Russ I
Well-Known Member
Now that Joni Mitchell is fully out of her shell and happily sharing her archives with eager listeners, with multiple archive releases accompanying album box sets from each era, mastering variations, and the various and sundry questions/reactions that accompany all of it, this seems like a good time to devote a thread to all that is Joni. I’ll start it off by sharing my impressions of Blue from The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) box set.
Spoiler: It’s absolutely stunning!
Blue is easily one of my top-10 all-time favorite albums, and in the months since my most recent turntable and speaker upgrades to a system that very well may be the best it ever gets for me (details in my signature), it’s the one album I’ve listened to most. A few of those listens were of an early 70’s pressing, but mostly it has been the Kevin Gray pressing released last year (presumably a repress of an earlier Kevin Gray master). It’s common knowledge that the KG master is superb, and not only do I love the album, but it sounds so good on my system that it makes me very happy to listen to it—thus the repetition. And thus my belief that I know this album pretty well, which led me to be very curious about the mastering for this 2021 box set.
Only one way to dig into it, and I was eager enough to do so that I broke my own rule and played it on my new turntable without first vacuum-cleaning it! Dropped the needle with equal parts excitement and trepidation, and then dropped my jaw when James Taylor’s guitar jumped out of the speaker, sat on my lap and asked me on a date—it was damn beautiful enough that I almost acquiesced! I couldn’t possibly count the number of times I’ve listened to this album, and it was like I’d never heard that guitar before in all it’s gorgeous glory. So crisp, so clear, so precise, and so forward in the mix. Wiped a bit of drool from my lip and then Joni’s voice knocked my head back. Had to turn down the volume a bit (I was really drawn in by that guitar!) but man, so rich and beautiful. Every copy of this album I’ve ever listened to has been like that with Joni’s voice front and center, so I’m sure this is a credit to the original recording, but still, you could grab on and climb it. Every intricate detail of the song has its own place in the mix and is crisp and clear yet blends beautifully into the whole. And so it goes, song by song, and by the time I got to the penultimate tune on Side 2, A Case of You, I had goosebumps and damn near lost my shit with tears welling in my eyes. It’s just. So. Beautiful! Then there’s the piano on The Last Time I Saw Richard, and somehow it’s like I’ve never heard it before—full-bodied, percussive, melodic, and so real.
I didn’t do a direct comparison to the Gray pressing, but this was a completely unique listening experience for me with a record I’m intimately familiar with. I know that if I go back to the Gray and listen for the stuff I heard that felt new, of course I’ll hear it, but that’s just not the same as having it wash over you without having to work for it. I think I’ve listened to enough Mobile Fidelity Gain 2 records to say that this pressing of Blue is similar to those MoFi’s in that each and every part of the song has its own place in the mix and is presented with impressive clarity. With some MoFi’s, I’ve questioned whether the sum of all of that is any greater than the parts, but I have no such questions here—it’s brilliant and I don’t hesitate to suggest it as a definitive pressing of this album. I suppose some might prefer other versions, but that just highlights the awesomeness of having such choices to make. The vinyl is flat, centered, and quiet (I had a few light crackles, but I'm assuming that's nothing more than a matter of cleaning), and the jacket is beautiful. Who knows whether the records from this set will be released individually, but it would be nice if they were so that more people could have/hear this version of Blue without having to spring for the box.
Spoiler: It’s absolutely stunning!
Blue is easily one of my top-10 all-time favorite albums, and in the months since my most recent turntable and speaker upgrades to a system that very well may be the best it ever gets for me (details in my signature), it’s the one album I’ve listened to most. A few of those listens were of an early 70’s pressing, but mostly it has been the Kevin Gray pressing released last year (presumably a repress of an earlier Kevin Gray master). It’s common knowledge that the KG master is superb, and not only do I love the album, but it sounds so good on my system that it makes me very happy to listen to it—thus the repetition. And thus my belief that I know this album pretty well, which led me to be very curious about the mastering for this 2021 box set.
Only one way to dig into it, and I was eager enough to do so that I broke my own rule and played it on my new turntable without first vacuum-cleaning it! Dropped the needle with equal parts excitement and trepidation, and then dropped my jaw when James Taylor’s guitar jumped out of the speaker, sat on my lap and asked me on a date—it was damn beautiful enough that I almost acquiesced! I couldn’t possibly count the number of times I’ve listened to this album, and it was like I’d never heard that guitar before in all it’s gorgeous glory. So crisp, so clear, so precise, and so forward in the mix. Wiped a bit of drool from my lip and then Joni’s voice knocked my head back. Had to turn down the volume a bit (I was really drawn in by that guitar!) but man, so rich and beautiful. Every copy of this album I’ve ever listened to has been like that with Joni’s voice front and center, so I’m sure this is a credit to the original recording, but still, you could grab on and climb it. Every intricate detail of the song has its own place in the mix and is crisp and clear yet blends beautifully into the whole. And so it goes, song by song, and by the time I got to the penultimate tune on Side 2, A Case of You, I had goosebumps and damn near lost my shit with tears welling in my eyes. It’s just. So. Beautiful! Then there’s the piano on The Last Time I Saw Richard, and somehow it’s like I’ve never heard it before—full-bodied, percussive, melodic, and so real.
I didn’t do a direct comparison to the Gray pressing, but this was a completely unique listening experience for me with a record I’m intimately familiar with. I know that if I go back to the Gray and listen for the stuff I heard that felt new, of course I’ll hear it, but that’s just not the same as having it wash over you without having to work for it. I think I’ve listened to enough Mobile Fidelity Gain 2 records to say that this pressing of Blue is similar to those MoFi’s in that each and every part of the song has its own place in the mix and is presented with impressive clarity. With some MoFi’s, I’ve questioned whether the sum of all of that is any greater than the parts, but I have no such questions here—it’s brilliant and I don’t hesitate to suggest it as a definitive pressing of this album. I suppose some might prefer other versions, but that just highlights the awesomeness of having such choices to make. The vinyl is flat, centered, and quiet (I had a few light crackles, but I'm assuming that's nothing more than a matter of cleaning), and the jacket is beautiful. Who knows whether the records from this set will be released individually, but it would be nice if they were so that more people could have/hear this version of Blue without having to spring for the box.
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