I just purchased this album and can say that this is the first album I have received in a year or so that does not have any problems with surface noise, dishes or warps. The over all engineering is good to very good and coupled with quiet vinyl and decent remakes of his back catalog is an enjoyable listen.
The mix at times it a bit out of sorts but that is coming from a recording engineer's ears and you may or may not agree. However, I think for Van fans you are in for a treat. What you get is good performances, good engineering and a very clean and quiet pressing. Something that is not too common today. Also, you get 2 albums for around $20.00. Yes, they are shorter sides but that can increase the quality of the pressing.
Hi Raymonda: Got mine today. Will listen to it this weekend. Mine looks disappointing...a couple of fairly deep pinhole depressions in the vinyl where the grooves are on album 1. But I've seen such things before and the record still sounded good.
"What you get is good performances, good engineering and a very clean and quiet pressing. Something that is not too common today. "
Gotta ask why buy the vinyl when a good experience is not so common?
I don't find it a problem at all these days with good modern digital/CDs.
I only buy good used vinyl on the cheap mainly from the golden age. There is a lot of value to had there.
So any particularly good performances on the album? When Van is good he is very good. When he's not, eh... He still seems to mostly turn it on and off over time but age gotta be catching up to him somewhat. But I could see a good duets project working for him so will probably pick this up sometime (on CD).
Map man, because IMO in the end it is worth it. I listen to and enjoy vinyl more......and this is coming from someone who is a recording engineer that only works in digital.........due to cost. Although, I do enjoy my recordings and mixes....which I listen to more often. I rarely if ever listen to CDs.
I like:
Some Peace of Mind If I ever needed someone PJ Proby These are the days Rough riding Fire in the belly Irish heart How can a poor boy
For those that don't like the idea that these have already been released, pretend you are at a concert and Van has special guest that join him for these songs. You might enjoy them.
BTW, I agree with "play the devil". That was the worse album ever release by Van. I bought it on vinyl when it came out.....listened to it a few times to give it a chance but even after trying 10 years later I think it was a failure.
i took a quick listen and didn't like it--can't blame the guy for trying to make a living, but these duet albums really do smack of being in a creative void. i've heard similar ones from john fogerty, elton john and seemingly every other past-their-prime stars and none of 'em really register.
USually, the purpose of these duet albums by established stars is more to give a "rub" to other newer younger talents more so than add to the stars accolades, though helping others achieve recognition certainly qualifies as an accomplishment in of itself. Its not always about what someone does on their own but often about what they do that might also help out others.
I'm only half joking. I know vinyl has more upside sonically than CD. That can often outweigh the downs.
I just do not have much appetite personally for paying a premium for a poor quality product.
I love any vinyl when it can be had for the right price. Otherwise, I find little to complain about with my home digital these days. I have many records and CDs on music server. Would not want to give up either.
Mine is mostly CD res. No higher res to date. Coming up on filling a 1.5 TB disk with over 2000 albums represented.
That's going to keep me busy listening for awhile....
I still do the occasional vinyl accumulated over many more years when I have something unique there I must listen to, but seldom just for format or sound quality. I am always diligently on the hunt for good cheap vinyl to add.
I have so much music these days it's more about listening to it all rather than a select few favorites. I put my server on random play often so I can just listen and enjoy and not have to decide what to listen to. It's all a blessing.
Duet albums are vehicles for stars on the downslide. Sinatra, Striesand and Bennett are good examples. These albums came late into their careers when they were no longer at the peak of their powers. Now we can add Van Morrison.
I think that most artists from the 60s need to hang it up. There are exceptions but many of these artists are embarrassing themselves. I guess they're well insulated from anyone who would tell them that it's over.
An interesting observation about Van and many other artists from the UK is that they were able to absorb and adapt American Blues and R&B remarkably well, but few were able to do the same with American country music, when country would seem to be the more straightforward, less difficult genre to absorb. Much classic country music has its roots in folk music from the UK too.
I'm listening to side 3 of duets before starting my day and it is no embarrassment at all. The performance by Van, the band, other vocalist and the engineers are all first rate.
Again, if I took this performance as a concert I would be mightily impressed in deed. I know I'm not going to convince those that think otherwise but for those that have an open mind and open ears.....you might be in for a treat.
Well I guess I'm the odd man out, but I recently saw Willie inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame (Do we really need another HoF?). Willie sang with Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett and it made me cringe. I have been a fan of all these artists for many decades and it hurt to watch them perform so badly. Willie was in the best voice of the three, but he was still a long way from his best.
I understand that they love performing but I don't want to hear people who once had beautiful unique voices croaking out the old hits. Maybe if I hadn't seen and heard them do so much better I would feel differently.
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