Deb asked,
>I've heard that the latest release of Joni's first album
> on CD has a much better sound than the original release.
> Did they really clear up the "bell jar" quality? Is it
> worth replacing my current copy?
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Well, I admit that I don't have a 1st generation CD of STAS. I bought it on
a used LP. Yea, the HDCD has truer sound, without hiss. It's a rare
occurrence when I recommend a CD over LP. Go for it Deb. Pass those
non-HDCD copies on to nieces or sell them back to the used CD store. That's
good karma.
The long version:
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For those unfamiliar with the legend of STAS, Joni was an unknown commodity
in LA (except as a songwriter). She had driven from Detroit to LA with
ex-Byrd David Crosby. David used his pull as an music biz success to
protect Joni's minimalist approach by agreeing to "be" the producer. Only
problem was, David hired someone who didn't know how to record properly.
(Any tape tree branch knows that you have to set levels carefully. David's
engineer didn't.) Since the recording level was too low, the unreleased
master had lots of tape hiss. The execs decided that instead of
re-recording the album, the cheapest fix was to just turn down the treble,
loping off the highs, the breathy sounds. Judy Collins said that it sounded
like "Song To A Seagull" was recorded under a bell jar. That's the sound of
the LP.
We are very lucky that someone carefully saved the original, un-processed,
two-track master.
Time passed. When CD was invented, Reprise made STAS with the bell jar
version.
More time passed and digital technology improved. Bands like "Yes" lead the
way to creating better sounding reissues of their classic CDs using the
newer electronics, a process called "remastering".
For the HDCD remastered release, Reprise took the high road. They took the
time to find the *original* two track master, the one with the excessive
hiss. On this tape, there is no "bell jar" sound. The reissue team applied
the newest tools to the un-processed tape and viola! the tape hiss is gone
but *without* producing the bell jar sound! STAS has never sounded so
good. On top of this, they had the mastering done by Ocean View Digital
which keeps on top of advances in digital sound quality, reducing the
gritty, harsh sound common in the early days of CDs.
Lama
Disclaimer: All audiophile differences are, by definition, small. To answer
your questions:
Yes, they did clean up the bell jar sound. To me, it's worth replacing
those early ones with HDCDs but you'll have to decide for yourself. STAS
may be the most improved title simply because the original was profoundly
handicapped.
