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Having read two wildly diverse reviews on SA~CD net, I finally received my copy today from HiFi-CD in Hong Kong, have played it twice on my mid-fi system and my high end system and I can only say, "It was a lovely Way to Spend an Evening." Summertime is an absolute stunner, in full stereo [as well as Moonlight in Vermont].But despair not for on a revealing system, Ella and Louis' voices are uncannily IN THE ROOM coming from absolutely silent backgrounds and the achinging beautiful intro by Louis on trumpet for Tenderly is a highlight. An Absolute no~brainer for lovers of both legends.
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rammiepie said:
Having read two wildly diverse reviews on SA~CD net, I finally received my copy today from HiFi-CD in Hong Kong, have played it twice on my mid-fi system and my high end system and I can only say, "It was a lovely Way to Spend an Evening." Summertime is an absolute stunner, in full stereo [as well as Moonlight in Vermont].But despair not for on a revealing system, Ella and Louis' voices are uncannily IN THE ROOM coming from absolutely silent backgrounds and the achinging beautiful intro by Louis on trumpet for Tenderly is a highlight. An Absolute no~brainer for lovers of both legends.
I have owned this SACD for about a year now and entirely support these comments; no-one I have played this too has been less than overwhelmed. Apart from anything else it shows how good - how musical - the original productions were, wherever these tracks were sourced from for the remaster (I presume Universal didn't hand over the master tapes which makes the achievement the more remarkable!). The same people have also issued a Nat King Cole compilation, "The King of Sound". Pending the possible future appearance of the Analogue Productions stereo Cole SACD's I would also recommend this - the remastering is just as skilful though it does show that the Capitol recordings don't hold a candle to the fidelity and beauty of the Ella/Satch productions.
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rammiepie said:
Having read two wildly diverse reviews on SA~CD net, I finally received my copy today from HiFi-CD in Hong Kong, have played it twice on my mid-fi system and my high end system and I can only say, "It was a lovely Way to Spend an Evening." Summertime is an absolute stunner, in full stereo [as well as Moonlight in Vermont].But despair not for on a revealing system, Ella and Louis' voices are uncannily IN THE ROOM coming from absolutely silent backgrounds and the achinging beautiful intro by Louis on trumpet for Tenderly is a highlight. An Absolute no~brainer for lovers of both legends.
Great to hear your thoughts on this album. I'd noticed it when it first got mentioned on this forum. Perhaps I should start looking around and consider buying a copy.
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Post by Claude October 16, 2009 (4 of 10)
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Has anyone compared this SACD to other releases of this material?
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Hi-Fi CD in Hong Kong has the Ella/Louis, Acker Bilk "Strangers On The Shore," and the Nat King Cole titles on Top Music International for $22.80 each (US) and offers free shipping for orders over $130.00. The discs arrived within 1 1/2 weeks after ordering. I would like to thank Full Range Man (Gustavo) for recommending this web site as their prices and service are top notch!
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Post by soundboy October 17, 2009 (6 of 10)
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rammiepie said:
Hi-Fi CD in Hong Kong has the Ella/Louis, Acker Bilk "Strangers On The Shore," and the Nat King Cole titles on Top Music International for $22.80 each (US) and offers free shipping for orders over $130.00. The discs arrived within 1 1/2 weeks after ordering. I would like to thank Full Range Man (Gustavo) for recommending this web site as their prices and service are top notch!
I'd highly recommend this Hong Kong e-tailer as well.
Btw, looks like Top Music just re-released its Petula Clark SACD.
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soundboy said:
I'd highly recommend this Hong Kong e-tailer as well.
Btw, looks like Top Music just re-released its Petula Clark SACD.
Good news and bad news here - if you like Petula Clark enough to pay the price for this SACD you will be rewarded with by far the best transfers of this material you've ever heard, though obviously the Pye '60's masters have their limitations. However . . . although the Acker Bilk transfer is as well done as any from this source it is NOT the original "Stranger on the Shore" and the rest of the programme is very MOR indeed. Music to wash up to!
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breydon_music said:
Good news and bad news here - if you like Petula Clark enough to pay the price for this SACD you will be rewarded with by far the best transfers of this material you've ever heard, though obviously the Pye '60's masters have their limitations. However . . . although the Acker Bilk transfer is as well done as any from this source it is NOT the original "Stranger on the Shore" and the rest of the programme is very MOR indeed. Music to wash up to!
You saved me the trouble of posting my review of Acker Bilk's "Stranger On The Shore." It is indeed well recorded (but varies from track to track) but at the end of the day it is elevator music in HiFi. The iconic title track, though not the original, is a nice addition to the SACD lexicon but hardly justifies the album purchase (unless you have an elevator in your home). Going DOWN?
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Post by dbmay75 November 17, 2009 (9 of 10)
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Any particular reason why these German-made Ultra SACD's aren't in this site's database yet?
Dan
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Post by Kutyatest November 18, 2009 (10 of 10)
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dbmay75 said:
Any particular reason why these German-made Ultra SACD's aren't in this site's database yet?
Dan
The Ella/Louis and Acker Bilk are (and I have them in my library), but I did wonder about the Petula Clark disc, as I've owned it for about a month now.
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