rpk@mit-eddie.UUCP (Robert Krajewski) (03/14/85)
Here are some impressions of pop CDs I have bought recently. I am concentrating on pop because most classical and jazz CDs are unremarkably of good sound quality, while there are definite difference in the pop field. The list reflects my taste in music only as far as major labels go; there's a lot of stuff I like on independent labels, too. Laurie Anderson: Mr. Heartbreak. This already sounded good on record, and the CD is even more detailed. There's some synth noise (very high-pitched, possibly due to the Synclavier) on ``Kokoku'' which I did not notice on the LP. Thomas Dolby: Golden Age of Wireless. This is basically the American album (second edition), except it has the ``electronic'' version of ``Radio Silence.'' Again, the usual CD effects do not hurt the album, though some cuts have high-end harshness from the piano. Thomas Dolby: The Flat Earth. This is definitely a sonic beauty. The very soft cymbals on ``I Scare Myself'' are impressive. Again, one can hear some synth noise on ``Mulu,'' but I also noticed this on the LP. Depeche Mode: Construction Time Again. Another predictably clean-sounding synthpop recording. This costs more than average because it is not distributed by a major label. OMD's ``Junk Culture'' is pretty much on the same level, though it is not as breathtaking (the production is more cluttered). Heaven 17: The Luxury Gap. This is a definite improvement over the sound of the American LP (less songs, though). The ``real'' and electronic sounds blend very well. REM: Murmur. Very impressive, and it's probably one of the more cheaply recorded CDs (somewhere in North Carolina) to be released. The increase in detail is so great you'd swear you can understand the lyrics... Suprisingly, ``Speaking In Tongues'' by the Talking Heads is not a remarkable improvement. ``Remain In Light'' is very sharp -- ``The Great Curve'' suffers no inner groove distortion, like it did on the LP. ``Fear of Music'' is OK, too; in places, it sounds less harsh than the LP. ``Purple Rain'' is pristinely recorded, but everything seems too ``up front'' at times on the CD. ``1999'' is better, except for two sonic defects that you probably won't hear on the LP unless you listen for them: the baby's coo at the ``Delirious'' has a glitch which I had formerly assumed was a pressing defect. Also, the vocals on the chorus of ``Little Red Corvette'' suffer from mid-range overload. (I guess that's just a characteristic of Prince's voice that has to be dealt with by engineers -- I read an article on the film mix of the soundtrack in which the engineer talked about this.) The best pop CD I have heard is the fourth Peter Gabriel album. It is stunning: it has depth and a lot of dynamic range. Of course, the interesting sounds and the first-rate material don't hurt, either. Usually, the worst thing that can happen on a pop CD is occasional harshness, or flatness that can occur if the record is mixed too aggressively. However, none of the CDs I have were recorded before 1981, so things might get worse before, say, 1976 or so. -- ``Bob'' (Robert P. Krajewski) ARPA: RpK@MC MIT Local: RpK@OZ UUCP: genradbo!miteddie!rpk