SOME STUFFS: Audio Fidelity to release remastered SACD’s by The Doors and Joe Cocker

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.

SOME STUFFS: Audio Fidelity to release two volume “Legends” CD compilation

Steve Hoffman has released a wide range of CD remasters and compilations that have demanded his expertise, and how he’s handling a new compilation, this one a two volume series in cooperation with Time-Life Music. Called Legends, one volume is called Crank It Up while the other is called Get It On, bringing together 34 of some of the best classic rock ever made, most of which were radio staples back then, as they are now.

A few of these tracks have been remastered by Hoffman before while others are brand new to the scene. The compilations feature music from the likes of Chicago Transit Authority, Grateful Dead, Foghat, Elton John, The Doobie Brothers, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Bad Company, T. Rex, Deep Purple, and many more. If you haven’t bought the full album remasters Hoffman has gone recently for some artists, consider these tracks a preview of what you’re missing out on.

Each album will be released on a hybrid SACD, which means they’ll play on standard CD players as they will on Super Audio CD players. All of these were taken from the original master tapes, which means they may be the best you’ll ever hear these songs. Both volumes will hit stores on June 4th.

VIDEO: Zack Kim’s “Bold As Love”

A few years ago, Korean guitarist Zack Kim was showing off his great skills on the guitar, by playing two of them at the same time to recreate what you hear when you play the first world in Super Mario Bros.:

People thought he was either a music genius, or a fake, with some people commenting that it was virtually impossible to do what he does. Obviously, they aren’t aware of keyboardist Ray Manzarek doing something similar 44 years ago:

Kim continues to make music today, modifying his song to something quite nice. Here is his version of Jimi Hendrix Experience‘s “Bold As Love”.