The Kinks - Preservation Act 1 (1973)

The Kinks - Preservation Act 1 (1973) SACD

  I grew up a huge Kinks fan so anytime you can pick up a SACD remaster of these classic Kinks albums you just have to go for it!  The problem with the Kinks is that all their albums are good....and Preservation Act 1 and 2 are simply great albums.  "Daylight" has been a favourite song of mine for a long long time and finally I can hear it is pure SACD sound dynamics....they way they heard it in the studio.

T Rex - Electric Warrior (1971)

T Rex - Electric Warrior , 1971  Remastered Version

  I played this album to death when I was a young lad and remember picking this up with a Kinks record at my cousins garage sale many a moon ago.   Of all my rock albums in my collection, Electric Warrior remains one of the top desert island picks still to this day!  ``Cosmic Dancer``....`Jeepster``.....Planet Queen``, and Bang A Gong.......oh yeah baby !
  I think Marc Bolan never did it like he did on E-Warrior....this album was just so fresh and really was the sign of the times.   His voice really sounds inspired and almost ghostly at times.   I guess some would say it is very dated sounding but that is fine with me....i am used to that one !
   T Rex`s Electric Warrior is a fantastic album

Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977)

 Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977)   SACD

In 1977 something happened to Genesis........The album was `Wind and Wuthering`` and the music carried the deep musical progressions of early Genesis with some lighter poppy tendencies which started to creep into their music.  I am a Genesis fan....always have been and always will be and slowly I have been picking up all the Nick Davis SACD Remasters as I find them reasonably priced....as you know there are some lunatics asking way too much for these discs.
If you are not familiar with the post Gabriel era Genesis then I can assure you that Phil Collins does a reasonable job on the vocals in replacement of Peter Gabriel. Musically "Wind and Wuthering" from 1977 was another great album from this band who began on this album to show signs of pop and progressive rock combined. No question that Afterglow is one of the truly great Genesis tracks! ...still give me the shivers when I hear it....

Now how is the SACD transfer you ask ? well....I can assure you that this is an excellent transfer that sounds great. Excellent clarity and nice instrumental depth. Nick Davis is responsible for the 5.1 mix and unlike many of the critics out there I think he did a very good job on these albums. The music is bright and clear and in many ways I feel like I have never heard the album until now !
I also have been able to hear things that I never heard before from my vinyl and 1st edition CD sources.
If you are a fan of Genesis or this album then I recommend you pick it up.......


  

Miles Davis - In Concert (1972)

Miles Davis - In Concert , Remastered

  If you loved "Big Fun", "Pangea" , "Dark Magus" or "On The Corner" then you will adore this 1972 Concert from New York's Philharmonic Hall.   With a huge ode to "On The Corner" this is Miles doing the funk psych Electronic fusion thing.    Complete with electric piano, synthesizers, electric sitars this album is a stunning live 2 CD set that will change your life !    Very trippy and very grooovy, In Concert carries all the Davis-isms with huge sonic breakouts, trumpets a plenty fed thru a wah-wah pedal and tons of deep dark rhythms and beats.  This is one of only a few live snippets from the funk era-Miles Davis.  Clearly here he has totally moved away from the jazz influences and totally goes into the depths of the beats.
   If you are not really all that familiar with Miles Davis post jazz era then this may not be the best place (or easiest) to start with but this IS an album you must hear.     

Airborne - Songs For A City (1977)

Airborne - Songs For A City, 1977 Ocean Records

  I had a copy of this Canadian folk gem back when I was a kiddie-boo boo and about 10 years ago I found it again on vinyl in perfect shape so life is complete now.........   But seriously Airborne released as far as I know this one great album mixing folk, pop and even some slight prog elements into their music.  The title song "Song For A City" is killer and is a song I have played a million times and actually think this sounds a lot like the music YES used to do.
  A wonderful album that needs to be re-released again so that it does not remain a long lost hidden gem forever.

