Author: Claus Müller

The release of this analog recording is a showcase of high-quality audio media. In addition to a studio master and a standard master tape copy, a One-Step LP, a UHQ CD, and a compact cassette were released. Christoph Stickel (cs mastering) created a master for each format. The vinyl master was cut by Rainer Mallard (Emil Berliner Studios) using the “Pure Analog” process. The UHQ CDs are from Memory Tech Corporation (MTC) in Japan; the cassettes and audio tapes were produced by REVOX in Villingen-Schwenningen. 

Terry Evans (1937–2018) was an R&B, blues, and soul singer, guitarist, and songwriter from Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA. His parents wanted him to focus on gospel music and sing in his local church choir. But things turned out differently. After working with the a cappella group The Knights, he moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s. There, he learned to play the guitar and composed songs for fellow musicians. Evans worked with artists including Bobby King, John Fogerty, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, John Lee Hooker, and Ry Cooder, who produced Terry’s first solo album, Blues for Thought, in 1994. Terry Evans and Hans Theessink met in 1992 at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and started working on joint projects from then on. 

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Hans Theessink was born in Enschede, the Netherlands, in 1948. He taught himself to play the guitar, mandolin, and banjo in the 1960s. Since 1982, Theessink has lived in Vienna, where he has performed with his band Hans Theessink & Blue Groove. He regularly performs at major blues, jazz, and folk festivals in Europe and America and enjoys playing with musicians such as Jon Sass, Peter Ratzenbeck, Michael Langer, Big Daddy Wilson, and Terry Evans. Hans Theessink plays acoustic instruments and avoids using digital effects in his recordings. 

The analog live recording for the album the analog session vienna was made in 2017 at Supersense in Vienna. Beyerdynamic MC 930 and TG V96 microphones were used, connected to a Studer 963 console. The signals were recorded on a Studer A80R, 2-track. The sound engineer was Dietz Tinhof (mixedbydietz.com); the mastering engineer was Christoph Stickel (csmastering.com). Here’s a quote from Hans Theessink: “On September 7th, we made a stop in Vienna to do an analog recording session at Supersense, a place equipped with some superb old analog machinery. It was just the two of us and a small live audience. A busy technical crew mixed on the spot and kept the tapes rolling. You’re holding the result in your hands. Terry and I performed every song just once - what we played is what you hear, including a few minor mistakes, which only add to the authenticity.”

Sitting in the sweet spot of my stereo system, I turn the volume up to the level two singers with their guitars would reach as soon as the first chords sound. Hans Theessink is to the right of the stereo center, Terry Evans to the left. The way the two harmonize vocally and musically - and how they repeatedly push themselves to new heights - is in a class of their own. It’s fascinating how seamlessly the duet vocals interlock, how the two feed each other, and how they perform as one cohesive unit. The perfection of their individual vocals is evident in the song Vicksburg Is My Home, a tribute to Terry Evans’s hometown that couldn’t be more successful. Although the full album runs for more than 60 minutes, there isn’t a single song that pales in comparison to the others. A few tracks move me particularly, such as the two sensual songs about our planet - see the choruses of The Planet: “The planet still keeps turning, draws a circle round the sun. Seasons come and seasons go, what’s been done can’t be undone” and Mother Earth: “Don’t care how rich you are, don’t care what you’re worth, when it all comes down, you go back to Mother Earth.” On Down In Mississippi, Terry takes on the role of an energetic storyteller, set against a backdrop of picked guitar - including a slide solo—and wonderfully laid-back choruses featuring Hans. The two manage to convey their message with emotion and precision. It’s hard to beat that in terms of greatness. The artistry of these two blues musicians - performing in a very calm yet compelling manner - is phenomenal. It’s also the rhythm, the intonation, and those subtle shifts within the measures that make this music truly special. Rarely has the message of the blues been delivered with such feeling, intimacy, and such a personal touch on a recorded medium. This live recording sounds very direct, is rich in vocals and instrumentation, offers plenty of solo excursions, and touches even listeners who aren’t strictly blues fans. 

The UHQ-CD sounds very smooth, detailed, spacious, dynamic, and natural. In addition to the characteristics mentioned for the UHQ-CD, listening to the perfectly manufactured One-Step LP reveals a sensational lack of noise. The cassette is also well done; however, at higher volumes, the listener must put up with a background hiss. The dynamics of the musical material reveal the technical limitations of a Type 1 cassette without noise reduction. I played it on a Tascam 122 MK III deck. Listening to the album from the studio master tape copy is the best option. The tonal spectrum is best layered when played back on my Telefunken M15. This is certainly also due to the deep bass range, which influences the timbres of the midrange and high-frequency ranges. In terms of the tonal spectrum, the UHQ-CD comes closest to the master tape copy. With the Aqua La Diva M2* CD drive and the PMG Signature 512 DAC*, the presentation leans more toward the analytical; with the Jadis JS 1 Mk IV* DAC, more warmth can be expected. With the Transrotor Apollon turntable and a Transfiguration Proteus cartridge mounted on an SME 3500 tonearm, the vinyl-specific characteristics of the One-Step LP are fully brought to life. In terms of these characteristics, the vinyl also comes very close to the master tape copy. With high-quality equipment for playing CDs and LPs, perfect playback results can be achieved. However, when played back on a high-quality tape deck, a master tape copy of this quality will always remain the definitive medium. 

The packaging for all formats is beautifully crafted. The master tape copy comes in the typical REXOX Deluxe packaging, the LP and CD in special sleeves featuring numerous photo prints, and the cassette with a multi-folded insert. It leaves nothing to be desired. 

* The CD was listened to at Michael Vrzal (FIDELITY Magazine):

https://www.fidelity-online.de/author/michael/

Translated from German with DeepL.com (free version)