Dire Straits - Love Over Gold -------- Masterpiece?

[DaveyF]

Interesting comments so far. Of course its all subjective.

So none of you think that this should be mentioned in the same breath as KOB and TO?

John, I think we are talking of two very different genres. ( kind of like comparing apples and oranges in KOB or TO vs. LOG). IMO, Love over Gold is a rock masterpiece and Knopfler is one of the top ten guitarists to pick up the instrument, but that's IMHO.

What I believe makes this LP so special, besides the content, is that I would classify it as one of the very best non-audiophile recordings of rock music.

BTW, I don't feel that Brother's is as interesting a piece of music as LOG and I think the recording is inferior. But that's just IMO.

 

[FrantzM]

DaveyF

What do yo mean by non-audiophile recording of rock music?

 

[DaveyF]

Frantz, LOG isn't on an a'phile label and wasn't specifically recorded with a'philes in mind. Unlike say, The Sheffield Lab James Newton Howard and Friends Lp and its ilk.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Frantz, LOG isn't on an a'phile label and wasn't specifically recorded with a'philes in mind. Unlike say, The Sheffield Lab James Newton Howard and Friends Lp and its ilk.

Actually it is.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue57/music2.htm

 

[flez007]

The album is great...even the CD is not bad (sonically speaking).

 

[DaveyF]

Actually it is.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue57/music2.htm

Ok, I see one has to be more picky with one's statements

What I was trying to say is that LOG wasn't originally released on an a'phile label. I suppose just about any decent sounding generic pressing is going to get re-released by someone as an a'phile
pressing. That's the business that MFSL has been in since day one.
BTW, I was listening to John Hiatt's "Bring the Family" on the 200 gram MFSL and I really wonder why they decided to give this LP the 200 gram treatment, never mind re-release it at all.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Ok, I see one has to be more picky with one's statements

What I was trying to say is that LOG wasn't originally released on an a'phile label. I suppose just about any decent sounding generic pressing is going to get re-released by someone as an a'phile
pressing. That's the business that MFSL has been in since day one.
BTW, I was listening to John Hiatt's "Bring the Family" on the 200 gram MFSL and I really wonder why they decided to give this LP the 200 gram treatment, never mind re-release it at all.

Why? Is Bring The Family not "audiophile" enough for such treatment? Killer music. I'd think if you wanted it on vinyl, you'd want a good master, good pressing.

Tim

 

[DaveyF]

Why? Is Bring The Family not "audiophile" enough for such treatment? Killer music. I'd think if you wanted it on vinyl, you'd want a good master, good pressing.

Tim

Maybe it's me, BUT I don't like the music and I think the original recording is nothing special. YMMV.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Maybe it's me, BUT I don't like the music and I think the original recording is nothing special. YMMV.

Love the music so much, I can't say I've paid that much attention to the nuance of the recording. It must not be too bad, though, or I would have noticed.

Tim

 

[treitz3]

Well, I hope it's a better recording than Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue". Great music IMO but lacking something serious on the recording. For years, I could not [and somewhat still don't] understand why this particular album was regarded as "audiophile". Decent to me but nothing spectacular.....unless you are talking about the actual music. I have yet to hear "Bring the Family".

Tom

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Tom --

KOB actually has some noises in it. It doesn't have a "natural" sense of space because it doesn't attempt to. As I understand it, the instruments were pretty isolated and close-mic'd, and there was some overdubbing. It doesn't hit some of the audiophile touchstones -- sound stage, big dynamic swings, frequency extremes.... It sounds like what it is -- a controlled, studio recording. But it sounds really good. At least to my ears. But I think it is a great recording because of the tonality, the balance, the music, the performances. I don't think of it as "audiophile." I do think it's worth a few thousand Jazz at the Pawnshops. YMMV.

Tim

 

[treitz3]

....if only they recorded KOB like they did Jazz at the Pawnshop. THAT would be a definite masterpiece! (at least to me)

I once heard a saying about an "audiophile" that kind of cracked me up. It went something like this...

If you sit down and critically listen to Jazz at the Pawnshop and actually like it, you may just be an audiophile.

I enjoy both. One more so for the incredible music and the other more so for the recording.

