I've found time over the past few weeks to have a close listen to my cherished 7" & 12" vinyl, along side some of the new CDs that I bought from Leo's Den and a couple of things really stood out for me during the exercise. Firstly the sound of the 7" vinyl compared to the CD, I couldn't believe the difference there was and the magic of the 7" single is something that is a mystery to me because it isn't a massive difference, I even think it appears to sound better just because you see the lovely green Columbia disc spinning on the turntable. I'd be interested in other people's thoughts here, because over the years I have defended the digital form as perfection when others have mentioned it.
The purest form of course is what is heard in the control room as it's being recorded, then the master tape, then it degenerates after that - but how much ?
The other thing that has struck me is the small amount of echo Hank actually used, compared to what everyone else's perception is when you hear people playing in the clubs and shows. I think to an extent we were brainwashed when the Alesis Quadraverb appeared twenty years ago. Those patches to my ears anyway are vastly exaggerated when compared o the actual recordings, so much so that we have all struggled to copy the sound. OK, some of the tunes have plenty of echo, but many do not have the amounts we were reading about on the accompanying sheets with those units - though we were all happy to accept those advisory notes. I recently bought a load of CDs with everything Cliff & The Shadows recorded in the early sixties and have had time to digest it all. I also treat myself to a TEAC combined turntable and cassette player that records everything onto CD and having not had a turntable since we got the CDs over twenty years ago it had been an eye opener. What I do hear is a lot of Abbey Road reverb added - that isn't the Meazzi. I've also said on several occasions that Hanks sound is the sound of Move it though he wasn't on it, so it has to be a studio thing. Some of the records were made before the Meazzi came into play and they still sound like Cliff & The Shadows.
Again I'm interested in other folks opinions and experiences in this area and I honestly believe that guys and gals who play this music would benefit from going back and having a listen.