Article: The Best Version Of... Muddy Waters’s Folk Singer

[Josh Mound]

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[Josh Mound]

8 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Wow @JoshM! Where to begin? 

 

This is one of those albums I purchased just because. I heard it was good and I saw an HDAD version at Acoustic Sounds back in the day. This is the only version I've ever listened to because I've loved it so much over the years. Until now, I really knew nothing about Muddy or the album. I just new I loved the music and the sound. 

 

Now, I love it even more! This info is amazing. I must find the MFSL version!

 

Thanks so much Josh. Incredible!

I’ll have to take a photo of all of the discs I bought stacked. With this many versions (even with a few being digital), it’s quite a tower!

[Josh Mound]

5 hours ago, PeterG said:

A great piece on what is undoubtedly one of the best sounding CDs of all time.  Thanks!

 

Now I just need to get busy on your recs in footnote 1...

 

Thank you! Blues Hoot is probably the one most likely to appeal to Folk Singer fans, and overall I think the Hooker album is the best sounding of the three. The Dixon albums is great, but has some early-stereo hard panning that sounds awkward now.

 

4 hours ago, JoeWhip said:

Josh, you truly have the patience of Job. I do not know how you do it. The only version of this recording I have is the MoFi gold CD and it is indeed superb. 

 

Thank you for the kind comments. Each TBVO is a labor of love!

 

3 hours ago, firedog said:

Amazing job, Josh. Is this the MFSL CD being reviewed: 

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab ‎– UDCD 593, Chess ‎– UDCD 593?

 

Yes, that's the right MFSL. Unlike some albums that MFSL has transferred/mastered/issued a few times, so far they've only done Folk Singer once, and it was on Moffat's original GAIN system.

[Josh Mound]

2 hours ago, JoeWhip said:

I sent a link to this article to Mike. Maybe he will chim in.

Moffat? Awesome! I’ve been in touch with him about interviewing him soon for a dedicated article about the original GAIN system. 

[Josh Mound]

10 hours ago, firedog said:

Hi-

 

I've listened to this several times  in the last few days.

Can I say something sacrilegious?

I think there's too much echo and reverb on this. Especially on Muddy's voice. Makes him sound at times like he's singing from that basement, as it were.

 

I think it would sound better if Muddy was a little less echoey, and a bit more unaltered, present and up front. 

 

Not saying it isn't really good sounding overall - great tone, space of instruments, etc. 

Sorry if this offends someone.

There’s a link in the article where Steve Hoffman expresses the same thing. I wouldn’t mind a remixed version without the echo, but the echo was part of the Chess sound, and I enjoy it. 
 

If you like a drier acoustic blues sound, listen to the Blues Hoot album mentioned in the first footnote. 

[Josh Mound]

I just published a brief update. I didn't wait to receive my own copy of the 2002 Discovery CD from overseas, since images online showed that it shared the same liner notes as the 2010 Master SACD that I already owned, as well as nearly identical catalog numbers. The 2002 Discovery CD arrived yesterday, and it's a different mastering. It's not good, but it's different. So, for completeness's sake, I've changed a few paragraphs in the TBVO to reflect this.

[Josh Mound]

An incomplete sample of the TBVO process. (These are just the new CD/DVD/SACD purchases. I keep used ones separate.)

 

[Josh Mound]

On 7/23/2022 at 2:52 AM, astrotoy said:

I have a 1/2" safety master of MWFS.  Sounds quite good.  It was done in 1989, for a European reissue.  Larry

Sounds like you need to digitize that with a good ADC and send it to me! 😜

[Josh Mound]

25 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

He’s got one of the best ADCs ever made!

Ah! I just saw the Model2 in his signature! 👏👏👏