Autumn is upon us, and it’s time for this season’s first Vinyl Beat. This month I’m featuring a comparison, some winners, a major disappointment, and a handful of other notable titles I’ve found.
War: Greatest Hits
Rhino Sounds of the Summer Series
When vinyl lovers heard that Kevin Gray cut a version of this popular War record on his all-tube mastering system (which he reserves for his Cohearent Records releases) for a Record Store Day release in 2020, the original pressing sold out quickly. It was re-pressed in 2021 and again, sold out. Rhino reissued it again in July, 2024 under the “Sounds of the Summer” series, on “sea blue” vinyl. So there is a limited window to get this title while it is still available.
But wait, didn’t I just feature this same album back in July, released by Analogue Productions at 45 RPM? Yes, yes I did. I typically never “chase” different masterings when buying records, but I watched a video by Mike Esposito (at The ‘In’ Groove record store in, Phoenix, Arizona) as he compared both titles, coming to the conclusion that he preferred the sound of the Kevin Gray one.
I was skeptical but, once I heard the beginning of “All Day Music” on the Rhino version, I could hear the differences. In my case, I heard more high-end detail – it doesn’t sound as “stuffy” to me as the Analogue Productions version. The muddy bass is also cleaned up on the 2024 Rhino release, not as woolly and “boomy” (as Esposito put it). Granted there is an improved cleanliness to the 45-RPM version due to its superior speed, and the vinyl is quieter, but once the music is playing you don’t hear the faint background noise. Kevin Gray just seems to pull more musicality out of the tapes than on this particular title, and it wasn’t evident until I had both versions on hand, played on my own system that I am familiar with.
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath
Rhino High Fidelity
I am not a big Black Sabbath fan. I do enjoy their first two albums, and scattered tracks from the remaining albums with Ozzy Osbourne, but I’ve never been one to take a deep dive into their recordings. I do, however, appreciate how their first album has become a prototype and standard bearer for the heavy metal recordings that followed. I already own an earlier Rhino vinyl pressing from well over a dozen years ago, and it sounds quite good. This new pressing is a clear improvement.
It is such an improvement that Rhino High Fidelity, who reissued this recently in a numbered edition, sold out quickly. It recently had a second pressing run, albeit unnumbered. But serial numbers don’t make a record sound any better. Kevin Gray’s mastering does, and this is the best I’ve ever heard the album. The recording does have its own odd qualities, but the clarity and presence of this version (and the quiet vinyl) makes songs like the title track “pop,” especially in Bill Ward’s drums in the quieter phrases. This is a fantastic-sounding record.
John Lee Hooker: Burnin’
Craft Recordings / Vee-Jay Records
This is the classic Vee-Jay blues album with the lead-off track “Boom Boom,” which has been covered numerous times by other artists (including the Animals). I’m normally not a big fan of blues records, but this is one of those rare recordings that hits all the right buttons for me, both musically and lyrically. (“Drug Store Woman,” for one, is a hoot! “Let’s Make It” was a live performance staple of his.) This album was Hooker’s first with a full band in the studio, comprised of Detroit musicians who made up an early version of The Funk Brothers (known for their work on numerous Motown’s hit recordings). The excellent sound of this rather basic recording is nicely preserved through Kevin Gray’s remastering.
Vince Guaraldi: Jazz Impression of Black Orpheus
Craft Recordings/Small Batch (one-step process)
I’m normally not negative about records, but I can’t help but register a complaint about this release, as it hits a sore spot with me. The Small Batch series from Craft Recordings is a limited, numbered edition vinyl product that is allegedly manufactured with a “one-step” process where the stamper is made directly from the lacquer disc. The few Mobile Fidelity OneStep pressings I’ve heard so far were less than remarkable as well.
What I really take issue with is the mastering. This Black Orpheus record is dull and lifeless. It lacks detail, presence, a sense of “being there.” What really suffers is the brushwork on the drums and the cymbals, and the overtones of the upright bass. My reference version is the old DCC gold CD mastered by Steve Hoffman – this is how the release is supposed to sound (as I’m confident the Hoffman/Gray 45-RPM cut for Analogue Productions did as well – but I have yet to hear it).
As another point of contrast, Kevin Gray cut a 33-⅓-RPM version of Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas for Analogue Productions about a decade ago, and its clarity rivals that of the DCC CD of Black Orpheus. It’s the best I’ve ever heard that album.
I certainly cannot recommend this Guaraldi release. Thankfully I only borrowed this copy, as I would want my money back. But I’ve paid far less for newly-remastered records that sound much, much better. And once again, I have to question why we are normalizing $100 records.
Idris Muhammad: Black Rhythm Revolution
Prestige/Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf series
Astute readers will remember when I praised Muhammad’s album Power of Soul as a favorite from last year. Prior to his recordings for Creed Taylor’s Kudu Records, he did a pair of records for Prestige. This was likely his first recording under his own name, having been a popular sideman on numerous projects including a number of Blue Note records under his birth name Leo Morris.
This is what I would call a typical “drummer’s record” in that the songs are sometimes like sketches in which he is free to feature his drum work. His style is a mix of jazz and soul, as you’d expect. The highlight for me leads off side two – a lengthy workout for Muhammad and his band. This record makes his case as one of the finest, and often overlooked, drummers in the soul jazz world. The mastering on this title is excellent as well, bringing a newfound clarity to the music. This record is in the Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf series and supplies are limited, as are the others in this series.
Monthly Vinyl Featurette
A small gallery of colored vinyl from my collection are part of this month’s Featurette.
Tomita: The Bermuda Triangle. This was pressed on coral-colored vinyl for RCA Red Seal, given the undersea theme of the album.
The Mavericks: En Español. An opaque splattered vinyl pressing, limited edition, autographed and sold only through their online store.
Fania All Stars: Latin – Soul – Rock. A splattered transparent-vinyl pressing.
Donald Byrd: Electric Byrd. A Blue Note album pressed at Third Man Records in Detroit as part of their 313 Series featuring Detroit artists. I purchased this directly from the Third Man store on Cass Avenue in Detroit. Black and yellow are Third Man’s official colors; also notice the label variations, and the Third Man logo inside the “O” in “Blue Note.”
