Best Blue Note Version

[Reid]

I don't know if we've had this thread before, but I was looking at my copy of the Herbie Hancock's *Maiden Voyage*, I thought about looking for the TOCJ version. (I have the RVG version.) Then I wondered if the TOCJ version is actually the best version of *Maiden Voyage*. Hence, this thread.

In this thread, I'd like to invite reviews/discussions on the various bluenote versions out there. I'm looking for help from the bluenote fanatics--if you heard two or more different versions of the same album you qualify--to help the rest of us out. Since Maiden Voyage is one of my all-time favorites, is the TOCJ worth getting? What are the differences? Are the Japanese RVGs different from the American RVGs? Which is the best version? Would most people agree that the vinyl version is almost always better (and I guess there may be differences in different vinyl versions?)

Here are some other bluenote albums I'd like to hear comments on:

John Coltrane--Blue Train
Wayne Shorter--Speak No Evil
Thelonious Monk--Genius of Modern Music
Sonny Rollins--A Night at the Village Vanguard

[Tanager]

Originally posted by Reid
I don't know if we've had this thread before

I don't know if we've had a thread dedicated specifically to this topic here, but there have been several at BNBB and AAJ, and the topic's been flogged to death on about a gazillion different threads. I won't even give an opinion, b/c this one gets things going at the level of religious fervor...

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Reid, "Maiden Voyage" is also one of my buddy Rob's favorite sessions so he took it upon himself to get all the different versions together for a listening test. The test took place at my house (because I have the Blue Note box) and it was done blind with one of my daughters doing the switching for us. We compared:

Standard US version remastered by Ron McMaster (16 bit)
Standard Japanese TOCJ version (20 bit)
Japanese "Rudy Van Gelder Edition" (24 bit)
US "Rudy Van Gelder Edition" (24 bit)
Blue Note box "The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Herbie Hancock" remastered by Ron McMaster (24 bit)

The victor: in an almost unanimous choice, the sound of the box set was preferred. We both felt that the RVG discs were too bright for this session with the sound of the cymbles too prominent in the mix. They were also both noticeably different from each other (as they usually are... Rob & I have compared a lot of them). The box remaster, being done by Ron McMaster, seemed more "natural" to us. As Rob often says when spinng RVG discs, "Do cymbles sound like this live"? No, they don't, they sound more like what McMaster gets off the tape, at least in our view.

BTW, I still think RVG gets great piano sound out on his remasters. I wish I could combine McMaster's drum sound with Rudy's piano sound!

Later,
Kevin

[Reid]

Kevin,

That's so perfect! I've got a ton of questions.

--How's the other albums on the Herbie box? Have you compared the box versions with other versions?

--As sound preference is a personal thing, I'm wondering if you generally like McMaster's versions, or is it impossible to choose one type of version over the others? I've really liked the TOCJ's I've heard over the other versions (although I haven't had a lot of opportunity to compare different versions of the same album). I like Gordon's *Go* and *A Swingin Affair* mainly because the sound is so roomy. It almost sounds like vinyl, to me.

--What kind of bass sound does the box version get?

I knew a guy who didn't care for the bluenote piano sound (He described it as "boxy."), and I didn't know what he meant, but listening more bluenote cds lately, I kinda agree. Well, maybe I don't agree, but I think there's a sameness of sound there that I don't care for.