[Don_S]

I am interested in the sound quality of these reissue box CD sets. I read reviews on Amazon but I have no idea of the audiophile level I am finding there. I have an above average system that makes good CDs sound excellent. Unfortunately it reveals all the shortcomings of poor recordings.

In addition to the high cost of the boxes I have to consider how many times I listened to this music when it was new. I was and am a big Joni Mitchell fan but have somewhat outgrown her and crave new music. I wonder how much play they would get. Some of the memories they bring back are not that great. Still, I would like better recordings than the CDs I currently have if the quality is a lot better.

Thanks for any information.


https://www.amazon.com/Asylum-Albums-1972-1975-Joni-Mitchell/dp/B0B7W62QW4/ref=sr_1_3?crid=29L55D0NQX9SK&keywords=joni+mitchell+cd&qid=1677031351&sprefix=joni+mitchell%2Caps%2C502&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Joni-Mitchell-Archives-Reprise-1968-1971/dp/B097N26YHW/ref=sr_1_11?crid=29L55D0NQX9SK&keywords=joni+mitchell+cd&qid=1677031922&sprefix=joni+mitchell%2Caps%2C502&sr=8-11

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Don, I can tell you that a lot of the music is not recorded well and sounds like crap.  I have thought about buying the whole collection but I was able to listen to some samples and they were bad.

[Letitroll98]

Just buy a good reissue of Blue, everything else is superfluous.

[Don_S]

Don, I can tell you that a lot of the music is not recorded well and sounds like crap.  I have thought about buying the whole collection but I was able to listen to some samples and they were bad.

Thank you.

[Don_S]

Just buy a good reissue of Blue, everything else is superfluous.

I do not share your opinion. How was your post supposed to be helpful?

[newzooreview]

I just pulled up a few of the tracks on Qobuz from each of these new collections. There is a mix of home or demo recordings and unreleased studio recordings. The home recordings have some tape hiss, but they sound clean and listenable. It's consistent with the character and sound of demos from other artists that I've heard from the period, and whenever I like the artist I can enjoy raw and unpolished demos like these.

I have the high resolution remastered recordings of Blue and Ladies of the Canyon, and the studio recordings on these collections (or the ones that I listened to) do not sound as good as those two albums. However, there is nothing to detract from enjoying the music. There is bass and soundstage in some cases, and in others it is a bit more flat but never getting in the way of the music.

I think if someone likes Joni Mitchell and wants to dig into the archives from this period, there is plenty to enjoy without being put off by imperfect sound.

[Bob Stark]

Hey Don,

IF you want ALL your CDs to sound much better in all ways--including and maybe especially the fair to poor recordings, try Auric Illuminator II.  It is the much improved version of the first batch.  I bought two kits initially because I heard a friend's CDs that were standard redbook and treated.  It was a very big upgrade treated.  If you're willing to do a one time bit of effort that lasts forever, this is the one to use.  It also does the same thing with the DVDs.  This is made by the Audience (cable) company.  Each kit costs $50.  I have done over 300 discs with one kit and have about 40% of the solution left.  It takes about 1.6 hours to do the all the steps for all 9 discs done at one time.  That's how many I do.  I have a very good sounding system with a Modwright Sony 5400 Signature Truth CD/SACD modded/upgraded further.  The difference after doing these steps is remarkable.  I have nothing to do with this company other than using this product.  I will be able to do about 500 discs per kit bought.  Every single disc in my collection that has been done was like I had a serious component upgrade.  Other than effort at using a particular marking pen, applying the solution and polishing the disc once it's dried, plus the cost of about 10-15 cents/disc, there are NO drawbacks.  You will find new pleasure in every one of your disc.  Ones that you thought weren't worth listening to will suddenly be very good sounding and therefore more interesting in the music , too.  I've done CDs, DVDs, SACDs, Blu-Rays, and 4Ks.  The sound and picture on the optical discs are both improved.  I do a batch of 9 discs overtime I listen, sometimes two until I have all my discs done.

If you have many discs, it is highly worth the time and a little money.  I've done many tweaks and upgrades to my system over the years.  This is as big an improvement, maybe more, as any of them.
Bob

[Don_S]

Bob,

Thanks. I have not seriously spun disks in decades. I have a music server with music loaded. I am not going to start over. My CD player is in a box in the closet.

Topics are open to everyone so hopefully your information will be useful to others.

[WGH]

I have the Remastered Joni Mitchell Asylum Albums 1972 - 1975 set
Disk 1: For the Roses
Disk 2: Court and Spark
Disk 3: Miles of Aisles (live album)
Disk 4: The Hissing of Summer Lawns

The remastered recordings sound like 2022, not like the original vinyl albums I bought between 1972-1975. My turntable and albums are still packed away until I finish the remodel but going by memory the new sound is cooler, clearer with less depth. I have the HD Tracks 24bit/192kHz download if that makes a difference but I wouldn't be surprised if the albums were remastered in hi-res and downsampled to 16bit/44.1kHz for the CDs.

I usually use HQPlayer to upsample all PCM to DSD256 which removes the digital edge, increases depth/low level information (if there is any on the recording) and generally makes the music more analog sounding (usually). The resulting sound was excellent but one more step away from my memory, i.e. a little too clear sounding. I went back to using JRiver, which has a slightly different presentation: not as crystal clear with a warmer little mid-bass bump. JRiver can make everything sound real good, not excellent, but good enough. The JRiver magic brought the Mitchell remasters closer to the original vinyl without the ticks and pops.

If you never heard the original vinyl (with $12/oz Mexican weed) then you can't go wrong with these digital remasters. A thread in Audiogon says:
"The technical notes shows average of 12DR for all four albums which is pretty good. And Bernie’s is darn good at remastering albums."

[Letitroll98]

I do not share your opinion. How was your post supposed to be helpful?

Okay, you're right, I surrender, and Ladies of the Canyon.


Actually I'm somewhat serious.  Most artists have one or two transcendental albums.  For the best artists they have a few great songs on other albums, a few break the rules and have three fabulous albums, but a bunch of people will argue about that third one.  Even Joni, who I love beyond words, only excelled enough to create that emotion on those two albums.  She reinvented herself as a jazz singer as her voice deteriorated from the smoking, and they were lovely, memorable works, but they're not Blue, which was transcendental.  I apologize for pushing my opinions on you.

[Don_S]

Okay, you're right, I surrender, and Ladies of the Canyon.


Actually I'm somewhat serious.  Most artists have one or two transcendental albums.  For the best artists they have a few great songs on other albums, a few break the rules and have three fabulous albums, but a bunch of people will argue about that third one.  Even Joni, who I love beyond words, only excelled enough to create that emotion on those two albums.  She reinvented herself as a jazz singer as her voice deteriorated from the smoking, and they were lovely, memorable works, but they're not Blue, which was transcendental.  I apologize for pushing my opinions on you.

No problem. I do not like the Jazzy Joni either. Maybe it was the time of my life when I heard certain albums is what resonates with me. I am particular to her early works "Song to a Seagull" and "Clouds". They came early in my appreciation for music and fall down the rabbit hole of equipment. I remember searching album bins and waiting for her next release. I remember reading the back of Judy Collin's album "Wild Flowers" and wondering who the heck Joni Mitchell was. That was my introduction.

But I might vote "For the Roses" as my second favorite behind "Blue". I also like her live albums for the better recording quality. e.g. "Miles of Aisles". Other times lyrics resonate with me more than the accompanying instrumentation.