A Charlie Brown Christmas

[sal]

I've been without my favorite Christmas album of all time for my last two Christmases since giving my original copy to my then-girlfriend. Saw today at Borders that it was just re-issued in 24 bit and decided to spring for it with the coupon. I think people will be shocked at what a job the engineers did with this re-mastering. The bass and brush work are SO clear now, that I'm hearing things that I never heard before. Not sure yet how I feel about this. There's no doubt that the sound is vastly improved, but with an album this familiar, it almost sounds like a different recording.

Anyways, for any fans of this holiday classic, you might want to check this out. You will notice a difference.

[tjobbe]

mhh, I believe that the SA-CD version already was a major improvement to the previous OJC. Is there any indication that they "again" re-worked that record that would even make that new one sounding better ?

Cheers, Tjobbe

[DukeCity]

I'm not even sure which version I have of it. I put all my Christmas music into one big playlist in iTunes, and use that.

One of my favorite moments on that record is O Tannenbaum. VG plays a rubato statement of the theme in 3/4 time and then bass and brushes enter swingin' in 4. That, and the very tasty VG solo that follows.

[sal]

mhh, I believe that the SA-CD version already was a major improvement to the previous OJC. Is there any indication that they "again" re-worked that record that would even make that new one sounding better ?

Cheers, Tjobbe

I think they may have remastered it yet again. This is from the Concord website....

Vince Guaraldi Trio

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered w/Bonus Tracks)

FCD-30066-2

A special remastering of Vince Guaraldi’s beloved soundtrack album. Includes 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks and original album artwork.

*Remixed in stereo and 24-bit remastered from the original tapes

*Original cover art reinstated with the approval of the Estate of Charles Schultz

*Released in a Digi-Pak for the first time

*New liner notes by famed music critic/historian Joel Selvin which incorporates an interview with original producer Lee Mendelsohn

*A timeless classic with everlasting appeal!

[Claude]

I haven't heard any version of this album except for the MP3s from Emusic, but this new remix and remaster seems to be rather controversial, according to the extreme opinions expressed in this thread on the Steve Hoffman forum:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=93596

[tjobbe]

I've had the US OJC and bought the SA-CD when it came out and I personally preferred the SA-CD by far and sold the OJC...but that release was neither overly compressed nor crippled by noise reduction.

Thanks anyway Claude for that link to the Hoffman forum thread.

Cheers, Oliver

[BruceH]

I like my old version fine.

[etherbored]

those folks over at the SF forum have a little too much free time. this new issue is breathtaking indeed. the remix is killing, imho. it's really nice to have 'greensleeves' again.

also, there is no noise reduction...

-e-

[tjobbe]

you can currently download Greensleeves at emusic as free track...

Cheers, Tjobbe

[mikeweil]

I like the SACD's sound (which I bought on tjobbe's recommendation) a lot and, contrary to most on the Steve Hofmann Forum, think it improves a lot over the previous CD - but those bonus tracks are tempting. Let's see if Universal Europe makes this available in time.

Edited November 27, 2006 by mikeweil

[tjobbe]

I'm just downloading the bonus tracks only not contained on the SA-CD via emusic. I'll check them out later.

Cheers, Tjobbe

[sheldonm]

those folks over at the SF forum have a little too much free time. this new issue is breathtaking indeed. the remix is killing, imho. it's really nice to have 'greensleeves' again.

also, there is no noise reduction...

-e-

....agreed!

[Jim Dye]

I just got this as a gift today. After listening, I think many of the tracks listed as masters are alternates as well. It's not just a remix. The solos are different on Linus and Lucy and maybe a couple of others. I'll have to A/B the old CD and see what is different.

[Ron S]

I just got this as a gift today. After listening, I think many of the tracks listed as masters are alternates as well. It's not just a remix. The solos are different on Linus and Lucy and maybe a couple of others. I'll have to A/B the old CD and see what is different.

There's what appears to be a good explanation of this by a reviewer on Amazon:

Clearing the air on this gem of a reissue..., December 6, 2006

Reviewer: Joseph M. Luca - See all my reviews

No, this is not your father's A Charlie Brown Christmas album. As has been pointed out here already, there's a different mix and alternate takes. But some points should be brought to a prospective buyer's attention so as to truly appreciate what's been done here.

