CSN&Y - Deja Vu ----------Classic Records 200g

[Johnny Vinyl]

Anyone have this?
Opinion?

Looking at getting a NM/NM copy of this to add to my collection as I'm a huge fan of this album.

[Bill Hart]

I think that record is a mess. I have several copies-- old pressings and the Classic. They each have track to track variability; can't tell you offhand which one sounds best to me, but I can do a comparison at some point.

[Rob]

I think that record is a mess. I have several copies-- old pressings and the Classic. They each have track to track variability; can't tell you offhand which one sounds best to me, but I can do a comparison at some point.

Bill, how does the MFSL 1/2 speed stack up?

[Bill Hart]

Bill, how does the MFSL 1/2 speed stack up?

Rob I don't know that I ever heard it- is this old MoFi, interim MoFi or "new" Mofi? And cut at 33 or 45 if gnu?

[Johnny Vinyl]

I think that record is a mess. I have several copies-- old pressings and the Classic. They each have track to track variability; can't tell you offhand which one sounds best to me, but I can do a comparison at some point.

Do you specifically mean the CR reissue or across the board?

[Bill Hart]

Do you specifically mean the CR reissue or across the board?

Across the board- the Classic probably went back to the best mixed down master they could lay their hands on and that's going to have limits. My recollection was it was recorded and or mixed in a bunch of different places, I think they were already fighting w/ each other, etc. So, whatever is on the original mix down (or even the multi tracks if they still exist, I don't know) is what it is. (If the multi tracks still exist, perhaps some of that could be "fixed in the mix" but that's a stopgap). Do you have any copy just to hear what I'm talking about?

[Johnny Vinyl]

Bill, how does the MFSL 1/2 speed stack up?

Sorry for interjecting....Haven't done a comparison to my various pressings in a long time, but I quite liked the original MFSL. I'll be doing one shortly however as I have a French WHITE cover (already have a French with the brown cover), plus I'm gettin a Dutch Atlantic PLUM.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Across the board- the Classic probably went back to the best mixed down master they could lay their hands on and that's going to have limits. My recollection was it was recorded and or mixed in a bunch of different places, I think they were already fighting w/ each other, etc. So, whatever is on the original mix down (or even the multi tracks if they still exist, I don't know) is what it is. (If the multi tracks still exist, perhaps some of that could be "fixed in the mix" but that's a stopgap). Do you have any copy just to hear what I'm talking about?

See post above.....and yes I heard this as well.

[Bill Hart]

Sorry for interjecting....Haven't done a comparison to my various pressings in a long time, but I quite liked the original MFSL. I'll be doing one shortly however as I have a French WHITE cover (already have a French with the brown cover), plus I'm gettin a Dutch Atlantic PLUM.

Be interested to know how the plum sounds. I don't think I have any European copies of this album- probably a Piros, maybe another US Atlantic- i remember sorting through the older pressings I had at one point to find a decent copy. And, I have the 33 on Classic. Haven't listened to the record in any form in a while. One of the problems -and part of it was the era- was that the artists could keep re-doing stuff to get it perfect- this was the age when multitrack really started to come into its own. So, what happens, I think, is the genuineness of a "real" performance gets lost- perhaps there were mistakes made in one of the takes, but if they were all playing together, I'd rather hear that- there's a certain quality to the musicians playing together and feeding off each other, which I prefer to the sound of punching in overdubs after the fact, even though the overdub may be technically or musically "better." Know what I mean?

[Johnny Vinyl]

Yeah...I know exactly what you mean!

[Rob]

Rob I don't know that I ever heard it- is this old MoFi, interim MoFi or "new" Mofi? And cut at 33 or 45 if gnu?

AFAIK there's just one MFSL, 1-088. the legend among traders/collectors was an issue with the stampers and far fewer copies of Deja Vu were pressed than any other title. I got one last year for about 60 bucks, not too bad actually.

[JCOConnell]

while deja vu is a pretty rare mofi title, its not the rarest but $60 is a good price. the rarest is with the beatles , that's the one there was an issue with the stampers and they just short printed the title.

[Rob]

Its not the rarest, there were fewer copies in circulation than most other Mofis. The highest value Mobile is the UHQR of DSOTM.

[Bill Hart]

The one I sort of wanted, but never was willing to spend on, was the Ry Cooder Jazz. At the Austin Record Fair last year, one vendor had a whole table of various UHQRs and other records that every dyed in the wool reader of HP and the Stereophile of a certain age had or wanted. I said, 'I guess it was an audiophile, huh.' He just smiled.

[Bill Hart]

AFAIK there's just one MFSL, 1-088. the legend among traders/collectors was an issue with the stampers and far fewer copies of Deja Vu were pressed than any other title. I got one last year for about 60 bucks, not too bad actually.

And sonically? If it is an old MoFi, some are great, some are messed with and don't sound good compared even to a standard issue. I assume this is one of the "good" ones....

[Rob]

it still in my book case at the office, haven't taken it home yet. You can borrow it for your future Vinyl Press shoot out, just tell me when

[Bill Hart]

Thanks, to quote the Godfather, some day I may call upon you....
Nice, Rob.

[Johnny Vinyl]

If you do...let me know. I could contribute some pressings.

[Bill Hart]

See post above.....and yes I heard this as well.

Johnny, just a quick web cruise turned up this article with some quotes from the artists about the recording- sounds like they were all over the place: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/crosb...young-deja-vu/

[Johnny Vinyl]

Johnny, just a quick web cruise turned up this article with some quotes from the artists about the recording- sounds like they were all over the place: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/crosb...young-deja-vu/

When you think about their personal struggles (and maybe demons) at the time it's amazing they actually managed to put this out. And as we all know, Neil can easily create controversy, which Stephen isn't above either.

[Bill Hart]

When you think about their personal struggles (and maybe demons) at the time it's amazing they actually managed to put this out. And as we all know, Neil can easily create controversy, which Stephen isn't above either.

Right, but that pain is also part of the art. The piece also talks about how some of the parts got overdubbed and lost the raw vitality of the original tracks. Plus, it points out that only a handful of the tracks were recorded with them all in the room at the same time. Before multi tracking became common, and there were only a few tracks to play with, the musicians had to play the song together and get it right. No chance for re-dos or if they did, it was often another take. You know how that works- at a certain point, the life of the thing gets lost- like peaking on take 2, and takes 3-47 all sort of suck in different ways. But, if you paste a little of one to a little of another, and overdub the vocal here, and add something there....
In the process, the thing gets robbed of its raw urgency.

[MylesBAstor]

Speaking of cuts that never made it, did anyone pick this album up?

[Johnny Vinyl]

I haven't, no. Opinion?