Fool On The Hill
- Thread starter Steven J. Gross
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Steven J. Gross
Well-Known Member
Steven J. Gross
Well-Known Member
Steven J. Gross
Well-Known Member
It's a very nicely packaged 4-CD set. It has 2 booklets, one with an English essay and lyrics, and one with a Portuguese essay. (Different photos in each booklet.)
The music covers everything from his early Atlantic instrumental recordings up through the BRASILEIRO album. No songs from the Elektra albums are featured, but most of the other albums are excerpted.
Some of the song choices are strange...it does not feature much from FOOL ON THE HILL, for example. And, some of the later-era A&M choices are pretty funky too....but it's a good career overview.
If you are mainly into the Brasil 66 music, a better buy is the VERY BEST OF package. If you buy that package and the FOOL ON THE HILL CD, you have most of SErgio's best early A&M work with only two songs repeated.
The music covers everything from his early Atlantic instrumental recordings up through the BRASILEIRO album. No songs from the Elektra albums are featured, but most of the other albums are excerpted.
Some of the song choices are strange...it does not feature much from FOOL ON THE HILL, for example. And, some of the later-era A&M choices are pretty funky too....but it's a good career overview.
If you are mainly into the Brasil 66 music, a better buy is the VERY BEST OF package. If you buy that package and the FOOL ON THE HILL CD, you have most of SErgio's best early A&M work with only two songs repeated.
Steven J. Gross
Well-Known Member
The newly remastered FOOL ON THE HILL from Japan is a marked improvement over the old US/Rebound issue. I was just comparing the new Japanese release with the old LP for the CSG discussion in another thread. It's a fabulous remaster. Even doing that, while playing "Festa", I started getting goosebumps. I love that track!
Harry
...suddenly in a 'Fest'ive mood, online...
Harry
...suddenly in a 'Fest'ive mood, online...
The previous FOOL ON THE HILL (the Rebound, and possibly the original US release in the mid 80's that I have only seen once in my lifetime) was no-noised to within inches of its life. Dusty Groove is out of it, so I'm waiting for the e-mail to tell me it's back in stock.
Just my opinion, but CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS and YE-ME-LE still don't sound very good...they were recorded poorly IMHO. The percussion has no high-end detail to it, and there is a lot of tape noise. To me, sonically, their first three albums sound the best....even on vinyl. But at least they're remastered about as good as they can do with today's technology.
I'd be curious to hear some of those Japanese vinyl reissues, which came out a couple months after the CDs. I'd hope they would have done the vinyl from the analog tapes, and not the digital master...which would defeat the purpose IMHO.
Just my opinion, but CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS and YE-ME-LE still don't sound very good...they were recorded poorly IMHO. The percussion has no high-end detail to it, and there is a lot of tape noise. To me, sonically, their first three albums sound the best....even on vinyl. But at least they're remastered about as good as they can do with today's technology.
I'd be curious to hear some of those Japanese vinyl reissues, which came out a couple months after the CDs. I'd hope they would have done the vinyl from the analog tapes, and not the digital master...which would defeat the purpose IMHO.
Harry said:
Me too! Talk about a fantastic song, a perfect vehicle for Brasil '66. I recall Karen saying in an interview (and also in her Playboy article) that Brasil '77 wasn't doing music she considered to be "exciting or thought provoking...not like the earlier stuff we did with Fool and Ye-Me-Le..."
Like you, Harry, I really get turned on by Festa. I love the rhythm, bass line (what you can hear of it) and the orchestration. Most of all, I love the vocal arrangement -- amazing!
Jon
Rudy said:
I'm curious as to what you mean by "no-noised" in reference to the Rebound version of FOOL. It plays well on my system, though I wish there was more of a bass line. Otherwise, it sounds much better than any Lp version that I own. My father's reel-to-reel version sounded quite a bit better than the Lp as well. I'm of the opinion that the HAECO-CSG system was for the birds (IMHO).
Rudy said:
I couldn't agree with you more about CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS and YE-ME-LE, but I'd add FOOL to the list as well. I will say that the percussion on FOOL is more faithfully reproduced than on CRYSTAL or YE-ME-LE, but that's about it. FOOL always sounded somewhat muffled to me -- even as a kid. It was something I noticed right away. This is what got me going on the HAECO-CSG System, so it's funny you should mention it here.
Agreed about the first three Lps. They were amazing sonically -- clean and well recorded; the best being HAP (IMHO), followed by LOOK AROUND and EQUINOX. Have you heard the analog vinyl remaster of HAP? I bought a copy at Tower several years ago...amazing!
Rudy said:
I hear 'ya on this one! Analog is so much better than digital remastering, depending on the material, that is. I mean, Rosemary Clooney's box set includes many songs that were only available as 78s. Seeing as many of these recordings were done directly to wax, then recorded to tape, a digital remastering is the best way to go. But I'm with you...better to work with the original analog tapes (when available) as opposed to a digital master.
Jon
Brasil_Nut said:
It is a subtle difference, but once you hear its characteristics, it can be annoying.
How to describe it....hmmmm.... Well, first of all, the lack of tape hiss is a giveaway. But do you ever remember a noise reduction system called DNR? GM used to put that in Delco radios back in the 80's when they were too cheap to license Dolby for their in-dahs units. DNR was Dynamic Noise Reduction...GM"s setting for it in the Delco units was heavy-handed. It worked by letting the treble go through ONLY if there was treble information in the signal. Otherwise, it would turn the treble level down. It gives the music sort of a closed-in, stuffy feeling. It was very different from Dolby...DNR could work on anything, even noisy FM broadcasts.