The remix by Stephen Hart serves 1 purpose - to clean up a poorly recorded (even by mid-sixties standards)soundtrack. Noise reduction was used to remove excessive hiss, and the new mix was re-eq'd to accomodate listening by today's standards. It had been suggested that some left hand work by Vince is lost in this mix, but that is highly unlikely since, although probably recorded on a 4-track machine, the trio appeared to have had each of their instruments recorded in mono. Stephen merely places each instrument slightly to the left,center, or right in order to give a "live club" spaciousness to the sound, rather than the typical studio panned mixes we hear today.

In my opinion, people who are disgruntled with the actual sound of this disc have just been used to the original mix for so long that this appears foreign to them. They're just not used to it. If they long for a 60's sounding disc - they should simply convert their vinyl album to cd-r!

As for the replaced takes...that's another story altogether. Regarding the "wrong take" of "Linus & Lucy": the one presented on this reissue is actually the one that was used in the film (and this marks the first time this take was made commercially available). All previous issues of this soundtrack album used the version from the A Boy Named Charlie Brown documentary soundtrack.

We've NEVER had a commercially available version of the take of "Christmas Time is Here" (either the vocal or instrumental version) from the film, and this reissue is no exception, it is as the initial Fantasy release had it. The excerpt from "Christmas is Coming" in the film is to short to determine what take was finally used in it. The version on the new disc is NOT the one on the original issue, nor is the alternate bonus track.

Also, the take of "O Tannenbaum" is not an alternate version, but rather offers an arpeggiated chord introduction that apparently was overdubbed as an afterthought and was later cut out from the initial release. The version of "The Christmas Song" is the same as the original, not another take which was previously reported.

On a last note, there's a pleasant surprise at the end of "Skating," which is the same take as the original issue, but dosen't fade out and we're able to hear Vince's trio finish the song outright. Ditto for the instrumental track of "Christmas Time is Here" (though the effect is less dramatic). Jazz tunes were not meant to fade out!!

Should more care have been taken in letting the consumer know about these changes? Absolutely! But in spite of their...um... carelessness, this new reissue is a must have for all Vince & Charlie Brown Christmas fans.

Amazon page.

There's also some interesting additional discussion between another person and this guy if you click on "Comments" after his review.

[Jim Dye]

Thanks, Ron!

[Stefan Wood]

After reading several pages of this topic on Hoffman's forum, I realize that those guys are a bunch of old hens clucking away. I really question how those guys "listen" to music -- bunch of anal retentives.

Edited December 15, 2006 by Stefan Wood

[Kevin Bresnahan]

After reading several pages of this topic on Hoffman's forum, I reaize that those guys are a bunch of old hens clucking away. I really question how those guys "listen" to music -- bunch of anal retentives.

I agree that some of those guys go a bit overboard. Many of them are great guys whose opinion I value. Don't put too much into reading one thread, particularly this one. Why? This thread is an example of when it's a bad idea to solicit an opinion over at the Steve Hoffman forums: when SH has worked on the master for another label. NEVER talk about another version of a session if there's a SH version. You'll never get anyone to agree with you and you'll likely get booted for disagreeing with Steve.

In my experience, Hoffman never seems to "like" any other version of a recording he worked on. Proof? Check his post #172 in the thread in question. Hoffman says, "Well, I have not heard the new mix but I understand what you mean by "space" or lack of it." Say what?? He's posting on a thread about a newly remastered CD and comes on and tells everyone, "Try and find the common and cheap "old" Fantasy CD", when HE'S NEVER HEARD THE NEW REMASTER??

I love Steve Hoffman's work but sometimes, he's wrong. I have to say, this may be one of those cases.

The worst thing about topics like this is that you simply cannot argue this with SH. If you do, you'll be "gorted" off the site quicker than you can say, "Steve, aren't you wrong to...". That's a big weakness at those forums. Steve's opinion is gospel, even if he has never even heard the CD being discussed.

Kevin

Edited December 15, 2006 by Kevin Bresnahan

[Teasing the Korean]

One thing the reviews I've read don't address is the jazz underscore in A Charlie Brown Christmas which does not appear on the orginal LP or this expanded reissue, from what I can tell. Of course, as an album, they were probably going for more of the Christmas feel than a typical jazz sound. Are there any Vince Guaraldi experts out there who know anything about this music? Was it merely tracked in from his other LPs, or was it written for the show? If the latter, where are the original recordings?

[Stefan Wood]

After reading several pages of this topic on Hoffman's forum, I reaize that those guys are a bunch of old hens clucking away. I really question how those guys "listen" to music -- bunch of anal retentives.

