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Must buy the Jap Import Pressing!!!

woodsman | 03/03/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had this for years on cd and have waited patiently for it to be carefully remastered. I'm not drawn to the rest of Rundgren's catalog- most of it being a bit too "pop" for my liking, but give him credit for being a great balladeer nonetheless. This recording, however, raised the bar with his ability to compose and conduct a full-on rock band. The title track is simply astonishing-- a gorgeous melody woven into some of the most fiery, punishing progressive rock you'll likely to hear from the 70's. These are PLAYERS!!! Unfortunately, the initial release on cd, as well as the vinyl pressings have an annoying harshness to them- the keyboards border on screechy, and are not so easy on the ears. Thankfully, the Japanese have reissued them using K2HD mastering, and they did a fantastic job! I wasn't too happy with this type of remastering on previous discs (PFM's "Photos of Ghosts" contains tape hiss, and ELP's catalog was so-so) but this one they nailed. The harshness on keys and synthesizers was rounded out and the full spectrum of bass and guitar can now be heard. Let's hope the folks at Rhino can do as good a job here at home, and re-release it. I'd say buy this one while you can. Will. CT USA

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