Boz Scaggs – Silk Degrees

Not worth it. Mastering is average at best, though better than the OG Japan and US pressings. Record is flat and silent, and comes in a sturdy jacket with inserts & artwork. The best way to hear Boz is on the Music on Vinyl pressing of Hits - the mastering on that release is incredible.

Absolutely awful. The recording sounds completely boxed-in, with zero sparkle. Something went very wrong on this pressing.

Absolutely awful. The recording sounds completely boxed-in, with zero sparkle. Something went very wrong on this pressing.

This album sounds amazing, deep bass and pronounced mids and highs. Fantastic pressing!

jon.scanlon:
"It gets a bad rap because it's a different mastering and a different sound (not everyone would want that) and it's charged at a premium price to get, as you say, a sound "just as good as the OG from '76"."

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What exactly do people dislike about this CBS Half-Speed remastering? I'm already aware of the missteps that CBS engineer newbies committed on their maiden voyage of this "audiophile" series. Born to Run, Discovery, etc. reportedly have ridiculous compression, exaggerated upper frequencies. Off The Wall, otoh, is supposedly phenomenonal sounding. The remastering of Silk Degrees, to my ears, was done right, too. Here are the pressings I own and and what I hear, after comparing my 1976 ish with my 3 copies of the 1981 Half-Speed:

1976 Santa Maria pressing:
-1BA S2 / -1BB S2 matrices. TML-M stamped both sides

1981 Half-Speed Mastered:
-1AF / -1H
-1E / -1C
-1C / -1B

The original issue sounds slightly darker, or "warmer", than the Half-Speed remaster. The latter is a tad brighter, clearer, with a bit more "air". David Hungate's bass sounds fine on the original. But on the 1981 remaster a thin veil is removed from his bass, which is not only clearer in definition but also deeper, more extended, without sounding artificially bloated. I imagine this is closer to what his bass amp sounded like in the studio or in a concert setting - a bit rawer, more aggressive, with more texture.

Likewise, Jeff Porcaro's drums have more air on the 1981 remaster. They're not boosted or "moved" forward, to my ears, but the improved clarity alone removes any hint of murkiness. Porcaro's high hat is a bit sharper, more defined on the remaster, too.

Boz and background vocals sound about the same on both the TML and Half-Speed mastering, the only general difference is, again, the upper-mids eg vocals, are ever slightly brighter, with more "air".

Re the vinyl itself, all 3 Half-Speed pressings are near silent compared to my crackly 1976 issue. Of course, a minty copy might prove better.

So, the changes are only subtle and do not introduce a drastic revisionism; it's pressed on quieter vinyl. All in all, the Half-Speed remaster is a winner (to me, of course; ymmv), and one of the three copies cost me only $10 + postage + sales tax in 2022.

I remember Lowdown being in a little snippet of a Garry's Mod animation.

IMO Absolutely don’t bother getting this ..
this isn’t done well or with any care unfortunately.

Very good sound quality. No noises.
Fine pressing. Good alternative to the original pressing.

Memorable melodic lush polished tight & quite elegant mid 70’s blue-eyed soul-pop-rock w/ tasty backup from top notch sessions legends & future TOTO members including the late drummer Jeff Porcaro's master rock-steady rhythm & sense of impeccable time. Still one of the seminal rock albums of the 70s & a staple of “classic hits” FM radio today. You don't own this??
Smooth & classy.

Average sounding reissue. This album deserves better in my opinion. The music doesn’t go any beyond the speakers. Poor mastering I guess.