[Slowhand] "Blues Breakers: Deluxe Edition"

[Nicholas Aleshin]

Luke,

Much of what you say is at least partially true, but then we can get into details too esoteric for most listeners who aren't audiophiles, and I'm not here to impress anyone with trivia. Of course, we know EVERYTHING sounds "better" when you use those 24-karat gold-plated electrical plugs, new audiophile outlets for your wall, and those $35,000 speakers. But I think Slowhand Digest subscribers just want to play the CD on their home stereos, in their cars, or on their iPods. Of all the available versions of "Blues Breakers," most people simply want to know which one to get.

Yes, the 1998 release is louder, but it also sounds closest, in my opinion, to the original mono and stereo LPs. In fact, I think that well-engineered CDs sound even better than LPs (I hear more on CDs). And I think the '98 has pretty good balance throughout. I disagree that "the first 3 tracks are overly midrange heavy, while the rest of the album is a bit thin and bright." Actually, all the tracks are pretty heavy, which is the way the LP was meant to sound.

I was taught that a good writer, reporter, or reviewer explains the important information from out of a complicated forest of cobwebs. So, yes, I try to simplify, to make things clear. There are exceptions to many situations, and yes, there were good versions, in some cases, in the FIRST wave of CD re-releases, and poor ones in the SECOND and THIRD, but not with "Blues Breakers." You make a few interesting debating points, but in general, I think the history of CD re-releases went the way I described in my previous post.

And I don't care who conducts the remastering, as long as it sounds good. Steve Hoffman's got a great reputation, but if I don't like it I'll let you know, whether he remastered it or not. And my Audio Fidelity CD says (and I quote), "MASTERED FOR THIS CD BY KEVIN GRAY." "Blues Breakers" was never released on the DCC label, as far as I can tell, so it appears Steve Hoffman has never remastered the album.

				DeltaNick