Audiophile Digital

Ron Legault Quintet
Charlie Brown Goes To The Nutcracker
Octave Records OCT-0044

If you’re familiar with the myriad Charlie Brown soundtracks issued over the years, whenever the much-loved Peanuts character makes it to the screen, you’ll know that light jazz is the order of the day. The late Vince Guaraldi, having recorded a number of audiophile-grade classics, is the inspiration for this terrific release: half the compositions of this musical suite – ‘performed at the Hotel St Julien for 10 years’ – are his, the rest courtesy of Tchaikovsky and two from the quintet itself. The Christmas spirit is beautifully evoked and superbly recorded, the sounds of piano, bass, drums, and trombone, plus Andrew Vogt variously on saxes and flute, being suitably warm. This has arrived just in time for the holiday! KK

Sound Quality: 90%

John Lennon
Mind Games
Universal Music Group 0602455487063 (two discs)

Heretical to say, perhaps, but Lennon’s solo albums were ‘meh’. Unlike the joy of the others’ post-Beatles output, his was miserable, solipsistic kvetching. Listening to Mind Games is like paying for the privilege of being a psychiatrist or marriage counsellor: it was recorded while he dealt with USA immigration matters and during a break from Yoko. This gives you the remastered album plus a CD of superior outtakes with more vim than the issued tracks. As the cheapest of the expanded Mind Games reissues, I bought it because I’m not mad enough to drop £1300 or so on the ‘ultimate’ version, let alone £129 on the 6CD + 2xBlu-ray... KK

Sound Quality: 85%

Steeleye Span
Now We Are Six
Chrysalis CRC1053

A fine 50th anniversary release from those purveyors of finger-in-the-ear British folk music, this was peak Steeleye from ’74, with a surprisingly digestible set. Those of you who indulge in Morris Dancing and drink mead will love it anyway, but for the rest of us whose tastes extend beyond the reign of Henry VIII, this was made more appealing by gorgeous sound (the remastering is exceptional) and the input of Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, who secured no less than David Bowie to play sax on ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’ – yes, the evergreen Phil Spector song. The album has been expanded with four live BBC tracks and a singles mix of ‘Thomas The Rhymer’. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Neil Young With Crazy Horse
Early Daze
Reprise 093624850908

Two miracles here, as I was expecting 1) low-fi sound and 2) desperate dregs from Young’s too-exhaustive archive dredging, but this album’s an absolute delight. It contains ten unreleased performances from 1969 when both Young and Crazy Horse were at their very best (please, no hate-mails from those of you who actually like Trans), transferred from the original analogue tapes – all fresh-to-our-ears versions. Here it’s a case of alternates worth hearing, like finding bonus material to a fave album which matches the originals: ‘Down By The River’, ‘Birds’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Helpless’ and more. A feast for fans, even those who won’t criticise NY’s excesses. KK

Sound Quality: 85%