This page contains all the messages put onto the BSN Stereo Chat Board during October, 1998. They are in chronological order from first to last. To search for specific topics, use the "find" utility on your browser. For a search of the complete archives, please go to the Stereo Chat Board Archives Main Page.
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Name: Steve Elders From: Orange, CA Time: 1998-10-01 00:49:19 Comments: To Steve Massie or anyone else at Varese: What songs will be on the Barry Scott "Lost 45s" CD? Last time I checked the Varese Web site, only a few of them were listed. |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-01 10:10:38 Comments: Posted as a response in rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1960s: Subject: Re: Soma Records Story Date: 1 Oct 1998 14:03:07 GMT From: curt lundgren [ -- My rant, uncharacteristic though it was (hmmm?),
was not aimed at you, Curt. I realize that you just reported info
from a supposedly reliable source. My problem is that too
many reliable sources in the music business these days turn
out to be a) people who don't know what they're talking about,
and/or b) people too young to even remember the music they're
supposedly being so authoritative about. I've been getting
more and more annoyed in the past two years or so with
the people who hear the whole world as one big monaural 45.
They can't seem to even imagine that anything else is
legitimate. These 20 and 30-something year olds rewrite
history to their own liking by attributing all kinds of
motives to people they never talked to, much less got into
their heads. When people start coming out with preposterous
statements like the mix of "Run Run Run" is really mono,
that's when I start wondering what world these people are
living in. It certainly isn't this one. It must be some
new age place where all truth is relative and can be made up
to suit your own wishes. Anybody with two ears can listen
to that and tell it's not mono. (I have the same problem
with those people who claim two-track is really mono.
Excuse me? |
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Name: Eliot Goshman Website: click HERE for Taragon Records latest releases!!! Time: 1998-10-01 11:23:41 Comments: To Mikey: you are correct, sir! Your Cascades CD will be sent as soon as it's available. |
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Name: Mike Arcidiacono Time: 1998-10-01 14:42:19 Comments: Great!! Geez, I just LOVE turning useless Gary Lewis info into a free CD!! Of course, I'll be buying some of the others released the same day, but its nice to get a freebie once in awhile!! Thank you Eliot!! Mike |
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Name: Barry Margolis From: Minneapolis Time: 1998-10-01 15:58:55 Comments: Mike: I'm so frustrated that this might seem like a rant. Twice I've forwarded to you information about rare Vee Jay without an answer or even a reply from you whatsoever. Likewise, I posted recently and (for the third time) your system cut my message in two. I immediately posted again asking what's the deal. Gosh, why is my post not nearly as important as your long reply about "Run Run Run" in stereo? It's almost as if everyone takes a look at my name and decides that I'm not on the BSN A list, so my posts get ignored. (I've never gotten any of my questions answered.) What gives? Should I stop posting? Please, help me out. Barry |
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Name: Boppin' Brian From: cal ee for ni a Time: 1998-10-01 19:50:21 Comments: Just a quick "Hey !" to say that, one the original "Nuggets" 2 LP album came out on Elektra (mine's a "white label promo", I think it's the "butterfly" label design). I am going to check it out when I get home, but I know that there are several stereo cuts. "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night", for one... or am I thinking of my original "riverboat" label Reprise Electric Prunes LP...come to think of it I've got the mono & stereo issues....I think that the " Prunes' " only other semi-hit "Get Me to the World on Time", a Bo Diddley-ish ""rave-up" has quite a different sound to it in mono vs. stereo, the latter has tons of echo, especially on the vocals. As I recall some versions of the hit "I had too much.." has a panning effect on some mixes, not on others. Which may be more of that "computer remixing" trickery. Which reminds me, is the Monkees' "Listen to the band" in "mono single version" (AAAAARGH!) on 2 cd Rhino "Anthology" supposed to have that goofy left to right panning "trippy" passage (1:38 to 1:49) in STEREO ?!? What's the deal on this ? I have the stereo version on LPs. One I remember preferring is on a German 2 LP Monkees collection. While I'm at it, here's what else Rhino 2 cd "Anthology" has in MONO (ARGH, again): "Steppin Stone"*, "I'll be back up on my feet again(TV version)", " A little bit me, a little bit you" ("restored" handclaps version), " All your toys", Pleasant Valley Sunday"*, "Words"*, "You & I", & "Listen 2 the band"* Tracks I've marked * are identified as "(single version)", another lame "code speak" term for mono you might want to take note of in track listings while browsing cds. Another cop - out if you ask me. Why couldn't they tack on the stereo versions of these cuts, on the tail end of the cd, perhaps...?? I suppose I'd get some stupid reply regarding "licesing restrictions" or "budgetary reasons" if I asked Rhino. Anyone got any other mono-warnings, put em up here !!! As for the "custom mastered cd" for more $ $ $ , my vote is NO !! I also still haven't bought into the gold - plated cd hype, either. At $15 - up a pop, don't you think we deserve such considerations as best possible mastering, sources plus stereo, of course, on regular cd reissues ?? After all, these are pure profit for labels that have virtually no costs (in comparison to a new recording release)! I'd say if someone is willing to license & issue the rare & sought after '50s - '60s stereo stuff discussed here, give us the "budget" approach in packaging, if anything, and keep the releases at affordable, regular prices that way. Never, NEVER forego top-notch sound though. A good example would be the Capitol "Lost Hits.." done by friend-of-stereo-seekers, Bob Hyde. Anyone got any info. on possible future volumes in this series ? How about an "E Mail" address for Mr. Hyde ? That might be an idea of a feature for this site - a list of addresses/contacts/labels/A&R types. OOH! before I forget dept. : ............... ** ** ** ACE (U.K.) "ROT" ** ** ** Did anyone ever have any positive results in obtaining replacements for the "disintegratring" skippy Ace CDs as discussed here ?? Let me know who/where/what, etc. (E-Mail me or post a note here..). Finally, here again I'll recommend .................... http://www.on-air.com/ ............................... "OLDIES" "station" plays lots of good stuff & will catch you by surprise every once in a while with rare stereo. Earlier they played a "mix" of Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Hungry" that had a different, louder guitar part to the right on last half/ending......... maybe from the poorly reviewed 2 cd "re-tweezed" "Legend of.." set from a few years back.. ? I understand that the single cd "Essential ride" (??) &/or (??? !!) Sundazed reissues "got it right" for a lot of "stereo where - ee -ohs" like "Him or Me.." (thanks, bob). (OK, so I lied about the "quick" part at the top of this!)...........BYE! |
