When it comes to audiophile quality reissues, there seems to be a myriad of options these days. My apologies up front, as I am sure that I will miss mentioning a few. We have the exquisite one step releases from Analogue Productions, Mofi , IMPEX, and Craft—many with 45 RPM pressings and with the most ultimate of packaging scenarios. We also have the more modestly priced titles like the Analogue Productions Verve and Prestige reissues, the Blue Note Classic and Tone Poet reissues, and the just recently announced Craft Original Jazz Classics (OJC) reissues. Many tend to be focused on Jazz with a somewhat limited amount of Rock and other genres. These folks have done a great job and have provided outstanding vinyl reissues for some of our most cherished music. We owe all of these labels a great big thank you!
Rhino has now stepped forward and is offering their new "Rhino High Fidelity " series. This series can only be purchased directly from Rhino (see the website link below). For my taste and needs, I think that they have truly found the sweet spot with this program from both a price and packaging perspective. At a retail price of $39 and with a limited production of 5000 numbered copies, these reissues will include 180 gram vinyl and high-quality glossy covers with "tip-on" vinyl jackets. Each reissue in the series will be cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray, one of the most respected mastering engineers in the industry. Each will also have unique exclusive content like interviews with the musicians along with never before included archival essays and images. Even an OBI will be added around the outer jacket! I think that this is a nice touch. It reminds me the of the very best Japanese vinyl pressings from back in the day. Two titles will be offered on a quarterly basis for a total of eight titles per year. For many, virtually every box has been checked for a high quality audiophile reissue!
Let's not forget the potential of the Rhino catalog that has spanned over five decades! This includes Jazz, Rock, Rhythm & Blues, and many other genres from every corner of the world. It also includes classic titles from such iconic labels like Warner, Atlantic, Elektra, and Roulette. The list of Rock artists alone is impressive: The Cars, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Little Feat, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Talking Heads, and many more. Rhino also has certain titles form John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock. We must remember that this does not include every title ever produced for each of these artists, but if you check the Rhino website, this all just might have you quickly salivating like me. I am very excited by what might be coming down the road!
The first two reissues in the series are The Cars, The Cars (self-titled) and John Coltrane, Coltrane's Sound. Please see my comments below on each including some comparisons of original and other reissue pressings. The next round of Rhino High Fidelity releases will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Cars, The Cars
The self-titled Cars debut album was one of my favorites as a young man during my college years, and it still strikes a chord every time I play it. Just recently, my young adult kids were over for a weekend visit, and I couldn't keep them out of my listening room when the needle dropped while preparing for this review. There is something addictive about this new wave classic that just grabs your attention and has you strumming along with the beat and singing along with the lyrics.
Released in 1978 on Elektra Records, it reached number 18 on the Billboard 200 and was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA. Three of the most popular singles from the album included "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friends' Girl," and "Good Times Roll." With the help of my audio buds, I had four different pressings at my disposal. Almost all sounded outstanding, so we obviously have a strong foundation to work with here.
Mastered by George Marino, the 1978 original would seem hard to beat, as the level of detail and attack is quite impressive. It absolutely rocks, and I would be very happy if this was my one and only copy. The 1980 Nautilus, which was half speed mastered by Jack Hunt, is surprisingly very much like the original with some minimal improvement in transparency and dynamic punch. Most would be hard pressed to hear the difference. Of course, the super quiet Japanese vinyl might be contributing to this. We also have the 2009 Mofi, which was half speed mastered by Shawn Britton. In my system, I found it to be dark and somewhat veiled. Bass was just too prominent to my ears. It was almost impossible to sit through the entire Mofi after hearing the OG and the Nautilus. I am a huge Mofi fan, so this was very disappointing.
