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| The
History Man |
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This is my first review of a re-issue in these pages and I'd like to spell out my ground rules. I don't particularly care if a record is better or worse than the original (although rest assured that I will comment on that fact regardless). My main concern is whether, after spending my money, will I want to play this record over and over and over . . . does the record have playability? Is it musical? There is nothing worse for a consumer then to spend their $30 for a reissue, clean it, put it on their turntable, and then place it on their shelf. . . never to be listened to again because it's too bright or some other such problem. Oh, and before I forget . . . yes, at all times, and for each record, when making comparisons I adjusted for the differences in VTA and VTF as Seemann has issued these in wonderful 180 gram vinyl. |
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I love music. It's what got me into audio. For so many years I was an equipment junkie. Then one day I realized, for me, the equipment was simply a delivery mechanism for the music. And I can't get enough music. My tastes have broadened, grown in many areas, shrunk in others. But through it all, there is nothing that excites me more than great music, extremely well recorded and produced, that I can take home and play anytime. It was the early 1980's when Sid Marks - a writer for the Absolute Sound, a magazine that already recognized the fine qualities of the US Mercury Living Presence Series -began his landmark reviews of the Mercury Living Presence Catalog. It would take approximately five years the end of the summer of 1988 - for his final recommendations (summing up as he called it) to appear. I remember a group of my friends and I couldn't wait to get our hands on those issues of TAS back then where we immediately went right to the "Marks Barks" article in the music section to see what goodies were to be uncovered. (Sid Marks' columns began titled, "From the Record Vault" but I've always preferred Marks Barks.) |
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Let me go on the record right now stating that every UK AMS or French Magie du Son original Mercury Living Presence issue, pales in comparison to its US counterpart. The US records, in the right pressings, are hands down superior to any other country's efforts. For whatever reasons the UK issues are softened (dynamically), and have been given by EMI what I would call `a taste for their own market'. The French Magie du Son, just don't have the dynamic swing and musicality of the US issues. They seem a little flat sounding. The US Mercury records are a very difficult
breed to understand. The complexity of labels and matrix variations and
that horrible phrase, "Vendor: Mercury Records Corporation"
all add up to a long, difficult road to travel until you have it mastered.
A brief history then: "Vendor" recordings are always brighter
sounding than their non-vendor counterpart. Add to this mystery (because
no one, not even Wilma Cozart Fine nor Harold Lawrence has ever been able
to comment about what and where these records came from) that certain
recordings, late in the catalogue, only appear as "Vendor" pressings.
The vinyl on vendor pressings (this phrase appears on the label, not on
the jacket) is usually thinner with a sharp edge. Hence, the feeling there
was some third party pressing these records, with maybe a different vinyl
formulation or some such. We just don't know. This is the only situation
I've come across in which records with identical stamper numbers, but
one having "Vendor" printed on the label, sound totally different.
The non-Vendor copy is always far more natural sounding. |
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Then there are the complexities of the stamper information. This alone is enough to drive one to substance abuse. Also, there is a large contingent that feel these recordings are too bright. Well . . . I'm here to tell you they are not. At least 98.5% are NOT too bright . . . the problem is, simply put, your playback equipment isn't good enough. And nobody likes to hear that! I've learned first hand, as my system has gotten better over the years, that these records also have gotten better - sounding more natural and less bright. You cannot compare the sound of Mercury's to ANY other company's records. They are in a league of their own. They were the only company that stuck to three omni directional mikes and although they may have their flaws, these are very special records from a very unique company. I strongly believe many of these are some of the finest recordings ever created. Robert Fine, Wilma Cozart Fine and their team were unbelievably talented, innovative individuals. Their legacy stands on its own in the annals of recorded history. A few years ago, Classic Records re-issued six Mercury titles. They received
mixed reviews, and I for one was disappointed by all but the Firebird*. |
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The classical re-issues I have liked over the years have come from Testament, DCC (the US Everest issues), the few releases from ARS out of Germany (all three of these companies are no longer producing vinyl). I've enjoyed the few I've heard from Cisco, but I'm not a fan of the King Super-Analogue issues (a generalization). I've liked the handful of recordings I've heard post Decca from Speaker's Corner. (Admittedly I have not heard all the Decca's, but the early releases I was not fond of.) I enjoyed several of their Deutsche Grammophon reissues as well as many of their Westminster issues. Well, times have changed and we are now on the threshold of what I consider one of the most exciting ranges ever to be offered to the re-issue market. If what I've heard contained in the first three releases is any indication of what the folks at Speakers Corner have in store for us, I can assure you that you better get your credit cards ready. What's coming in their first release is The Living Presence of 20th Century Music in a box set of three records: |
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SR-90278 - Alban Berg SR-90282 - Gunther Schuller SR-90316 - Vienna 1908 - 1914 Part of the difficulty in doing direct comparisons between these re-issues and the originals is that two of the three releases on original Mercury, were recorded on 35mm film, not analogue tape. What Kai Seemann of Speakers Corner used were the actual two track mix downs to analogue tape by Robert Fine. And believe me, from what I heard, the tapes are phenomenal. Yes, there is a difference in the sound of the (film) original and the (tape) re-issue. I first noted this when reviewing the US Everests a number of years ago. Steve Hoffman, then of DCC did a really cool thing when he remastered these. Some of the Everests were from analogue tape and some were from 35MM film. In a couple of cases there were problems with the film on one of the sides of the LP so he used the analogue tapes. What I'm saying is that DCC may have issued side one of a particular album from 35MM film and side two from analogue tape. This provided me with a GREAT way to make comparisons between the tape, the film and the originals. In a nutshell, it allowed me great insight into the differences between re-issues that may have been done from film vs. analogue tape. |