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Name: Ken Garland Time: 1998-10-01 23:05:35 Comments: Tom, i have not bought the gold as i could see nothing worth the effort. I would be willing to pay a premium for quality CD of previously issed titles. I would buy if it had even so much as one song i needed or had on a poorly done CD. The only catch is it would have to pass the review in this newsletter (bsn). I would not be concerned about price unless it was outlandish. |
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Name: Chip Cristarella From: New Jersey Time: 1998-10-02 12:30:27 Comments: In answer to "Boppin' Brian": Regarding your comments about "Listen to the Band", Rhino has kind of goofed up. The original single was a STEREO 45, not a mono one, {Although the bulk of the song was in MONO} which means, yes, that goofy panning WAS on the original 45. The "Listen to the Band" box-set is the only place I have ever heard it in true stereo. All other versions are either the Re-channeled version (first heard on the "Monkees Present" LP), or the 45 with the goofy panning. {I like that phrase...} Were the LP's you mentioned released after the box set issue? It was specially mixed for the set by Bill Inglot. There was no true stereo mix made of the track at the time (1969). For the other tracks: "I'll Be Back Upon My Feet" (TV Version) According to Andrew Sandoval, only the mono mixdown tape is known to exist. No Stereo Mix or multi-tracks have turned up so far. "All Of Your Toys" The multi-tracks DO exist, but Bill Inglot does "not beleive" he can make a satisfying stereo mix from them. I know I could! (I'm an Audio Engineer by trade...) "You & I": Really? The track from "Instant Replay"? That's odd, because there was NO MONO MIX MADE for this song originally!!! {Foreign mono LP's of this album summed the stereo tape to mono} As for the rest, there is good reason for having the ORIGINAL mono mixes for these tracks out there. {They are significantly different from their stereo counterparts} However, are they REALLY the original mono mixes, or are they Bill Inglot's attempt to duplicate them from the multi-tracks? That's important, because he botched those attempts to emulate the mono mixes quite badly, IMO. Oh, and by the way: Stereo Rules! |
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Name: Marty Blaise Website: The Blaise Page From: Houston, Texas Time: 1998-10-02 12:32:45 Comments: Does anyone know the name of the song and the artist who performs it for the current Burger King commercial? Some of the words to the song are "I like it like that" and "I got soul, I got soul," plus there is someone laughing. Is this track available in true stereo? I vaguely remember this song, but have no idea who it is by anymore. --- Has everyone noticed how Burger King is using oldies to promote hamburgers? I haven't checked my stereo tv closely, but has anyone noticed if these short bits of songs are in stereo? A stereo hamburger -- maybe a new novelty!? Good listening to everyone. |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-02 12:46:09 Comments: A question concerning the Time/Life series. I just found six volumes in the "Your Hit Parade" series at a Sam Goody store here in Minneapolis, priced at $6.99. Has anyone else seen the Time/Life stuff available at the retail level? My understanding was that each of the various series were available only by subscription. The CDs I bought don't have a UPC code on the tray card, but DO have one stuck to the shrinkwrap. It would be terrific if the "Rock & Roll Era", "Rhythm & Blues" and "Country USA" stuff starts showing up....especially at $6.99 a pop! |
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Name: Mike From: Houston, TX Time: 1998-10-02 16:57:25 Comments: To Curt: Yes, I've seen the Time-Life Hit Parade series at Best Buy for $6.99. In the early 90's I bought much of the 60-70's Rock series through subscription at $18 a pop plus shipping. That was the only way to get it then. I can't help but feel ripped off now that they've hit the discount bins. [ -- Don't feel ripped off just yet. The reissues have only 10 tracks, vs. the 22-24 the originals had. -- MC] |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-02 21:06:25 Comments: Here are a few questions and comments "right out of left field"... Lately I've been acquainting myself with Cat Stevens' early material ("Matthew and Son", etc.) In fact, until I bought Volume 8 of Rhino's British Invasion series, which contains "Matthew...", I had never heard any of his pre-A&M stuff. I went web-surfing and found a review of the "Matthew and Son" LP/CD, which mentioned that the original producer of the LP was Mike Hurst, who had formerly been one of the Springfields, along with Dusty and her brother Tom. (?!?!) I've always thought that the third guy in the group was Tim Field; I've seen his name listed in many articles about them. I've even seen a clip from their old British television show in which Dusty calls him by name. I suppose the name Mike Hurst could be an "alias", and it could be the same guy. Can anyone shed some light on this? And while I'm on the subject... I remember that the English group Fancy from the mid-70s was also produced by Mike Hurst. I've always wondered why "Wild Thing" and/or "Touch Me" haven't appeared anywhere on CD; they would have fit in nicely on Rhino's "Have A Nice Day-Super Hits of the Seventies" series. I even sent Rhino an e-mail a couple of weeks ago to ask about the possibility of a CD reissue of the "Wild Thing" LP; it was originally on Big Tree, which Atlantic owns, so it should fall under Rhino's domain. They could even include "Wild Thing"'s original flipside, also called "Fancy", as a bonus track, since it wasn't on the LP. I know this is just wishful thinking, since it probably wouldn't sell nearly enough to be worthwhile; most people that I've talked to don't even remember this group! Stranger things than this have seen the digital light of day, though, so who knows? Anyway, I won't hold my breath waiting for them to answer my e-mail... I think the people who do that are probably pretty busy these days deflecting criticism of the Nuggets Box Set! And besides, Rhino is MUCH too big and corporate and important to pay any attention to a mere *consumer* like lil' ol' me... |
