Downloading will not replace CDs (a story of Johnny Cash In San Quentin)

Posted by: Shayman on 03 October 2005

I just bought the full Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin Prison concert CD in all its remastered glory. The sound is fantastic, the packaging excellent, the inlay booklet contains some fascinating insights into the concert from Johnny himself and many others involved. There are some absolutely wonderful, dramatic pictures of the gig and the crowd (Looks like a scene from The Shawshank Redemption).

The CD itself (now I know we shouldn't be swayed by aesthetics) is a mini replica of the vinyl with the grooves printed on the upper side. Even the under side is 'vinyl' Black instead of silver!!).

This sort of quality is beautiful to own and at only £7.99 from HMV I really can't see downloading music as any sort of credible alternative now or at anytime in the future.

Long live 'real' (as opposed to 'virtual') music.

Jonathan

Happy as a sand boy called Larry

Posted on: 03 October 2005 by Nick_S

Sorry, but for me 'real music' is analogue on a vinyl disk. Otherwise a digital file in a lossless format such as FLAC or WAV is fine.

Nick

Posted on: 03 October 2005 by Diode100

I got a CD of Sandy Bull's Inventions album, it was issued by Vanguard and was a complete facsimilie of the original LP, down to using a sleeved cover. It was superb, and as you say about the Cash disc, a joy to own.

I think the downloading services have got a long long way to go before they break out of the strictly pop market, but it'll come one day, I'm sure, if the demand and the money is there to support the commercial and technological investment.

Posted on: 03 October 2005 by graham55

Well, boo hoo, I have the remastered San Quentin CD issued in the last year or so, and it doesn't come in the "mini LP" design that you describe.

Still great music, though.

Graham

Posted on: 03 October 2005 by jayd

I have a number of burned cds - stuff I've downloaded or copied for trial purposes, mostly (and the odd mix disc for road trips). I've found that I don't value them; I throw them around, leave them out of their cases, toss them into gym bags, etc. Proper packaging makes the difference for me. I don't even count the burned cds among my "music collection".

Posted on: 04 October 2005 by bhazen

I concur w. jayd; in fact, I think "burned" CDs have replaced cassettes as the poor relation to CDs (as cassettes were to vinyl), with the results observed above. Not surprising really, as blank CDs are cheaper than cassettes, even.

Posted on: 04 October 2005 by graham55

I agree with the comments generally about "burned" CDs, and have only one (three) that I ever play. That's a recording of a Grateful Dead concert I attended in Wembley on the night of Hallowe'en 1989, downloaded for me by a very kind chap on this Forum. If it were ever released commercially, I'd throw away the downloaded CDs on the spot. But, in the meanwhile, no bugger's getting them off me!

Graham

Posted on: 04 October 2005 by Guido Fawkes

Agreed if Pink Floyd ever released Scream Thy Last Scream and Vegetable Man and other Barrett rareties then my only burnt CDs would go.

I do have an official Lucy Leave / King Bee by The Pink Floyd Sound.

I prefer the official package too.

Rotf

Posted on: 05 October 2005 by Top Cat

A big thumbs up for the San Quentin CD - well worth buying, even if you are new to The Man In Black...

John

Posted on: 06 October 2005 by BigH47

Shayman

quote:
and at only £7.99 from HMV

Was that online? At my local HMV it is priced @ £9.99.

Howard

Posted on: 06 October 2005 by Shayman

It was in the Milton Keynes Shopping centre last Saturday. Don't think it was in a Sale but maybe it was.

What astounds me, is that you would pay about that to download an album. I guess all these years I've been thinking we've been paying for a lovely packaged product whereas in actual fact we've just been paying for the licencing rights to the recorded music.

Also in the last 5 years 2 hard drives have died on me. The first time I lost all my music. If this happens and you lose downloaded music do the record companies have to let you download it again for free? I suspect not.

Jonathan

Posted on: 06 October 2005 by Guido Fawkes

Jonathan

I suppose losing a hard disk is like having badly scratched vinyl records or CDs that will no longer play. I guess Apple would have record of the purchase and may let you download again or you could store a backup on .Mac or somwhere else. However I see your point - damaged hard disk means all music is lost

However, my gripe is most downloaded music seems to be in a lower quality format than we are used to on vinyl or even CD.

I'll stay with the records as long as we can still get 'em.

Rotf

Posted on: 06 October 2005 by Nick_S

Harddrive crashes are not uncommon, but neither is theft of your CD collection. The solution to preserving downloaded music is to do a backup in a lossless format such as FLAC to DVD-R disks and store them off site. At 4.7Gbytes per disc and a typical album at 225MB that's around 20 albums per disk.

Nick

Posted on: 08 October 2005 by TomK

After reading this recommendation I had to check it out and yes it's the dog's bollocks. Everybody I've shown this to has been extremely tickled by it - even those too young to remember the joys of balancing a beautiful piece of black vinyl between thumb and middle finger.
That it's a killer album helps too.

Posted on: 09 October 2005 by long-time-dead

It's the smell from an old inner sleeve that does it for me .......