Comments on Profile Post by spwath

Thinking about Chicago's first album, I only have Chicago II and all the later crap. Chicago II is good, however, the rest I have, 10 and later, is not so good. Also thinking about some more prog rock, I'm getting into that genere but don't have much.

FYI - King Crimson has a massive amount of live material available for download at dgmlive.com from all eras. For many of the shows you can download an MP3 for free and a FLAC for fairly low cost. Go to tours, then filter by a year and tap on downloads. They also rate each performance by sound quality. If it has 4 to 5 Gordian knot rating then you can be sure the quality is good.

Good to know, I'll check it out. Also reminded me, I need to get in the court of the crimson king on vinyl. And good source for a good version of that?

I'm not a vinyl buyer so maybe someone else will chime in.

There is no good version on vinyl. Buy the CD from the original tapes. There's a 2cd set from around 2010 with both the remix and the original mix.

I think Chicago's first album is their best. (II and IX: Greatest Hits are only other ones that interest me.) I was going to recommend CTA http://tinyurl.com/ke6wklu but I see that it has really gone up in price. You may find it elsewhere for a more reasonable price. Chris Bellman cut the vinyl. (The CD on that listing sucks, btw.)

I agree with @Psalmanazar about the CD/Audio DVD set from 2009. (A super expensive Super Deluxe came out in 2010.) My original US LP sounded bad (distorted, sort of) from day 1 (bought new) except 21st Century Schizoid Man (my favorite track, anyway). I did some research on LPs. I trust this poster: http://tinyurl.com/m4t7926 . You could pick it up new for $20 something, shipped - http://tinyurl.com/l9kzphy .

Yeah the reissue probably comes from the CD which was made from the master tape and original instrumental tracks Fripp lost in the 60s and found in the early 2000s. The original lp was made from a generational copy and doesn't sound good.

Just don't get the hdcd version of the set. The current pressings are normal CDs but Fripp was smart and never enabled the peek limiting anyway.

A Prog-Rock album that is a real standout to me is 'Yes - The Yes Album'. If you want an LP, don't get this one: http://tinyurl.com/l2qfvgw . If you are okay with a download, this one gets my highest recommendation: http://www.hdtracks.com/the-yes-album?format=FLAC
Edit: I would avoid the MFSL CD/SACD - Lack of dynamics and huge bass. They messed up on this one.