Deodato – A Brilliant Rudy Van Gelder Recording from 1973

Hot Stamper Pressings of Recordings by Rudy Van Gelder

This Is Yet Another Well Recorded Album that Should Be More Popular with Audiophiles

Listen to the trumpet on the second track on side one — it’s so immediate, it’s practically JUMPING out of the soundfield, just bursting with energy. Rudy can really pull off these big productions on occasion, and this session was clearly one of them. If you have the kind of stereo that’s right for this music (the bigger the better) you could easily find yourself using this record as a demonstration disc. It’s very unlikely your audiophile friends have ever heard anything like it.

Both sides are especially full and rich. The congas are present in the mix and very full-bodied — this allow them to really drive the rhythmic energy of the music. We know this because the copies with congas that were veiled or thin never seemed to get up go. The bass on these two sides was some of the best we heard as well.

The top is most often the problem with these CTI pressings. Both sides here seem to give you all the top end that was on the tape.

There is wonderful transparency and openness to the soundstage, as well as less congestion in the loudest parts. Also Sprach (2001) is on side one of the album and it is KILLER on the best pressings.

Both sides are also surprisingly sweet and Tubey Magical, nice qualities for a CTI record to have since so many of them are aggressive and edgy to the point of distraction.

Full, lively horns; rich, punchy, smear-free congas; fuzzy fuzzed-out guitars; as well as correct tonality and Tubey Magic in every area of the spectrum, what’s not to love?

So much bigger than most copies too. There is no doubt that you will hear the difference immediately. If you do a shootout with your best copy and ours plan on it being over practically before it starts.

Reaching Back to 2009

Dropping the needle on a random copy of Prelude early in 2009 we found ourselves pleasantly surprised by the sound. It was big, bold, spacious and extended up top. This is Rudy Van Gelder’s work circa 1973 and that means it can be a whole lot better than many of the compressed-to-death, hard, sour and squawky recordings he made in the ’50s and ’60s.

Of course he made plenty of great ones back then too, don’t get us wrong, but it seems that most audiophile reviewers don’t make much of an effort to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. We’ve played plenty of both and have no trouble telling the difference.

Artists and Personnel

  • Eumir Deodato – piano, electric piano
  • Ron Carter – electric bass (solo on “Baubles, Bangles and Beads”), bass
  • Stanley Clarke – electric bass (solo on “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)”)
  • Billy Cobham – drums
  • John Tropea – electric guitar (solo on “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001),” “Baubles, Bangles and Beads,” “September 13”)
  • Jay Berliner – guitar (solo on “Spirit of Summer”)
  • Airto Moreira – percussion
  • Ray Barretto – congas
  • Hubert Laws – flute (solo on “Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun”)

as well as a large number of horns, woodwinds, violins, violas and cellos

  • Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder
  • Arranged by Eumir Deodato

TRACK LISTING

Side One

Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)
Spirit of Summer
Carly & Carole

Side Two

Baubles, Bangles and Beads
Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun
September 13

AMG Review

“2001” — a clever, up-tempo Latin-groove takeoff on the opening measures of Strauss’ tone poem suddenly exploded and became an improbable hit single. In its wake, Prelude soared to number three on the pop LP charts, and Deodato was propelled out of the arranger-for-hire business.

Though overshadowed by “2001,” the other tracks also hold up well today, being mostly medium-tempo, sometimes lushly orchestrated, conga-accented affairs that provide velvety showcases for Deodato’s lyrical electric piano solos… it still makes enjoyable listening.

Background

Prelude is the eighth studio album by Brazilian keyboardist Eumir Deodato, released in 1973. With the signature track “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)” (an arrangement of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey), Prelude would be the biggest hit Deodato and CTI Records ever had.

The album features guitarist John Tropea on three tracks, bassists Ron Carter and Stanley Clarke, and Billy Cobham on drums. The funk-influenced version of the “Introduction” from Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra, entitled “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)”, won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and went to number two in the pop charts in the US, number three in Canada, and number seven in the UK.

Wikipedia

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