If you quickly switch between CD and LP, you’ll immediately realize that whoever recorded this session back in 1996 knew exactly what they were doing. Keep flipping impatiently between the two sources, and you’ll begin to appreciate just how good this CD really sounds. Only when you stop blaming yourself for wasting $55 on the double LP and actually listen will you start to appreciate the Luminessence reissue.
The best way to describe the phenomenon? It’s like buying a big-screen TV with the contrast and color cranked to the max—perfect for making a movie trailer pop in the showroom. But it’s only when you bring it home and dial the flesh tones back to the realistic levels you start to feel you can actually sit through a whole movie without squinting. Every instrument becomes more listenable. The music radiates an unmistakable joie de vivre, as if it’s reveling in its own being.
Yes, the vinyl sounds phenomenal. But that doesn’t take anything away from the CD. I’ve got a great disc player—but it makes me wonder how digital playback would compare if I’d sunk as much into it as I have into my analog rig.
Oh, and did I mention? Angel Song is an incredible album—effortlessly enjoyable on any format you throw at it. Well, here we go.