Great review. While the Legacy Edition, Album Collection and FTD do sound very close, they are all different masterings. Album Collection is by Vic Anesini but like many albums on that set it was redone from scratch to sound even closer to the original pressings. FTD was mastered by Sebastian Jeansson (outtakes mixed by Vic) and like much of his original album remasters since about 2011 the tape noise between tracks is left in (always thought that’s a nice touch). My personal verdict of the 3 2009- masterings of FEIM (some of this applies to Back In Memphis as well): 3. Album Collection (Anesini): it’s a very good remaster but has a tad (and I do mean tad) too much EQ boost in the upper mids for my liking. As stated earlier with the Album Collection the goal was to be more authentic to the actual pressings, for better or worse. If you have the hi-res or are streaming the album from Spotify etc. this is the mastering you’ll hear. 2. Legacy Edition (Anesini/Jeansson): the most balanced of the 3, sounding close to the Album Collection but with some of the edge rolled off. Was the way I first heard the album and despite my preference for #1 is currently the one on my iTunes/iPhone, go figure. 1. FTD (Jeansson): very close to the 2009 but with just a tad rounder, warmer sound that makes it more pleasing to listen to IMO.
Thank you, Ryan! And thank you for sharing the information on the different versions! I've pinned this comment to make sure others see the difference, as we haven't had a chance yet to dive in, and these are great, detailed comparisons! Also, very much agreed on leaving the noise in between tracks - it really gives a much more analog feel to the sound!
You guys are great! Just got aware of your channel and love it! What I‘d like to see is a show on John‘s favorite (it seems 😅): Collectors Gold. Cheers and tcb 🎉
I agreed 100%. I have really a lot of the FEIM Vinyl and CD Editions (incl the MoFi CD) in my Collection. The LEGACY CD Edition (and of course the FTD CD-Set) sounds absolutely phenomenal. But i must confess i still have a soft spot on "The Memphis Record" LP/CD from 1987 imo it sounds so very different and fresh to these old ears. Thank You John and Jamie!
Thanks, Harald! That's pretty cool on how many you have! And yeah, I do enjoy the Memphis Record for what it is, even if some of the mixing choices are a bit head-scratchy, lol! But Elvis's voice sounds especially great and up-front on it, in ways that aren't true for any other mixes of some of the songs!
They got a lot right with the legacy releases and not just the sound. I had all the original albums on CD from the 90s you could hear things that you couldn't hear on the vinyl. Vinyl works for the 50s recordings but for more sophisticated recordings CD is the better format. Or should be argee the sound was flat on the original release of From Elvis in Memphis. The Legacy release is the one to go to for sound and content.
Fantastic review as always John and Jamie I only have an early 2000 CD and of course the 60s boxset of these amazing masters but after you have spoken so highly about the legacy edition I must give that a try . I have the original 1981 Mobile Fidelity super vinyl made in Japan from the original master tapes of From Elvis In Memphis in near mint condition and it sounds amazing . I have viewed at least 3 audiophile channels on CZcams who have done a shootout between the 1981 version and the brand new 2023 Mobile Fidelity one step that comes in a box and is 2 albums as they are mastered at 45 Rpm on the latest super vinyl and from DSD digital files and at a retail cost of $150. Would you believe in every review the old 1981 vinyl mastered from the original master tapes wins hands down and all three reviews stated a much wider sound stage and more reverb. You know I won’t bother with the new release and get a legacy release thanks for the heads up John and Jaimie you guys are the greatest cheers Carl .
I forgot to ask guys does the legacy edition of From Elvis In Memphis have better sound quality than the FTD sessions of From Elvis In Memphis ? Cheers Carl .
Thanks, Carl! And that's really interesting about the 1981 release winning out, but not surprising. The 2000 CD is ok, but definitely grab eiyher the Legacy release or the Classic Album FTDs if you can. The 1969 Sessions release is also very, very good in terms of audio quality! If it was unedited, it would have been even better!
Completely agree. The 1981 release sounds phenomenal. And another I really enjoy is the K2 mastering from Japan, albeit, maybe a lil brighter, but still essential to the collection.
