Robert Johnson - "The Complete Recordings" Questions

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by bad horse, Sep 30, 2010.

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  1. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    I'm glad someone was able to post some cuts from the gold cd. I'm not computer savvy enough to do that.

    Lukpak, if this helps, the gold CD was "mastered from newly discovered mint condition test pressings...struck from the original metal parts" according to the liner notes. Remastering was done by Stanley Weiss.

    "The recordings were taken from available metal masters at Columbia's Bridgeport, CT factory and from various collector's" (John Hammond, Bernard Klatzko, Henry B. Backey, Robert Stendahl, and Pete Whelan) the notes say. Finally something good (besides me) has come out of Bridgeport!

    Mastering credits are also given to Kevin Boutote at Sony Music Studios for the Mastersound release.
     
    Jerry, Oct 4, 2010
    #51
  2. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    The '98 remaster lists the same metal masters as were used for the gold CD, with "disc to digital transfer by Steven Lasker & Michael Donaldson (track 17). CEDAR restoration by Lasker, sonic advice by John RT Davies and digital masters by Robert Vosgien.
     
    Jerry, Oct 4, 2010
    #52
  3. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Tennessee USA
    Very interesting, Jerry, that likely explains the difference in sound between the Gold and the 98 reissues. The key difference, IMHO, are these words: "Sonic advice by John RT Davies".

    The late Mr. Davies was especially gifted in his ability to take very old recordings and make transfers that obtained the maximum amount of sonic quality out of them, and minimize the use of noise reduction, EQ roll-off, etc. The result generally are very natural-sounding recordings. They certainly don't sound dead as most of the Larry Cohn reissues sounded.
     
    signothetimes53, Oct 4, 2010
    #53
  4. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Thanks, Jerry.

    Interesting, thanks. I've love to know more about exactly how the transfers were done. Like I said, Cross Road Blues in particular seems much more full-range than the other versions.
     
    lukpac, Oct 4, 2010
    #54
  5. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Tennessee USA
    Mr. Davies also produced a CD reissue series of Bessie Smith's complete recordings on the U.K. label Frog that absolutely blows away those awful, wooden, dead-sounding Sony Legacy boxes from 20 years ago.

    Hans (J.A.W.) first tipped me off to those, and they sound incredible!

    http://www.frogrecords.co.uk/
     
    signothetimes53, Oct 4, 2010
    #55
  6. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Are there any samples out there somewhere? Doesn't look like Frog has any on their website.

    It looks like there's also a single disc comp for those who don't want the complete collection:

    http://blindman.15.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=35646&st=15
     
    lukpac, Oct 4, 2010
    #56
  7. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    I have volumes 1,3,4,5 of the Bessie series. The only way to listen to her. Frog and Hep are great Davies-associated labels. I highly recommend the 6 Teddy Wilson Hep cds for the best sound quality of Billie Holiday from the 30's. And all 3 cds of the spectacular McKinney's Cotton Pickers from the late 20's.
     
    Jerry, Oct 4, 2010
    #57
  8. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

    Location:
    THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT, NEW MEXICO USA
    therockman, Oct 5, 2010
    #58
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