Stage Fright [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [Platinum SHM-CD] [Limited Release]

Having already bought Platinum versions of both "Music From Big Pink" and "The Band" and been very impressed by them both, I went back to pick up the third in the trilogy of masterpieces from this wonderful outfit. It all started well when I compared it to the regular SHM-CD TOCP-95016 which is baed on the Band 2000 remasters. The sound was generally a bit more open and detailed and the bass had quite a bit of weight and volume in what is a 'live' recording style. Then I got to "Just Another Whistle Stop" and the volume went though the roof and was obviously way higher than the levels for the previous and subsequent tracks. This is a mistake in the mastering process and really is unacceptable. In listening to the two versions over again,apart from the error I mentioned above the Platinum version has a little more weight and presence and is really a worthwhile addition to my collection. However the older 2000 version is not disgraced in the overall sound and I will keep this CD for an interesting comparison for my friends. Stage Fright is not quite in the class of my other Platinum Band CD's which is a little bit disappointing but not catastrophic. So far Platinum has provided updated mastering and sound reproduction and I will keep adding them to my collection.