Gold Watch: RCA Goes For The Gold

From the archives: RCA's first foray into the gold CD market

(This feature originally appeared in Issue 5/6, Winter 1995/96.)

RCA has chosen well for its first foray into the gold CD market. Surrealistic Pillow is arguably the Jefferson Airplane’s best album—and it is clearly the group’s best sounding album, having been recorded by Dave Hassinger at RCA’s Hollywood Studio. Both the Nilsson and Reed albums were (mostly) recorded at Trident in London by two very capable engineers, and both offered outstanding sound on LP. The Elvis is a classic mono recording (the cover famously stolen by The Clash for its London Calling album).

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

RCA 07863 66598-2 gold CD

Produced by: Rick Jarrard

Engineered by: Dave Hassinger

Mastered by: Eddie Tallia (stereo transfer), Mike Hartry (mono transfer), Bill Lacey (audio restoration)

Music: 10

Sound: 10

This is worth owning just for its inclusion of the superior mono mix which is more gutsy and direct, and far less reverberant. On the other hand the stereo mix is big and airy and silky, with outstanding high frequency extension and fine bass articulation. What’s in the middle ain’t bad either.

The hard driving “Somebody to Love” is really the exception to this album which is ballad rich and true to the group’s folky roots. Enough about the music, surely you’re familiar with it: what you want to know about is the sound.

I’m always leery when I see a “restoration” credit on an album, but fortunately the overall balance on the stereo mix is true to the original “black dog” pressing. It differs in two ways: some of the air on top is gone and so is the extreme high frequencies in the hiss. Reverb is somewhat dried up and doesn’t translate into a different spatial plane.  Overall, the sonic picture is slightly darker than the original vinyl, but still very good.

The mono mix, as on the Airplane box set, sounds like a second or third generation compared to the original mono LP. It’s seriously rolled on top. But, finding mono pressings is tough, and without comparison to the LP, it’s good.

Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson

RCA 07863 66599 gold CD

Produced by: Richard Perry

Engineered by: Robin Geoffrey Cable

Mastered by: Eddie Tallia (digital transfer), Bill Lacey (audio restoration)

Music: 9

Sound: 9

With Mobile Fidelity’s gold CD (UDCD 541) out of print, this is the only game in town, and it’s comparable to MoFi’s version, which means it sounds much better than the tracks from this set which appeared on the Nilsson compilation RCA issued last year. That transfer offered a harsh top end, poor image focus and little depth. If this goes slightly the other way with a bit off the top and some upper midrange suckout, so be it. This is a nice digital transfer, smooth and easy on the ears. Nonetheless, if you want to hear that genuine Trident drum snap!, pick up an original vinyl pressing, Dynaflex and all. You can find a clean, flat quiet pressing for $5. I did, and it even came with a poster.

Lou Reed - Transformer

RCA 07863 66600-2 gold CD

Produced by: David Bowie and Mick Ronson

Engineered by: Ken Scott

Mastered by: Mike Hartry (digital transfer), Bill Lacey (audio restoration)

Music: 8

Sound: 9

I don’t know what they did here, but the midrange on “Vicious” is sucked out to the point where Lou kind of disappears from the mix. On the other hand the top end of the original vinyl is rolled off, so the CD sounds much more extended and detailed on top, with outstanding cymbal sound and not a trace of harshness.

The original pressing has much more midrange warmth and energy, more ballsy bass and a bigger soundstage. Reed’s voice tends toward harshness on sibilents. The gold CD sounds more polite, pristine and focused. Aside from “Walk On The Wild Side,” is this bit of pseudo-homosexual fluff-camp worth buying on a gold CD? Your choice.

Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley

RCA 07863 66659-2 mono gold CD

Produced by: Uncredited

Mastered by: Dennis Ferrante supervised by Chick Crumpacker (digital transfer), Bill Lacey (audio restoration)

Music: 9

Sound: 6

While the music is classic, the original recording clearly is not. The differences between tracks on this gold CD and the same tracks on the first Elvis box set are anything but profound. Overall the sound goes from harsh (“Blue Suede Shoes,” “Just Because”) to distant (“I’m Counting On You”) to almost “field recording” quality (“I Love You  Because”)—and I use the term “field recording” as a complement in the sense that it sounds live and off the cuff, as if the mic was eavesdropping on the performance. I like  that. Unfortunately, it also sounds dated and not at all “hi-fidelity.” I’ve never heard an original pressing of this album but I suspect it has more hiss and much less processing. The music on this disc sounds “restored” and that I don’t mean as a compliment.