Customer Reviews

In The Digital Mood (Limited Edition) (Gold CD)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Amazing sound quality. Great music. Includes informative 44-page booklet on Miller's history and informative liner notes on each song.

So why only 4 stars and not 5?

First, the running time is only a half hour, but seeing it was recorded in 1983 (when the average album's running time was 35-40 minutes), I can understand why. Also, although these recordings are stunning, they are not originals. But that would defeat the purpose of creating a superior sounding CD, which is why these songs were re-recorded with a digital mood!! This is an enjoyabe addition to your Miller collection.

For a great original Miller CD, I highly recommend "The Essential Glenn Miller" (2CD's).

Right,right,Glenn Miller in digital should be a great idea,but let me say this. First of all i'm a baritone sax player from Italy,and i'm studying the swing era bands since my boyhood.I play as well in many Big Bands,and i assure you all that reproducing that kind of swing is something than none of us can achieve anymore. Don't forget that in Miller's time the recordings were taken via not more than one or two mikes,and very little adjustment was made,this means that the players were themselves producing the sound effects,being in possession of a great dynamic balance between each other.What i mean is that any replica of those tunes,even with the original arrangement is totally unpersonal and flat.I warmly recommend you to buy the original soundtrack music of Glenn Miller from his movies.The cd is titled "Glenn Miller in Hollywood,Mercury n.8260635-2 polygram 1986,and you will HEAR what Glenn Miller could really do! Ciao

On this paraticular cd all the original Glenn Miller arrangements were used, but the sound is so much better than the original recordings, thanks to new technology. This cd was recorded digital which makes all the difference in the sound.

I looked on the credits and found out what they did was hire the best studio musicains available. I really think Glenn would be happy with this remake of his golden hits. I'm sure he would want his music to sound as good as possible.

I feel like any body who loves the sound of big band will want to own this cd.

I Would Like To Recommend This Cd

My dad played professionally in big bands before and during WWII, and at 92, he still plays his sax and sings. Back then, he was one of those guys that picked up the megaphone to sing in addition to playing alto sax. He played regionally, while holding down a day job and supporting a family, and like all big bands of the era, they covered all the hits by the nationally known recording bands. I came along in the early fifties, and later, also became a musician, doing live and studio work. My dad was introduced to the power funk of Tower of Power when I played in bands that covered their tunes, and he really T.O.P. for their amazingly tight horn section; not the traditional big band format or sound, but cooking horns! These days we enjoy listening to all kinds of music, but I can understand why he still loves Swing so much. So do LOTS of people, according to the current fullt tilt Swing revival!

For lovers of Swing, CD collections usually contain all the important original recordings, either unaltered, or with as much fidelity as modern technology can render from the original masters. No fan should be without those. Also there are new artists with new songs and arrangements, using the big band format to give the world new swing creations. For years, my dad has wondered aloud why no one makes music using the big band format. With the revival, we're always on the lookout for those. And there's no telling how many bands have re-recorded songs like 'A Train' or 'In The Mood' in the last thirty years. Often, a great deal of effort goes into making the 'feel' as close to the original as possible, the point of the recording being to bring new technology's ability into play for a better sound. Sometimes they just don't quite hit the mark, so you pull out the real thing... so you can swing.

'In The Digital Mood' is the official digital recording sanctioned by the Glenn Miller lineage (Glenn Miller's son now conduct's the Glenn Miller Orchestra), and the idea was to hand pick the best studio musicians and engineers to bring the Glenn Miller sound into the present. Although the arrangements are, for the most part, identical with the original, it is clear that today's Glenn Miller Orchestra did NOT try to simply duplicate every nuance of every sound of the original recordings. In other words, where they believed it appropriate, minor changes in things like tempo, feel, or mix were introduced in order to honor the spirit and essence of Glenn Miller Swing.

For you musicians out there, you know that the 'boom bada boom bada boom' of swing exists technically as either a dotted eighth/sixteenth note pattern or eighth note triplets with the first two notes tied together; and usually, that elusive feel lies somewhere between the two. On this CD, for instance, the song 'In The Mood' leans more towards the eighth note triplets, whereas the original is closer to the dotted eighth/sixteenth note feel. Along with a slightly slower tempo, the difference is subtle, but very subtle differences can measure large variations on the Swing-O-Meter. The only other differences are in the area of mix, and these, for the most part are simply reflections of the clarity brought on by newer methods and technology. In this case, close microphones bring much more detail, particularly when it comes to drums, or quieter passages, which used to tend to wash out somewhat.

So, what is the result of these subtle changes? It is WONDERFUL! Crank this baby up and you'll be spinning around the room. My dad cannot sit during most of this CD, and 'In The Mood' brings him dangerously close to break dancing! :o) But is this true to the Glenn Miller sound? Well, sometimes we do still listen to the original, which will always remain one of the greatest and definitive moments of music and Swing. But we believe that if Glenn Miller were alive today, 'In The Digital Mood' is the recording he would give us. The whole CD gives his material a kind of zip that, as unlikely as it may sound, just wasn't possible when the original was recorded. Techniques change. And musicians, like Olympians, simply run and jump further. Also, during Swing's original heyday, the era of rock had not yet thundered forth. But hey, baby, Swing will NOT be outdone! It is one thing to rock back and forth, gang; but this sucker SWINGS you around and around! Ready to twirl?

Glenn Miller is alive and well, and lives to SWING!

The sound quality of this CD needs to be experienced. Originally released in 1987 and one of my first CD's, it is still the greatest example of what sound reprodution should be. So good that Ive bought this Gold edition to put in a special place in my collection.