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SR90278 (the Berg) is one of the very first Mercury 35MM film recordings. My copy is so early that there is a paper banner across the front which says, "NEW! THIS IS AN ORIGINAL 35-MM. MAGNETIC FILM RECORDING," and the banner looks like a piece of film . . . complete with sprockets holes on both sides of the banner! As is usual with the Mercury's there are a few paragraphs on the back of the jacket under the heading "Hi-Fi Facts" [you know . . . just like you see on every new compact disc release!] Let me confuse you all a little further. I have the earliest possible dark maroon, proper stamper number records, for each of these three releases. I'm also a Mercury "promo label" collector. I have found that in every case comparing a production record to a promotional label record, the promo record is superior as regards information. I have promo's of the SR90282 (broadcast promo) and of 90316(broadcast promo... BUT... it's also a vendor). I also have a non-vendor of SR90316 which is about as rare as rare can be for a Mercury Almost every person I know who owns this record owns a vendor copy. My vendor promo has the same stamper numbers as my non-vendor production release. The vendor promo is brighter and does give more information. However, the non-vendor is my preferred listening copy. Are we confused yet? |
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SR 90282 (the Schuller) is an all-analogue tape issue so it was easy to do direct comparisons. So what do these records sound like? In a phrase, wonderfully realistic and musically rewarding. Seemaan is to be strongly congratulated for having his team give us an outstanding facsimile of the real deal. In today's, very depressed Mercury marketplace, if you could find a copy of the Vienna disc (let alone a non-vendor copy, HAHAHAHA) you would be looking at $150+. The Schuller is more than that and the Berg is at least half a hundred. :Of course there is no Jelling that you're going to get a "MINT" copy even though that's what you think you are paying for. If I were to pick apart the comparisons I'd have to say that of course there are differences in the sound of the two 35MM recordings. I've personally always preferred the Vienna recording (SR90316) to Wozzeck musically, and 'maybe those prejudices are so deep in my psyche that I'm being biased. Vienna is an absolute mind-blowing production by Speakers Corner, something I am sure will be on many a turntable at the next CES. I would like to try and explain the "sound" of 35MM film vs. analogue tape. If you are lucky enough to own a stone-cold mint 35MM film recording, what you will hear is incredible clarity. The background noise - and this ONLY applies to absolute MINT records - is nonexistent. What you hear with MINT copies of records recorded with analogue tape, is of course the addition of tape hiss and maybe just the slightest loss of crystal (and I do mean crystal) clarity. The only way one would know this is if you had several copies of the same record available and had the opportunity to A-B-C them all together. Mercury's, especially early issues with the Eastman Rochester Orchestra and some of the early, but wonderful Frederick Fennell recordings, have tape hiss that in today's world of `black background' would bothersome people. The great thing about tape hiss is that it is always, on whatever record you're listening to, at the same frequency and your mind and ear have a way of tuning this hiss out of the picture. Although the Schuller/Fetler affair was a very interesting comparison, I'd like to bring you back for a second to the SR90316 Vienna 1908-1914 recording. If you review a couple of paragraphs earlier regarding the different copies of this record I own, I'd like to explain further the 35MM film vs. analogue tape issues. My white label promo copy is absolutely stone cold mint. It truly has dead quiet surfaces. My regular issue, non-vendor copy is probably in the mint minus category. It, unfortunately, has a bit of surface noise(that almost sounds like tape hiss). In my comparison there was no doubt that the sonic wonder and winner (albeit a tad bright) was the white label promo. This particular copy is just glorious. Dead silent surfaces and the exciting music of Schoenberg's Five Pieces For Orchestra, Op. 16, are sonic masterpieces. This is very enjoyable Schoenberg! Now when I put my non-vendor copy on the table I was immediately struck with the difference in sound between the white label promo and this regular issue. Yes, the white label promo is, as I said earlier, superior, but for the first time I heard some surface noise on my non-vendor copy. Now this has never bothered me and I still find this issue more moderate in the highs and is my preferred pleasure-listening copy. The Speakers Corner 90316 is pretty darn close to this copy. It is a fantastic re-issue considering it came from the two track mix down (yes, of course by Robert Fine himself). As they say on the internet YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary. But I will say this again: Speakers Corner has definitely done us a great big favour. A fabulous production of this elusive and expensive recording. |
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The most fascinating comparison was the Schuller. Analogue tape to analogue tape . . . and for the re-issue, tape that is 43 years old! I preferred the re-issue, but let me qualify that. On a large system, capable of producing realistic sound pressure levels of live music, the original does have more depth and perhaps a bit more dynamic punch. It's also a bit brighter. Harmonically and tonally the re-issue is just excellent. Given the choice, on my more moderate rig, I'd prefer the re-issue. There, I've said it... and I'm sure my friends in New York will be waiting with bated breath to try and prove me wrong. Sorry guys, you're in for a big surprise. Given the prices asked for perfect copies of the originals, in the correct pressing vintages, the Speakers Corner productions are a bargain with a capital "B". |
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I must tell you that I had to use test pressings to review these issues. Production hadn't started yet and it's been my experiences 'that test pressings are 'not the best way to review releases. Things can change. But if truth be told, and I've spent some time doing my homework in this area, the changes are almost always for the better. The last thing I'm going to say about these three recordings is that you'd better get yours. I'm certainly going to get mine, and I can't wait for what may be around the corned Here's a little want list: SR 3-9016 Bach Suites for unaccompanied violoncello with Janos Starker I'll stop now. This should keep them busy for at least the next two years. Thank you Speakers Corner, thank you. Absolute Highest Recommendation! |
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Music
Reviews from Issue 27