Sound: 6.2
Pressing: 5.1
Value: 7.3
Original released by Columbia Records in 1975. Catalog number: KC 32706. Recorded in 1972. Recording engineer: Dixon Van Winkle. Remix Engineers: John Guerriere & Russ Payne.
Pure Pleasure reissue released in 2008. 180g vinyl. Catalog Number: Columbia PPAN 32706. UPC: 5060149620540. MSRP: $35. Buy on Amazon.com
Introduction
Nice lineup. Stan Getz, tenor saxophone. Chick Corea, electric piano. Stanley Clarke, bass. Airto Moreira, percussion. Tony Williams, drums. Chick Corea composed all the songs except Lush Life. Corea, Clarke and Airto played together in the famous jazz fusion group, Return to Forever.
Sound: 6.2
This record probably sounds about as good it can, given the unnatural and distracting production choices made on the original. Overall, the sound is uneven and overproduced. Getz’s sax sounds at times shouty, forward, wandering, and overly reverberant–like it was recorded in a subway station. Percussion sounds equally out-of-context and layered on. Drums sound small and compressed. I actually think this record would sound better with less revealing gear. It needs to be homogenized in order to be coherent.
(See reference system for context on sound evaluation.)
Pressing/Packaging: 5.1
What is more disappointing than the sound is the pressing quality of my copy. It has a moderate edge warp, and a tiny scratch in the middle of side two that makes a dozen loud ticks. There is also a strange issue going on with the lead-in grooves. Both sides have several loud whooshing rotations right before the track starts. Not good.
Value: 7.3
If you like the theoretical advantages of buying reissues instead of the uncertainties around purchasing on eBay, I recommend you purchase the Pure Pleasure version. At roughly $35 US, it’s in line with other quality reissues. Although my copy had some pressing problems, my luck with Pure Pleasure releases has been quite good. Nobody bats a thousand in this game.
Pure Pleasure reissue LP on Amazon.com:
