Our last shootout was in 2007, not because we don't like the record or have customers for it; rather it's the fact that clean copies of the album just aren't out there in the bins the way they used to be. Two or three a year is all we can find, and that's with hitting the stores every week.
2007 vs 2010
In 2007 we wrote: "Having played more than half a dozen copies of this record during the shootout I can tell you that the most common problem with Straight Up is grainy, gritty sound. Most copies of this record are painfully aggressive and transistory."
With improvements to cleaning and playback i would say that's not actually true in 2010. There is some grit to the sound to be sure, but like most records from the era, veiling and smearing are what really hold most copies back
Good copies of this record, ones that are mastered properly and pressed on "good" vinyl, sound a lot like a stipped down version of Abbey Road, which is what they're supposed to sound like. That's clearly the sound Badfinger and their producers George Harrison and Todd Rundgren (with some help from the Beatles' engineer Geoff Emerick* ) were aiming at.
You will also hear some influences from All Things Must Pass and McCartney's first . The music owes a lot to both The Beatles as well as Harrison and McCartney as individuals. What's not to like? Catchy pop songs with grungy guitars -- it's ear candy when the sound is good, and the sound is very good here!
Power Pop
This is Power Pop, plain and simple. The basics are what count: punchy drums, grungy guitars, present vocals, clear but full bass lines -- just the meat and potatoes of rock, no fancy sauces.
For this music to work all the elements need to be in balance, with correct timbre for the relatively few instruments that make up the arrangements. Opacity, smear or grit instantly destroy the whole point of having a straightforward production, which is to be able to have all the parts laid out cleanly and clearly. Get the production out of the way and just let the music speak for itself.
The truly Hot Stampers remind you of the kind of basic rock and roll record that really knows how to rock. Back in Black comes instantly to mind. Black Dog off Zep IV. This is the sound you want your Straight Up to have. The title of the album is the key to the sound. No fancy packaging, just the band, Straight Up.
DCC Gold
On another note, I was at a friend's house years ago and had brought a Hot Copy of this record over to see what it sounded like on his system. As luck would have it, he also had the DCC Gold CD. This is a fellow who prides himself on having CD playback that is competitive with vinyl, so I know that his CD player was fairly good. This LP KILLED his Gold CD. It was NIGHT AND DAY better in every way. I am not an expert on the DCC Gold disc of Badfinger, but I can tell you that on Straight Up a good record can't be beat.
Geoff Emerick
By the way, Geoff Emerick's book detailing his days as the Beatles' engineer is a must read for anybody who cares about their music. For audiophiles who want to learn more about how their recordings evolved it's invaluable. Go up to Amazon and get yourself one if you love this music.
An Interesting and Insightful Wikipedia Entry
Straight Up is an album by power pop band Badfinger, released on December 13, 1971. It is widely regarded as one of Badfinger's best albums, spawning two Top 40 singles and being commercially successful in its own right.
Straight Up recordings began in early 1971 under the direction of producer Geoff Emerick, who produced the bulk of Badfinger's preceding album No Dice. Although these early recordings were completed and ready to be pressed, Apple Records co-president George Harrison decided the unreleased album could be improved under his personal direction. Harrison produced new versions of a couple of the earlier songs, as well as recording a couple new tracks with the band in the summer of 1971. Harrison can be heard playing a lead-guitar duet with Pete Ham on the song Day After Day, with Leon Russell featured on piano.
Due to a hurriedly-assembled benefit concert that summer, The Concert for Bangladesh (which Badfinger performed in), Harrison did not complete the Straight Up project. Todd Rundgren was retained to finish the album; utilising recordings begun by both Emerick and Harrison, and recording several new tracks with the band.
