GRANT GREEN - EASY

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

It’s no secret that I’m not overly fussy about the sound on particular releases. But this time it’s a bit different.

And I know this isn’t an album that is likely to appeal to many, as it’s generally regarded as commercial trash. But I like it, and have since it came out. Despite never having had a copy with decent sound.

I got a copy of the original LP in July 1978. Well, it was OK, but side 2 was pressed off-centre. I think they all were. My mate bought about ten copies over the years and only found one that wasn’t off-centre. The sound was OK, without being as clear as I would have liked (all the Versatiles were like that).

So, when Charly issued the album in the UK, on the Atlantis label in the mid eighties, I bought a copy of that one. Only to find that the sound was total crap! Very tinny, to use a technical term.

So I snapped up the CD version issued by the Canadian firm Unidisc when that came out in 2001. This sounded pretty much like the LP; OK but not really clear.

And this history of unsatisfactory issues is the reason I find this recent remastering of the album such a pleasure. It was issued by Essential Media Group last year and I’ve only recently caught up with it. And the sound is pretty good. I did a back to back comparison and both Grant Green and Hank Crawford seem a good bit clearer now; less swamped by the backings. It’s a real pleasure for me now to listen to this.

My only complaint with the new issue is the sleeve. The original sleeve (and the Unidisc issue) looked somewhat washed out, which was absolutely right for the picture. This is it.

The Essential release has been spruced up and looks a lot brighter and a bit greener (rather like the recording ). And more of the train (part of what was on the other end of the gatefold sleeve) has been included. This has meant that some extra clouds that weren’t in the original photo have had to be invented. See?

Oh really…

MG

[DMP]

I also like this album, and it's certainly no worse than Green's other later work on Blue Note and Kudo. A "commercial" setting, to be sure - sort of a poor man's "A&M" period piece - but the tracks are long, there are a couple of other soloists, and Green himself sounds great.

[DMP]

Picked this issue up this afternoon, and it almost sounds like a different album! (Sound-wise, that is - the music is the same easy listening it always was.) Thanks for pointing me to it.

[shaft]

MG

Thanks för pointing it out!

I just ordered it and it will be my first version of the work.

/Shaft

PS i just yesterday listened to his excellent Born to Be Blue (with Sonny C)!!

[ghost of miles]

Some previous discussion of the album.