[atlantaprog] Re: another aspect

In some cases I actually prefer the sound of older recordings! 
Sometimes modern recording techniques compress and process the very 
life out of the music. I don't think Close to the Edge could ever sound 
better than the original.


On Thursday, August 14, 2003, at 07:48 PM, Brian King wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Veronica Hughes" <upkat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
>> What about the recording quality of commercial radio music as 
>> compared to
>> that of the 70s?  While the variety of 70s FM radio was "a damn sight
>> better" than today, you've got to admit that a huge amount of it had
>> passages or sections that were unclear at best or barely audible at 
>> worst.
>> Some of the greatest and most influential recordings of that era were
>> incredibly shitty in quality, like Cream's Disraeli Gears, the Beatles
>> White album, almost all of Jimi Hendrix, almost all of Bob Dylan, etc.
>> Granted, these are 60s albums, but the that was the majority of early 
>> 70s
>> radio that I remember.  Even Kiss's recordings really sucked by 
>> today's
>> standards, they sound to me like demos.  The worst drums I have ever 
>> heard
>> were in Jimi Hendrix and Cream recordings.  Ever listen to those 
>> through
>> headphones and then compare it to something more modern? The 
>> difference is
>> absolutely huge.  You can even hear this on rock radio when they play 
>> old
>> and new songs back to back. Not everything in the 80s was vastly 
>> improved
>> either, but it did get a lot clearer.
>
> It's amazing how much sonic improvement occurred just between 65 and 
> 70--
> compare "Are You Experienced?" to "Electric Ladyland"-- huge 
> difference.
> But I sometimes prefer the old sound, even with its faults.  The lo-fi 
> sound
> forces me to listen to the song as a whole rather than picking apart 
> the
> individual parts so much.  Albums like Stevie Wonder's "Talking Book" 
> and
> Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" and all the Steely Dan records have a
> pleasant holistic warmth to them that seemed to go out the window in 
> the
> 80's.  It would be interesting if we could hear "Sgt. Pepper's LHCB" or
> "Close To The Edge" magically re-recorded today (it'd probably sound a 
> lot
> like "Keys To Ascension").  The sound would be vastly improved but I 
> wonder
> if the intangible appeal would be the same.  I know I can enjoy almost 
> any
> 60's Motown product but modern R&B is just about unlistenable for me-- 
> too
> sterile.
>
> Brian King
>
>

Other related posts: