Hot Stamper Pressings of Recordings by Rudy Van Gelder Available Now
The really good RVG jazz pressings of All the Kings Horses sound shockingly close to live music — uncompressed, present, full of energy, with the instruments clearly located and surrounded by the natural space of the studio.
As our stereo has gotten better, and we’ve found better pressings and learned how to clean them better, his “you-are-there” live jazz sound has begun to impress us more and more.
Obviously the credit must go to Rudy Van Gelder for recording and mastering the album so well.
Contrary to what you may have read, the early-70s were a good time for Van Gelder.
All the King’s Horses from 1973 is an amazing Demo Disc for large group jazz.
But it only sounds good on the copies that it sounds good on, on the pressings that were mastered, pressed and cleaned right, a fact that has eluded most jazz vinyl aficionados interested in good sound since the advent of the LP.
But not us. We’ve played the very special pressings that prove the album can sound amazing.
The best pressings are spacious and full of life with virtually no distortion. Of special note, our shootout winning copy had amazingly articulate bass which brought out the undeniable funkiness of the music in a way that no other copy did.
There’s so much life in these grooves.
The sound jumps out of the speakers right into your lap.