June 2, 2011

  • Cardas Cross, Part 8

    Let's go back 25 years, to the spring of 1986.  Phil Collin's "Take Me Home" (with Peter Gabriel on backup vocals) was closing out No Jacket Required's year-long stay on the charts.  Mike + The Mechanics' "All I Need Is A Miracle" was a radio staple.  And Peter Gabriel himself had just released "Sledgehammer." 

    But when Genesis came out with Invisible Touch, critics slammed it.  However, it is much better and more enjoyable than that.  Damn it, the title song, "Invisible Touch," simply picks you up, and makes you feel good.  "Anything She Does" is simply more energetic than anything today.  Plus, it features' Earth, Wind & Fire's horn section.  Nobody today has the smarts or good taste to include a horn section.  In late summer '86, "Throwing It All Away" was often played when baseball teams made errors and blunders.  With those puppets, "Land Of Confusion" was a huge hit in the autumn.  "In Too Deep" kicked off the new year (1987), and is now an adult contemporary staple.  Finally, "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" would be popular at night, and even appeared on a beer commercial. 

    In the autumn of 1986, Genesis appeared on print ads for Sony Music.  One ad featured Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks joyfully recording in a studio, using Sony digital equipment.  For the record, Invisible Touch is an analog recording.  But you see, Sony was trying to push the Compact Disc format.  So, if you purchased a Sony CD player, and mailed in the coupon with the UPC code, Sony would give you 5 free CDs from its music club.  And of course, one such title was Genesis' Invisible Touch.  Oh, how I lusted after Sony ES and Kyocera CD players, both of which featured simulated rosewood side-panels...

    Nope, in 1986, all we knew was Monster Cable.  We hadn't heard of AudioQuest, Kimber Kable, Straight Wire, Tara Labs, Cardas, et. al.  Nor were Totem Acoustic in existence.  But Totem's The One is an outstanding monitor, which easily lets us hear what is going on upstream.  Here, The One reveals the Cardas Cross' maddening sonics.  Now look.  As a pop music fan, I need audio products which are strong in PRAT (pace, rhythm, acceleration, timing).  With good "pop" to drums, and a quickness of response, the Cross has a high level of PRAT and listener involvement.  But I just can't get past the lack of soundstage depth.  The Cross can do height and width, but it can't do depth.  Thus, all recordings become a 2-dimensional wall of sound.  Furthermore, there are losses in physical body and deep bass.  These losses make the Cross suitable for small, boomy rooms, such as my parents'.  But for long-term enjoyment, my friends and I have always been bothered by the Cross' "in & out" sonics.  For all of its strengths, the Cross leaves us hankering for more.

    Okay, many of you have had the original cassette, LP, or CD of Invisible Touch.  If you are going to get it, get it on the hybrid SACD & DVD double disc set.  The sonics show that this album has higher sound quality than previously thought.  Not only is there less grain, but there is more transparency, speed, detail, and yes, soundstage depth.