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Name: Paul Bigelow From: Austin, TX Time: 1998-10-02 22:04:36 Comments: OK folks, THE answer concerning the Gestures' "Run, Run, Run" track on Plum.... Direct from Sundazed.... is... A two-track stereo mixdown tape That should end the debate. Whew! We have the Austin Record Convention this weekend so maybe I can find some stereo goodies. I'm almost to the point of purchasing MINT ATCO pressings of the Bobby Darin material if somebody doesn't put them out in STEREO soon. I was really disappointed with the RHINO box. I guess we are bound to be doomed with the Atlantic material but I wish somebody would put those albums out, nicely packaged, in stereo. The Atlantic and Rhino issues have been so haphazard. |
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Name: Dave Sampson Time: 1998-10-02 23:30:34 Comments: For Barry, Just thought you'd like to know that you can get The 2 Fancy hits on CD. Their 2 LPs exist on one cd "Wild Thing & Something To Remember" (Start Entertainment-London START SRH-802) It was put out in 1995 and has 20 cuts, including the 2 hits and the "Fancy" track you mention. Check your favorite import store/mailorder company. As for Mathew and son-I have that in stereo on a 3cd UK set called "Our Generation" Tellydisc TELCD 39 - put out in 1989 Hope this helps |
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Name: Mike Hartman From: Vernon Hills, IL Time: 1998-10-03 23:24:50 Comments: RE: Burger King commercial...you are right they do use a lot of oldies, but the song you are hearing is from 1997. It's called "I Like It Like That" by Tito Nieves. It can be easily found on "Jock Jams 3". The reason I know is because it struck me too as being a familiar tune and I checked it out. |
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Name: Rory Musil From: AZ Time: 1998-10-04 01:02:41 Comments: That cd by Fancy is available @ this web site:http://www.memorylanerecords.com/ ........... Maybe someone can help me with these... Are these tracks available on cd?: Leon Ashley- Laura Charlie Gracie- Butterfly & Fabulous Hollies- Stop In The Name Of Love Johnny & Jack- Stop The World Los Bravos- Bring A Little Lovin' Charlie Louvin- See The Big Man Cry Jerry Wallace- To Get To You Freddie Weller- These Are Not My People Faron Young- Three Days & Back Track ..................... Later, Rory |
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Name: Larry Davis From: Longview, Washington Time: 1998-10-04 04:26:02 Comments: Cory: Faron Young's "Three Days" and "Backtrack" are on Faron Young:THE CLASSIC YEARS. Johnny & Jack's "Stop The World (And Let Me Off)" is on Johnny & Jack:TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN BOYS. These are both Bear Family box sets. I have Charlie Gracie's "Butterfly" (as well as the rest of his hits) on IT'S FABULOUS, a 1995 CD on Cotton Town Jubilee label. There's also been a more recent Eureopean CD of Gracie's Cameo recordings. Jerry Wallace's "To Get To You" in on GOLDEN CLASSICS, a 1993 Collectables CD. The Leon Ashley hit "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" is on COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS VOL. 3 1965-1970 on K-Tel. Like most thinking music fans, I try to avoid K-Tel when at all possible, but this was the only place I've found this song on CD and it sounds fine. Larry |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-04 14:51:48 Comments: Larry, has the Jerry Wallace disc on Collectables been speed-corrected? The Curb release sucks. Also, since you've got the skinny on CW titles, can you point me to an in-print Warner version of Bob Luman's "Let's Think About Livin'"? (Besides the Time-Life CD.) |
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Name: michael r. fiedler From: Minneapolis, MN Time: 1998-10-04 15:53:39 Comments: To Curt Lundgren: "Let's Think About Livin'" is also available on "55 Original Country Classics" from Session Records in Colorado Springs, CO OPCD-4516, it's a Warner Special Products; the best sounding cut I have though is on a Canadian CD "Crazy Tunes", Stardust CD-1018, which may be a boot, but is available from Discollector in Colorado. I finally caught a copy of the "Big Hits of Mid-America: The Soma Records Story 1963-1967" at the Electric Fetus...no one else in town seems to have it right now. Is Plum/Simitar part of K-Tel, or who the heck are they. One criticism of the package: my brother in law was slighted again. He was the lead singer of the Castaways and no where do they have a picture with him in it. At least on "Liar, Liar" they gave him credit for being the bass player (even though he sang the vocals and did the scream). The "Nuggets" box set out, also slighted him..not in the picture and no mention of him being in the group. For mostly disc dubs, I was fairly pleased with the sound of the Soma set. My boss at channel 9 wrote some of the liner notes for a supposedly just released CD of recordings that came out of his former facility, Dove Studios. Do you know what the name of the CD is & where I can get it? My boss keeps forgetting to bring it in for us all to look at. |
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Name: Steve Massie Time: 1998-10-04 20:25:34 Comments: Simitar is a label made up of former K-Tel employees, including Steve Wilson who was VP of re-issues at K-Tel and has the same job at Simitar. They are based in Maple Plain, Mn. They purchased the Excelsior label from Cy Leslie, who, as I mentioned before, inherited it when he bought Musicland from the Heilicher's back in the 70s. Excelsior had been started by Musicland basically as a budget label (and named after Excelsior Blvd. in Mpls. where they were located). Soma was the other label, of course, that the Heilicher's owned so it was part of that sale. BTW, I'm curious about the Dove Records CD you speak of. Let us know if you can get any information about it. I have several singles on Dove Records, including T.C. Atlantic. I would be very curious if any tapes survived. There were two other Mpls. labels that I've been trying to find out ownership (or tape possession) of; Bear Records and Studio City. Bear had a few Midwest singles (The Coachmen, Joey Strobel, Marv Dennis IV to name a few). Studio City had quite a few more singles with a lot of them being groups from Duluth and Northern Minnesota. But no one I know can seem to come up with any current information on either label. |