McKendree Spring - Spring Suite (1973)

McKendree Spring - Spring Suite , 1973

    McKendree Spring were a folk-prog band who released a number of excellent albums in their career with The Spring Suite hitting all the marks for me.   McKendree Spring were Fran McKendree (guitar and vocals), Christopher Bishop (bass and vocals) , Martin Slutsky (guitar) and Dr. Michael Dreyfuss ( violin).    Spring Suite was their fourth album released and sported a Roger Dean album cover which is why I originally bought this gem!   come on I wasnt the only person who did this.....  
   "The Madman" is a great song and every time I hear this I get that nostalgic feeling..not really all that far off of the work of CSNY and Seals and Crofts.
  Like many of McKendree albums this one does not feature a drummer! 
   Songs like "Equinox" and "Winter" carry a stronger prog vibe with some synth work to coincide with the acoustic guitar led songs.  These guys could really sing as well with some great vocal harmonies and all the songs on this album are excellent with great musicianship.

The Who - Quadrophenia (1973)

The Who - Quadrophenia, 1973 Deluxe Edition Remaster

  4 years after the magnum classic rock opera "Tommy" Pete Townshend revisited the genre and wrote another fantastic rock opera.  This time his concept was to tell the story of a young mod's struggle to come of age in the mid-'60s.  Quadrophenia has some of Townshend's finest song writing and this deluxe edition has a second CD with some great home demo's that makes this pretty much an essential snag for fans of The Who.
  By the time of Quad. The Who were pretty much on top of their game sounding more and more powerful and what a great way to follow up on "Who's Next" which is another awesome Who album.  Why Should I Care ? 

The Kinks - One For The Road (1980)

The Kinks - One For The Road (1980) SACD

  I remember sitting in my friend's house on Dane St. in North Bay spinning this 2 LP set thinking how awesome Live the Kinks would have been.    I ran out and bought myself a copy of this on vinyl right away and to this day "One For The Road" is one of my favourite live albums of all time.   A timeless classic and a recording of pure energy and power with the band nicely performing songs from all their great albums.   A stirring version of "Celluloid Heroes", a potent opening with "The Hard Way" and the famous Lola teaser.........and of course the necessary hits like "You Really Got Me" and "Till The End of the Day" which sound so alive and vibrant.
  Considering my love for this live album I had to hunt down Konk Records SACD release which brings a whole new level of sound to this gem.
  Absolutely essential live album..............

Chicago - II (1970)

Chicago - II (1970) Rhino Records Remastered

  The early Chicago albums are all great recordings and Chicago II which was simply self-titled is one of my favorites !    With heavy emphasis on the brass section and the unmistakeable vocal harmonies of Peter Cetera, Robert Lamm and Terry Kath Chicago II rocks over this  2 LP set (or long play CD).

Utopia - Deface The Music (1980)

Utopia - Deface The Music, 1980

Imitation of the highest order of flattery ............and without question Rundgren knew what he wanted to risk and accomoplish with an album inspired and born in the spirit of Beatlemania.   Too many people have literally slagged or ignored this album and really has miss this one!   Todd Rundgren and Utopia wrote this album totally in the style of those four mop tops (1964-1967) and the end result is an album that you may just love if you give it a chance......cause all we are saying.........is give this a chance...............(ooops).
  I bought this album on cassette back in the early 80's purely for the album cover......hope you never did that!   After hearing this cassette I became a fan of Utopia.   

Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)

Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971) Remaster

  You must love Joni!   Hard to pick what album is my favorite but "Blue" is certainly right up there which seems to carry a deep emotional factor for me.   The album itself is pretty quaint and unassuming and pretty much is themed around the feelings of sorrow and loneliness.......a rich and wholesome album if I could suggest.   The remastered HDCD version of this album is very well done and offers a nice and clean version of this gem.
   The title song "Blue" is one of my favorite songs she has ever done and it was a toss up for my wedding whether I'd play this track or "Both Sides Now" from 1969's Clouds album........well the only way you will know what I picked is if you were there !   (LOL).
  Legendary rock band Narareth made a million off her song of "This Flight Tonight" which remains a centre piece of this album.  
  Joni is joined by Steven Stills and James Taylor on this album as guest musicians as well.
"acid, booze and ass........needles, guns and grass.........lots of laughs......LOL's...

