Audiophile label Audio Fidelity are doing it again with new releases scheduled for release on or around June, and these two are good. The Best Of The Doors was a compilation album released by Elektra in 1973 and if the cover looks different from what you’re familiar with, this was used for the quadraphonic pressing, the vinyl of which was still being made in the mid-1980’s (I know, since I bought a copy with the black and red label). For the first time, you will be able to hear these songs in 4-channel sound on the hybrid SACD, while the CD side is said to be in “original 2-channel stereo”. Not sure if that means the quad mix in stereo (what you would hear on vinyl without having a quad system) or if it’s stand-alone stereo mixes, so we’ll see.
Joe Cocker’s debut album brought him to an audience that would stay around for decades, and thus it’ll be nice to hear a newly remastered version of With A Little Help From My Friends. Outside of The Beatles cover that is the famous title track, the song also features the radio staple “Feeling Alright”, aloing with “Just Like A Woman”, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “I Shall Be Released”, and “Sandpaper Cadillac”. While the radio concentrates solely on two songs from this album, there are reasons why this remains one of the best classic rock/blues rock albums around, and ten of them can be heard here. As for actual help, Cocker had some good friends around, including bassist Carol Kaye, guitarist Jimmy Page, organist Steve Winwood, guitarist Henry McCullough (later a member of Paul McCartney & Wings), and we can’t forget the ladies who were on “Feeling Alright”, which inlcuded Merry Clayton and sisters Brenda and Patrice Holloway. With A Little Help From My Friends was not released in quad so the SACD is standard stereo on both sides.
This Is Book's Music 