I notice the noise reduction on Fool mainly on "Festa". You may need to listen a bit louder than normal, using headphones. As the music dies down before the quiet Lani/piano breaks, you will hear the music sort of closing in as the volume goes down. (It loses some of the detail as the music dies out.) Also, you may hear a phenomenon called "pumping and breathing"...when the signal gets louder (especially treble and upper midrange) you will hear something like a rise in the background hiss level...then it disappears as the sound gets quieter. To me overall, the LP has more "air" to it, more ambiance around the music since it's not getting choked off.
Despite the higher background level of the noise on vinyl, I think with comparison you'd eventually be able to hear the difference. I don't recall the tracks on that two-CD Mendes compilation set, but that might be one way to compare the tracks if you don't have the Japanese Fool reissue.
It's not something that jumps out at you right away, but once you recognize it and hear it, you start noticing it more. This noise reduction is all done digitally now, but I'm not sure how it was done on the Rebound copy. If so, it was a crude early version, or it could have been a profesional DNR unit. (I have a DNR box here as well, which is adjustable...I should make samples of some severe examples of overuse, which might make it easier to hear the difference.)
walterphil
Member
wow
just joined this group and i'm in heaven
the first 7 brasil 66 lps are right up there for me
with the friggin beatles and joni mitchell!
i always thought my vinyl sounded great.
won't be buying the cds
till they are re issued with extra trax
(thats a firm rule i stick too)
i won't replace my vinyl collection
with cds unless they toss in a few extra trax.
(blondie, ramones, joan baez, etc.)
the extra trax are well worth it
but i also had to say (jon)
rosie is my absolute fave songstress
and o bought all 3 boxed sets
and they are worth every penny
wp
just joined this group and i'm in heaven
the first 7 brasil 66 lps are right up there for me
with the friggin beatles and joni mitchell!
i always thought my vinyl sounded great.
won't be buying the cds
till they are re issued with extra trax
(thats a firm rule i stick too)
i won't replace my vinyl collection
with cds unless they toss in a few extra trax.
(blondie, ramones, joan baez, etc.)
the extra trax are well worth it
but i also had to say (jon)
rosie is my absolute fave songstress
and o bought all 3 boxed sets
and they are worth every penny
wp
Lord Lurking
New Member
walterphil said:
Well, as usual, Walt, I am in agreement with you here. I just ordered the two CD "Very Best of", so that will do me, until we can get good remastered reissues with some bonus tracks. It has the "Fool On The Hill" track, which is my favourite by '66. I saw earlier that someone said that with that double CD and "FOTH" album you have most of the best. I haven't seen that album available anywhere yet though.
I still feel that vinyl produces a much warmer sound than even the latest remasters, but I am lazy and hate the constant album flipping and cleaning. I wish they made self cleaning vinyl or a turntable that cleaned before it played. Until then, I will probably still play my CD's in preference to vinyl, even though I prefer the sound of vinyl.
Terry
For use in the car, I actually put the first six B66 albums onto an MP3 CD. It's great--I can either hunt out songs I want to hear, or play them all the way through. At home, since I just got the CDs, I have them lined up in the CD changer.
I still do listen to the vinyl though--a few nights ago, it was Equinox, and the week before, I played the Mobile Fidelity version of Herb Alpert Presents that, in my opinion, still sounds better than the newest CD version (which DOES come close). Thing is, it has been difficult finding good clean vinyl of some of these albums.
I still do listen to the vinyl though--a few nights ago, it was Equinox, and the week before, I played the Mobile Fidelity version of Herb Alpert Presents that, in my opinion, still sounds better than the newest CD version (which DOES come close). Thing is, it has been difficult finding good clean vinyl of some of these albums.
Lord Lurking
New Member
Rudy said:For use in the car, I actually put the first six B66 albums onto an MP3 CD. It's great--I can either hunt out songs I want to hear, or play them all the way through. At home, since I just got the CDs, I have them lined up in the CD changer.
Yeah, that's a good idea. I must get an MP3 player. I currently have the traditional cassette tape player, which is a pain. You get so little on them and eventually the tape stretches.
It'll soon be time to buy a new Hi-Fi system, then I'll opt for an MP3 player to add to the system I select.
Terry
walterphil
Member
rudy-
wow-all six 66 cds in your car player
what could be better!
i suppose you press the mix em up button, of course?
(hmmm, now that i think about it, a seven cd player
with "stillness" in there would be better.)
i must track down that mobil high fidelity cop of "h a presents."
i just bought a crisp mono copy of it today
at the flea for $7
and terry-
i don't mind the cleaning and flipping too much at times.
its all part of the album playin process.
not to mention, sometimes a cd is just
too freakin long.
sometimes a 5 or six song jolt
of a great artist is just enough.
(like, say, side one of "look around'"
walt
wow-all six 66 cds in your car player
what could be better!
i suppose you press the mix em up button, of course?
(hmmm, now that i think about it, a seven cd player
with "stillness" in there would be better.)
i must track down that mobil high fidelity cop of "h a presents."
i just bought a crisp mono copy of it today
at the flea for $7
and terry-
i don't mind the cleaning and flipping too much at times.
its all part of the album playin process.
not to mention, sometimes a cd is just
too freakin long.
sometimes a 5 or six song jolt
of a great artist is just enough.
(like, say, side one of "look around'"
walt
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