Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "So Far" orig. CD. An old friend back again!

It was removed from the Rhino/HDCD version, apparently due to copyright issues.

Dallas Taylor was removed too...

 

Hi Barry--

Not to derail the thread, but since you brought up your Marley comps did you also master the Natural Mystic comp from 1995 (features "Iron Lion Zion"). It seems to be from the same series, but has no mastering credit. Thanks

 

So Steve,

you like the original master...

but does that mean the remaster is bad??

 

.

 

So this confirms what I suspected from when I first got this CD a decade ago or more... the "So Far" album is from copy tapes. While the sound and EQ are relatively unmessed with, they're not the masters. They seem to lack dynamic range, and have more hiss than they should, although I don't find the hiss that objectionable. It's unfortunate that Barry didn't have the opportunity to recompile the album from the master tapes, but Barry did a great job with what he had.

I haven't heard the remasters, so I'll stay away from them since the consensus is they stink, and hope for a future remaster by Barry or Steve.

Derek

 

I wish I could find these! I once had a copy of the first in my hands, but it had a hole in the aluminium, so wouldn't play through Guinnivere.

That's the only time I've ever seen a copy of any of Barry's versions of these albums.

 

Okay, so if Ohio is the focal point, what - if anything - is the difference between the version on Neil's Decade comp and the one on So Far?

 

Steve, just checked mine out and we both have the same A2 pressing. I always thought it sounds good.

 

Hi curbach,

I did not work on the "Natural Mystic" compilation, only the 13 original albums (11 + "Legend" and "Rebel Music").

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Derek,

While a bit of increased hiss and perhaps some rounding of transients would accompany the copies, I doubt very much (outside of the aforementioned transient rounding) there would be a noticeable change in dynamic range, particularly since the copies were made to 1/2" tape.

The tapes for "So Far" (as well as I recall them after a few decades) were not bad at all. Certainly there were plenty of other so-called "flat transfers" I was given to work with where my concerns about the sonics were much greater.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I *briefly* compared them last night. I thought they sounded fairly similar, but I honestly wasn't listening *that* closely.

 

Good enough, thanks Luke. As I already have Barry's masterings of the s/t "Couch" album and Deja Vu, that pretty much saves me from running around searching for a largely redundant CD.

 

Straight WAVs. No level matching, no speed matching, nothing.

Ohio - Decade [Reprise 264037]
Ohio - So Far [Atlantic 19119-2]
Ohio -Crosby, Stills & Nash (box set) [Atlantic 7 82319-2]

 

So Far and Decade are indeed very close; I have to listen more closely to find differences. The box set has the hiss pumping in a rather unnnatural way; clearly my least favorite. The slower speed is very apparent and mysterious.

 

Of course, after years of not listening to it, I traded this in a few weeks ago....<sigh>

 

Just found mine in my CSN CD pile, playing it as I post this.

Great sound. Thanks Barry!!

 

Your's was made by JVC. Is that common?

 

Hi Jared,

When large sales were expected, it was common to create a CD master and make clones of it for each of several pressing plants.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Right. I know this. I have several RCA CDs from back in the day that were made at JVC. I just haven't seen any Warner-controlled music pressed by them.

 

Hi Jared,

Yeah, Atlantic sent quite a few to JVC.

Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Is the remaster good for any reason?

 

Nobody seems to be saying the remaster is "no good". As far as remasters go, I find it pretty good. It's simply that certain EQ choices, which can never be undone, were made to the original version of the album. Many around here prefer to have cd's sound the way the master tapes (originally made for vinyl) do, and then be able to make their own decisions about what does or doesn't need more bass/treble, etc...

 

I just scored one of these. Gave it a listen.Is it just me or does this sound better than the CSN or Deja Vu?

 

I have a German pressing of So Far (250 023/SD 19119-2) and I too feel that it sounds different/?better than my West German Deja Vu (250 001/SD 19118-2) CD!