I agree that some of those guys go a bit overboard. Many of them are great guys whose opinion I value. Don't put too much into reading one thread, particularly this one. Why? This thread is an example of when it's a bad idea to solicit an opinion over at the Steve Hoffman forums: when SH has worked on the master for another label. NEVER talk about another version of a session if there's a SH version. You'll never get anyone to agree with you and you'll likely get booted for disagreeing with Steve.

In my experience, Hoffman never seems to "like" any other version of a recording he worked on. Proof? Check his post #172 in the thread in question. Hoffman says, "Well, I have not heard the new mix but I understand what you mean by "space" or lack of it." Say what?? He's posting on a thread about a newly remastered CD and comes on and tells everyone, "Try and find the common and cheap "old" Fantasy CD", when HE'S NEVER HEARD THE NEW REMASTER??

I love Steve Hoffman's work but sometimes, he's wrong. I have to say, this may be one of those cases.

The worst thing about topics like this is that you simply cannot argue this with SH. If you do, you'll be "gorted" off the site quicker than you can say, "Steve, aren't you wrong to...". That's a big weakness at those forums. Steve's opinion is gospel, even if he has never even heard the CD being discussed.

Kevin

You are right, Kevin. It is just one topic -- though I have seen variations of this discussion regarding jazz, classical and rock cds as well. The world of audiophiles is an eclectic mix. No more than any other obsession. But the posts in that topic were really trite!

Edited December 15, 2006 by Stefan Wood

[chris olivarez]

So Hoffman never admits to being wromg? Is he per chance a GWB devotee?

[etherbored]

One thing the reviews I've read don't address is the jazz underscore in A Charlie Brown Christmas which does not appear on the orginal LP or this expanded reissue, from what I can tell. Of course, as an album, they were probably going for more of the Christmas feel than a typical jazz sound. Are there any Vince Guaraldi experts out there who know anything about this music? Was it merely tracked in from his other LPs, or was it written for the show? If the latter, where are the original recordings?

ever since picking up the soundtrack/score for 'the great pumpkin' years ago, i've wondered the very same thing!

someone somewhere @ fantasy knows...

-e-

[Kevin Bresnahan]

So Hoffman never admits to being wromg? Is he per chance a GWB devotee?

I think the answer to the first question would be 'Yes' and by reading his opinions on today's topics, 'No' to the second one. The SH forums forbid political talk so I can only guess at that last one.

Don't get me wrong, SH seems like a super-nice guy. I just don't like it when he speaks in absolutes most of the time. Many of the posters, maybe following his cue, do the same. They compare recordings with very subtle differences and then blurt out these proclamations that only one of them is "the one" and by extension, everything else is crap.

Kevin

[Claude]

I haven't checked what Steve Hoffman posted on that thread, but he sometimes makes recommendations without having listened to all the options involved.

His standard response concerning Fantasy reissues is to get the old OJC CD versions, because they are "flat" transfers (no manipulation of the sound) of the original master tapes, many of which he has heard. But that doesn't mean later remastering can't be flat transfers as well, and better sounding.

[chris olivarez]

So Hoffman never admits to being wromg? Is he per chance a GWB devotee?

I think the answer to the first question would be 'Yes' and by reading his opinions on today's topics, 'No' to the second one. The SH forums forbid political talk so I can only guess at that last one.

Don't get me wrong, SH seems like a super-nice guy. I just don't like it when he speaks in absolutes most of the time. Many of the posters, maybe following his cue, do the same. They compare recordings with very subtle differences and then blurt out these proclamations that only one of them is "the one" and by extension, everything else is crap.

Kevin

Since I have an adverse reaction to people who never admit to being wrong and since I do tend to question things and raise objections from time to time I probably wouldn't fit in over there. Thanks Kevin.

[Teasing the Korean]

One thing the reviews I've read don't address is the jazz underscore in A Charlie Brown Christmas which does not appear on the orginal LP or this expanded reissue, from what I can tell. Of course, as an album, they were probably going for more of the Christmas feel than a typical jazz sound. Are there any Vince Guaraldi experts out there who know anything about this music? Was it merely tracked in from his other LPs, or was it written for the show? If the latter, where are the original recordings?

ever since picking up the soundtrack/score for 'the great pumpkin' years ago, i've wondered the very same thing!

someone somewhere @ fantasy knows...

-e-

I never even knew there was a soundtrack release for the Great Pumpkin! I really love the music on the Thanksgiving show too. Lots of funky Fender Rhodes on that one...