I bought the sacd and I was not blown away like I thought I would be by the sound. My original pressing of the album sounds just as good. I'll have to listen to the legacy edition again, I haven't heard it in a while. Thanks guys for a good review.
Morning guys such a great review, I love your honesty and humour? The legacy is also my go to version of this masterpiece? Not sure if you've do it already but would love to hear your views on the legacy 'On stage /In person release? Not since I owned the original vinyls have I heard these albums sound this good? Cheers JnJ ❤
I said it from the first notes of “Wearin’ That Loved On Look”, I already knew the Legacy Edition was going to dwarf the MFSL. I really wish that someone at Sony, (Vic) would try to remix the sessions all together again, but for me, the Legacy Edition is the way to go if you want the vintage mixes. Great 👍 work Jamie and John. 😊
Thanks, Francesco! Agreed - the Legacy is definitely the way to go with these masters. One of these days, I'd love to mix these sessions - I have an idea that's unlike anything that's ever been done before, and I think fans would love it!
@@EAPSocietyNow that sounds really exciting. Do you have Ernst /Sony/FTD s blessing or is that sumthin you’d personally like to do yourself? Would love to hear it !!!
Oh, we don't have any of that currently, but it's something that, if we can build the Society up enough, we could start doing. It would require licensing from Sony, because we would definitely want to do this through official channels. 😁
This legacy edition is probably the best of that series, along with That's the Way It Is. The mono single versions make it essential, and of course the mastering on the album is just about perfect! Do y'all know any details about those mono single sources? Some tracks definitely sound better than others. Kentucky Rain in particular is kinda dull sounding. But I'm very very glad they're on there.
Agreed! As for the mono, I don't - I would imagine most come from tape sources, though that's not always the case - and any source can vary due to age and a number of other factors. But I agree that it's great to have them on there!
@@EAPSociety I'll have a listen again, but I didn't hear any needledrop remnants or anything on the worse sounding tracks. Maybe the copies were only available for some, and maybe more noise reduction was used? We may never know.... There used to be a video here on youtube (might still be) of a promo mono mix of Burning Love - it was so weirdly bass heavy and buried Elvis' vocal. Rubberneckin' is much the same. That mono mix took some getting used to!!
Yeah, any of that is absolutely possible, or just tape damage over time, too. Especially since a lot of the mono mixes didn't get used much after the initial pressings, those reels might have been improperly stored. It's wild how long RCA went without a proper attempt at digital transfers and solid restorations!
@@EAPSociety Good point about the monos not being used - after the Gold Award boxes, they seemed to be forgotten about. That Hits of the 70s FTD would've been the perfect outlet for those mono singles!
Really interesting review guys. I first ''discovered' the album via "The Memphis Record" CD in around 1988/9 and that was via an Australian magazine called "The Ultimate CD" which gave the top 100 recommendations for buying CD's. Over time more things have of course since become more available and the market was flooded by the format. Those choices have pretty much been superseded by subsequent remasters & huge boxed sets etc. Ironic how the CD format lost popularity in favor of streaming and ironically overpriced vinyl LP's. I found a later (1980's ?) US pressing of the album on LP and I also have the superb 2 CD Legacy Edition (mine came without the 'Legacy' outer slip case). Plus the CD's in my 2 album collection boxes. Not compared them with the Legacy as yet. I've avoided buying the grossly expensive MFSL one-step 2 LP 45rpm version (here it's $250+ AUD 😮). Ultimately it's a lot of fancy packaging for essentially a single LP in which other versions have compared more favourably than that one. Thanks again guys. Cheers.