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

  Heavy Metal guru's Black Sabbath rocked the world in 1970 with Paranoid......and left in place some of Rocks most immediately identifiable riffs in metal history.      Paranoid features three classic metal tracks with "War Pigs", "Iron Man" and "Paranoid".    Ozzy Osbourne's crazed vocals wrapped around Tony Iommi's lead guitar punctures your mind in a way that few metal album can.
  My favourite song on the album is "Planet Caravan" with it's psychy/progressive bits and outer worldly aspects. 
  I am not a huge metal fan in general but I have always loved this album and think that it was the best thing Sabbath ever did.

Foreigner - Foreigner (1977)

Foreigner - 1977, Mobile Fidelity SACD Remaster


When I was just a young lad my brother and I bought this album and it became one of the albums that defined our musical childhood! It still remains to this day one of the GREAT rock albums in my household and I was so excited to order this MoFi SACD........and what a great un !

First the album (if there is anyone who has never heard this) is a beautiful album full of great songs and huge rock sound without any cliches. It was an album that set the stage and helped define 70's rock music (1977).

Foreigner's debut album was IMHO their defining musical moment with contribution of King Crimson's Ian McDonald and the powerful vocals and lyrics of a young Lou Gramm. "Starrider" was THE song for me while I grew up and you can not count the number of times I played this album.

I have the redbook CD, Vinyl, remastered CD and now SACD of this album and must say the definitely this IS THE version of this album you must hear.

Wow.......deeply defined vocal harmonies and a wide pane of tones that stretch from one side of my music to the other. At times the acoustic guitar sounds like it was right beside me!

I would say honestly that until you hear the SACD version you really have not ever heard this album.

Rock music never got any better than the first Foreigner album .

...and why not One day be a Starrider !

Santana - Caravanserai (1972)

Santana - Caravanserai (1972), Mobile Fidelity SACD Remaster

For me this IS the Santana album ! 1972's Caravanserai is the prefect mix of Latin American, Rock, Jazz, Fusion and Progressive Rock elements. Joining Carlos is Gregg Rolie (Journey), guitar legend Neal Schon, bassist Doug Raunch and the great drumming of Mike Shrieve who really excels on this album !

And what a great job MoFi did on this SACD remaster. The instrumentation is nice and clean and feels perfect in presentation for my ears. The vocals, guitars, bass, keys and percussion are well balanced across the depths of this recording. This album is also better played at slightly elevated volume levels too where the musical prowess feels more alive and accentuated.

I also really noticed the sonic separation of the hand percussion on this recording and some of the backing vocals where a few times i actually looked behind me as I listened to this recording.

This album is a gem and I have never heard it sound sooooo good....

Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico (1972)

Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico (1972)

  One of the albums that turned me onto Progressive Rock !   Really ......this was a magnet for me and I could not get enough of Genesis and PFM for many years,,,,,,,,and still can't !   To my grave this will be one of my personal favourite albums of all time.   They just dont make em like this anymore folks!  Gorgeous melodies and huge jazz/psych folk/ prog elements with both electric and acoustic interludes.    Check out the work out on the first 2 mins of Generale which is one of the most complex yet subtle Prog Rock moments.    An album that if you have not heard then you have clearly missed out on one of the great ones !

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 1975 (SACD)
  
WOW ! I got the same wow-factor when I heard the SACD version of Dark Side ! The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I smiled ear to ear ! Really!  