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Name: Steve Massie Time: 1998-10-04 20:41:12 Comments: Mike: Hadn't had a chance to send an email to you but I've got a couple things to mention. I'm working with Bob Feldman on doing some reissues of stuff he and his partner's own. As you probably know, Bob managed to keep most of the half inch four-track session tapes that they worked on. In fact, we went to his storage place a couple weeks ago and I brought most of them over here to my house. Bob and I are going to pick up a half inch reel-to-reel this week that he's buying so we can go through all these tapes. I've got a studio here at my place so we're going to set it up here. Except for the stuff he took to Sony a couple years ago for the McCoys and Strangelove's CDs, he hasn't heard these tapes himself since they were recorded. Anyway, a couple of the things he has include a stereo mix of "Hide And Seek" by The Sheep and "Because Of You" by Rome & Paris, a single that "bubbled under" in 1966 (the group was actually Bob and Jerry Goldstein). If you're interested in those I'd be glad to put burn a CD for you. Also, I listened to "He's So Fine" off the Angels CD and realized the backing track is the same one that the Chiffons used. I brought this up with Bob and he confirmed it. That's another of the tracks that I noticed is on one of those four-track session masters. I'm wondering whether that could be sync'd up with the Chiffons mono single to create any kind of stereo track. What do you think? And is there anything that you know Bob Feldman was involved in that I should be looking or listening for when we start going through those tapes? I noticed on the boxes that there some unreleased McCoys tracks and lots of false starts and unused takes on The Angels, McCoys, Strangeloves, Diane Christian, etc. I think he has stereo masters on all five singles that were on their "Stork" label, too. |
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Name: Michael R. Fiedler From: Minneapolis, MN Time: 1998-10-04 23:00:42 Comments: To Steve Massie: Thanks for the comments. Since Plum/Simitar had a Maple Grove address, I thought they might be somehow related to K-Tel. As far as Dove master tapes, I had asked my boss, Darold Arvidson, on Friday about the tapes, and he told me when they closed the studio down (around 1969 or so) they made every effort to make sure they got rid of all the master tapes and give them to the band. He said they had luck in getting all the tapes to someone before they closed their doors, be it the band, or a band member, a producer or someone related to the group. Since this release is supposed to be all recordings from Dove studios, I would assume someone had tapes to contribute. My boss has nothing left except a couple of test acetates...but nothing that is worth anything at this point in time. I will ask him again this week about bringing the CD in so that I can find out what it is called. It might be possible that it has not been released yet, and he has a prerelease copy of the copy because he is a contributor. Don't know anything about the other record labels. |
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Name: Joel Goldenberg From: Montreal Time: 1998-10-04 23:10:38 Comments: I've seen some of the Time-Life reissues here, and they seem very disappointing. Only about 12 tracks each at about $14.99 Canadian. I've heard a few tracks via tinny speakers in a store. It seems, I think, that Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) is mono or rechanneled again after being stereo on the 1970 mail order version. This is a disappointment from the usually great Dennis Drake. |
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Name: Tom Daly Website: Skyline From: Metro Boston Time: 1998-10-04 23:34:05 Comments: I think there's been some misuderstanding about my prior post about an "audiophile" label. We all know gold discs don't sound any different than aluminum discs, and I wasn't suggesting that I would press gold discs just to drive the price up. My suggestion was that I lease classic albums that have mediocre to lousy sound on standard major label issues, find the best source tapes, dehiss and clean them up and put them out on aluminum discs at a slightly higher price than the standard reissues on the major labels. It's going to cost some dough to do this kind of tape research, and take major time to produce the quality of product I have in mind. My question is, "Is there a potential market for this type of product, or is everyone happy with the junk the majors are dishing out?" If I did what I would consider to be a good job cleaning up and remastering "Blind Faith," so that hiss was close to or non-existent, would it be worth $24.95? I think $29.95 is steep for even a gold disc, but I'd think $24.95 would be a fair price for an album that has been sonically restored, especially when the label that owns the recording continues to use the old LP master, or a safety master a couple of generations higher than the LP master. The majors (specifically WEA, but others, too) won't spend the time and money to do digital audio restoration on classic albums. I won't be able to license an album that will compete with the major's standard issue without doing an "audiophile" release, then doing the cleanup work myself. Is there or is there not a market for such discs, and if there is, at what price point is such a disc worth to the public? Most "point-of-sale" customers buy budget "special markets" discs at K-Mart for $7.99 to $9.99, and we all know what THOSE sound like. Hissy tapes and noisy disc dubs galore! Anyway, if you think a premium price is OK for nice, clean audio, let me know. If you don't think so, let me know that as well. Just remember that the reason the majors DON'T do it is because it costs money, and they can make money without doing it. If you want it you buy it. THEN, after you've spent your money, you find out that the disc you've purchased has lousy sound. Some of you have heard my work for Collectables (Alive n' Kickin', Shirley and Company, Sylvia, and "Stand By Me" on the Ben E. King disc). What if I told you I could make Carole King's "Tapestry" sound like those? What if I told you I've made Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" sound like I used the session tape and remixed it myself? I haven't found a CD issue of that track yet that had the highs intact and no tape hiss. Now how much would you pay? Get the picture? Thanks to those who have replied and to those who will. |
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Name: Steve Massie Time: 1998-10-05 18:52:10 Comments: Here is the lineup for the upcoming CD on Varese "Barry Scott Presents The Lost 45s of the 70s and 80s". 1. The Safety Dance--Men Without Hats (single edit) 2. A Fine Day--Tony Carey (single edit) 3. You Don't Want Me Anymore--Steel Breeze (single edit) 4. My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)--Chilliwack 5. Moonlight Feels Right--Starbuck 6. I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips--Eric Carmen 7. Breaking Away--Balance 8. Without You (Not Another Lonely Night)--Franke & The Knockouts 9. Love's Grown Deep--Kenny Nolan 10. Modern Day Delilah--Van Stephenson 11. Such A Woman--Tycoon (single edit) 12. Him--Rupert Holmes (single edit) 13. More Than Just The Two Of Us--Sneaker (single edit) 14. Find Another Fool--Quarterflash (single edit) |
