Wednesday, July 13, 2005

A Royale pain: great music, lousy fidelity



When I found a near-mint copy of Percy Faith on Royale (in EP form), I felt very lucky--until I listened to the thing. Much high-frequency "scritch" in the louder passages, and no way to eliminate it completely without muffling the sound. I did manage to make decent files of the first two tracks, but the remaining pair were hopeless. So, I'm only able to present half of Royale EP 119, though half a vintage-lounge masterpiece is better than none:

http://box.net/public/lee/files/278955.html Begin the Beguine, 1947. Orig. released on Majestic.

http://box.net/public/lee/files/278954.html Dancing in the Dark, 1947. Originally released on Majestic.

I managed to keep the "scritch" at a minimum, and the results are more than bearable, sonically. These superb arrangements are positively Satanic by the standards of Rock, the religion of which forbids strings and flutes in its churches. Faith works wonders with both, wondrously working them into the symphonic mix--scritch or no scritch.

(Please save, rather than open, files for best results. Thanks!)

Lee

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