Article: The Best Version Of… Crosby, Stills & Nash Self-Titled Debut

[firedog]

Really interesting. Didn't realize they had done much of it in one take. Impressive. 

Looking for the Gastwirt version, as that's the one of the five I don't have; it's numbered 82522-2.

 

The next year I see they came out with 82651-2: is that the same mastering?

[firedog]

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Side two of Crosby, Stills, and Nash open with what is sonically one of its most compelling songs and lyrically one of its most cringeworthy.

 A little strong, I think. Mainly I think it's obtuse. I don't think anyone would have any idea what it's really about if no one told them how to understand it. Lots of bands have songs like that. Certainly The Beatles, Cream, Hendrix and the Who did.
That's  part of pop music. The songs certainly aren't essays, and aren't even intended as "poetry" in lots of cases. Lyrics often have unclear meanings. Would better lyrics make it better?  Sure. But that doesn't make it "cringeworthy". I can think of lots of songs that are, this one's not that way.
 

Yes it's sonically compelling, and I remember people wanting to sing along with it. I've always liked it, even when I had no clue what it was "about". I don't remember anyone calling it cringeworthy back in the day. Sounds like the kind of thing critics write who are a little to judgemental and expecting every song to be some kind of masterpiece and statement. 

 

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doesn’t accurately reflect the quality of the download, which is significantly over-compressed, as astute fans on Audiophile Style have noted. 

Yep. It's too bad, because the DL has some good qualities: the tone is good and you can hear each instrument clearly - there's space. Too bad they didn't use more moderate volume compression in trying to make it sound "modern". All those songs rated 8 or 6 would have probably sounded fine if they were a 9 or a 10 (as opposed to the origininal 11 or12) and it would still have sounded "modern".  As it is, it's hard to listen to. I pretty much never put it on. A real disappointment. 

[firedog]

1 hour ago, MikeyFresh said:

 

This would appear to be the real McCoy (aluminum version of the 1993 gold disc):

 

Crosby Stills & Nash Original recording remastered Edition by Crosby Stills & Nash (1994) Audio CD

Discogs seems to have the same version of the album available for much less. Hopefully Josh can tell us which ones are the Gastwirt version. 

[firedog]

2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Not for long!

Price has already gone up and fewer are available. I did get one for a reasonable price.

[firedog]

38 minutes ago, audiobomber said:

Crosby Stills & Nash were boring without Neil Young's rock edge.

Disagree. I love Neil, but their two best albums are the first one and 1977’s CSN. Without Neil they had a kind of unity that they didn’t have with him. He changed the balance of the band and turned it into something else, something that seemed more like 4 guys - each a solo act with three band members. I prefer the band concept. 

[firedog]

19 minutes ago, JoshM said:

I try to aim for albums that are classic, have interesting production stories, and have enough digital masterings to keep things interesting on the analysis front. (Unfortunately a lot of albums I’d love to write about fail the last category.)

 

Derek and the Dominos - Layla. I think it will fit your criteria.

[firedog]

7 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

I remember the day I bought that album, just after it was released, as though it was yesterday. I bought Deja Vu on the way to a weekend retreat with some monks that was sponsored by the Catholic School that I went to, for high school sophomores. Not only was that record the hit of the weekend, providing the musical soundtrack for the event, but even the monks got into it and kept asking me to replay it! 

 

JC

And I bet you were playing it on a really high quality table and cartridge that preserved it in a pristine manner (of course it also got cleaned before each spin)..... seven inch platter?

[firedog]

3 hours ago, JoshM said:

 

 

Layla is on my list, as are albums from Yes, Hendrix, and The Who. Close to the Edge is in the lead for Yes, and I’ve already done some preliminary stuff (ordering books and CDs) moving in that direction. For The Who, I’m torn between Who’s Next, which is more iconic, and Quadrophenia, which is my personal favorite. The Hendrix decision will be hard, too. 

Acoustic Sounds has been showing for about a year a "coming soon" graphic for an SACD/DSD version of "Are you Experienced" in both mono and stereo, made from the master tape. If you are considering that one, you might want to wait for their remaster.
As far as the Who and "Layla" - a lot of people like the Japanese SHM remasters - you  might those to be on your list.
 

I also have 24.192  Japanese versions of  Quadrophenia and Tommy  from about 6 years ago sold by Onkyo that aren't available anymore. Think they sound great. AFAIK they are from a master tape transfer, but it isn't clear if it's a new tape transfer or from  a new DSD conversion of the tape made back then. 

[firedog]

Just arrived -  a used, "like new" (and it is) 82651-2, Gastwirt release:

Sounds really good to me, no added volume compression, a nice warm sound (not overly so, just right) to my ears. Haven't really compared it to other versions, but it's very good sounding. 

[firedog]

50 minutes ago, JoshM said:

 

While I don’t think the download is the best version, its overall sound signature is pretty good. It’s just more compressed than the Gastwirt, and I think the transfer isn’t as good as Gastwirt’s, despite the improvement in ADC tech.

 

That said, any increased compression can create the impression of fullness and more detail, since otherwise quiet sounds are raised in volume relative to the loud sounds. 

 

I also think the hires download makes it easy to hear detail. If I listen to a single track I really like it. It’s just the volume compression makes it hard for me to listen several songs in a row - I start to notice the VC instead of the music. 

But if the VC doesn’t bother you I can definitely understand why  you’d prefer it. 

[firedog]

9 hours ago, JoshM said:

Yep! I ordered it this week!

I was going to order till I saw that the shipping price for international basically doubled the cost.

Will wait till I'm in the States to get one. 

Unless you say it isn't any good, which I doubt will be the case. 

[firedog]

More great work. And you saved the money buying the SACD. Time to donate again.