  This deluxe SACD reissue from APO of Pink Floyd's masterpiece Wish You Were Here was mixed for both 5.1 surround sound and 2-channel stereo from the original analog master tapes by Pink Floyd's Producer/Engineer James Guthrie
This recording is far superior to the redbook standard CD version IMHO. You are presented here with a high res - high depth recording where you will hear things you never heard before...and if you are like me then feel things like you never felt them before. 

Two things that did take me a few listens to absorb and get used to are both the vocals vs the instrumentation and the placement of the really low bass frequencies. The vocals are sometime not where I would have expected them and i find them a bit less pronounced than I have heard in the past. This took me a bit to figure out...i don't know why but it just was not what i was used to i guess. For example, the vocal placements are in sharp contrast to the Nat King Cole AP SACD releases which take center stage and almost sit on your lap. The second difference is the insertion of the low bass frequencies. Those beloved deep low bass gut-wrenching frequencies are used sparingly and are highly noticeable when they kick in versus being on all the time.


   I found myself almost waiting for the low end to really kick in and wondered where they would happen. I have the same thing when I listen to the dark side and other SACD's too. The truth is I learned a lot about this recording as I did the Dark Side from the SACD version.

Sonically Guthrie and team did a wonderful job, but It will take your brain a while to get used to this version.

The Moody Blues - Question Of Balance (1970)

The Moody Blues - Question Of Balance (1970) SACD

  A Question Of Balance was exactly that......The Moody Blues going back to a more balanced sound.......a return to the huge orchestral symphonia of the Futures album while taking on a slightly more `rock` vibe and pushing aside the psych tendencies of previous albums. 
   This album was clearly The Moodies rediscovering who they were again and going back to basics....
   Also noticeable is the slightly harder edge on this album which wont be heard again until `The Seventh Sojourn`album. 

The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968)

The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968) SACD

  In Search Of The Lost Chord was the follow up to the hugely popular `Days of Future Passed` and on this album the Moodies were looking really for something different and a lost chord at that!   At the time of this recording George Harrison was a good pal of Justin Hayward and you can hear the influences of Eastern Raga-like structures and even some sitar.    Clearly this was the era of experimentalism and of broadening musical horizons...something the Moody Blues strived for in their early days.
  In Search is a masterpiece of progressive symphonic rock and although did not chart as well as their debut album or other albums this one remains a fan favorite and a fav of mine too !
   `Legend Of A Mind`and the psych reference to the astral plain and Timothy Leary clearly reminds us of the mental state of the Moodies in 1968 !
  Simply a breath taking album of pure beauty.

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) SACD


EGBDF is of course not only a musical scale but also the name The Moody`s gave to their 6th classic album. It seemed at the time that the Moody`s could do no wrong with yet again this album reaching number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the US Charts.

Yet with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour things really started to change for the Moody Blues.

EGBDF represented for the Moody`s a shift from the mellotron soaked passages to a more Moog synth dominated album yet remained still lush and symphonic. The Moody`s even changed labels moving from the familiar haunts of Decca to use other studio and engineers. The album was released on their own label Threshold and sold very well at the time and remains among Moody Fans on the great treasured albums.

Sonically this album is once again darn near perfect for my ears as the SACD was lifted straight from the original Quad masters and offers amazing separation and tone clarity.

I am sure there are many who will dis this gem but take it from me (a huge fan of the Moody`s) that this SACD is essential and sonically beautiful.

They just dont make music like this any more.........

The Moody Blues - On The Threshold Of A Dream (1969)

The Moody Blues - On The Threshold Of A Dream (1969)  SACD

"On The Threshold Of A Dream" is one of my all time favorite albums! And what better way to enjoy it than in glorious SACD !

Once again this SACD is taken from the quadraphonic mix masters recorded in 1969 and the sound is simply breathtaking......The voices are very clearly defined as is the instrumentation with a nice deep rich sound.

Musically this album is dreamy and deeply rich with lots of mellotron and vocal harmonies.  This was the Moody`s at arguably their best with a great mix of progressive, pop and psychedelic genres

I would highly recommend this album to all lovers of The Moody Blues.