We're living in a time when many of the original recordings of the great musical performances recorded during the acoustic & electric eras of the recording arts are deteriorating and disappearing from Planet Earth. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.
For yours truly, this is a tragedy comparable to losing the many great works of literature that existed in the Library of Alexandria, one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world.
I am deeply in love with the entirety of our recorded music canon. To see it disappearing over time fills me with grief, and not many people realize what treasures lurk there in those early acoustic and electrical eras of the recording arts.
There are valiant organizations, individuals, and record labels, however, that are preserving everything possible from those early eras of recording: the Library of Congress in the USA, Ward Marston (Marston Records), Nimbus Records' Prima Voce series, and others.
Now you can add to that list Verve Records, with their release of the Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings 4 LP box set, a true treasure of the recording arts.
The recordings in this box set were mostly made between 1944 and 1951, and for me, are some of the most compelling music ever recorded by Billie Holiday. True treasures.
In the excellent booklet that accompanies this box set it says about these recordings:
"The sessions prior to 1949 were originally recorded on acetate discs. In 1943, Decca instituted a procedure whereby each performance was recorded not only on a 10" lateral cut acetate disc (that was destroyed when forming the metal master from which the mothers, stampers, and eventually 78 r.p.m. commercial pressings would be made), but also on one or more 16" vertical cut 33 1/3 r.p.m. acetate "safeties" (or "covers" in Decca's parlance of the day). These safety discs preserved, not only the first-choice take, but often alternative takes, breakdowns, and studio chatter. The surviving safeties of Billie Holiday's recordings were freshly transferred to digital tape by Stephen Lasker on September 18, 1990, under the supervision of Andy McKaie.
"Unfortunately, many of the safeties from the war have perished due to breakage: aluminum, from which the cause of discs would normally have been made, went to war, and glass based acetate discs were frequently all that was obtainable. Of Bill's first three deck sessions. Only the safety for that old devil called love still survived ...
"in 1949, Decca became the first major US record company to record on tape. All tapes of only first choice takes from these years were retained, Decca had at the time of recording not yet abandoned it's custom of redundancy, so some early tape error sessions were also transcribed on 16 inch safety discs, which how is how the previously unissued take of taint nobody's business happened to survived.
"Engineer Doug Schwartz took special care to ascertain which of the various tapes in MCA vaults were the original 30 in./s masters for Billy's sessions between August 17, 1949 and March 8, 1950. This set contains one step transfers from these originals with one exception: over the course of the years, the master tape of please tell me now has acquired, substantial print through an excellent tape dub of this track was used instead."
Long time readers know that I have continually praised the excellent and long out of production 2 CD set from GRP (1991), Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings.
Both the GRP 2 CD set and the Verve Records 4 LP box set have essentially identical recordings, with both sharing the same order of track listings, photos, and essays in their accompanying booklets.
So why buy the vinyl box set? I've found that Red Book CDs can sound fantastic when played on the superlative Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player, playing at a level of fidelity that rivals all but the very best vinyl front ends. However, it was clear to me when listening to the incredible level of performance provided by the Audio Note (UK) M6 & M8 RIAA phono stages, that there was a lot of musical information lurking in those ones and zeros that was not recovered, compared to the same albums on vinyl.
So I really wanted to hear - on this music that I love - how the new Verve Records 4 LP box set compared to the GRP 2 CD set that I am so fond of, compared to listening to the vinyl LP versions.
First, I listened to the entire Verve Records box set on my office system. I had just installed the Ortofon SPU GTX S moving-coil phonograph cartridge (more HERE) on my Thorens TD-124 turntable, and really was looking forward to giving it a listen.
So for the rest of the audio system: The signal from the TD-124 went to Leben RS-30EQ phono stage, and from there to the Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier, which power my vintage Altec loudspeakers that were custom built for Leopold Stokowski way back when.
Well, I was absolutely blown away by the result. The music sounded so good (mostly) in terms of fidelity, and this combination of equipment made the Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings 4 LP box set come alive in a vivid and dramatic way.
While my office audio system is truly excellent at playing music, it was immediately apparent that the new Ortofon SPU GTX S MC phonograph cartridge was a winner, and substantially upped this systems performance when playing back vinyl.
If you're looking for a new high-performance moving-coil phonograph cartridge that won't break the bank, I recommend you seriously consider the new Ortofon SPU GTX S. I'm in love with it!
As wonderful as listening experience I had with the new Ortofon SPU GTX S playing back the Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings LPs on this system, it doesn't really answer the question about how the fidelity compares CD vs. LP.
So off I went to listen to both CD & LP versions in my big system in the living room to hear what I could learn.
Starting with my loudspeakers, the Tannoy Westminster Royal SEs with their outboard Duelund CAST crossovers (silver components in the HF circuit, copper in the LF circuit), the components complement is the Level Four Audio Note (UK) Tomei 211 SET integrated amplifier, the Level Five Audio Note (UK) M8 RIAA phono equalizer, the Level Five AN-S8 step-up transformer, and the Audio Note (UK) IoI MC phonograph cartridge that is mounted on my CTC Garrard 301 turntable. The digital source is Level Three Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player. All the cables - except for power cables - are the Audio Note (UK) silver cables recommended to me for this application by Peter Qvortrup.
The power cables are Acoustic Revive 'Absolute Power Cables' which are plugged into an Acoustic Revive RPT-6 Absolute NCF Power Distributor, and into the Oyaide R-0 AC outlet supported by the Acoustic Revive CB-1DB Receptacle Base Plate and CFRP-1F Carbon Fiber Outlet Plate. The Tomei, M8 RIAA, and AN-SK SUT are sitting upon Acoustic Revive isolation platforms.
I know, that's a really heady complement of some of Audio Note (UK)'s finest components that's visiting right now, and they are sinfully delicious!
To be fair, I'm only a touch less than halfway through the bedding-in period of 100 hours of playing time for the newly arrived M8 RIAA phono pre and the AN-S8 SUT that are in for review, but boy are they sounding great. The thought that they might get even better over the next 50 hours or so of bedding-in time sort of boggles my mind.
Still, I think listening to both LPs and CDs with this setup will be truly enjoyable and illuminating, so on I go.
Well, first up I listened to the first 7 songs on the CD (the same songs as on LP 1 Side 1).
As you might expect, the CD sounded excellent through the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player, with a lot of interesting contrast between the recordings from different years, and yet communicating the drama and emotional impact of these recordings with aplomb.
Next up for listening was LP 1 Side 1. I matched the volume of CD vs. LP so they were approximately the same using an SPL meter.
The LP is at another level of performance compared to the CD. There's more musical information recovered, and there was more contrast between the different recordings, the visual images were more vivid and had more body, the tonal balance was richer and warmer, and the drama & emotional engagement of the music was greater.
Everything about the LP was at a higher level of performance. Whether that was due to the superb performance of the Audio Note (UK) M8 RIAA & AN-S8 SUT combination, or was a result of better mastering / production values for the LP box set, or both, I can't tell you.
Either way, if you love Billie Holiday's music, I would recommend you have both the GRP 2 CD set, and the Verve 4 LP box set, of Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings in your music library.
Kudos to Verve Records for bringing these early Billie Holiday recordings to vinyl, this box set is an easily recommendable treasure.
Dear Verve Records,
Could you give the Bing Crosby boxset, Bing - His Legendary Years - 1931 to 1957, the same superb LP treatment, please?
All the best,
Jeff
Ok, that's all for now, I've got an afternoon of a lot more LP listening ahead of me. 🙂
As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
