Audiophile Digital

Steely Dan
Pretzel Logic
Analogue Productions CAPP136SA

Predictable for Album of the Month? Of course, but if Steely Dan is one of the default artists for audiophiles, like The Band and The Eagles, it’s because the music is exceptional and the sound superb. Their third album, from 1974, maintained the quality of its predecessors and steered the band on a jazzier course. It kicked off with one of their most achingly beautiful songs – ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’ – and included its opposite in mood, the whimsical ‘East St Louis Toodle-Oo’. ‘Any Major Dude Will Tell You’, ‘Barrytown’… every one of the 11 tracks is a gem, and this excellent transfer to SACD simply reinforces my belief that the format remains the best implementation of digital playback outside of studios. KK

Sound Quality: 95%

Paul Mauriat
Nous/Message D’Amour
Vocalion CDLK4650 (SACD stereo)

This brace of Paul Mauriat albums from 1979 on one disc just missed the cut-off point for quadraphony – it’s unusual for Vocalion reissues not to include surround sound. Those not charmed by multi-channel playback can point to the lush, glorious presentation of these orchestral titles, the first covering a wide range of songs from Elton John to Supertramp to Europop, as was his wont. The second reflects his huge success in Japan, all tracks composed by Japanese song writers including (I think) audiophile legend Sadao Watanabe. Vocalion has added two bonus tracks, but don’t entertain collecting Mauriat at this stage: he released close to 200 albums KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Neil Young
Before And After
Reprise 075993995916

Pumping out what seems like an album every couple of months, Young’s catalogue now consists of over 60 titles. Here’s yet another live set, but two aspects warrant your attention if you’re not sated by his 10CD box sets. Its 13 solo acoustic renditions of older songs from his 2023 Coastal Tour – eg, ‘Burned’, ‘Birds’, ‘Mr Soul’ – are all to the good. But for us? It’s the word ‘Blu-ray’ with not one but three mixes: Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res 96/24 Stereo and – no kidding – Binaural. Having given up as an NY completist years ago, I couldn’t resist the lure of that all-but-forgotten format. You want up-close-and-personal with ol’ Neil? Buy, and dig out your cans. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Gabriel Mervine
See Somethin’ and I Wish You Love
Octave Records OCT-0048/OCT-0049

Two consecutive releases from trumpeter Mervine, who must be Octave’s most prolific artist, so: ‘Why not just release these two as a double SACD?’. The answer is immediately apparent when you sit down and play them in succession. See Somethin’ is one of Octave’s specialties, a small jazz outfit – trumpet, guitar, drums and bass – in the manner of early 1960s exponents of the genre, right down to the inclusion of a couple of standards, while Wish You Love recreates (to my ears at least) the vibe of a between-the-wars Parisian nightclub. The lineup adds accordion, trombone and clarinet, while a Sidney Bechet number intensifies the Gallic feel. KK

Sound Quality: 90%