1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Important documents, atrocious sound, August 11, 2009
This review is from: Count John McCormack Vol. VII - The Complete Surviving Early Recordings (Pearl)(2 CD Box Set) (Audio CD)
I suspect that the originals are simply in horrible shape, and were probably not well made in the first place, which prevents anything resembling decent sonics. All of the recordings suffer from unstable pitch, in addition to the surface noise inherent in such early material. The quality of the reproduction of McCormack's voice is high variable; in some cases, he's not even recognizable, and I wondered if that was due to poor pitching or an actual misidentification.
So this one is only for McCormack completists. His singing is OK when you can actually make it out, but he developed a great deal in the few years after this. If you want early McCormack, look to buy the Naxos volumes, which begin, as I recall, around 1910, and are expertly transferred by Ward Marston.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
