Friday Night In San Francisco - best digital version

You're talking about the Miles Davis album, correct?

Haven't heard the digital version, but I have the original. Its been in my collection for many years. I also have the Impex reissue. Both the original and the reissue are killer. 

I assume he means the Dimeola/Mclaughlin/Paco de Lucia album it's a classic. I just have the plain old CD and it sounds good to me.

There's only one "Friday night in SF" exact album title and it's indeed  Dimeola/Mclaughlin/Paco de Lucia legendary guitar trio. It's such a great one so it sounds great on a redbook cd as well but I wonder if it can get even better on any fancy k2/hdcd/sacd etc. media.

My SACD is superb - a hand-me-down from a co-worker.

Great album, not bad recording but should've been better. I have it on Japanese vinyl and still wish it sounded like A Handful Of Beauty by John McLaughlin with Shakti.
If you really like it you will have to try every Japanese version available.In my limited experience Japanese CDs always sound better, even regular ones let alone limited edition. I don't mean releases by audiophile companies.

SACD.

Okay, I have the Dimeola/Mclaughlin/Paco album on vinyl. Its been in my collection for many years. I hardly play it though. Yes, it has great AUDIOPHILE sound ... but the music leaves me cold. Why? Because they are all about technique and playing fast. Where's the soul??

Want to hear great guitar? Take a listen to John Williams or Julian Bream. Here's a great live album where they play together:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Julian-Bream-John-Williams-Live-DOUBLE-LP-1979-EX-/111877928774?hash=item1a0...

And another one with great sound and performance:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/John-Williams-Greatest-Hits-The-Guitar-12-Vinyl-LP-/131707221349?hash=item1e...

oregonpapa, Paco and J. Mc are better as a duo than in the trio IMO.  And of course, their individual efforts are often sublime.
I love all the Bream/Williams LPs.  There's even a live recital on youtube, FWIW. 
One of my favorite guitar recordings for performance and sound is Manuel Barrueco's second VOX LP with music of Albeniz and Granados. It can be found on CD in his VOX box "400 Years of Spanish Guitar."  It is about as good as it gets.

Van Morrison did a SF album as well.

"A Night in SF" - not a Friday night (-:

when you mention the SACD - did you compare it to the other top versions ?

tostadosunidos ...

Thanks for the heads up on Manuel Barrueco. I was unaware of him. I'm checking Ebay for the recording you suggested. I'm a classic guitar nut ... and love Spanish orchestral music as well. 

oregonpapa, he, Eliot Fisk and Sharon Isbin all hit the scene around the same time.  Manuel and Eliot are very different players, each with a lot to offer IMO.  Manuel is the prototype of the modern, perfect technician but very musical.  Again, that particular LP is pure gold.  A lot of jaws dropped when it came out.  And some big-name players found a new appreciation for those two composers.

John McLaughlin's soul and music are not easy to approach. He is not BBKing, John Williams, Segovia or Clapton. He is also technically at a totally different level than others, though at times Paco de Lucia was absolutely great too. Passion Grace&Fire is a better album by the trio, digital studio recording.
Friday Night concert was just one performance of a world tour and it was not the best. Nor was the selection for the album. The best concert of that tour I heard on youtube was in, I think, Freiburg Germany. The performance of the composition 'Spain' written by Chick Corea is a masterpiece even by their standards, especially John's guitar.
After that concert in Germany you could try Yngwie Malmsteen with New Japan Philarmonic playing neo-classical compositions. Very impressive, orchestra too.

Personally, I think that trio was too flashy and goofy, too much fooling around, in their live shows.  The studio stuff is another story.  Passion, Grace and Fire is great stuff.