Thank you, Peter - and thanks for sharing that info, too! Yeah, so far at least, the SACDs haven't lived up to the hype. John and I have some thoughts on what we'd like to see, and we'll do a video on that later this year. 😁
Nice presentation of that CD. Did I hear it right that you said original vinyls sound better than CDs? Oh, further on you have said the later CDs sound as good as vinyls..yep. whatever turns you on🙄. John you are still teasing me with your teeshirts half displayed - open up that shirt babe😂😂😊😊
Hi, Gina! Thank you! Yeah, in our opinion the current CD masters are equal to the vinyls - vinyl sounds great, and finally the CDs do, too! At this point, preference is just a matter of what someone likes more. 😁 And I'll tell John in the next rounds of episodes to do a slow-motion flash of the t-shirt design, Fabio-style! 🤣🤣
that was some useful information on that album... i grew up in the "vinyl era" and lean a little in that direction, but i think it's good to appreciate both analog and digital, both have their audio aspects to value... it does not have to be either or... especially today with so much good remastering work carried out on Elvis recordings... ☺💙👍
Thank you, Helge! And absolutely - we lean more toward CDs, but it's good to enjoy both, and even more formats (when they use them properly, which imo SACD has yet to do).😁
I think the MOFI vinyl release that came out at the same time as the SACD sounds excellent, but the price is of course ridiculous. I haven't heard the SACD.
Hi John and Jamie! I have the legacy version of this one on CD that's my go to. Just a little bit to expensive for me to get the ftd I own a few that I enjoy. And I don't have any super audio.Have a great day! ⚡ TCB ⚡
Hi, Michael! Awesome - yeah, the Legacy is great. I can understand that with the FTD Classic Albums, better to save for the eventual complete sessions release, imo. Hope you have a great day, too!
Hello! I believe the master are the same, or very close, so the Complete Masters and/or The Album Collection sets would be very comparable to the Legacy release. 😁
Absolutely have to disagree here. Did you even listen to the SACD layer of the disc? On what equipment? I cant believe what you're saying. Your problem might be that you listened to the Legacy edition after having listened to the SACD? That might be the problem. The legacy edition is very loud, very "in your face". It's also pretty harsh. Listen to the Sacd again with the volume turned up. It's a very dynamic recoding compared to the Legacy. But once you've adjusted it's a very smooth, very "analogue" sounding conservation of the master tape. It even has some mistakes on it originating from the master. All in all way more differentiated than anything from CD. The best version is certainly the MFSL One-Step version. Absolutely magnificent. Too expensive though. Had to send it back. Next comes Speakers Corner, then legacy. Give the SACD a try and listen up.
Hi, Johnny! That's an original song that I wrote for the show, called "My Society" - I did the vocals (main and backups) and most of the instruments, and then John did the guitar! 😁
Thank you!! Yeah, we like hownit turned out, too, and 61/62 is exactly what we were going for. 😁 It's been fun to hear some folks thinking it actually was an Elvis song, because there's no AI on that at all! I do have the lyrics completed, but there's no full version yet - but the closest we have is our Season 2 teaser video here 😁: czcams.com/video/24rTDpQo8rw/video.html
@@EAPSociety Ha, sounds very authentic. Very similar sound production to the early 60's movies, eg Follow That Dream and Kid Galahad. Well done fellas :)
Yep - those are exactly what we were going for (with tiny touches of Blue Hawaii and It Happened At The World's Fair for good measure). Thank you, and well-spotted!
Great review. While the Legacy Edition, Album Collection and FTD do sound very close, they are all different masterings. Album Collection is by Vic Anesini but like many albums on that set it was redone from scratch to sound even closer to the original pressings. FTD was mastered by Sebastian Jeansson (outtakes mixed by Vic) and like much of his original album remasters since about 2011 the tape noise between tracks is left in (always thought that’s a nice touch).
My personal verdict of the 3 2009- masterings of FEIM (some of this applies to Back In Memphis as well):
3. Album Collection (Anesini): it’s a very good remaster but has a tad (and I do mean tad) too much EQ boost in the upper mids for my liking. As stated earlier with the Album Collection the goal was to be more authentic to the actual pressings, for better or worse. If you have the hi-res or are streaming the album from Spotify etc. this is the mastering you’ll hear.
2. Legacy Edition (Anesini/Jeansson): the most balanced of the 3, sounding close to the Album Collection but with some of the edge rolled off. Was the way I first heard the album and despite my preference for #1 is currently the one on my iTunes/iPhone, go figure.
