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Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Title:Welcome to the CD Notes Conference
Notice:Welcome to COOKIE
Moderator:COOKIE::ROLLOW
Created:Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:Fri Mar 03 1989
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1517
Total number of notes:13349

45.0. "New CD review" by TARKUS::MCLEMAN () Mon Nov 19 1984 12:55

	Ok, It is time to review another popular CD.

 The one I picked this time is the ever avante garde "Three of a perfect pair"
 by King Crimson. As most know, King Crimson has been around since 1969 with
 a remarkable entry in the British charts of "In the court of the Crimson King".
 They have always been (let me coin a phrase) slightly ahead of their time.
 Three of a Perfect Pair is to be listened to for the fantastic recording.
 It was recorded on analogue multi-track, but as we all know, today's equipment
 is quite good over older equipment. Some of the Crimson cult followers will
 apreciate the guidance used back in the Larks tounges, and Starless and Bible
 Black days. Passgaes (tracks) 5 through 7 are quite awesum. The recording
 is so clean, you can even hear the attack of the drum synthesizer oscillator.
 The mellotron in the background does some hypnotizing to the listener. Funny,
 back in the old days, mellotrons were noisey wow and flutter based string
 instruments. (Tapes of actual strings under the keys, when pressed would
 produce viola,violin,brass,even pipe organ and choir). Today the mellotron
 has been re-engineered to the point that it sounds like a real bleeding
 orchestra. This CD brings out that quality. For Crimson trivia freaks, the
 last selection on the disk is called Larks tounges in Aspic, Part III. This
 is the continuation from parts I and II back in 1973.

 No over-emphasising compression or highs or echo can be found. This should be
 a standard that all analogue to digital CD's should comply to. Of course this
 could be better if ti was digitally done multitrack, but I am amazed on what
 E.G. recording engineers have done. 

 If they had digital CD's back in the early seventies, this group would have
 benifited by it. They're older stuff was hissy even when placed on CD. A fine
 recording by far, and I recomend it. For those who never have been exposed to
 Crimson, beware! It could totally devistate you mind!

					Jay McLeman

 Note: for Crimson cultist's, E.G. will release later this year all of the
       older Crimson recordings on CD. They are supposed to be remastered
       digitally. Let's wait and see.  Jay
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45.1TONTO::ROZMOVITSWed Nov 21 1984 09:5431
I'd like to mention a few of my favorite cd's. My collection is up to 20 or
so. 

 In the rock catagory the best cd i've heard by far is Donald Fagen's 
Nightfly. It was recorded on a 3M 24 track digital machine and is so clean
sounding that I couldn't stop playing this one (much to my wife's chagrin)
Donald Fagen is perfectionist and a terrific writer. (He was the main force 
behind Steely Dan). There is absolutly no noise on this album. I tried to hear
some but couldn't find any.
 Sergio Mendes , Sergio Mendes is an analog recording, but right up there
among the best I have heard. You can just make out some tape hiss. The recordingis dynamic and well balanced and the music is great. If your not familiar with
the music and you like jazz rock brazilian you'll be pleasently surprised. 
Michael Sembello collaborates on this album. He is the guy who wrote "maniac"
from flashdance. The CD as far as I can tell except for surface noise and
impulse noise doesn't sound any different than the lp.

 Paul Simon Hearts and Bones. I had this one on LP first I love the music
and bought the CD with the hopes that the compressed sound on the LP would
go away on the CD. Well it didn't and the CD sounds compressed too. Its too
bad the masters aren't redone for the CD media. With carefull listening
one can here hiss under some of the tracks following the average level of
that track. I think that is the characteristic of the DBX units they use.

In the classical catagory everything I've heard on Telarc so far is tremendous.
I personnaly would recommend Stravinsky's Rite of spring, and The Firebird on
Telarc. Also in Baroque Telarc's Four Seasons. On Phillips The Brandenburgs
(1-3) and (4-6) two records.  

Thats it for now.

Bernie Rozmovits
45.2Some short reviews...COOKIE::ROLLOWFormerly csc32::unixSun Aug 17 1986 20:4635
    Some short reviews...
    
    Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record, Jet, ZK-35529
    
    	If you liked the record wait till you hear the CD!  The bass
    	on "Tightrope" ("This side", track 1) sounds the way it is
    	supposed to sound.
    
    Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto #1
    Prokofiev, Piano Concerto #3, Telarc, CD-80124
    
    	Good performance and Telarc's usual high quality production.
    
    King Crimson, Lark's Tongues in Aspic, EG records, EGCD 7(?)
    
    	Excellent Music.  The soft parts sound very good, but
    	some of louder sections have some distorsion which sounds
    	like part of the original recording.
    
    Bernard Herrmann, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (soundtrack), Varese
    	Sarabande, VCD 47254
    
    	Thirty eight minutes of music taken from the original motion 
    	picture score.  If you collect soundtracks, I recommend it.
    
    Bill Conti, "The Right Stuff" and "North and South", Varese Sarabande
    	VCD 47250
    
    	A digital recording of material from the original scores.
    	Another nice addition for those that collect soundtracks.
    
    
					Enjoy,
    					Alan