Elvis author and expert Gordon Minto listened to the new RDM-Edition release 'Presley -The Essential ‘50’s Masters', and shared his thoughts exclusively on Elvis Day By Day.
Now before those of you of advancing years - and / or those who have a heart condition - become apoplectic with rage at the very thought, please remember that opting for this medium is not mandatory: you do have a choice, but please, let that choice be based on the aural evidence and not on prejudice. Thank you! …
Many will recall the summer of 1992 when BMG issued its 5 CD / 6 LP version of the ‘50s masters. It was, quite rightly, hailed as a major historic release (the first of its kind) and earned its producers - Ernst Mikael Jorgensen and Roger Semon - a fully-deserved raft of accolades within and outside of the record industry though, unfairly and cruelly, it never won the industry awards it ought to have done. More importantly though, it earned the team the admiration and respect of collectors around the world. But now, more than 32 years later (yes, I’ve counted!) there’s a relatively new medium on the block which offers a new way of hearing this utterly vital and seminal musical collection. I’m talking of the digitally extracted stereo version that was released recently, the work of long-time fellow fan and audio wizard, Anthony Stuchbury who, courtesy of the French label RDM, has issued his own version of this set - but in stereo!
However, before dipping into this set more closely, it’s worth setting the scene. Older fans and collectors will be more than familiar with what was referred to as ‘electronically reproduced stereo’ introduced into the industry by RCA in the early 1960s. Without question, it was an unmitigated disaster and an aural abomination. I won’t go into how the process worked (not least because I don’t really care and it’s undeserving of any lengthy explanation): suffice to say that what it invariably meant was that clear mono recordings were presented in a ghastly slightly out-of-phase sound in an attempt to simulate some channel separation, often laden with overbearing echo. So, what makes DES any different and does any of this really matter when, historically, fans were used to hearing (and liked) mono recordings?
Once again, I won’t attempt to explain the science behind this latest innovation (which by the way, isn’t new, as the process has been around for some while, sometimes successfully, other times less so). Those using it have simply got better at using the process. But this is quite possibly the most ambitious Elvis project yet. And so, curious to know what this sounded like, I sampled some earlier attempts and then bought this set - certainly not with the intention of replacing or supplanting my original mono masters but rather to complement them. Subsequently, I was then invited to write about it independently from a buyer’s point of view - and much like the recently issued undubbed Memphis ’69 recordings that appeared on Sony’s 5 CD Memphis set they too were offered not as a replacement for the masters but rather to complement them. Inevitably, as with that set, the resulting audio experience arouses interesting but also sharply different points of view. As regards the reworked ‘50s set, purists (who have always favored mono, come what may) may well be appalled and denigrate such releases out of hand, shocked by the very notion, while others who are more inclined to weigh up the advantages (which I will touch on later) will - sensibly in my view - keep an open mind and reserve judgement until they have actually heard the end results. And although I’ve always liked mono recordings myself (for that’s how they appeared originally - in fact, it was the only option! - and how I heard them in the first place), I’m not anal about them: I also like good stereo recordings for their clarity and audio image, especially when listening on a hi-fi. Self-evidently, if you are playing this set without having stereo capability (two speakers) then it will be somewhat pointless.
Charges of messing with the man’s music is a common criticism and one which I have voiced my opinions on in the past when the objective appears to be to change what was there originally. And here, I’m thinking of the bogus spliced takes releases and use of AI (the bizarre practice of presenting Elvis singing songs he never actually sang!) which, in effect, wholly misrepresent what was done in the first place and thus alter history. However, where DES is concerned I understand that the process adds nothing new but, vitally, nor does it take anything away (other than unwanted extraneous noise). Put simply, it uses highly sophisticated processes to achieve this. Remember, quite recently, this type of equipment was employed very effectively by no less a person than Peter Jackson on very poorly recorded and damaged personal tapes of John Lennon that were later used to construct a ‘new’ Beatles’ track, to considerable acclaim. By separating the frequencies it is now possible to entirely reconstruct a song by cleaning up the audio (taking out intrusive tape hiss, pops and crackles) but critically, during the reconstruction phase, aligns the information in such a way to simulate a stereo image whereby the information is now spread across two channels instead of one. It is groundbreaking technology but, like all such innovations, has to be operated and managed skillfully. Happily, that is the case with the newly-remastered ‘50s material presented here.