1. FTD (Jeansson): very close to the 2009 but with just a tad rounder, warmer sound that makes it more pleasing to listen to IMO.
Thank you, Ryan! And thank you for sharing the information on the different versions! I've pinned this comment to make sure others see the difference, as we haven't had a chance yet to dive in, and these are great, detailed comparisons!
Also, very much agreed on leaving the noise in between tracks - it really gives a much more analog feel to the sound!
You guys are great! Just got aware of your channel and love it! What I‘d like to see is a show on John‘s favorite (it seems 😅): Collectors Gold. Cheers and tcb 🎉
oh, you answered my question! I love dropping my needle!!
omg, vinyl is where it started!! I don't need perfection there is something in an old scratchy sound!! makes me feel like I was there!!
Oh, I totally understand that - we love vinyl, too, even if it's not our go-to format. 😁
I agreed 100%. I have really a lot of the FEIM Vinyl and CD Editions (incl the MoFi CD) in my Collection. The LEGACY CD Edition (and of course the FTD CD-Set) sounds absolutely phenomenal. But i must confess i still have a soft spot on "The Memphis Record" LP/CD from 1987 imo it sounds so very different and fresh to these old ears.
Thank You John and Jamie!
Thanks, Harald! That's pretty cool on how many you have! And yeah, I do enjoy the Memphis Record for what it is, even if some of the mixing choices are a bit head-scratchy, lol! But Elvis's voice sounds especially great and up-front on it, in ways that aren't true for any other mixes of some of the songs!
@@EAPSociety I still remember listening for the first time Elvis alternate vocal part on some of the Songs...it was really mind blowing back in 1987!
Oh, yeah! That's right, I'd forgotten about that! I need to play that again later. It's been too long!
Awesome channel guys .......keep them coming
Thanks, Will! And absolutely! 😁
They got a lot right with the legacy releases and not just the sound. I had all the original albums on CD from the 90s you could hear things that you couldn't hear on the vinyl. Vinyl works for the 50s recordings but for more sophisticated recordings CD is the better format. Or should be argee the sound was flat on the original release of From Elvis in Memphis. The Legacy release is the one to go to for sound and content.
Very interesting and insightful compared to other reviews of the MFSL release. Thanks guys. Please keep it up! TCB ⚡Chris
Thank you so much - glad you enjoyed it! We'll do our best!
this true great album have on cds great songs From Elvis In Memphis keep up cool video on elvis my friend
Thank you, Nigel!
you welcome guys TCB forever
Fantastic review as always John and Jamie I only have an early 2000 CD and of course the 60s boxset of these amazing masters but after you have spoken so highly about the legacy edition I must give that a try . I have the original 1981 Mobile Fidelity super vinyl made in Japan from the original master tapes of From Elvis In Memphis in near mint condition and it sounds amazing . I have viewed at least 3 audiophile channels on CZcams who have done a shootout between the 1981 version and the brand new 2023 Mobile Fidelity one step that comes in a box and is 2 albums as they are mastered at 45 Rpm on the latest super vinyl and from DSD digital files and at a retail cost of $150. Would you believe in every review the old 1981 vinyl mastered from the original master tapes wins hands down and all three reviews stated a much wider sound stage and more reverb. You know I won’t bother with the new release and get a legacy release thanks for the heads up John and Jaimie you guys are the greatest cheers Carl .
I forgot to ask guys does the legacy edition of From Elvis In Memphis have better sound quality than the FTD sessions of From Elvis In Memphis ? Cheers Carl .
Thanks, Carl! And that's really interesting about the 1981 release winning out, but not surprising. The 2000 CD is ok, but definitely grab eiyher the Legacy release or the Classic Album FTDs if you can. The 1969 Sessions release is also very, very good in terms of audio quality! If it was unedited, it would have been even better!
Completely agree. The 1981 release sounds phenomenal. And another I really enjoy is the K2 mastering from Japan, albeit, maybe a lil brighter, but still essential to the collection.
