****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Critics of Jon Landau's production on Back in the USA have always had to base their caseon the initial mastering. And let's face it, it sounded very tinny indeed. The Japanese SHMversion of the album, however, shows that the criticisms, while entirely justified of the recordas it was released (and I had the original vinyl) do not apply to the production and engineering.The record sounds sensational, with the bass beautifully recorded and the whole thing packingevery bit as much punch as Kick Out the Jams. It's a good candidate for most exciting albumever recorded, with such classics as Teenage Lust, Looking at You, American Ruse and the crypticHuman Being Lawnmower. And since the task of the producer is not merely to supervise the sound,but to get the best possible performance out of the band, Jon Landau has to be given an enormousamount of credit.In summary, this SHM version renders virtually all criticisms of the sound totally redundant.(By the way, although the SHM Kick Out the Jams is almost unobtainable, certainly not for a realisticprice, the regular Japanese remastering is fantastic and costs 20 or 30 bucks: essential!)
