Short Take: Recommended.
This was such and interesting process for me because I happened to start my listening session with Songs for Survivors, the other surround solo disc by Graham Nash. In a way I wish I had paid better attention, because I had not realized I was listening backward in time. Songs for Survivors is the more recent release, and the sonics and clarity have benefited greatly from 30 years of technological advancement.
Songs for Beginners was recorded in 1970 & 1971, and released May 28, 1971. The DVD-A was released September 23, 2008 (as a CD+DVD package).
Songs for Survivors was recorded in less than two weeks in October of 2000, and released July 30, 2002. I am not positive as to whether the DVD-A received a simultaneous release, but the first QQ reviews appear in October of 2004.
Here is the most striking difference: the sonics and presence of the latter disc are stunning, and particularly when played back to back with the earlier recording. In comparison, the sonics of the earlier disc sound a little flat to me. The further away I get from that comparison, the better this disc sounds to me. It is after all a recording literally from a different era.
And ---- I like the music on Beginners more, partly I am sure because much of it has already been imprinted on me over the years. Military Madness, Man In The Mirror, Chicago > We Can Change the World - all very familiar to me. And yet I was not so intimately familiar with this LP that the new mixes were hard for me to adjust to. So I also had that advantage. New to me were the performances of Lesh & Garcia on I Used To Be King, Garcia on Man In The Mirror (I knew this one more from live versions), and the David Lindley performance on Simple Man. So these were pleasant to find. And I was reminded of great backing vocal performances from Venetta Fields, Rita Coolidge, Pat Arnold, and others with whom I was not familiar.
If there is reverb added to the drums as is referred to in previous posts, I confess I am not a fan of this technique, and particularly not in revisionary mixes of classic recordings (are you listening, ZZ Top?). It seems There's Only One may suffer from this. Thankfully it does not seem overdone as compared to some bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The mix is plenty discrete, the way I like 'em. Yet I did not find any of it to be awkwardly so. I feel the blend at the sweet spot is great.
I like this record, and I like the mix. I might have said it is a great archival presentation of the original material were it not for the discussions of omissions and modifications of elements from the original.
So for entirely different reasons than the Songs for Survivors rating, I also give this one an 8.
Although tracks 10 > 11 - Chicago > We Can Change The World - KILL! This pair is a perfect 10 demo track.
Oh, by the way, I checked out the bonus interview with Graham talking about his photography. As I photographer, I found it interesting and worth a listen, although your mileage may vary. It would have been nice to have some discussion about the album as part of the interview.
)
)