Thanks lads,you can’t beat a quick take Tuesday
Thank you, John!
Very helpful, I wasn’t convinced about buying this.
Happy to help! Yeah, I skipped this one, too - glad John got one so we could check it! He "took one for the team" for the good of the channel! 😁
I bought the sacd and I was not blown away like I thought I would be by the sound. My original pressing of the album sounds just as good. I'll have to listen to the legacy edition again, I haven't heard it in a while. Thanks guys for a good review.
You're very welcome! Yeah, SACD has absolutely not lived up to its potential when it comes to Elvis releases, sadly.
Thanks chaps, you've just saved me a few hard earned pounds. 😉
Happy to help, David! 😁
Morning guys such a great review, I love your honesty and humour? The legacy is also my go to version of this masterpiece? Not sure if you've do it already but would love to hear your views on the legacy 'On stage /In person release? Not since I owned the original vinyls have I heard these albums sound this good? Cheers JnJ ❤
Hi, Denny! Thank you so much! We haven't looked at that one yet, but we will! 😁
I said it from the first notes of “Wearin’ That Loved On Look”, I already knew the Legacy Edition was going to dwarf the MFSL.
I really wish that someone at Sony, (Vic) would try to remix the sessions all together again, but for me, the Legacy Edition is the way to go if you want the vintage mixes.
Great 👍 work Jamie and John. 😊
Thanks, Francesco! Agreed - the Legacy is definitely the way to go with these masters. One of these days, I'd love to mix these sessions - I have an idea that's unlike anything that's ever been done before, and I think fans would love it!
@@EAPSocietyNow that sounds really exciting. Do you have Ernst /Sony/FTD s blessing or is that sumthin you’d personally like to do yourself?
Would love to hear it !!!
Oh, we don't have any of that currently, but it's something that, if we can build the Society up enough, we could start doing. It would require licensing from Sony, because we would definitely want to do this through official channels. 😁
This legacy edition is probably the best of that series, along with That's the Way It Is. The mono single versions make it essential, and of course the mastering on the album is just about perfect!
Do y'all know any details about those mono single sources? Some tracks definitely sound better than others. Kentucky Rain in particular is kinda dull sounding. But I'm very very glad they're on there.
Agreed! As for the mono, I don't - I would imagine most come from tape sources, though that's not always the case - and any source can vary due to age and a number of other factors. But I agree that it's great to have them on there!
@@EAPSociety I'll have a listen again, but I didn't hear any needledrop remnants or anything on the worse sounding tracks. Maybe the copies were only available for some, and maybe more noise reduction was used? We may never know....
There used to be a video here on youtube (might still be) of a promo mono mix of Burning Love - it was so weirdly bass heavy and buried Elvis' vocal. Rubberneckin' is much the same. That mono mix took some getting used to!!
Yeah, any of that is absolutely possible, or just tape damage over time, too. Especially since a lot of the mono mixes didn't get used much after the initial pressings, those reels might have been improperly stored. It's wild how long RCA went without a proper attempt at digital transfers and solid restorations!
@@EAPSociety Good point about the monos not being used - after the Gold Award boxes, they seemed to be forgotten about. That Hits of the 70s FTD would've been the perfect outlet for those mono singles!
Really interesting review guys. I first ''discovered' the album via "The Memphis Record" CD in around 1988/9 and that was via an Australian magazine called "The Ultimate CD" which gave the top 100 recommendations for buying CD's. Over time more things have of course since become more available and the market was flooded by the format. Those choices have pretty much been superseded by subsequent remasters & huge boxed sets etc. Ironic how the CD format lost popularity in favor of streaming and ironically overpriced vinyl LP's. I found a later (1980's ?) US pressing of the album on LP and I also have the superb 2 CD Legacy Edition (mine came without the 'Legacy' outer slip case). Plus the CD's in my 2 album collection boxes. Not compared them with the Legacy as yet. I've avoided buying the grossly expensive MFSL one-step 2 LP 45rpm version (here it's $250+ AUD 😮). Ultimately it's a lot of fancy packaging for essentially a single LP in which other versions have compared more favourably than that one. Thanks again guys. Cheers.
