"...Devil In
Disguise..."
Since his tragic loss in
July 2013 renewed interest in J.J. Cale and his wonderfully laid-back
songwriting magic has never been higher - so this box set 'claiming' to be 2013
remasters is a very tempting deal indeed (and for newcomers it is a good buy).
But as usual with so many major label reissues these days - fans replacing old
discs for new remasters need to know that there's snakes in the grass...
I recently bought and
reviewed two of the truly amazing Japanese SHM-CD reissues of his first 8
albums ("Troubadour" and "5"). The titles released in Japan
are "Naturally" (1972), "Really" (1973), "Okie"
(1974), "Troubadour" (1976), "5" (1979), "Shades"
(1981), "Grasshopper" (1982) and No. 8" (1983) - all of which
ARE REMASTERED to superlative effect.
As you can see from the list
below - 5 of those 8 titles are in this mini box set "Classic Album
Selection" (Barcode 600753418918) - but this UK/European March 2013 Universal
mini box set absolutely IS NOT REMASTERED despite what Amazon UK and USA claim.
Here's a breakdown and I hope an explanation:
1. Naturally - 32:13
minutes, cata no 0600753418949
2. Troubadour - 36:27
minutes, cata no. 06000753418956
3. Shades - 33:20 minutes,
cata no. 060075348925
4. Grasshopper - 35:09
minutes, cata no 0600753418963
5. No. 8 - 29:59 minutes,
cata no. 0600753418932
There is an outer hard-card
box with five gatefold digipaks contained within (no booklet). The CDs look
exactly like the old Eighties and Nineties issues except for the longer
catalogue number listed above - the old Mercury designed labels of silver and
orange lines. My Mac even remembered the old track references I'd personally
put on tracks when I put the discs in to read them. I tried an outside source -
like a desktop CD player - same thing - same old discs - absolutely not new. So
where does this '2013 Remaster' claim come from? I suspect from the Japanese
SHM-CD reissues that seem to exclusively have remasters.
The point is that the sound
difference between the SHM-CD issues and the ordinary 'digitally mastered'
discs in this 2013 "Classic" box is literally like chalk and cheese.
Don't get me wrong - the discs in the "Classic" box set sound good -
they do - especially the 3 criminally underrated Eighties LPs
"Shades", "Grasshopper" and "No. 8" which were
beautifully produced anyway. And the box is cheap too. But it's his classy
first five albums from the Seventies that need the remastering most. And if
you're a real fan - once you get an earful of the SHM-CD of
"Troubadour" (which actually has extended playing times too) or
"Naturally" for that matter - you'll have to own the lot because the
sound upgrade is so great.
To sum up - if you're a
newcomer to the great man then "Classic" will suffice and is properly
good value for money. But if you're a real fan - then you need the real
remasters - the Japanese SHM-CD reissues (list below).
J.J. Cale was one of my
audio heroes growing up - and his influence on Eric Clapton, Dire Straits and
even John Mayer is undeniable.
What a loss and what an
artist.
The albums in the June 2013
Japanese CD reissue series are (with Barcodes to identify the right issue on
Amazon):
1. Naturally (1972 - his
debut) on Universal UICY-75627 (Barcode 4988005771582) [SEE REVIEW]
2. Really (1973) on
Universal UICY-75628 (Barcode 4988005771599)
3. Okie (1974) on Universal
UICY-75629 (Barcode 4988005771605) [SEE REVIEW]
4. Troubadour (1976) on
Universal UICY-75630 (Barcode 4988005771612) [SEE REVIEW]
5. "5" (1979) on
Universal UICY-75631 (Barcode 4988005771629) [SEE REVIEW]
6. Shades (1981) on
Universal UICY-75632 (Barcode 4988005771636)
7. Grasshopper (1982) on
Universal UICY-75633 (Barcode 4988005771643)
8. No. 8 (1983) on Universal
UICY-75634 (Barcode 4988005771650)
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