"I was disappointed with the overall quality of this cd. I have always enjoyed Mason Williams but this cd doesn't do him justice. The recording quality is poor and the sound produced is very "tinny". It sounded too much like listening to an old transistor radio. Classical Gas itself was a big disappointment. The older recordings of this were less synthesized and had more of Williams' superb playing style. It is such a great piece and this cd didn't give it the right attention. You really would do better to look for a different cd; something else with better sound quality!"
Another dissapointed fan
Les Ferch | 08/31/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Yes...I too bought it for Classical Gas. I only wish I had read the reviews BEFORE I bought it. I've searched years for this song only to finally find it and find that it is a poor rendition of what the original sounded like. Mason is awesome and the rest of the CD is good listening, but if you're a big Classical Gas fan like I am, spare yourself and skip this version. In the original, that guitar spoke to you, reached out and grabbed your senses, took you away to some magical place, made you want to go out and buy a guitar. Kind of like "Apache" by the Ventures, another awesome demonstration of the power and beauty of the guitar. This version of Classical Gas robs you of that appreciation."
POOR RECORDING ENGINEERING
Kathryn Fields | Inyokern, CA USA | 08/06/1999
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Excessive volumn dynamic range. Using in the car finds me frequently grabbing for the volume control. Numerous errors left in the recording: The start of track 8 has a drum sequence that had several listeners thinking that the CD player was skipping. Also in track 8 is a glaring guitar booboo left in. Some of the orchestra chording choice in Classical Gas departs significantly from the original. I liked the original much better. I think that guitar lovers will be disappointed with the orchestras nearly constant overwhelming of the guitar. While I liked some of the orchestra passages, for the most part, I prefer the original recording. Lastly there is one track that exhibits the current mode of @#$$% EXCESSIVE GRATUITOUS REPETITION. Track 9 has a single note repeated at a Chinese water torture rate during the entire recording! Why??"