Thank you, Peter - and thanks for sharing that info, too! Yeah, so far at least, the SACDs haven't lived up to the hype. John and I have some thoughts on what we'd like to see, and we'll do a video on that later this year. 😁
Nice presentation of that CD. Did I hear it right that you said original vinyls sound better than CDs? Oh, further on you have said the later CDs sound as good as vinyls..yep. whatever turns you on🙄. John you are still teasing me with your teeshirts half displayed - open up that shirt babe😂😂😊😊
Hi, Gina! Thank you! Yeah, in our opinion the current CD masters are equal to the vinyls - vinyl sounds great, and finally the CDs do, too! At this point, preference is just a matter of what someone likes more. 😁
And I'll tell John in the next rounds of episodes to do a slow-motion flash of the t-shirt design, Fabio-style! 🤣🤣
@@EAPSociety YES🥰🥰🥰🥰
that was some useful information on that album... i grew up in the "vinyl era" and lean a little in that direction, but i think it's good to appreciate both analog and digital, both have their audio aspects to value... it does not have to be either or... especially today with so much good remastering work carried out on Elvis recordings... ☺💙👍
Thank you, Helge! And absolutely - we lean more toward CDs, but it's good to enjoy both, and even more formats (when they use them properly, which imo SACD has yet to do).😁
I think the MOFI vinyl release that came out at the same time as the SACD sounds excellent, but the price is of course ridiculous. I haven't heard the SACD.
Interesting! Yeah, we didn't get the vinyl, so sadly we couldn't test that - but the SACD doesn't cut it, in our opinion.
Hi John and Jamie! I have the legacy version of this one on CD that's my go to. Just a little bit to expensive for me to get the ftd I own a few that I enjoy. And I don't have any super audio.Have a great day! ⚡ TCB ⚡
Hi, Michael! Awesome - yeah, the Legacy is great. I can understand that with the FTD Classic Albums, better to save for the eventual complete sessions release, imo. Hope you have a great day, too!
G'day guys. How did you's find the 23 tracks from the 1969 Memphis Sessions on The Complete Masters Set from 2010?
Hello! I believe the master are the same, or very close, so the Complete Masters and/or The Album Collection sets would be very comparable to the Legacy release. 😁
Absolutely have to disagree here. Did you even listen to the SACD layer of the disc? On what equipment? I cant believe what you're saying. Your problem might be that you listened to the Legacy edition after having listened to the SACD? That might be the problem. The legacy edition is very loud, very "in your face". It's also pretty harsh. Listen to the Sacd again with the volume turned up. It's a very dynamic recoding compared to the Legacy. But once you've adjusted it's a very smooth, very "analogue" sounding conservation of the master tape. It even has some mistakes on it originating from the master. All in all way more differentiated than anything from CD. The best version is certainly the MFSL One-Step version. Absolutely magnificent. Too expensive though. Had to send it back. Next comes Speakers Corner, then legacy. Give the SACD a try and listen up.
Hey Jamie, what's the song at the end? "My society" etc.
Hi, Johnny! That's an original song that I wrote for the show, called "My Society" - I did the vocals (main and backups) and most of the instruments, and then John did the guitar! 😁
@@EAPSociety I like it! Sounds like something from a movie, 1962 or 63 maybe. Is there a full version anywhere? Would love to hear it all.
Thank you!! Yeah, we like hownit turned out, too, and 61/62 is exactly what we were going for. 😁 It's been fun to hear some folks thinking it actually was an Elvis song, because there's no AI on that at all!
I do have the lyrics completed, but there's no full version yet - but the closest we have is our Season 2 teaser video here 😁:
czcams.com/video/24rTDpQo8rw/video.html
@@EAPSociety Ha, sounds very authentic. Very similar sound production to the early 60's movies, eg Follow That Dream and Kid Galahad. Well done fellas :)
Yep - those are exactly what we were going for (with tiny touches of Blue Hawaii and It Happened At The World's Fair for good measure). Thank you, and well-spotted!