Search - Sam Lanin :: 1923-1931

What a shame

D. Cash | San Francisco, CA USA | 10/12/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"As Sam Lanin was one of the best band leaders of the 1920s and early 1930s and one of my personal favorites, I looked forward to this CD. Unfortunately I cannot recommend it. The performances here are among Lanin's best but although the transfers from electric Columbia 78s and electric Okeh 78s are sometimes good to very good, the transfers from the earlier acoustic 78s are over filtered with distortions and strange background noises. Track 17, "South Bound" is so over filtered it has a tinny, shrill metallic sound. It sounds as if it were created on an electronic synthesizer, a cheap one at that. Even worse is track 22, "Do Something". For some inexplicable reason, what sounds like "sleigh bells" has been added loudly and extensively throughout the track. I have the original 78 and there are no "sleigh bells". WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! It's like painting makeup on the Mona Lisa to make her prettier! When one buys a commercially produced CD, one expects better than this. I propose as punishment those who made this CD should be locked in a cell and forced to listen to it."

Must To Avoid!

Thomas Bumbera | Maplewood, NJ USA | 11/02/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Avoid all reissues on this label - the remastering introduces an enormous amount of digital artifacting which will drive the vintage music lover insane. Why the producer continues to antagonize his potential market is beyond my comprehension. Is he deaf? Insane? Both?"