Review by Marpow November 21, 2014 (3 of 4 found this review helpful)
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Mike Bloomfield-Al Kooper-Steve Stills: Super Session Hybrid SACD Multichannel 2014
I first heard this album in 1968 as it was getting heavy radio play KMPX and KSAN underground radio in San Francisco. My whole life I have had a strong connection to this music. Bloomfield was a big star in the SF music scene, I knew of Stills and Al Kooper came to me by way of this disc. Wikipedia has solid historical info, including mch info on this disc.
Earlier this year I purchased the 2003 Legacy RBCD which had tracks with and without horns. Al Kooper produced that disc also. It's a solid sonic stereo disc. I was not going to get this mch as I was satisfied with the Legacy disc. But after purchasing the 5.1 of Blood, Sweat and Tears, Child is the Father to Man I had to see what this was about.
Performance: Historical great performance. Kooper's vocals and organ is absolutely one of the greatest organ recordings at the time. Bloomfield, well, it is he who makes this what it is. Stills being fresh and different from Bloomfield.
Stereo Sonics: Quite good actually. Warmer than the 2003 Legacy disc and somewhat quieter. The 2003 disc probably has a little Loudness War on it where as this 2014 disc has a DR 12 which is quite good. The stereo goes outside of the speaker realm and it is most certainly not mch, but the SACD 2 channel stage is quite good.
Multichannel Sonics: I am sorry but I had trouble with this, not the production or the placement of music to speakers but a feeling that I can only try to describe. I feel, that if you removed the horn section which is primarily rears right and left that as a mch disc it would be flat. Koopers vocals are a little too much front right. Guitars and (bass that others have mentioned was a non issue for me), where all placed at places that sounded good and they moved around a bit. I am ALWAYS so thrilled with every mch that I have purchased and this dissatisfaction I have could be that the music in stereo is just too ingrained in me and I am biased?
To be honest, I am glad I have the 2003 Legacy, with and without horns, and I am glad that I have this 2014 MCH disc with the better SACD stereo.
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