Back To Black

Having just seen on a well known streaming channel, the bio-film of Amy Winehouse,, my son-in-law loved the film and it's soundtrack, so I decided to treat him to the c.d of the soundtrack for an up coming birthday of his. I know he will love it and can play it anytime he wants to. I have this c.d myself and it's a great piece of music. Delivery very quick and the package in tact.

Brilliant, it's Amy what more can you say. She had the most wonderful voice. Pity she went so early. Wonder what she would have been doing now. Would she have been even better. Definitely worth buying.

The tracks, you’re wondering now, hey little rich girl, Valerie, Cupid, monkey man, fools gold and ‘round midnight were all missing

A well recorded album, the standouts are the vocals and snare drum. The recording captures an intimate live feeling and its atmosphere. There is excellent instrument placement and an overall feeling of warmthI have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile.• Clarity – OK but vocals occasionally get swamped• Channel separation - good• Channel balance – very good clear with stable instrument placement• Sound Stage – ok, quite wide and rich. The good channel balance and stable instrument placement help create a warm, realistic and intimate sound stage• Distortion – On the whole none but occasionally some on the vocals as they push into the higher registers• Compression – good dynamic range brings the recording alive• Atmosphere – an intimate atmosphere like a small club• Bass – low frequencies – reasonable, the bass guitar and kick drum are little muted but remain tight• Treble – high frequencies – the cymbals are excellent and resonate very well sounding life like. The horns are distinct and lifelike.• Vocals – very clear and well articulated without being at the expense of the other instruments. There is good dynamic range.As a general rule of thumb recordings from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s are nearly always better on the original vinyl. Remasters often fail to please as it’s just not possible to make a silk purse from a sows ear, i.e. the original recording lacks the necessary detail to be processed digitally and show an audible improvement. Indeed such processing can make the sound worse.Modern recordings which have been processed digitally from start to finish can be as good as vinyl. CD’s are often unfairly criticised for being poor quality. This is not the case, it is the original recording or the process which is to blame. Modern “remasters” can both enhance and degrade a recording. The statement GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) is the limiting factor. Ignore this at your cost.

I never thought I would be A fan of Amy Whitehouse,But wow! An Exceptional album that could have come straight out of the 'Tamla Mowtown stable'

Great cd, lost my original so was delighted I could replace it at such a good price.

I'm so tired of listening to new music that turns out to be a boring pastiche of the past. This is the album that made me wake up. Back to Black is totally addictive in the best way. It flows. It's succinct - short tracks, vinyl record span - and every track is great. I can't stop playing it.It has a great authentic sound, beautiful vocals, real instruments, top notch backing vocals, gritty real life lyrics, brilliant hooks that don't let you go. The album tracks mix up all the best of 60's soul from Ashford and Simpson Motown to Dusty (in that Amy is a musical fusion too but not a copy-cat), Baby Washington?, with a touch of early '60s Spector and I even hear Sharon Forrester?, Dinah Washington? But this is not a paint by numbers pastiche, it's totally original. This is an artist and a connoiseur at work - it's not manipulative producers pushing young talent aside as is becoming so boringly the case nowadays. Amy is soul, pop, reggae and jazz for the 21st Century; she brilliantly fuses all these genres and becomes unclassable. This IS a modern classic. Treat yourself - buy this and listen over and over.'Tears Dry On Their Own' is my favourite track and I was glad to see the Ashford and Simpson credit. The thing about this track is it's as good as it's reference - Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell's 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'. The track is strong in it's own right; it borrows but doesn't steal. This album knocked me out for 10. Shame I can only give it 5 stars.