Pieces Of My Life sound comparisons

Just played the Elvis Today CD remastered from Japan and it sounds incredible! I compared with the FTD thinking that was the best version but sounded veiled and lifeless. I remembered that Pieces Of My Life was in the new country compilation (DSD redbook) and it was close but not as much detail in the top end with the guitars, strings etc. and very defined bass in the low end! Seems to me the Japanese are not messing with noise reduction because the tape hiss is audible in contrast with the other two. If I burn a compilation for a friend or for my car this Japanese version is the one I will definately use. Get it if you are interested and your budget allows... you won't be dissapointed.

Thanks for the detailed review.

I will definetely look into purchasing the Japanese 24 bit remaster of this great Lp/cd.

This one and ROR is remastered 20bit I do not know if the 24bit is coming soon or not. As long as anyone is reading this will add that the 24bit NBC TV special CD do not get. Completely mono. Not stereo in parts as original but I guess the mono complete release if that thing existed!LOL!

Just played the Elvis Today CD remastered from Japan and it sounds incredible! I compared with the FTD thinking that was the best version but sounded veiled and lifeless. I remembered that Pieces Of My Life was in the new country compilation (DSD redbook) and it was close but not as much detail in the top end with the guitars, strings etc. and very defined bass in the low end! Seems to me the Japanese are not messing with noise reduction because the tape hiss is audible in contrast with the other two. If I burn a compilation for a friend or for my car this Japanese version is the one I will definately use. Get it if you are interested and your budget allows... you won't be dissapointed.

Most paper sleeve remasters from Japan sounds better.The best in my opinion is (soundwise) On Stage,ROR,Love letters From Elvis and Now.

Just played the Elvis Today CD remastered from Japan and it sounds incredible! I compared with the FTD thinking that was the best version but sounded veiled and lifeless. I remembered that Pieces Of My Life was in the new country compilation (DSD redbook) and it was close but not as much detail in the top end with the guitars, strings etc. and very defined bass in the low end! Seems to me the Japanese are not messing with noise reduction because the tape hiss is audible in contrast with the other two. If I burn a compilation for a friend or for my car this Japanese version is the one I will definately use. Get it if you are interested and your budget allows... you won't be dissapointed.

The way the Japanese "Today" album (and some other 70's albums in this Japanese series) seems to have been mastered is actually quite deceiving. You can pretty much get the same effect by playing the original album and pressing the loudness button on your stereo and recording the output. The result is more definiton in the bass and midrange and a big gap around 500Hz (I've seen up to 6dB on some of them compared to the flat DSD masters) which pulls down the fundamental frequencies of Elvis' vocals. Sure, it sounds better when played back at low volumes but once you crank it up it gives you a headache because it exaggerates these ranges. Give me the DSD masters any day, those I can at least crank up and enjoy, as the frequencies have a natural balance to them. Mastering with the loudness button on is a big no-no, luckily some Japanese albums seem to be simply flat transfers from the album production masters and have not been tempered with, but I don't know why they felt the need to "enhance" some of the 70's albums this way.

I don't know why they felt the need to "enhance" some of the 70's albums this way.

For those of us with no loudness button?!!

[quote="JLGB"]Just played the Elvis Today CD remastered from Japan and it sounds incredible! I compared with the FTD thinking that was the best version but sounded veiled and lifeless. I remembered that Pieces Of My Life was in the new country compilation (DSD redbook) and it was close but not as much detail in the top end with the guitars, strings etc. and very defined bass in the low end! Seems to me the Japanese are not messing with noise reduction because the tape hiss is audible in contrast with the other two. If I burn a compilation for a friend or for my car this Japanese version is the one I will definately use. Get it if you are interested and your budget allows... you won't be dissapointed.[/quote

thanx JLGB. fro the review.
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