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Name: Mark M. From: L.I. NY Time: 1998-10-05 19:26:55 Comments: Greetings fellow-philes, I would like to add that given the parameters mentioned below my answer is YES, I would pay more if a CD was *really* re-mastered with care by someone who cares. I just wish there was a real forum for major labels where collectors like me could tell them that. I am not fooled by Gold discs or titanium or any other magic potion that they say will make my laser see something different reflecting back at it. The real work as we know is in the tape research and the mastering. It's been said here many a time that these things cost $$$ to do. I will pay extra for a product without mass-appeal that takes time and effort. Example: Taragon's Red Bird CD: I see other CD's in the bins w/same material that I know are mono from grungy sources that fetch the same price...shouldn't Taragon get a little more for that kind of effort?? (I don't work for Taragon, by the way...) I also realize that Joe public can't make that distinction so such projects would have to aimed specifically at collectors like us and audiophiles. ******Speaking of effort, did I read somewhere that Judy Collins' "Colours Of The Day-Best Of" was re-mastered? I have an older CD copy that sounds really bad (muddy, filtered, distorted) Any info appreciated!!-MM |
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Name: Joel Goldenberg From: Montreal Time: 1998-10-05 20:58:32 Comments: Greetings! To Tom Daly, $24.95 is too steep for me, but that's because I'm Canadian and our dollar is sinking again. The project does sound intriguing. HOWEVER... did anyone read the front-page Billboard article on DVDs replacing CDs? Oy gevalt! More "definitive remastering" because the available 24 bits will make the music sound "smoother" and "more pleasant." Hopefully, the record companies won't screw things up as happened in the early years of CDs. Any thoughts out there? Finally, I recently got three Collectables For Collectors Only sets, the Cadillacs (three cassettes), the Flamingos (two cassettes) and Shep and the Heartbeats (two cassettes) for $1.99 (!!!!!!!) each at Borders. Not per tape, per set! And, except for a minor tape defect that was easily fixed, they're great! I also got the Henry Mancini three-cassette box for $7.99. Another great buy. It pays to wait, sometimes. |
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Name: Larry Davis From: Longview, Washington Time: 1998-10-06 01:25:48 Comments: Curt: The GOLDEN CLASSICS CD on Collectables sounds fine. I also bought the Curb disaster on Jerry Wallace. It was too painful to listen to........ Michael Fielder has listed all the places that I've found "Let's Think About Livin'" too. And I agree that the version on CRAZY TUNES sounds best. It's in stereo as well........... I don't know what the story is behind Canadian labels such as Stardust and Mavis. They often sound as good as some of the American reissues, yet people seem to think they must be boots. They rarely credit the original labels and you don't see any of those familiar caveats "used by permission of the copyright holders" that you find on American reissue labels. (The same is true of a few Europeon import labels too.) Still, I've not heard of any efforts to halt their importation (as though they actually could anyway). Do they pay royalties? Do they ever get first generation masters? I don't know, but they sometimes put out reissues that you can't find anywhere else. Not paying proper royalties and less than perfect sound are charges just as often made against some American labels, so I'm glad they're out there. They fill a niche for oldies collectors. Larry |
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Name: Paul Stoddard From: Boston, MA Time: 1998-10-06 08:57:29 Comments: Regarding DVD replacing CD: yes, the major record companies are going to try to make this happen, just like they're trying to force the issue with DVD video. However DVD video is a compromised format, and you can be sure that the majors will do something to compromise DVD audio as well. In a recent issue of Mix magazine, there was a report on the ongoing attempts to define a DVD audio standard. As of the writing of the article, there was no agreement among the standard setters. Some things that consumers should be aware of is that DVD audio discs will offer a few more "features" than standard CDs, and all of these "features" will benefit the record companies. The standards that have been proposed so far all include a very serious copy restriction, i.e. no digital copies, period. There is also provision for "zones", i.e. players made for the U.S. market will only play discs that are made for the U.S. market, so say goodbye to imports. Probably the most restrictive is that there is provision in the standards for an expiration date! Your DVDs can be encoded not to play after a certain date. Of course, all of this would take cooperation with the major hardware manufacturers to implement the hardware necessary to "obey" these copy, zone, and expiration bits. But, consider the following: Sony owns Columbia, Matsushita has a sizeable interest in MCA, Philips owns Polygram, Toshiba has an alliance with EMI, Pioneer has an alliance with Warner/Elektra/Atlantic, and who knows what else Bertelsmann owns besides RCA! So, we now have most of the major music manufacturers in bed with a major equipment manufacturer. How hard do you think it's going to be to get all of these new "features" implemented in the players? Also, I've had the opportunity to hear some recordings that were transferred from analog to one of the new 24 bit, 96kHz DAT recorders. In an A/B comparison with a transfer to standard 16 bit, 44.1kHz DAT, I could hear very little difference, and I have good ears! So, the benefits of DVD audio to collectors of analog-era music are marginal, but the possible disadvantages are ridiculous. Also, you know that the majors will use this as an excuse to get to that $20.00 price point that they've wanted for years. I intend to stick with the CD, demand better CD quality from the manufacturers, support the labels that put the effort into their products, and shun the audio DVD. |
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Name: Tom Daly Website: Skyline From: Metro Boston Time: 1998-10-06 15:48:16 Comments: I have to agree with my buddy Paul Stoddard's assessment of DVD audio. These will be replete with MPEG compression, copy-proof, and while, yes, they WILL have a higher sampling rate than CDs, what's the point? We can't even get the labels to provide us with decent sound at 44.1KHz, so what's going to a higher rate gonna do for collectors of remastered analog material? Absolutely nothing but drive the price of the software into the stratosphere and give the majors back the concept of "replacement value." For the noise my kid buys, he might hear a difference, but we'll never hear one from existing analog masters. DVD audio will be an excuse for WEA to take the surviving Atlantic & Atco stereo masters and issue a completely mono Rhino box set encompassing everything Atlantic issued from 1958 to 1969, after which, we'll never hear the material in stereo again! I thought I'd interject here that with the exception of the recent "Nuggets" package, has anyone noticed the common thread of bitching about Rhino's mono issues? If my memory serves me correctly, most of the mono material on Rhino that used to be in stereo is from the Atlantic catalog, and I attribute that to the mileage on the stereo master tapes that the mono masters haven't seen since 1967. |
