Ever tossed a record aside as poorly engineered and produced only to think otherwise later

Linda Ronstadt made three records with Nelson Riddle and his orchestra, all mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab: What's New, Lush Life, For Sentimental Reasons. Always loved the music, but always thought the recording a little reticent. Like its all there, but a little far down in the mix. Some cuts like After Midnight just kind of laid there.

My first surprise was After Midnight on my new Miller Carbon table. Suddenly there was a tension, foreboding even, in the sound of the strings. Kind of emotion a great orchestra can evoke. On another track a sax comes in and is almost overpoweringly there front and center. The beautiful Falling in Love Again starts off with a music box chime and OMG that thing is so present and real its like the reality of all music boxes you ever heard distilled down to their essence!

Fleetwood Mac Rumours, same deal. Even, shockingly (because I didn't think he ever made a good recording his whole career!) Bruce Springsteen The Ghost of Tom Joad.

Exactly millercarbon !  That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Millercarbon ...


Thanks for reminding me of the Nelson Riddle/Linda Ronstadt albums. I have them all, including a French-pressed three-box set. I haven’t listened to it in a few years. I’ll get it out for tonight’s listening session.

I have a lot of early mono jazz recordings from the 50s that continue to surprise as the system improves. It is just amazing how much information is hidden in those grooves. I dug deep into the Charlie Parker section the other night and pulled out the early Verve recording of "Swedish Schnapps." Its one of the better sounding Parker recordings and it sounded exceptional this time ... for a Charlie Parker album, that is. The playing, as usual, was superb. 

Did Charlie Parker ever play the same idea twice?

Frank

You are correct, Frank, Charlie Parker never played a motif twice.  Endless ideas. Endless.  

Two come to mind. First, Madman Across the Water (SACD). Sounded very muddy when I first got it, but an upgrade to my spinner changed my mind quickly (Marantz SA 11s2). Second is still a mystery - the Stones "Stripped" cd. No change in equipment but it really grew on me - especially the last cut, Little Baby, which sounded horrible upon first listen and over time I have come to love it. Folks don't even know it's the Stones sometimes!