Quad LP/Tape Poll Davis, Miles: Bitches Brew [SQ]

[boojidad]

I’m reading a book called ‘Pressed For All Time: Producing the Great Jazz Albums from Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday to Miles Davis and Diana Krall’ by Michael Jarrett. It’s full of reminiscing’s from producers about the work that went into different albums, sometimes including the reissues/remasters many years later. In the section on Bitches Brew, reissue producer Bob Belden had this to say:

“The original Bitches Brew was released on LP [1970]. They started making copies of that LP master by 1972. For the most part, what the foreign entities were given was a second- or third-generation copy of the LP master. Then they recopied that copy and made all of their foreign masters from that, ending up with fourth- and fifth-generation copies. The CD that was out [when the reissue appeared] – the clamshell – was from a quad master, and it was a third- or fourth-generation dump. So albums had no high end or low end.”

So if the initial CD release was from the quad master, you should be able to run that through a Tate or a good vintage SQ decoder and hear it as good as it could be, at least until Audio Fidelity or someone else releases the original quad mix in SACD/multichannel. I have both the LP and CD (original release) of Zubin Mehta’s ‘Rite of Spring’, and the decoding is perfect and the CD sound blows the LP away. Seems like this would be the same.

 

[ssully]

Except it looks like Belden is saying the CD was sourced from a 3rd or 4th generation copy of the quad master.

 

[boojidad]

Except it looks like Belden is saying the CD was sourced from a 3rd or 4th generation copy of the quad master.

That's why I say "as good as it can be." Maybe it's all a wash, but I would love to hear from someone who's given this a listen.

 

[Sashaaa]

Ok so after months of putting this one on the back burner, I gave it a listen. All I can is say HOLY SHITTT! Not only is this probably my favorite jazz album of all time, this is also probably my favorite quad mix of all time. It's just as discrete as The Flaming Lips 5.1's (which are already my fav 5.1 albums), or dare i say even more discrete. There is phemonenal moments constantly on this thing, though if I were to pick a favorite part it would be the part in the title track where Miles kinda screeches through his trumpet and it goes from speaker to speaker really rapidly.

I don't throw out 10's very often at all, in fact I can only say I've given around 7 of em, but yeah, DEFINITELY a 10/10.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Ok so after months of putting this one on the back burner, I gave it a listen. All I can is say HOLY SHITTT! Not only is this probably my favorite jazz album of all time, this is also probably my favorite quad mix of all time. It's just as discrete as The Flaming Lips 5.1's (which are already my fav 5.1 albums), or dare i say even more discrete. There is phemonenal moments constantly on this thing, though if I were to pick a favorite part it would be the part in the title track where Miles kinda screeches through his trumpet and it goes from speaker to speaker really rapidly.

I don't throw out 10's very often at all, in fact I can only say I've given around 7 of em, but yeah, DEFINITELY a 10/10.

Very nice, there is a newer SACD version also that should sound much better.
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/davis-miles-bitches-brew-sacd-japan.25239/
Looks like you voted a 9, typo?

 

[Sashaaa]

Very nice, there is a newer SACD version also that should sound much better.
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/davis-miles-bitches-brew-sacd-japan.25239/
Looks like you voted a 9, typo?

yes typo haha. I'm listening to a quad reel transfer which sounds phenomenal, but I'll grab the SACD when I get a chance.

 

[Doug G.]

I thought this thread is supposed to be about the SQ version.

Doug

 

[Sashaaa]

I thought this thread is supposed to be about the SQ version.

Doug

There isn't a thread for the quad reel, and im not listening to the quad sacd, so it fits better in this one. Maybe we should add it to the title? Or am i missing something.