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Name: Christopher Kissel From: Long Island, NY Time: 1998-10-06 19:20:17 Comments: Just received the latest (October 1998) catalog from Collectors' Choice Music which lists The Complete Dion & the Belmonts on their label with first time stereo for I Wonder Why! Collectors' Choice can be found at www.ccmusic.com |
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Name: Christopher Kissel From: Long Island, NY Time: 1998-10-06 19:46:48 Comments: Sorry, I forgot to mention that The Complete Dion & the Belmonts on Collectors' Choice is listed with a release date of October 22. It will be on 2 CDs with 46 tracks. I'll try to post the track listings when I have a few minutes, unless someone beats me to it! |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-07 12:13:48 Comments: I recently bought several of the "...At Abbey Road" CDs from British EMI... These discs are a real "paradox" for us collectors. All of them that I've heard have spanking-clean, excellent sound (with studio talking here and there), obviously from the original tapes; but Mike's prediction in his review of the all mono CD "Beat At Abbey Road 1963-65" that the other discs in this series "will most likely show a similar disdain for all things multi-channel" certainly came true. Of the CDs I've bought, the Gerry & The Pacemakers, the first Hollies Vol. (63-66), the Billy J. Kramer, and the Manfred Mann discs are ALL MONO, and the second Hollies Vol. (66-70) has only 10 out of 24 cuts in stereo: "Schoolgirl", "Dear Eloise", "Man With No Expression (Horses Through A Rainstorm)", "Blowing In The Wind", "Sign Of The Times", "I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top", "Mad Professor Blyth", "Gasoline Alley Bred", "Dandelion Wine", and "Confessions Of A Mind". I've heard that the Shadows volume has some stereo remixes, but I don't have it so I don't know for sure. In the first two pages of the booklets, they try to justify their predominant use of mono by saying that the stereo mixes are too positionally restricted because of the way the music was separated on the multi-tracks. Yeah,right... All of that is a little hard to swallow, since we've been hearing much of this material in stereo for years on LPs and, in some cases, other CDs, and the mixes sound fine to me (including the early Beatles songs!). Still, if you don't mind the lack of stereo, these are excellent collections, since they cover the hits and also some rarities and unissued cuts, and the booklets have interesting notes and photos. Now then, shifting gears... Before I go on, I want to ask Mr. Kissel to please not be offended by what I'm about to say about the new CD find that he mentioned; it's not that I'm attacking that CD in particular; it's just the example that I chose... I just wanted to say that the new collection of Dion & The Belmonts from Collectors Choice, with first-time stereo for "I Wonder Why", makes a good example of a practice that is absolutely infuriating to me--the way the companies keep repackaging the same old stuff over and over, but with one "just discovered!!!" stereo goody to dangle in front of our noses so we'll buy it all again. (I'm not trying to bash Coll. Choice either; there again, this is just an example.) Sometimes ya gotta wonder about these "new discoveries"; I think that sometimes they simply hold onto them until they think the time is right. I suppose that in this case, however, "I Wonder Why" probably really was just recently discovered, since Ace UK would have undoubtedly used it in stereo for their Dion & Belmonts CD reissues if it had been available. I guess I'm just being paranoid, but I do believe that this "holding back" does go on quite a bit. Finally, I know I won't win any brownie points from Coll. Choice for this but, fellow collectors, PLEASE try all other possible sources for import CDs before buying from Coll. Choice; some of their prices are ridiculous! I've found several CDs that they were charging $24.95 for in Midnight Records' and DisCollector's catalogs for $14.99 and $15.99. Many of you probably already know this, but I'm hoping that, by mentioning it here, maybe I can prevent some of you from getting ripped off as I have been several times. Whew! Guess that's all for now... |
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Name: Luke Pacholski Website: LukPac.org From: Racine, WI Time: 1998-10-07 14:09:09 Comments: Re: At Abbey Road. Recently on rec.music.beatles there has been a lot of discussion about remixing and the hard stereo mixes of the '60s. A couple people feel that they are 'bad' mixes, that the drums should never be mixed to one side, etc, but I think most people feel that is simply a sign of the times. I personally find it interesting to hear stuff like drums mixed hard to one side. There is certainly nothing *wrong* with it, and when it comes down to that or mono, I'll take the stereo mix any day. |
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Name: Mike Cloud From: Houston, TX Time: 1998-10-08 00:14:09 Comments: Re: Beatles in stereo. With the limitations of 4 track recording, it's amazing the Beatles were in stereo at all. The remixing options are likely too few to consider. However, it would be good if Capitol could sync the stereo backing to "Eleanor Rigby" with the vocals a la "California Girls". That backing track sounds great on "Anthology". |
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Name: Bob Olivia From: Burbank, California Time: 1998-10-08 04:05:31 Comments: Hi everyone; Just returned from New York for my son's wedding. I got a chance to hear the great WCBS oldies station. Fantastic. They are a real oldies station playing all the hits, including all the 50's stuff that K-Earth in LA refuses to play anymore. Just a comment about Stereo Masters. The ATCO/ATLANTIC stereo masters do exist. Don't let RHINO fool you. For years the rumor was that Ricky Nelson's Verve masters were burned in a fire in Hollywood. Now they are on CD. How's pulling who's leg? I'm sure the Japanese and British have masters also of these songs. After 40 years we suddenly have I Wonder Why in stereo. Don't believe anything Rhino tells you. You all saw the response when we mass E-mailed them a few weeks ago. Stereo Rules. Bye for now, Bob. |
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Name: Bill Buster From: Eric Records Time: 1998-10-08 04:59:26 Comments: For those of you who have been seeking "I'm A Man" by the Spencer Davis Group in stereo (and you know who you are), it's scheduled to be released 10/27 in a new CEMA Special Markets CD entitled "The Best Of The Spencer Davis Group." My new release announcement says "stereo debut" for this title only so (Bob Hyde probably) knows what you need! Some of you may have a problem finding a special markets CD, however, as many regular retail stores don't carry them. Better to look at Costco or Wal-Mart. Anyway if you find it it should be cheap (approx. $7.98 ). |
