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Re: [ARSCLIST] Libraries disposing of records
Couldn't have said it better myself !
"Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Ahh-h-h...therein lies the "catch" (#1, not #22!)...
The material that is "commercially viable"...! First, that amounts to
1%...or even 1% of 1%...of the total amount...which is then assumed by
our mythical "Joe Gabroni" to be the ONLY worthwhile representation of
that era! I can buy countless reissues of Robert Johnson, since he had
the good fortune to be idolized by the "British Blues Invasion" and thus
be assigned iconic status...but should I be interested in some more
obscure artist (i.e. Big Bill (Broonzy) and his Chicago Five)...not
that easily found...
Second, this assumes that the de-noised, re-equalized, and otherwise
bent, beaten and battered into acceptable 21st-century form is actually
what the original recording could/would/should have sounded like! What
this is, in fact, is some contemporary re-engineerer-of-sound-recordings'
opinion of what was there...*IN HIS/HER/ITS OPINION!!* In fact, the next
"new version" might well be "Beethoven...as he could have composed if he
were aware of the digital synthesizer..."
Third, subsequent recordings of pieces by, say, Ellington...made thirty
or more years after their composition...are more a reflection of how his
performace style and musical tastes had changed over the ensuing years.
It is interesting to compare Ellington as of 1927 with Ellington as of
1967...but each recording has its own reasons for being worth hearing
(better both in one listening session...!). I can't say specifically,
but I suspect the same would be true for classical performances?
Finally...to me, saying that "vintage recordings aren't worth the
trouble of listening to..." is along the lines of looking at the
"Mona Lisa" and saying..."Now, think how much better that would
be if it were taken with a digital camera and then carefully
edited on a good computer..."
Steven C. Barr
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