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

Do I have Barry's Deja Vu CD? I asked before in the CSN thread, to no response.

The CD I have is Warner Canada. Pressed by CINRAM. Matrix no. - #921101P. No mastering credits in the booklet.

 

I also have CSN&Y - So Far on CD. Barry is listed in the booklet credits. The copy I have was also pressed in Canada by CINRAM. Matrix looks like #920321D.

 

Just got a made in Germany copy of this album, sounds great!

 

I received the same one today. Much to my surprise
A few weeks back I won it cheap, off ePay and all I knew is that is was the non-remastered. Much to my surprise it was a Japan for US, in the nicest looking, crystal clear, unscratched heavy smooth case I've seen in 20 years. Insert was also perfect. Needless to say I'm in shock about this amazing $5 purchase.

Rick

 

interesting find on Barry Diament mastered "So Far" and s/t CDs

I tried to ABX "Helplessly Hoping" from Barry Diament's mastering of the "couch" CD and the track from his So Far CD to see if I could detect more hiss on the So Far version. I expected the difference to be small, but audible with headphones. However, I couldn't detect any differences between the two recordings.

I checked the EAC logs for these two CDs. Each of the four "couch" songs have the same peak levels on both CDs:
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes 96.0 %
Guinnevere 62.8 %
Wooden Ships 96.5 %
Helplessly Hoping 74.0 %

Now extremely curious, I aligned the start and end points of each track in an editor, trimmed out the extraneous digital silence and used EAC to compare the edited files. With the exception of one 0.167 sec section at 1:06 in "Wooden Ships" the corresponding tracks are digitally identical.

I'm wondering if other pressings of these CDs match up like this. If so, it would seem Barry used his transfers from the original "couch" master for those four songs on So Far. Regardless, these are some great-sounding discs!

My discs

So Far
SD 19119-2
Made In USA (no manufacturer specified)
matrix: 191192 4/92 1DA2
UPC: 0 7567-81518-2 8
I'm guessing the matrix indicates a manufacture date of April 1992. This was years after Barry mastered the CD, but it's possible since the Gastwirt remaster wasn't released until the latter half of 1994.

Crosby, Stills & Nash
19117-2
Made In U.S.A. by WEA Manufacturing Inc.
matrix: 19117-2 SRC-02
UPC: 0 7567-81516-2


James

 

Don't forget "Find the Cost of Freedom"!

 

Hi James,

It was so long ago, those memory cells have since left town.

You might be right though. When compilations were created in those days, the original tapes would be copied (hopefully from the original album mixes). The copies were then assembled to create the compilation "master".

Rather than use copies, I would always go back to the original sources (if I had access to them) and build the CD master using these instead of the copies. I'd be careful to match the song spacing on the compilation, to stay true to its intent -- after all, the compilation is a "new" album.

I did the same thing with the Ultimate Otis Redding, Ultimate Rascals and (after I left Atlantic to form BDA) with Bob Marley's "Legend" and "Rebel Music" CDs.

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

 

Thanks for the quick reply, Barry. I play your mastering of "Legend" often and those other discs are on my must-hear list. I first heard your work in the 80's on the Yes CDs you mastered. Your determination to go the extra mile for the best possible sound is what makes you one of my favorite engineers. I am grateful for your time and input on this forum.

James

 

I just got a copy of Barry's mastering of 90125 yesterday - totally awesome!

 

Yes - I like it.
Respect for Joe Gastwirt here.

 

I never bought "So Far" as I had the first 2 albums. Later I was whipping up a comp of "Outtakes, Rarities & Singles only" from the CSN "Carry On" box and a boot, and it came to my attention on a website that the original vinyl had an edited "Carry On" instead of "Deja Vu". I heard that "Carry On" on a stream; they'd removed the "Questions" portion (with Neil!?) and spliced a guitar solo over an instrumental verse. I finally had reason to buy "So Far" for the rarity, and it's not there! ..Anybody know if it's on a cd??

p.s. SH, hope the op went well!

 

I thought that version of "Carry On" was on a later CSN compilation. I don't have it but I am sure the information will be on AMG.

 

Replay
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:51u67ue0h0jg

 

Thanks guys. "Replay" it is. Only on cd in Australasia and out of print. Looks like I'm in the right neighborhood to find a used copy.
Thanks again.

 

I'm glad to assist.

Since there was a Matsushita Japan pressing of So Far mentioned, I'm guessing this title was first issued on CD before the U.S. WEA plant opened in 1987. I'm not familiar with the style of info on my disc's inner ring: 191192 above the hole and 4/92 1DA2 below, but I guess 4/92 indicates April 1992. Any idea what manufacturer pressed the disc I have? Would someone please post EAC track peaks and inner ring info for an earlier pressing? Thanks!

James

 

bump

 

Yep! That's a Denon Digital USA pressing (Nippon Columbia/Denon's US plant). Made in 1992 as you guessed.

Likely a BMG issue, as BMG Club had a lot of CDs pressed there, along with JVC Disc America.

BTW, First pressing by Matsushita Electric = Panasonic/Technics

 

Interesting. The back liner has a full barcode and no indications on the disc or liners that it's a club CD.

(I'm reminded of the Roger Nichols column about using Denon for the 2000 Steely Dan CD)

Thanks for the info!

 

Not all BMG discs had/have BMG Club markings. Some are just on the disc, some are just in the back insert, some are none at all. Most are on the disc, front and rear inserts.

 

Lacking familiarity with the Denon matrix scheme, I guess my only clue would've been the A2 that is common to my disc's matrix and the Columbia House pressings. This is all quite interesting, so now I'll have to search for pressing plant threads.

 

And what about "Ohio" on Neil Young's Greatest Hits DVD-V, 96/24? Sounds pretty good to my ears, mastered by Tim Mulligan...

 

Made In Japan By Matsushita Electric Ind CO LTD
matrix - w 19119-2 3

Track 01 98.6 %
Track 02 74.0 %
Track 03 96.5 %
Track 04 90.4 %
Track 05 95.8 %
Track 06 77.1 %
Track 07 100.0 %
Track 08 91.4 %
Track 09 98.9 %
Track 10 62.8 %
Track 11 96.0 %

 

My German SD 19119-2 shares the same EAC values as your Japanese cd.

 

Do you mean that all of the songs on So Far are included in CSN, Deja Vu and Decade?

 

You'd still be missing "Find the Cost of Freedom" without So Far.