Miles Davis – Kind of blue – Review – (Over 30 versions tested included vinyl records (MOFI, Analog Production, SACDs, CDs, Streaming), mono to Atmos.

[Jean.Francois]

Hello,

Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", released in 1959, is often cited as one of the most influential jazz albums of all time.

However, an interesting technical detail about this album is the speed problem that affected some of its tracks. Initially, the album's master tapes were recorded at a slightly lower speed, resulting in faster playback and a higher pitch when the discs were pressed.
This problem particularly affected the first side of the album, where the tracks were played half a tone above their original pitch. It wasn't until 1997 that reissues of the album began to correct this problem, by adjusting the speed to reflect the musicians' original intention.

This difference in speed is also visible on the spectrum below, making it easier to measure the speed difference.

It is not possible to test the hundreds of versions of this album available, but this review contains over 30 versions, from 1960 to the present day, on all media (vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, SACDs, streaming), from mono to Dolby Atmos, with prestigious editions such as MOFI, Analog Production...

For this part 1 of the review, you'll find the first 10 tested versions among 30 versions: 5 Vinyl records (included MOFI, Japanese 2020 ), 2 SACD in stereo and 5.0 (included MOFI ), BNF stereo and Movo Fontana 1960.


We can distinguish two main categories in the rendering of this album.
A brighter rendering (attenuated bass, see spectrum analyse below), which is more faithful to the 1960 stereo version, and a more balanced rendering, which refers to the 1960 mono version we tested.
On the latest remastered versions, it is the balance of the 1960 mono version that is used for the stereo versions (e.g. MOFI), and retained for the mono versions.

Spectrum Ed 10 BNF Mono Fontana ref 682 059TL - 1960 (white) vs Ed 9 BNF stereo Fontana ref 885113 TY - 1960 (blue)
The stereo version has a clearer rendering, with a lower bass level (blue curve in the green zone)

Spectrum Ed 2 Vinyl ref : CS 8163 - NA-13-2011 - 2010 (white) vs Ed 1 Vinyl MFSL ref 2-45011 - 2015 (blue)
The MFSL version has a less clear rendering, with a higher bass level (blue curve in the green zone)


High-resolution samples are available for all versions HERE, as are all measurements (waveform, spectrogram, spectrum, spatialization, DR).

To follow, 20 additional versions like Analog Production's vinyl editions (33 rpm and 45 rpm), and other versions on CD, HDTT, vinyl, DVD, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360RA...

Enjoy listening,
Jean-François

 

[Leporello]

Hello,

Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", released in 1959, is often cited as one of the most influential jazz albums of all time.
View attachment 387326

However, an interesting technical detail about this album is the speed problem that affected some of its tracks. Initially, the album's master tapes were recorded at a slightly lower speed, resulting in faster playback and a higher pitch when the discs were pressed.
This problem particularly affected the first side of the album, where the tracks were played half a tone above their original pitch. It wasn't until 1997 that reissues of the album began to correct this problem, by adjusting the speed to reflect the musicians' original intention.

This difference in speed is also visible on the spectrum below, making it easier to measure the speed difference.
View attachment 387333

It is not possible to test the hundreds of versions of this album available, but this review contains over 30 versions, from 1960 to the present day, on all media (vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, SACDs, streaming), from mono to Dolby Atmos, with prestigious editions such as MOFI, Analog Production...

For this part 1 of the review, you'll find the first 10 tested versions among 30 versions: 5 Vinyl records (included MOFI, Japanese 2020 ), 2 SACD in stereo and 5.0 (included MOFI ), BNF stereo and Movo Fontana 1960.


We can distinguish two main categories in the rendering of this album.
A brighter rendering (attenuated bass, see spectrum analyse below), which is more faithful to the 1960 stereo version, and a more balanced rendering, which refers to the 1960 mono version we tested.
On the latest remastered versions, it is the balance of the 1960 mono version that is used for the stereo versions (e.g. MOFI), and retained for the mono versions.


View attachment 387334
Spectrum Ed 10 BNF Mono Fontana ref 682 059TL - 1960 (white) vs Ed 9 BNF stereo Fontana ref 885113 TY - 1960 (blue)
The stereo version has a clearer rendering, with a lower bass level (blue curve in the green zone)

View attachment 387335
Spectrum Ed 2 Vinyl ref : CS 8163 - NA-13-2011 - 2010 (white) vs Ed 1 Vinyl MFSL ref 2-45011 - 2015 (blue)
The MFSL version has a less clear rendering, with a higher bass level (blue curve in the green zone)


High-resolution samples are available for all versions HERE, as are all measurements (waveform, spectrogram, spectrum, spatialization, DR).

To follow, 20 additional versions like Analog Production's vinyl editions (33 rpm and 45 rpm), and other versions on CD, HDTT, vinyl, DVD, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360RA...

Enjoy listening,
Jean-François

Which one of the 30 versions is closest to the original recording?

 

[Jean.Francois]

Which one of the 30 versions is closest to the original recording?

Of the first 10 versions tested, the BNF versions from 1960 are the closest, but not necessarily the best to listen to.

 

[Mschn]

Once upon time I listened to an interview on radio. A Swedish jazz musician was asked which jazz album had influenced her the most. "Kind of Blue", was the answer. Long time no hear, I thought. Rummaging through my record collection I found I didn't have a copy of this album. I dealt with this problem in short order.

/Martin

 

[Joe Smith]

Just something perfect about it...I come back to it time and again. Hard to pick favorites with Miles, but this and Nefertiti and In A Silent Way are others that rise to the top for me.

