Search - Billy Joel :: Glass Houses

A Mellow Mastering Of Billy's Rock Album...

Jamie Tate | Franklin, TN | 09/20/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was happy to see this title on Audio Fidelity's release list and was anxious to hear it. The mastering was done by Kevin Gray and he did a fine job. His approach is very conservative so I imagine this CD is probably similar to the sound of the master tapes, and that's a good thing. I compared this to my other CDs of Glass Houses and it's among the best I have.



The original US CD was adequate but it had some midrange scooped out giving it a somewhat hollow sound and the old Japanese CD was just too bright. When Billy's catalog was remastered in 1998 by Ted Jensen we were finally given a version that was just where I thought this album should be, punchy and clear with a nicely balanced tone.



But, if you like your classic rock on $30 gold CDs and listen to it on a $20,000 stereo system you will probably love this remaster. It's more laid back than any version ever released and audiophiles like their rock music to be on the mellow side. But the lack of mastering compression diminishes the musical sustain and causes the sound to have less weight. I can't fault the mastering because that's how it was originally mixed but this is Billy's rock album and the more aggressive Jensen mastering just works better for me. Comparing the AF to the '98 remaster is like someone turned the intensity down several clicks and then took a one band EQ and moved the frequency from 2K down to 500Hz. Some tracks can sound a bit boxy but others may hear that as added warmth. It's really all a matter of personal preference.



The '98 Jensen remaster sounds like a final product while this AF gold has an unprocessed, flatter sound but personal preferences aside this is a fine sounding CD. It's amazing how the two most disparate versions are the two best sounding versions of this album you can get. Music is funny that way."

Joel "shatters" preconceptions--AF Gold release THE best ver

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 09/16/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Never exactly a critics darling, Billy Joel consistently produced a series of strong albums throughout his career. "Glass Houses" which many thought was created under the influence of "New Wave" (and also pokes fun at it as well)proved to be an enduring classic. Although it may lack the jazz accented and larger-than-life Phil Spector like production of songs like "Until the Night", "Glass Houses" made its reputation on pure rock 'n' roll energy.



Featuring Joel's long time touring band including drummer Liberty DeVito, Doug Stemeyer, Richie Cannata and new (at the time) players David Brown and Russell Javers (both on guitar), "Glass Houses" opens with one of Joel's best rip-roaring rock tunes "You May Be Right".



The ironically titled album which refers to Joel's critics and, perhaps, indirectly to Joel himself, was always an underrated gem in Joel's catalog. It stands up with the best work he did during this period and while it may lack the serious themes of "The Nylon Curtain" or the jazzy touch of "52nd Street", it more than makes up it with melodic, well crafted songs with some witty lyrics as well.



Audio Fidelity has had a mixed batting average of late; "The Pretenders" and "The Soft Parade" were both peak limited something that should never happen to a audiophile CD. Likewise, "Morrison Hotel" and another title or two had some issues that occurred during the manufacturing phase so clearly quality control was an issue with those releases.



This release at first glance might appear also have problems--"Compact Disc" is misspelled on the gold disc as "Compack"--not a promising sign. Luckily, the mastering by Steve Hoffman associate Kevin Gray is superb. Hoffman can be a polarizing figure--there are those who love his approach to mastering and those that feel he is full of hot air. Gray does a terrific job of bringing out the subtle touches on the mastertape he is working from. He's on with "Glass Houses" which sounds marvelous. There's plenty of rich detail and a warm, rich analog sound and no sign of peak limiting on this release.



My only complaint is that like a lot of AF releases the artwork while decent, isn't as top notch as I'd like to see even compared to the original CD booklet for the album. Still, it does include all the lyrics as well as the photos that were on the original inner sleeve for the vinyl so that's a big plus.



A less than perfect booklet and misspelling aside what matters here is how this sounds and it sounds terrific.



I'd highly recommend this release for Joel fans as it is superior to just about every version released of this album on CD."