersound and the SACD versions of Boston and I was stunned. The gold disc was unlistenable! Until a higher power grants us Wish You Were Here in SACD or DVD-A, the gold Mastersound disc will stand as the one to own. Wasn't the 2nd Boston album released as a Mastersound gold disc, too?

 

Charlie, read my previous post. If you heard the original Japanese CBS/Sony pressings, I think you would find that the MasterSound gold CD is not the one to own. Next to the original Japanese CBS/Sony pressings, the MasterSound gold CD is dull.

Boston Don't Look Back was released as a MasterSound gold CD.

 

I think it is even worse than puke.

 

We have to be careful here. The CBS Jazz Masterpieces version of Kind of Blue with the odd album cover was not the original CD released in the U.S. The original CD released in the U.S. was a Japanese pressing with catalog number CK 08163. This version has the proper album cover. While the CK 08163 disc does not sound quite as good as the current remastered CD or the SACD, it sounds much, much better than the CBS Jazz Masterpieces disc. The CK 08163 disc has hiss. It's good, and it's also very rare.

 

yeah, I've never heard the first Japanese CD of WYWH. I was just claiming that I thought the CBS Sax mastering (the first one he did) was better than the EMI Sax (the second one he did), not that it was the best ever released.

 

Roger that.

 

But how readily available is the CBS/Sony disc? I had the regular domestic Cd and it was buried in tape hiss. The gold disc was a huge leap forward in comparision. It seems like the whole Mastersound catalog was hit and miss in quality. I have the Mastersound Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs and, according to a recent thread here, it's not the definitive version(I never thought it were) but still better than the regular disc.

 

the only mastersound cd i have is the roger waters, i thought it sounded great, but maybe others could chime in on this one, i dont have the golden audiophile ears....

 

I also really like the CBS\Mastersound version of Amused to Death, the imaging is unreal. My other 2 favorites by CBS\Mastersound are Floyd's WYWH and SRV- Couldn't Stand The Weather. I know of at least 6 guys that went out and bought SRV after I played my copy for them several years ago.

 

I have the Springsteen and really enjoy it. Also have 52nd Street, Tapestry, and Toto 4. I like them all, but the Toto is pretty bright.

 

I have to echo KeithH and Dave and say that the original Japanese pressing of WYWH is fantastic and is preferred over the Mastersound Gold IMHO. I purchased a Columbia Japanese pressing (CK 33453) on Half.com a little over a week ago and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was indeed the 2 track version when it arrived and the matrix number included 35DP 4 on it, which is the catalog number of the original Japanese pressing as Keith notes above. I also have a U.S. pressing of the same title (also CK 33453) and there is no comparison. The Japanese version is so much more dynamic and lifelike.

As far as availability, you can still find it out there - I just got it last week. Look for "Made in Japan" after the Columbia trademark line at the bottom of the disc. Also look for the 35DP 4 in the matrix number. The final tip off as Keith notes is that it has 2 tracks rather than 5. However, this one is tricky as the cd label itself and the artwork show 5 tracks. You only know that it has 2 tracks when you put it in a cd player.

Special thanks to both Dave and KeithH for helping me determine what I had with this disc as well as for kindly answering a number of Pink Floyd questions for me lately!

 

Check out post #20. This is definitely the best job of mastering after comparing to the original 1992 pressing.

 

I have the later ELO- Discovery in Gold. I can't quite put my finger(or ear) on it, but it leaves SOMETHING to be desired!!!

Chris

 

Based on my experience, the original Japanese CBS/Sony pressings of Wish You Were Here with the album divided into two tracks are quite rare. However, they are out there. I've seen the original Japanese release with catalog number 35DP 4 on eBay on a few occasions, and that's how I got my copy. I know a couple members here who have found the original Japanese CBS/Sony pressing with catalog number CK 33453 recently. I found a copy at a used CD shop a little over a year ago. These pressings are rare, but keep looking. You never know what you will find.

 

To me, Born To Run is a little bright, but very enjoyable. However, with the Born To Run Gold CD, there was an error with the initial run of discs, and "Thunder Road" began about three or four seconds into the song. Sony replaced the defective discs, but I don't know if you can tell whether you are buying the defective or corrected CD without playing it first.

AJH

 

I personally go back and forth. Sometimes I prefer the TOTO IV and Silk Degrees MFSL, sometimes the SONY Gold. Depends on my ears...which are greatly affected by my sinuses, etc. Also it depends on which stereo system I'm listening on. The built in brightness of the SONY actually can sound better on some systems.

 

Here's another vote for the Gold Born to Run CD, I love that disc. Now if they only would have done a Gold edition of "The River"...

 

Just to add some more opinions, I hated the Mastersound Gold "Blonde on Blonde," but the Morrison "Blowin' Your Mind," the Dave Brubeck "Time Out" and the McLaughlin, DeLucia, Dimeola guitar extravaganza, "A Night In San Francisco" all sound terrific. I've heard tell, however, that the inexpensive standard issues of all three now use the same (or comparable) mastering, so it might not be worth seeking them out unless you collect these things.

L.