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Name: Larry Davis From: Longview, Washington Time: 1998-10-08 13:06:29 Comments: Just a few words in praise of Collector's Choice Music. I've found their prices on Bear Family box sets to be the best I can find. If you get their catalog, you often find new releases on sale. I paid $44.95 for the Nuggets box set from them, priced less than anywhere else I found it. They also produce more and more reissues themselves, always of excellent quality. These are often a CCMusic exclusive for many months after being released. They ship EVERYTHING Priority mail so you get your order fast. They are absolutely no hassle if you need to return something. Barry's earlier comment about shopping around is always good advice. I'm amazed at how many sing the praises of CDNow (and I've bought from them several times with no problems at all), yet I often find much better prices at CD Universe. There are a LOT of places to shop for CDs on the internet. My only complaint with Collector's Choice is that their website is clumsy and slow. I mean, who wants to click on 26 letters of the alphabet and wait for each page to load just to see what's new in their catalog? But for quality service and great products, Coll. Choice is first rate. I also feel that we need to support companies that take a chance and produce quality reissues of oldies that nobody else seems interested in doing. If they don't sell well enough, these reissues will stop coming........Larry |
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Name: Don Duffey From: Buffalo Time: 1998-10-08 22:31:40 Comments: Attn.all Cameo/Parkway fans,on another trip to the land of the maple leaf I discovered a interesting cd called "Cameo Appearances"...30 tracks..all mono.The highlights of the disc are:"Butterfly/Fabulous-Charlie Grace...."Back To School Again"-Timmie"Oh Yeah"Rogers..."Silhouettes"-Rays..."Dinner With Drac"-John Zacherle.."I'm The Girl From Wolverton Mount."/"Mother Please"/"Mr. Fix-it Man"-Jo Ann Campbell.."Mexican Hat Rock"/"Rocka-Conga"-Applejacks..."Bad Motorcycle"-Storey Sisters.."South Pacific Twist"-Rocky Fellers..."Wild Thing"-Senator Bobby...plus other tunes by ?/Mysterians/The Tymes/Dee Dee Sharp/& other C/P artists. all sound like they were mastered from vinyl,but very clean,[as clean as mono can sound]. ....Don D. |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-09 06:46:27 Comments: Can anyone enlighten me on two labels? First, Musicrama....apparently a Dutch reissue. Also, Alliance.....which has assumed at least SOME of the EMI Legendary series' titles. Quality? Originality? And (obviously) stereo content? |
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Name: danstrode Website: From: bellingham wa Time: 1998-10-09 10:08:59 Comments: On paying more for quality CDs... from the Bear Family web site: That's why Bear Family records often cost a little more, but, as the old proverb goes, the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten |
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Name: Eliot Goshman Website: click HERE for Taragon Records new releases!!! Time: 1998-10-09 11:09:14 Comments: The information for TARAGON® new releases on October 27 is now on our website, click here or the link above to get information on new compilations from, The Cascades, The Arbors, The Springfields, Vaughn Monroe and 2 new "Lost Hits" collections. |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-09 11:12:52 Comments: Newsflash... I just saw in an "upcoming release" ad that a 7th volume of the Golden Age of American Rock and Roll from Ace UK is due to be released on Oct. 28. Another 30-tracker, but no specific track details were available. I love this series; I've bought them all so far, and they're played in fairly heavy rotation around here... I think that my earlier comments about Collectors Choice sounded a little more negative than I intended. Larry is absolutely right about all of their good aspects; the fast order delivery and hassle-free customer service are big pluses in my book too, and they have released some really great things on their own label that probably would have gone unissued otherwise. Their practice of offering sale prices on new releases is most welcome, also; I couldn't pass up that great price for the Nuggets Box Set! If you don't mind the mono, this is a wonderful set content-wise. And offering good prices right off the bat for new releases is certainly better than the way they used to wait until several months after something was first listed, after many people had already bought it, and then reduce it by 25%! I guess the import department is just an "Achilles' heel" of sorts for them, a place where they tend to take advantage price-wise. This seems to be much worse for Japanese CDs than for British ones; I suppose the Japanese discs are harder to come by. Just one example, and I'll drop the subject, I PROMISE... The new Japanese 7-CD box set of the Rascals from Rhino--Collectors Choice: $199.95, DisCollector: $134.99... |
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Name: Rory Musil From: AZ Time: 1998-10-10 16:18:06 Comments: Curt asked about Musicrama & Alliance..... I haven't heard of a label named Musicrama but there is an import distributor based out of NY by that name. Alliance was a company that owned various wholesale distributors a couple years back. They also owned the Castle label & issued that material in the U.S. They had exclusive distribution on a number of labels. An executive at Capitol/ EMI who owned a stake in Alliance set up a distribution deal between the two companies giving Alliance exclusive rights to a large chunk of the Capitol/ EMI catalog. Alliance filed Chapter 11 soon after that deal, leaving the marketplace without much of the catalog they distributed. EMD are currently reinstating those titles into their catalog. Problem is that much of that catalog was issued in the early days of CD. Rather than remaster & repackage them, they are just reissuing the old product as is. At the same time, a number of cut out dealers have acquired that product. You'll probably see some bargains in the bins fairly soon. |
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Name: Don Baylis Website: Sabre Home Entertainment - Oldies on CD From: Niagara Falls - Ont. Canada Time: 1998-10-11 14:21:57 Comments: I have a Capitol STEREO 45 #54192 Big Fat Sally by Bonnie and Roy .. Anyone know anything about this duo? And was Jack Scott's Carlton release #519 There'll Come A Time / Baby Marie released as a Stereo single. I have #514 'The Way I Walk' but in the listing I saw of #519, no mention was made of #514 - wondering if there was just a numerical mix up here ! |
