...and then an essay by Gene Sculatti (instead of Josh Kun)
Yay! No more Kun glurge!
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...and then an essay by Gene Sculatti (instead of Josh Kun)
One noticeable thing I've noticed is how the percussion is a bit more up front. On "Fandango" I noticed how a cowbell is more dominant on beats 2 and 4, which is different from the original CD & LP. I'll listen to it a bit more thoroughly in the next couple of days.
Capt. Bacardi
One thing that struck me when listening was that the drums and synths really gave the album an '80s-ish sound, such that this album doesn't seem to have the timeless quality of the earlier TJB recordings. It seems to reveal its era more than some of Herb's music does. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just something I noticed.
I will echo what's been said above....the sound on the new CD is terrific.
I wasn't too impressed with the liner notes this time. Herb's essay is the best part.
Fandango arrives.
I got my copy of the new FANDANGO in today's mail, and the word everyone is using is "excellent", and I have to concur. This is first class all the way, as one would expect from the always reliable Mr. Alpert. As one of the fortunate ones who's had FANDANGO on CD since its 1988 debut in that format, I can clearly hear a big difference in the mastering. The older CD, while good for its time, doesn't have the kick that the new one does. It's not just loudness or a bass boost either. There's some extra "magic" in these old tracks, and Bernie Grundman and Randy Badazz have worked their own brand of magic to find it.
Packaging:
As mentioned earlier, the digipak from Shout is made with a shinier cardboard, mimicking the shinier material that A&M released the vinyl album in back in 1982. It adds an extra sheen to the Richard Avedon black & white photo that graces the cover along with the flaming red Fandango logo. The included booklet is less glossy, but in line with the others in the Herb Alpert Signature Series that were released in the past decade. And the pattern continues with the liner notes. First you get a page with new notes from Herb, then a page reprinting the original liner notes, and then an essay by Gene Sculatti (instead of Josh Kun), all followed up with album credits new and old. The back page, as usual, is a reprint from a vinyl album. An interesting inclusion here is that it's reprinted from a Canadian copy of FANDANGO. You can just make out the tiny French printing at the bottom. The disc face is red colored with the pale colored Fandango logo angled up, with the Herb Alpert Signature Series logo at the top in an ochre color. Fine print is in white.
Audio:
The sound is just top-notch all the way, as these old tunes get new life on this wonderful remaster.
Highly recommended (as if anyone on this board needs a recommendation!).
Harry
I'm not so sure about that.... the TJB records sounded completely different from everything else at the time they were made.one could just as easily claim that much of the late 60s TJB recordings sound 'dated' according to present day standards.
Hi Harry-
I had a feeling that you and others would like the sound of "Fandango." When you preserve the tapes and have artists like Bernie, you can take the sound of the music to a new level. Once we get the FLAC files out Im thinking you might just like how they sound. I think I mentioned before that I had not heard the "Beyond" album in 25+ years. After we preserved the original 2 trk mixes and had Bernie remaster the album, I couldn't believe how great it sounded. Much better then I remember it sounding when we were mixing it in Studio B at A&M in 1980. Well,,,, happy to hear that you and others like "Fandango."
I got my "Fandango" cd in today's mail from Amazon.com Just finished listening to it & all I can say it's just fantastic! The sound is wonderful & I can't wait to get all the other cds that are going to be re-issued by Herb & Randy!! Thanks guys.I ordered my "Fandango" CD from Amazon yesterday! I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail.Siegel
Shere Siegel
Isn't the current download of Beyond using MP3 files. Should one wait for FLAC files?