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Post by Rick Bartlett on Nov 14, 2021 1:21:35 GMT -5
I'm pretty much the same, I listen to audio in all forms of quality. Then again, I grew up playing with cassettes, 78 rpm records as well as 'reel to reel' tape recorders and listening to AM radio. I don't get too bogged down in lossy/lossless, it's neither here or there. In the day, I copied a lot of .wav files to 320kpbs mp3 files, and I seriously couldn't tell the difference between those. Then again, I've never had audiophile gear either, so there's that... The only true difference I hear is between Cd and Vinyl, and it's that 'warmth' thing we carry on about. I enjoy it all, even the wonderful format of the forgotten great, 'minidisc'.
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Post by ohm on Nov 14, 2021 14:10:57 GMT -5
Crumbs, that's just about my favourite song ever recorded, but dang that's a wooden and lifeless rendition. |
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Nov 19, 2021 2:46:47 GMT -5
The album is now up on 'Spotify' here. I think the critics will be hard on this album, including myself.
'Mt Vernon Farewell' is a disappointment, clocks in at only 1:14 What is going on with the audio? Some of these tracks sound like 'mud'.
The samples we've heard have that vibe, but the ones we haven't heard sound like one complete 'dirge'. I can't believe I'm saying that, because while I haven't heard the final product, the low dull quality is actually distracting my listening on the delicate things like the 'Smile sketches', 'friends', 'surfs up'......
It's like listening to a piano player at the end of a tunnel or in a building 4 rooms away from the performer and somebody cranked up the post reverb fader....
Maybe my 'mood' is way off for listening to this today, but I had high hopes for this, but the sound is so distracting. Compare the songs mentioned above to the more bright sounding 'Good Vibrations' on the set, and you'll see why I'm disappointed.
It's like somebody forgot to tell the engineer to 'treble up'. Oh what would Murry think? On a couple of songs, it sounds 'cute', like 'You Still Believe In Me'. For a man known for his production, I think this album falls on it's face. A shame, because it's nice to hear 'Brian' play, well almost, if you can hear through the fog.
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Post by Mark on Nov 19, 2021 5:10:01 GMT -5
The album is now up on 'Spotify' here. I think the critics will be hard on this album, including myself.
'Mt Vernon Farewell' is a disappointment, clocks in at only 1:14 What is going on with the audio? Some of these tracks sound like 'mud'.
The samples we've heard have that vibe, but the ones we haven't heard sound like one complete 'dirge'. I can't believe I'm saying that, because while I haven't heard the final product, the low dull quality is actually distracting my listening on the delicate things like the 'Smile sketches', 'friends', 'surfs up'......
It's like listening to a piano player at the end of a tunnel or in a building 4 rooms away from the performer and somebody cranked up the post reverb fader....
Maybe my 'mood' is way off for listening to this today, but I had high hopes for this, but the sound is so distracting. Compare the songs mentioned above to the more bright sounding 'Good Vibrations' on the set, and you'll see why I'm disappointed.
It's like somebody forgot to tell the engineer to 'treble up'. Oh what would Murry think? On a couple of songs, it sounds 'cute', like 'You Still Believe In Me'. For a man known for his production, I think this album falls on it's face. A shame, because it's nice to hear 'Brian' play, well almost, if you can hear through the fog.
I thought it might have been because I was streaming it and it would sound better on CD. I agree it sounds quite muddy for large parts. I wondered if this was intentional to try and evoke a ‘vintage’ piano demo type vibe? Who knows! |
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Nov 19, 2021 5:13:44 GMT -5
Yeah, I was really into the vibe of the initial tracks they uploaded, but just on this one listen, they've uploaded the best recordings of the album. The tracks I was really hangin' for have left me the most disappointed.
'Maybe' it's just the streaming quality.... |
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Post by AGD on Nov 19, 2021 5:45:46 GMT -5
CD just arrived, review due course.
Major, major error in the credits: no mention of Tony Asher for "WIBN".
Noticeable distortion on some tracks thus far, especially "Friends"...
Is it me, or is "GV" notably brighter than the other tracks, and also free from distortion ?
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Post by AGD on Nov 19, 2021 6:51:15 GMT -5
Overall...
Setting aside the distortion issue, overall I like this concept. The word I'd use is "comfortable", like a warm blanket. Perfect after dinner background music, but there's much more to it than that. "Sketches of Smile" is charming, and the arrangements and voicings throughout are intriguing. Having said it's perfect background listening, it also repays closer attention as there's more going on than meets the ear at first listen. The intro to "Friends" is very Satie,, for example, and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" somehow reproduces the complex vocals perfectly adequately.
It's not an album to roll back the carpets and get down to, rather one to muse and reflect on, and to. I find it charming and comforting. Just a shame about the audio quality here and there.
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Post by Sam_BFC on Nov 19, 2021 16:19:57 GMT -5
Could the Tony Asher omission be deliberate given that this is a lyric-less version?