 

[Fahzz]

I have the Sony Gold CD which I believe was speed corrected?

 

[Steven Holt]

Well, what I can tell you : if you have only one Jazz album in your collection, this should be the one. The genius of Kind of Blue never ceases to amaze.

 

[Steven Holt]

It wasn't until 1997 that reissues of the album began to correct this problem, by adjusting the speed to reflect the musicians' original intention.

Mr Francois, do you know -- did Miles approve the final version, or did the Producer approve the final version?

 

[TunaBug]

Mr Francois, do you know -- did Miles approve the final version, or did the Producer approve the final version?

Miles Davis died in '91, so neat trick if they got his approval for a '97 release.

I do have to wonder though if anybody knows the real story about the speed "mixup" of the originals. Pure speculation on my part, but what if it didn't get "fixed" until after his death because maybe he liked the "wrong" speed of the original releases? Heck, do we know that the original speed was a mixup, and not intentional? It's probably a mixup, but are there any interview with Miles where he comments he expresses regrets about it being the wrong speed?

 

[TunaBug]

@Jean.Francois thank you for your post. I just finished reading the longer article on magicvinyldigital.net.

Kind of Blue was my gateway into Jazz. I'm in my mid-50s and only "discovered" Jazz a small number of years ago, hooked since then. A few things happened around the same time to enable that: a) Watching the "Bosch" series on Prime, which uses Jazz to great effect for much of the background music, b) learning how to rip SACDs, and c) lucking into a copy of the MFSL's Kind of Blue SACD in the local record store. Those three things together opened up a new rabbit hole.

 

[Timcognito]

IMO, Hate to say it, and please don't take this wrong posters and OP but this kind post, takes away from the mastery of Kind of Blue. It would have to be a pretty bad version to ruin it or Beethoven 's 6th, Brubeck's Take 5 ... It transcends the technology, the room, the venue, etc.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Great stuff. I listen to this album every few months and have for many years. It's a perfect example of what was happening in jazz at the time it was recorded and the players are marvelous.

 

[Fahzz]

For your reading pleasure:

https://www.amazon.com › Kind-Blue-Making-Miles-Masterpiece › dp › 0306815583

The Fifth Element #34

Mark Wilder, senior mastering engineer for Sony Music Studios, looked expectantly from John Atkinson to Bob Saglio to me and asked, "Are you ready?" As it had been my inquiry that had resulted in this mind-boggling, once-in-a-lifetime, peak-experience get-together, and as no one else was...

www.stereophile.com

 

[amper42]

So What!

One of the most interesting Jazz musicians of all time was brought into public view under the wing of Miles Davis with this famous "Kind of Blue" recording. John Coltrane played pentatonic sequences like no other. "Kind of Blue" launched the Tenor saxophonist future to become a legend. As with most legends his days were numbered way too short. It was important to get the recording updated with the correct pitch so transcribers and wanna be players wouldn't have to work so hard learning the phrases.

 

[Petrushka]

Just looked through my FLAC collection, and I have two versions. I bought mounds of jazz at garage sales.

 

[jhwalker]

IMO, Hate to say it, and please don't take this wrong posters and OP but this kind post, takes away from the mastery of Kind of Blue. It would have to be a pretty bad version to ruin it or Beethoven 's 6th, Brubeck's Take 5 ... It transcends the technology, the room, the venue, etc.

... but surely you would still want the "best" (i.e., most faithful to the original performance) version, right? IOW, why listen to an old, scratchy, poorly-mastered version when you could have a "better" one to enjoy even more?

 

[Timcognito]

... but surely you would still want the "best" (i.e., most faithful to the original performance) version, right? IOW, why listen to an old, scratchy, poorly-mastered version when you could have a "better" one to enjoy even more?

Oh I don't know my ~ 1968 version that played for my first real girlfriend and the Gold Cd mentioned above and whatever and how many ever versions there are on Qobuz are good enough for me. Davis was a genius as stylist as was Evans, but Cannonball and Coltrane were the true innovators. Not knocking the greatness of the album but there are so many great ones from that period.

 

[TunaBug]

IMO, Hate to say it, and please don't take this wrong posters and OP but this kind post, takes away from the mastery of Kind of Blue. It would have to be a pretty bad version to ruin it or Beethoven 's 6th, Brubeck's Take 5 ... It transcends the technology, the room, the venue, etc.

I agree with your comment "It would have to be a pretty bad version to ruin it or Beethoven 's 6th, Brubeck's Take 5 ... It transcends the technology, the room, the venue, etc". But I do not think it takes away from the music by knowing there are different releases that sound different. My read of the article was that it was factual in describing differences and steered well away from hyperbole or judgement.

I appreciate knowing that there are different versions available and how they sound different, especially for some of the more "important" pieces. In this day when differences in most parts of the playback chain are undetectable, it's nice to know that there are differences in releases that can perhaps impact that listening experience nearly as much as changing listening rooms or buying new speakers. Knowing there are different versions makes me informed. And the whole process of mastering and releasing and who is working from what tapes...that's a complete black box for me and I'm grateful for any insight since it actually can have an impact on the sound.

 

[Fahzz]

For your viewing pleasure:

 

[snakedctr]

Which one of the 30 versions is closest to the original recording?

536 versions!

https://www.discogs.com/master/5460-Miles-Davis-Kind-Of-Blue

I have the 1997 version, Columbia CK 64935.

https://www.discogs.com/release/368061-Miles-Davis-Kind-Of-Blue