This will be my last purchase of these. No. Really. Not even if they remix them with the horn parts all a cappella. No Sirree. Not me. Unh-UNNNNH. No can do. (Well, maybe.....)
The vinyl sounds terrific, but there were some very small defects in the CIFTTM label. Very small hairline white imperfections. The SACD's sound....well....like SACD's, which means not a WHOLE lot better than the Friday re-remastering. But I can tell some subtle differences, thus far. I'll post more as I listen more.
There were a number of "weirdnesses" on 4 that I've conversed with Roy Halee about. (One was that thing that sounds like a bias/level tone on an unmuted channel during the first horn break of GDG.....) Roy said he didn't know WHAT it was either. There's some editing derring-do on "For My Lady" (Ballads were apparently the source of a LOT of friction, if you believe the Bios that have come out, but I think they're all terrific anyway) where the chart sort of comes to an end and then starts again during some of the Celeste/Mallet Percussion exotica. I have to wonder if that tune was EVER performed in a stadium. If it was, and it was in the U.S., I feel sure somebody yelled "Freebird" even if it was still years in the future. Those guys had real guts to play stuff that nice in Halls THAT big and "UN-Concert Hall" like. Good for them.....
I still say CK should follow up with "Even Bloodierlines" and reissue New Blood and No Sweat. They're "Jumpier/Jivey-ier" than the Original/Classic four, but quite fine in their own way. I wish the Horns weren't so dry on New Blood, but you can't have everything. There's some SERIOUSLY nice, low Bass Transients on the Leslie Organ on "Song For John" on "No Sweat". That's a vastly underappreciated record. I think it would've sold better if they'd just changed the name of the band....but that's just me...ymmv.....