EAGLES – HOTEL CALIFORNIA: DCC COMPACT CLASSICS LP – AUDIOPHILE EDITION (1 CD)
$35.00
JAPANESE RELEASE – 1 CD
Description
Taken from the US DCC Compact Classics LP, LPZ-2043
This title answers the question: Which “Hotel California” has the best sound on LP and CD? This all-analog production, produced by master Steve Hoffman on the DCC Compact Classics label and going all the way back to the master tapes, boasts overwhelming sound quality that surpasses even the US original! Enjoy this classic album in superb sound quality!
“Hotel California” has risen to become a historic masterpiece, representing not only the Eagles but also 1970s American rock. It’s such an overwhelming album that it’s likely every music fan owns a copy. Such a classic and popular album continues to be released in a variety of formats. While numerous high-quality versions have been released to prove this, the LP version released by the “DCC Compact Classics” label is a favorite among music enthusiasts for its exceptional sound quality. As you may know, DCC was a company renowned for its commitment to releasing CDs mastered with analog equipment (though they have since gone bankrupt and are now all premium). It’s also well-known among music enthusiasts that they primarily focused on CDs. However, DCC also occasionally released analog LP versions, and this album met their standards.
That said, it was only released in 1992. Its timing, right at the beginning of the CD boom, meant that the LP itself didn’t receive much attention, even for its quality. However, the sound quality is truly superb. Renowned engineer Steve Hoffman’s thorough analog processing makes the LP truly impressive, and the rich, natural finish, traced back to the master tapes, truly speaks for his skill. “HOTEL CALIFORNIA” was originally a high-quality album, thanks to the studio technology of the late 1970s, and in fact, it complements the latest remastering work from 2013 very well. In fact, the SACD version independently produced in Japan prior to this release, as well as the more recent Mobile Fidelity SACD, were not as well-received as expected.
In fact, even the original 1976 LP honestly doesn’t have particularly outstanding sound quality, and I think this is where the difference between the original LPs of artists from the 1960s and LPs from the mid-1970s, when recording technology had evolved, comes into play.
In this situation, this DCC LP boasts exceptionally high sound quality. As mentioned at the beginning, the natural feel of the pressing, which is unique to Hoffman and focuses on the pure analog feel, is suddenly amazing. This is already clear just by listening to the intro of the opening song, “Hotel California.” The rich and expansive texture, and the heavy flavor when Don Henley’s drums and the other band join in!
It’s true that the 2013 remaster was accessible to general music fans and was a finish that would appeal to literally everyone. However, when faced with this DCC version, the digital, crisp sound contours, or even if it’s not so intrusive, it still seems well-organized and has a good sound for an event.
In this respect, the DCC version’s literally thick yet natural sound is exceptional. However, since it was not widely distributed at the time, the current market price is quite high. It is by no means an item that can be easily obtained (for reference, the listing price on Discogs is around 70,000 yen at the minimum and 140,000 yen at the maximum).
Even more difficult is the playback of this album. Starting with the opening of “Hotel California,” there are many quiet and hushed tracks, such as “New Kid in Town,” “Wasted Time,” and the finale, “The Last Resort.” This album is already difficult to play cleanly, and the high-quality DCC LP version is no exception. However, once again, the incredible playback technology has resulted in an astonishingly clean transfer. The complete absence of scratch noise on “The Last Resort” is so super clean you’ll wonder if it was really recorded from an LP.
This is the shocking best version, where the analog feel and naturalness of the entire album are on a different level from current remasters, and the clarity is so great it’s hard to believe it was originally an LP, and just one song, “Hotel California,” makes it easy to understand. Enjoy the rich sound quality of this historic masterpiece, with the freshness of the master tape, which current remasters just can’t achieve!
(44:08)
Side A:
1. Hotel California
2. New Kid In Town
3. Life In The Fast Lane
4. Wasted Time
1. Hotel California
2. New Kid In Town
3. Life In The Fast Lane
4. Wasted Time
Side B:
5. Wasted Time (Reprise)
6. Victim Of Love
7. Pretty Maids All In A Row
8. Try And Love Again
9. The Last Resort
5. Wasted Time (Reprise)
6. Victim Of Love
7. Pretty Maids All In A Row
8. Try And Love Again
9. The Last Resort