But before getting into the set properly, it’s also worth reminding ourselves of something so obvious that it tends to be overlooked. When playing in a studio setting, the engineer’s job was to capture the collective sound from all the participants, each of whom would be miked separately in lots of cases and that information was then fed into a central recording console where the engineer, or producer, would alter the levels of the incoming information to achieve a balanced sound that was to everyone’s liking. If we take Elvis’ Sun recordings as an example, Scotty’s guitar ran through an amplifier and the sound was picked up by a microphone placed in front of it, while Bill’s upright acoustic bass was miked up directly to the desk. Meanwhile, Elvis’ mic sent his vocal contribution (along with his acoustic guitar which was not miked up separately) also back to the desk. Each of those incoming sounds were then balanced in terms of sound levels before being transferred to magnetic tape. And so, when people blithely say that Elvis recorded in mono that is not strictly true: it was that the mixing of those disparate sounds that produced a mono (single) combined sound. Crucially though, don’t forget: DES does not add things that were not there in the first instance.
I am pleased to report that the excitement was palpable and the experience completely joyous - enhanced on this occasion by a fine clean sound and the fact that I was hearing things that previously had been buried in the mix. Yes, in some cases that may take a little while to work, and it's likely that with regard to the Sun recordings, some of what you hear on this set may unsettle some people, particularly those inclined to regard it as tantamount to treason! And to be fair, though aurally very clear, I found Bill’s bass level fluctuated quite a lot on the Sun material - though let’s not forget that he had his limitations: he wasn’t the world’s best bass player. But it also served to remind me of the absolutely crucial role Scotty’s guitar work was on these tracks: he was the musical glue - and held it all together (what a pity he was relegated from that role as time went on). Happily, Elvis’ vocal is sublime throughout and the speed of his journey towards vocal maturity and self-assurance truly astonishing.
I was also extremely impressed with the King Creole tracks, especially Stuchbury’s ability to capture the horn section so well. These are revelatory and deserve a hearing. I would venture to say that even if stereo versions of the original tracks turned up (it’s almost certain that they were recorded in binaural as Radio Recorders had long had that capability) they would be no better. The producer’s ‘ear’ for these tracks and his imagining what the stereo image would have been like is very impressive indeed. And, again, that’s the thing: just as Ernst Jorgensen gets criticized for choices he makes when working on Elvis’ tracks, so too will Tony - but that doesn’t mean either of them are wrong, simply that you may not agree with what they have chosen to do. It’s called professional judgment.
Inevitably, as with many other things, this comes down to personal preference and choice. It really should not be a binary one. Overall, I am highly impressed and like what I have heard and genuinely believe that this offers an enhancement to the music we all love so much. And while I would never claim that it has rendered the originals redundant, for me the fact that I have heard things that were there on the original recordings much more clearly than ever before means they are worth having in my collection and revisiting when I choose to do so. Others though, I understand, have criticized the sound for being too clinical and sterile but again that’s down to personal preference.
If I’m honest - which I aspire to be as much as is humanly possible - I am very relaxed about this (and, all joking aside, there are far more important issues to concern ourselves about). I not only applaud the technical achievement this set exemplifies but can report that I enjoyed the experience very much and intend to repeat it soon! I believe anything that helps remind us of Elvis’ monumental musical achievements in those formative years is to be welcomed. In particular, I was reminded of his untutored and uninhibited vocal delivery that was exhilaratingly free of artifice and musical conventions. He was, unquestionably, a true original, and a vocal genius.
But you didn’t really need me to tell you that, did you?
© Gordon Minto - December 2024.
You can listen to previews of all songs on the >>> RDM-Edition website (and buy the CD there too if you come to the same conclusion as Mr. Minto).
The book is available online from the authors for the reasonable price of 50GBP at the >>> ELVIS UK Books webshop.