PHIL COLLINS Face Value (2010 Steve Hoffman Remaster) FLAC

Steve Hoffman is an audio engineer from Los Angeles, California, who specializes in remastering sound recordings on compact disc and vinyl record. In the 1980s, he worked at MCA for nine years. He has since done remastering work for companies such as Digital Compact Classics (DCC) and Audio Fidelity, Analogue Productions, Rural Rhythm and, presently, S&P.

"This is one album that I love with my heart and soul and we wanted a good audiophile version in print. A version true to the original intent of the artist, producer and engineer. This is it, IMO.

I just heard the CD Check disk and it's a true representation of the energy of the original Town House analog mixes, being able to reproduce like never before the amazing album creation that has found a beloved place in so many record collections over the years.

I did this with Stephen Marsh at his studio in Hollywood and once again (like we did for JAMES TAYLOR "One Man Dog") we disconnected Stephen's beloved mastering toys and opted for a clean, pure signal from the Ampex ATR directly to digital. Dynamic range is fully intact and that means that some songs are very wide in soft to loud. Don't blow your stereo up!

The disk will definitely give your system a workout, that is for sure. Some of the songs have a LOT of treble energy, just like Phil wanted and some are more midrangy-mellow, just like Phil wanted. The bass is amazing, very lifelike. I didn't tamper with the original mix choices whatsoever and that includes tonal balance AND song to song balance (very important). If you want a real "record" of what was created in the studio way back when, this is it.

In the case of a 50 year old jazz tape where everything was EQ'd the SAME during recording (run through a machine or something), one can shape the tone to be more lifelike and pleasing.

In the case of this album, we can clearly hear how each song was mapped out, mix-wise. There are instruments that were EQ'd during mixing to be bright and cut through the mix (like the horns) or clangy (Phil's cymbals) and other stuff is just neutral and natural. If one tries and fix the bright horns or clangy percussion, the neutral stuff just fades away to nothing and all that remains are horns and drums. NOT what they had in mind. So, the treble energy stays intact.

However, each song sounds different, mix-wise as it will on the new Gold CD. If it all sounds the same to you out there in music land, something is wrong with your gear. You should clearly be able to hear the various mix choices for each song. I left it intact for just that purpose. Clearly the mixes were slaved over and every little thing on them was done for a specific tonal purpose. It's not for me to play God and impose MY set of standards on them.

Note: The first track drove my A-1 playback system into clipping so be careful and don't crank the low-level opening up too much. I gotta hook my McIntosh MC402 back up in there...

At any rate, if you love this album like I do, this is a no-brainer. If you've only heard a song or two, when you get it, devour it all in one sitting, preferably with the lights out, just the glow of your gear...

No bonus tracks, just the original album as envisioned.."

-- Steve Hoffman

This is not my rip.....I pirated it from somewhere else, "Arrg" It contains a .LOG file indicating that it was ripped to .FLAC using EAC in Secure Mode. I also ran the files through AUDIOCHECKER V1.2 to confirm CDDA.

It sounds fantastic....