Tom Fine wrote:
The whole problem with these non-standard copyright limits is that the major music companies use
the U.S. standard with their vaults. So, sure you might be able to buy some two-bit semi-pirate
version of something elsewhere in the world but it's a POS made off a dub of a commercial release
and it's not even worth owning due to the crap sound quality. For instance, compare the old
Bix/Tram/Big Tea stuff on the Mosaic set, which is properly remastered from the best sources
available, to the junk floating around cheap outside the US (most of it obtainable via Amazon).
The other versions aren't worth owning if you care about sound quality.
The above argument may apply to some material and to some reissuers, but it does not fit well in
the world of classical recordings. When dipping into their vaults, the major publishers have a
mixed history seldom reaching competence (but occasionally delivering excellence). On the other
hand, some engineers have achieved remarkably fine results working from released copies. The Naxos
historic series is one example - and is clearly marked not for sale in the U.S.. I would rather
cite Ward Marston's work for his own label, Marston Records. Another approach on even older
material (e.g., Bettini cylinders) has been highly successful for Chris Zwarg at TrueSound
Transfers.
The major labels habitually provide fancy packaging on releases which are incorrectly pitched,
oddly equalized and inappropriately denoised. Frequently, they choose titles for marketability
without concern for musical value. Indeed, their processing is so poor that occasionally listeners
come to me for help in making CDs from my 'catalogue' recordings - 32 Kbps MP3 - because my own
amateur efforts sound better than commercial reissues.
Mike
--
mrichter@xxxxxxx
http://www.mrichter.com/