Re: GG...and that harpsichord

[John Hill <jphill@home.com>]

Mary Jo Watts wrote:

> Ok John... I'm just dying to know-- what "classic" recordings sound "good"
> in your professional opinion? I mean name some that were engineered well--
> not just GG-- this can include rock, pop, jazz-- whatever.  And what are
> some classic recordings that just don't cut it?
>
> On pins and needles!
> -Mary Jo
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yikes!  Nothing like making a public pronouncement, eh?

Here are two recordings that I think sound excellent and were
recorded *way* back when:

1.  "Babylon Sisters" from Steely Dan's GAUCHO album.
Best version (IMHO) is the Mobile Fidelity gold CD.   This is always
in my top ten of best pop music mixes.  I spoke with Elliot Scheiner,
who mixed this recording and he mentioned that the original stereo
mix took him something like four weeks (on and off) to perfect.
It sounds like it.  Everything in this mix has it's "pocket", there is
great bandwidth extention and spectral balance and excellent
dynamics.  There's also a production stroke of genius (by Gary
katz?) in combining the low notes of a Clavinet (best known for
it's prominence on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition") with bass
clarinets (not a very common instrument on pop albums).
This piece was recorded and mixed in 1980.

2.  "Use Me"  by Bill Withers
Originally recorded in 1972 for the STILL BILL album, this
tune had some commercial success and will be recongnized
by most.  It's recently been reissued with some remastering
and it sounds really fine.  As I mentioned in a previous post,
I think it sounds *better* than a good percentage of what
I hear released today.  There's a certainly immediacy and
musicality to the sound of this cut that immediately lets
me get into the *song* as opposed to thinking about any
shortcomings in the recording process.  In other words,
the "goosebump factor" is free to operate uninhibited.

There are really so many great recordings out there that it
is challenging to list them quickly.

There are also many really bad-sounding ones, but I hesitate to
broadcast my feelings on that topic via e-mail, since *you never
know who's listening in*.  At any rate, I'll give that one some thought
for a subsequent posting.

cheers,
jh