RCP, greetings from the Chocolate City. There's no doubt about it, Virgil definitely schmaltzes up the interpretations to a certain degree but when compared to the many other various "...by the book..." versions out there that seem so wooden and lifeless that it communicates to me a sense that Fox is in total control whereas these other organists are a little cowed by the whole scenario, much like a 12 year old might feel at his first organ recital with the parents and all the world watching.
I am a bit taken aback by your finding the recording to lack spaciousness and hall ambience. I can assure you that is decidedly not the case on the Ultragroove vinyl. The venue comes off as a cavernous space with decay and reverb that trails off forever. I have the RR Felix Hell disc and would agree it is lacking in this regard and most definitely to the UG. I virtually never listen to my Crystal Clear vinyl copy because I so much prefer the UG. I will now go back and refresh myself with a critical replay in the near future. Incidentally, my recollection of the liner notes on the UG tells me that the performance on that label was a seperate one from the CC so it is very possible that miking was altered between them. It's funny actually, because the UG was recorded on DAT at a sampling rate below the current redbook standard (37,500 hz) so it is counterintuitive that it would take precedence over the CC but the ears say otherwise.
On a final note I must confess that I am lucky enough to be able to experience vinyl replay on a Walker TT. I bought one 9 years ago from Lloyd back in the days of his company's infancy. He gave me a real good deal on a table he'd been dragging around to all the shows so that I could afford it. In the pantheon of the Walker customer base, I'm sure I fit into the trailer trash section---probably a section of one. I only bring up the table because it is a champeen at detail and ambience retrieval. If there is any flesh, it will flesh it out. Certainly this has impacted my perception of the UG pressing.
Don't be a stranger.
I am a bit taken aback by your finding the recording to lack spaciousness and hall ambience. I can assure you that is decidedly not the case on the Ultragroove vinyl. The venue comes off as a cavernous space with decay and reverb that trails off forever. I have the RR Felix Hell disc and would agree it is lacking in this regard and most definitely to the UG. I virtually never listen to my Crystal Clear vinyl copy because I so much prefer the UG. I will now go back and refresh myself with a critical replay in the near future. Incidentally, my recollection of the liner notes on the UG tells me that the performance on that label was a seperate one from the CC so it is very possible that miking was altered between them. It's funny actually, because the UG was recorded on DAT at a sampling rate below the current redbook standard (37,500 hz) so it is counterintuitive that it would take precedence over the CC but the ears say otherwise.
On a final note I must confess that I am lucky enough to be able to experience vinyl replay on a Walker TT. I bought one 9 years ago from Lloyd back in the days of his company's infancy. He gave me a real good deal on a table he'd been dragging around to all the shows so that I could afford it. In the pantheon of the Walker customer base, I'm sure I fit into the trailer trash section---probably a section of one. I only bring up the table because it is a champeen at detail and ambience retrieval. If there is any flesh, it will flesh it out. Certainly this has impacted my perception of the UG pressing.
Don't be a stranger.