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Post by AGD on Nov 19, 2021 17:03:49 GMT -5
Could the Tony Asher omission be deliberate given that this is a lyric-less version? Mike had nothing to do with the music either. All the other tracks have the correct composer credits. |
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Post by boogieboarder on Nov 19, 2021 19:56:21 GMT -5
Could the Tony Asher omission be deliberate given that this is a lyric-less version? First of all, I recently read a Tony Asher interview where he is complaining that he wrote music as well as lyrics music on Pet Sounds, but he never gets credited for it. But even if he only wrote the lyrics to WIBN, once the song is copyrighted in both names, I'm pretty sure you have to list both names as composers of the song on a recording. |
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Post by boogieboarder on Nov 19, 2021 20:10:02 GMT -5
CD just arrived, review due course. Major, major error in the credits: no mention of Tony Asher for "WIBN". Noticeable distortion on some tracks thus far, especially "Friends"... Is it me, or is "GV" notably brighter than the other tracks, and also free from distortion ? It's confusing. I just downloaded the entire album (in Hi-Res Lossless quality) on my iPhone (using Apple Music), but if I want to purchase the CD, it isn't available (in the U.S. on Amazon.com) until Dec 10. The vinyl isn't available until Dec 17. This seems counter-productive to me. |
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Post by Mikie on Nov 19, 2021 22:32:34 GMT -5
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Post by bluemarble on Nov 20, 2021 4:42:09 GMT -5
Great to find out Brian loves that Billy Idol song, as it's one of my favourites too. |
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Post by lonesurf on Nov 20, 2021 8:57:43 GMT -5
I’ve been listening to the album quite a bit, and really enjoying it. Listening has made raking the leaves much more enjoyable.
I found this video last night. Great to be reminded of how melodic Brian is, even on something as minor as Lazy Lizzie:
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Post by filledeplage on Nov 20, 2021 9:01:16 GMT -5
That was cool to read. Thanks! |
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Post by Emdeeh on Nov 20, 2021 9:07:25 GMT -5
It's confusing. I just downloaded the entire album (in Hi-Res Lossless quality) on my iPhone (using Apple Music), but if I want to purchase the CD, it isn't available (in the U.S. on Amazon.com) until Dec 10. The vinyl isn't available until Dec 17. This seems counter-productive to me. There’s a vinyl pressing backlog in the US, due to increased demand and fewer pressing plants, not to mention supply chain disruptions. Not sure about the CD delay — has it been released in any other countries yet? |
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Post by filledeplage on Nov 20, 2021 9:09:17 GMT -5
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Post by AGD on Nov 20, 2021 9:10:19 GMT -5
My CD arrived yesterday. Sadly, seems I have a duff copy. Shame,as I like the album a lot.
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Post by Vale on Nov 20, 2021 9:53:55 GMT -5
CD just arrived, review due course. Major, major error in the credits: no mention of Tony Asher for "WIBN". Noticeable distortion on some tracks thus far, especially "Friends"... Is it me, or is "GV" notably brighter than the other tracks, and also free from distortion ? I have the same issues. Overall, a very good background listening but if I have to be honest I don’t like the vocal/lyrics parts… the background is great instead (lower keys..) |
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Post by #JusticeForDonGoldberg on Nov 20, 2021 11:11:53 GMT -5
A big missed opportunity in my opinion was not including this whole world.
I’ve heard it played on the piano before in a documentary, and those chord changes sound absolutely stunning on piano
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Post by Mikie on Nov 20, 2021 11:35:27 GMT -5
I’ve been listening to the album quite a bit, and really enjoying it. Listening has made raking the leaves much more enjoyable. I found this video last night. Great to be reminded of how melodic Brian is, even on something as minor as Lazy Lizzie: This is good. I'm going to tack this on the end of the Piano album. |
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Post by lonesurf on Nov 20, 2021 16:22:05 GMT -5
I’ve been listening to the album quite a bit, and really enjoying it. Listening has made raking the leaves much more enjoyable. I found this video last night. Great to be reminded of how melodic Brian is, even on something as minor as Lazy Lizzie: This is good. I'm going to tack this on the end of the Piano album. It is good. I like At My Piano, but wish, in an ideal world, Brian had revisited some of these more obscure, and even flawed, tracks on this release. Aside: I tried the Board’s poll between MIU and LA tracks the other day, and I was amazed that I had difficulty choosing between Hey Little Tomboy and Full Sail. I love Full Sail … a lot. But … there is a great melody buried in Hey Little Tomboy. (As well as Carl’s most sinister vocal!) I ended up leaving that one blank. I know Lazy Lizzie is rough, but this instrumental version sands away some of its flaws. Maybe it just needs a little more BW magic to really let it shine. |
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B.E.
Kahuna
Posts: 186
Likes: 140
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Post by B.E. on Nov 21, 2021 14:58:12 GMT -5
Could the Tony Asher omission be deliberate given that this is a lyric-less version? Mike had nothing to do with the music either. All the other tracks have the correct composer credits. I can't speak to the CD or vinyl but the digital copy I purchased via iTunes has all the appropriate credits. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is credited to Brian, Tony, and Mike. |
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Post by Emdeeh on Nov 27, 2021 10:10:52 GMT -5
Just got a notice from Amazon that the shipping date for the CD has slipped back several weeks, now expected on Carl’s birthday.
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Post by AGD on Nov 27, 2021 16:25:31 GMT -5
Just got a notice from Amazon that the shipping date for the CD has slipped back several weeks, now expected on Carl’s birthday. Try ordering from Amazon UK. |
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