Prof sez:
Here's another one in the series "essential in mono but not available on cd". This is a fresh rip to replace the
first one I did in 2008. The old rip was taken from an original UK copy, this one comes from an original US copy
which I think sounds slightly less veiled and more dynamic.
This may be the duo's finest album (although I certainly wouldn't wanna dismiss the ones following it).
Highlight for me are the angelic openeningtrack (a traditional Paul Simon learned from Martin Carthy), the follow-up
track with its insanely thick sounding bass guitar (played by session veteran Carol Kaye), and Tr. 11 on which
I'd like to quote a contributor from songmeaning.net: "Only Paul Simon could make such a beautiful song about
some guy writing the F. word on a subway wall". And let's forgot the closing track. Love or loathe it, it stands
as a powerful unsettling statement, one that you cannot ignore.
I think the mono version adds something extra to this already fine sounding album. For its time, this
was a remarkable production job, courtesy of the considerable talents of Mr. Halee. The mono version is probably
the version that was given the most care and thought, and thus the only true original. I prefer to the
stereo mixes because the voices are much more within the music, rather than on top of them.
It is well-known that Paul Simon hates the mono word and has blocked every attempt to reissue these original
and often superior mixes. But then again, the original stereo mixes of the first three records (incl. this one)
have been replaced as well by modern sounding remixes. This has to do with worn out state of the mastertapes.
Whatever the case, chances of ever hearing these vintage monaural mixes again on a newly released officially
released medium are pretty slim. And one should certainly not waste his time waiting for these.
There are several different pressing that could be labelled as original US pressings, but there are not sonically
identical. To my knowledege there are at least 5 unmatching pairs of cuttings known to exist for the mono version.
(ranging from 1A to 1J, with 1I being non-existent). Naturally, you would think that A + B would the finest sounding
but I believe this assumption is not correct in this instance. I bought a copy in unworn NM condition two years ago.
That copy had 1F on the A side and 1A on the other. However, to my ears, the 1A side was not the great sounding
holy grail I thought it was gonna be. In fact, I found it so lacking in fidelity and dynamics that I went back to
eBay looking for another copy with a different cutting on side 2.
Despite the fact that tons of copies were sold, it's not that easy to find a real clean one. So when I finally did,
I was relieved to learn that my ears hadn't been deceiving me. This copy had it pretty much the other way around:
1B on side 1 and 1J on the other. Against all the logics of matrix-knowledge, the 1J blew the 1A out of the water.
Same for the other side: the 1F was quiet different and to my ears superior to the 1B on a few tracks while others
sounded pretty much the same (in no particular order). Fascinating stuff, IMO, though I was happy to stop my search
right there and settle for these two copies.
This was transferred from two NM copies. The records were professionally and carefully cleaned in three steps using
Audio Intelligent’s Enzymantic formula, Super Cleaner Formula, and Ultra pure water on a VPI 16.5
(using VPI brushes) and Nitty Gritty mini-pro 2. After applying a light setting of CR, a handful of clicks
were removed manually, as the vinyl was very quiet to begin with.
Enjoy! |