Now we have the new 2023 Rhino High Fidelity reissue, mastered by Kevin Gray. As good as the OG and Nautilus were, the improvement in sound quality was clear and immediate. The sound stage was now well beyond my speakers from front to back and left to right. The separation and air around the various instruments and vocals were much better defined with a solid three dimensionality that really drew me into the music. We talked about speed and detail earlier, but the Rhino stepped it up another notch. Be prepared to fasten your seat belt on songs like "Bye Bye Love" and "All Mixed Up." Guitars, drums, and vocals will explode throughout your listening room. Lastly, there was also a proper warmth and heft to the mids and bass that was just missing before. Not overly done, which can be the case with some audiophile reissues. Just nicely presented with a wonderful sense of ease and realism. All in all, Rhino and Kevin Gray have hit this one out of the ball park!
John Coltrane, Coltrane's Sound
Coltrane's Sound was recorded during his My Favorite Things sessions in 1960 and was released in 1964 on Atlantic Records. The musicians included John Coltrane on soprano and tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Steve Davis on piano and Elvin Jones on drums. The legendary Tom Dowd was the recording engineer for these recordings. Included as a supplement, his additional comments about the sessions and the way that Coltrane would prepare for these recordings was fascinating. Almost like a classical musician preparing for a concert, there was a definite process that he followed for warmup and even his interaction with the other musicians as they arrived. Great reading!
Many critics consider this one of Coltrane's most highly under rated albums, as he transitioned from a more traditional style to his alternative and unique spiritual efforts like A Love Supreme and Ascension. There is something about this music that finds itself both more grounded and soulful when compared to some of his other recordings. Elvin Jones and a young McCoy Tyner each shine during solos on several of the tracks, yet it is still Coltrane who takes center stage. His solos are so tasteful and sophisticated. My favorites are during the two tracks "Equinox" and "Satellite" on side two. Nothing is wasted or forced. Nothing is over the top. Despite the moderation, you get a slight hint of what is yet to come in his personal arsenal, and it makes you yearn for even more.
When considering his Atlantic years, Coltrane's recordings do not have the reputation for sound quality when compared to those produced by his contemporaries on the Blue Note, Prestige, and Verve labels. I don't have an original pressing, but I do have the ORG 45 RPM reissue mastered by Bernie Grundman in 2015. Like other 45 RPM pressings, there is an abundance of musical information and definition. Timbre and tone are excellent. Sound stage and imaging cannot be faulted. All of this reminds me of the sound quality typically found on many of the labels mentioned above. Bernie did a fantastic job!
When compared to this new Rhino High Fidelity 33 RPM reissue, we are very close, if not the equal. That says a bunch for a 33 RPM when compared to a 45 RPM pressing. The one result on the Rhino that stands out is the piano reproduction. Not exactly the gold standard on either reissue because of what remains on the tape, Kevin Gray has somehow used his magic to bring out the additional warmth and weight of the real thing. There is much less pinging and ringing going on when Steve Davis hits those keys! Not a big deal, but it does add to the musicality of the playback. Congrats again to Rhino and Kevin Gray for another excellent job!
Final Thoughts
Let's return to that Rhino catalog and all that it could possibly offer to the audiophile enthusiast. We need to send our wish lists and raise our hands if not bring out the megaphones! Of course we have the Led Zeppelin catalog, but that has been debated ad nauseum on several internet websites and forums. It seems that those in control will not allow it. Can you imagine a Kevin Gray mastering for Led Zeppelin II? There have been several very good reissues for the Black Sabbath catalog, but the original UK pressings are still the ones to beat based on my own comparisons with various other collectors. Lets get those original analog UK tapes and hand them over to Kevin! I also have a copy of the 45 RPM John Coltrane, Giant Steps released by Rhino in 2008. Some argue that this is best pressing ever and by a wide margin! One of the top ten jazz releases of all time as ranked by many jazz experts. Bernie Grundman did a fantastic job on that reissue but there was only a limited production of 2500 copies. Lets take another shot at those tapes as part of the new Rhino High Fidelity series! Check Discogs on any of the above, and you will see that there are very few LPs for sale, and even those are selling for several hundreds of dollars regardless of condition. Keep your fingers crossed that these two will just be the first of many favorites to come!
Rhino Records: www.rhino.com