Tom

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

....if only they recorded KOB like they did Jazz at the Pawnshop. THAT would be a definite masterpiece! (at least to me)

I once heard a saying about an "audiophile" that kind of cracked me up. It went something like this...



I enjoy both. One more so for the incredible music and the other more so for the recording.

Tom

We'll have to disagree on that one, Tom. I love the sense of intimacy you can get from well-crafted studio recordings like KOB. I think it would lose a lot recorded like Jazz at the Pawnshop. I love good live recordings. But also I love a quiet, intimate studio recording, where the "ambience" seems to crawl up on your shoulder and whisper in your ear (that's KOB) every bit as much. Milk chocolate and dark chocolate. It's all good.

Tim

 

[treitz3]

Tim, here is a post I made of my observations many moons back about the SACD I have of KOB...it wasn't flattering, to say the least.

Well, there is the tape hiss but there is also some kind of electronic static [if you will] in the background. In order to listen to it at reasonable levels, or what I would consider normal listening levels, this noise becomes real apparent. It's not bad for background music, especially if you have a lot of ambient noise in the room but it damned sure isn't anything you would want to sit down in the listening chair and enjoy for it's recording capabilities. Other than that, it's slightly veiled and not dynamic whatsoever. One other thing worthy of mentioning is that when some of the instruments are playing, it is almost as if the instruments themselves have a great deal of harmonic distortion. Kinda like what you would hear from a tube that suffered from bad microphonics. That drives me up a wall as I can't stand that kind of distortion.

Damn shame because I really dig the music. I just am dumbfounded that they would even try to put something like this on SACD to begin with. I wouldn't imagine that the CD version sounds much worse. This album definitely would not qualify as one of the top audiophile recordings. Top great music albums maybe, but definitely not top audiophile. I bought this SACD because of a recommendation from either a thread or friend and after special ordering it from my local Manifest, I raced home to plop it in and needless to say....I was extremely disappointed.

So, yes. We will have to agree to disagree with regards to this particular cut. If it were recorded like JatPS? Oh dear......

Tom

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Tim, here is a post I made of my observations many moons back about the SACD I have of KOB...it wasn't flattering, to say the least.



So, yes. We will have to agree to disagree with regards to this particular cut. If it were recorded like JatPS? Oh dear......

Tom

Yeah, KOB has some noise in it, no question about it. It never sounded that bad to me though. But I'll be the first admit that my audiophile listening abilities get off the rails pretty fast when faced with really good music. To hear what some guys around here do, I'd have to listen to great recordings of bad polka bands.

Tim

 

[MylesBAstor]

Well, I hope it's a better recording than Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue". Great music IMO but lacking something serious on the recording. For years, I could not [and somewhat still don't] understand why this particular album was regarded as "audiophile". Decent to me but nothing spectacular.....unless you are talking about the actual music. I have yet to hear "Bring the Family".

Tom

Which format/pressing KOB are you referring to? Can assure you it's a lot better than you're hearing.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Tom --

KOB actually has some noises in it. It doesn't have a "natural" sense of space because it doesn't attempt to. As I understand it, the instruments were pretty isolated and close-mic'd, and there was some overdubbing. It doesn't hit some of the audiophile touchstones -- sound stage, big dynamic swings, frequency extremes.... It sounds like what it is -- a controlled, studio recording. But it sounds really good. At least to my ears. But I think it is a great recording because of the tonality, the balance, the music, the performances. I don't think of it as "audiophile." I do think it's worth a few thousand Jazz at the Pawnshops. YMMV.

Tim

Hey Tim,

You're wrong. You haven't heard KOB especially if you're referring to the CD. I've heard the tape and it's hardly what you're describing about save for the obvious observation that it's a studio recording. Nor is does your description apply to early 6-eye or the Classic reissue. Sure there's some overloading but on the whole, KOB sounds fantastic.

The musical contribution was quite nicely summarized here a while back by George Kaye.

 

[treitz3]

Which format/pressing KOB are you referring to? Can assure you it's a lot better than you're hearing.

SACD w/ the UPC 7464-64935-6

Tom

 

[MylesBAstor]

SACD w/ the UPC 7464-64935-6

Tom

What label is that?

 

[treitz3]

Myles, it has "Columbia" on the cover art but on the back, it states "1997 Sony Music Entertainment/Manufactured by Columbia Records".

Tom