This is one of the first CDs I bought when I got my own CD player. I love every second of it! Included are the greatest and most popular Glenn Miller tunes--"In the Mood," "String of Pearls," and my favorite, "Tuxedo Junction," etc. And two ("Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "Kalamazoo") feature a chorus--see if you can pick out Mel Torme's voice among them! (He's not the lead; he just wanted to be part of it so badly that he sang backup!)

And it all sounds wonderful. In this age of digital remastering and crystal-clear recordings, I have no CD with more perfect sound than this, one of the first CDs ever made waaaay back in the '80s (remember those?). So clear that one can hear every single instrument, every voice; so clear that you can turn it up full blast and still not hear the slightest hiss.

So the running time could be longer, and there are a lot of Miller standards ("Sun Valley Jump," "Rhapsody in Blue," "Sunrise Serenade") not included (sequel, please!), but the sound and sheer quality of everything more than makes up for it. And once you hear that clarinet solo in "Moonlight Serenade," I defy you to complain.

This CD is good music and a good listen, covering all of Miller's original tunes, but any recording made after Glenn Miller's death always seems to be missing the magical spark that the original recordings had.

Yes, we understand that the music here is interpreted the way these musicians and bandleader wanted, but that is why people play music! To say that the interpretive quality in this music is 'wrong' seems to be missing the point, for music is an expression of some single avenue or idea. This is why Glenn Miller wrote this music! The essence of charted music is the iterpretive input musicians have. The music on this CD is fulfilling and the sound is awesome, regardless of what anyone thinks about someone's dedication to play it.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra, fully supported by the Miller family, has continued touring using the original Glenn Miller arrangements since World War II.

This 1980s recording was one of the early full-digigal recordings, but no expense was spared in making this a fantastic record. The recording quality is stunningly good, the arrangements perfect, and the music absolutely great. People who loved the original Glenn Miller will love this, and people who love swing music in general (old or new) will discover why the World War II generation's music really was jumpin' and groovin'. A must-have!

My dad played professionally in big bands before and during WWII, and at 92, he still plays his sax and sings. Back then, he was one of those guys that picked up the megaphone to sing in addition to playing alto sax. He played regionally, while holding down a day job and supporting a family, and like all big bands of the era, they covered all the hits by the nationally known recording bands. I came along in the early fifties, and later, also became a musician, doing live and studio work. My dad was introduced to the power funk of Tower of Power when I played in bands that covered their tunes, and he really T.O.P. for their amazingly tight horn section; not the traditional big band format or sound, but cooking horns! These days we enjoy listening to all kinds of music, but I can understand why he still loves Swing so much. So do LOTS of people, according to the current fullt tilt Swing revival!

For lovers of Swing, CD collections usually contain all the important original recordings, either unaltered, or with as much fidelity as modern technology can render from the original masters. No fan should be without those. Also there are new artists with new songs and arrangements, using the big band format to give the world new swing creations. For years, my dad has wondered aloud why no one makes music using the big band format. With the revival, we're always on the lookout for those. And there's no telling how many bands have re-recorded songs like 'A Train' or 'In The Mood' in the last thirty years. Often, a great deal of effort goes into making the 'feel' as close to the original as possible, the point of the recording being to bring new technology's ability into play for a better sound. Sometimes they just don't quite hit the mark, so you pull out the real thing... so you can swing.

'In The Digital Mood' is the official digital recording sanctioned by the Glenn Miller lineage (Glenn Miller's son now conduct's the Glenn Miller Orchestra), and the idea was to hand pick the best studio musicians and engineers to bring the Glenn Miller sound into the present. Although the arrangements are, for the most part, identical with the original, it is clear that today's Glenn Miller Orchestra did NOT try to simply duplicate every nuance of every sound of the original recordings. In other words, where they believed it appropriate, minor changes in things like tempo, feel, or mix were introduced in order to honor the spirit and essence of Glenn Miller Swing.

For you musicians out there, you know that the 'boom bada boom bada boom' of swing exists technically as either a dotted eighth/sixteenth note pattern or eighth note triplets with the first two notes tied together; and usually, that elusive feel lies somewhere between the two. On this CD, for instance, the song 'In The Mood' leans more towards the eighth note triplets, whereas the original is closer to the dotted eighth/sixteenth note feel. Along with a slightly slower tempo, the difference is subtle, but very subtle differences can measure large variations on the Swing-O-Meter. The only other differences are in the area of mix, and these, for the most part are simply reflections of the clarity brought on by newer methods and technology. In this case, close microphones bring much more detail, particularly when it comes to drums, or quieter passages, which used to tend to wash out somewhat.

So, what is the result of these subtle changes? It is WONDERFUL! Crank this baby up and you'll be spinning around the room. My dad cannot sit during most of this CD, and 'In The Mood' brings him dangerously close to break dancing! :o) But is this true to the Glenn Miller sound? Well, sometimes we do still listen to the original, which will always remain one of the greatest and definitive moments of music and Swing. But we believe that if Glenn Miller were alive today, 'In The Digital Mood' is the recording he would give us. The whole CD gives his material a kind of zip that, as unlikely as it may sound, just wasn't possible when the original was recorded. Techniques change. And musicians, like Olympians, simply run and jump further. Also, during Swing's original heyday, the era of rock had not yet thundered forth. But hey, baby, Swing will NOT be outdone! It is one thing to rock back and forth, gang; but this sucker SWINGS you around and around! Ready to twirl?

Glenn Miller is alive and well, and lives to SWING!