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Name: John Adkins From: Phoenix Time: 1998-10-12 09:52:42 Comments: After months of showing "under construction" and then being off-line completely for a while, Dick Bartley's website is finally up and running (www.dickbartley.com). He mentioned the site on his live show this past Saturday night. And it does have a link for e-mail. |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Red Stick Time: 1998-10-13 14:46:46 Comments: Rhino's Sam The Sham *Pharoahization* arrived today, and as expected it's nearly all MONO (Well, at least there's SOME stereo on it; Maybe Bill Inglot couldn't find the mono versions). Sound quality is not up to what you expect from Rhino -- whatever that is -- And this is clearly no match for the Mercury CD released in 1986, which was nearly all stereo. Don't bother to go with the order shown on the CD's cover either, it is all wrong; here is the correct lineup (the number in parentheses is how they're listed on the cover) -- 1. (1) Wooly Bully (M), 2. (17) I'm Sorry 'Bout That (M), 3. (2) Ju Ju Hand (M), 4. (3) Medicine Man (S), 5. (8) Ring Dang Doo (M), 6. (4) Don't Try It (M), 7. (14) Monkey See Monkey Do (M), 8. (16) Red Hot (M), 9. (6) A Long Long Way (M), 10. (20) Big Blue Diamonds (S), 11. (11) Li'l Red Riding Hood (M), 12. (7) Gren'ich Grendel (S), 13. (5) Pharoah A-Go-G0 (S), 14. (12) The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin (M), 15. (21) The Out Crowd (M), 16. (15) How Do You Catch A Girl (M), 17. (10) Oh That's Good, No That's Bad (M), 18. (22) Take What You Can Get (M), 19. (13) Black Sheep (M), 20. (24) Banned In Boston (M), 21. (23) Money's My Problem (M), 22. (18) Let Our Love Light Shine (M), 23. (19) I Never Had No One (M), 24. (9) I Couldn't Spell !!*@! (M). This one's a real rip-off! |
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Name: Paul Bigelow From: Austin, TX Time: 1998-10-14 09:47:11 Comments: Little Red Rhino-hood, You sure aren't looking good You're nothing a big, bad, wolf would want Owwwwwwww!!!!!! Sorry for that - just had to! It figures doesn't it? Have a nice stereo CD to go out of print only to be replaced by mono revisionism. How well do these mono CDs sell? 5-10,000 units? Maybe somebody has it up their sleeve to make CDs 13.98 mono, 14.98 stereo. The Cliff Richard "1958-1963 Rock n' Rolling Years" is a very well done set by EMI containing lots of rare stereo mixes - beautifiul book too! |
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Name: Vic From: PA Time: 1998-10-14 14:48:24 Comments: A couple of questions: Does the original 1965 "Here It Comes Again" by the Fortunes exist anywhere on CD? Is there a chance the Beach Boys "The Little Girl I Once Knew" might turn up in a stereo mix now that other tracks of that era have been released in stereo? Does the original version of Aretha's "Natural Woman" exist anywhere on CD? The original 45 did not have the "ah-ooh" background vocals. Does anyone have anything to report on that Treasured Tunes series that is being offered by Collectors Choice? |
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Name: Boppin' Brian From: Caleeforniyeah Time: 1998-10-14 17:19:09 Comments: Hiya - Hopefully stereo content on newest ACE "Golden Age .." will not keep "tailing off" as it has in the past few installments of the series. Plenty of "coulda- shoulda's " in most recent volumes of this & other ace series like "Teen Beat". At least they give us "Chances Are" in stereo on the "Teenage Crush" V.A. cd. Any one have any further details on how to get replacements for defective Ace cds as discussed here in the past ?? Check your early/mid 80s Ace titles, folks. My worst case of the 2 "rotted" (?!) cds is an Isley Brothers where the ink imprint has seemingly caused the metal to erode away leaving a visible hole in the coating ! The only other problem like this that I have ever encountered is with a Japanese Peter Paul & Mary "best of" cd that has a bad case of aluminum dandruff -- the "label" side is actually flaking off!!! I have no real hopes of getting a replacement of this one though, as it was a 10-12 year old issue by the time I picked it up & is probably out of print. The whole thing is (was ?!) stereo though, with great sound. ............................................... Collectables Jerry Wallace "Golden Classics" is "right"-sounding enough, true to Challenge originals, BUT they goofed on "coulda- woulda- shoulda- " dept. One track I know that's mono on the cd (that has been stereo on records) is "In The Misty Moonlight", & I'm sure there are others (don't have the cd here to check...). ................................................. "For What It's Worth" -- "HDCD" r.i. of this (& other "HDCD" stuff I've heard, Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" box, for 1) sounds O.K. to me. It's a heck of a lot less hissy than some of the earlier reissues I have of it (a Sequel V.A. cd comes to mind as being quite problematic....). It may have been a Neil Young - effort to try to get the most "analogue - sounding" Buffalo Springfield reissues. Why isn't the mono stuff ALL reprsented in stereo on the !st LP reissue ??!! I think the one hold out was "Baby Don't Scold Me". Like rarer 1st issue of 1st Jefferson Airplane LP, some of these "deleted" tracks may never be stereo, when they rarely appear... How about "I'm A Man" on th 1st Buckinghams LP ?? There are dozens of other examples of these "lost" LP tracks... ................................. O.K. , so who is the mystery man on "Liar Liar" ??!?! (scream & vocal ) (but not bass, as dicussed below...) ............................... As for the prospect of "limited lifespan" discs, it has already become a reality for DVD / films -- big push here recently by "Circuit City" (full-page newspaper ads) for "DIVX" (?) where you can play a 5 buck movie once before it vanishes into the ether. I would never support such a technology on an ecological standpoint alone. ....................................................... What a crock !! Leave it to the Brits to come up with the most techno-speak version in the latest in the line of mono-justifications when explaining to us about "..(original) stereo mixes (being) too positionally restricted" !! (In the notes to the "Abbey Road - in the studio" series) What freaks me out is the fact that so many of these "inferior" original stereo mixes from the '60s were hands-on creations by the musicians (and/or producers) involvedat the time. What gives the current controlling parties of these masters the right to mess with them, essentially re-writing history ??!! I can always reach for my "Beatles Story" Japanese 3 cd sets, I guess to satisfy my stereo sensitivities. (Still haven't bought any of the 1st 4 Beatles cds.... How great would it be if those could be properly remastered in stereo??!! Certainly would be a licensing nightmare, but there would be a huge market for them.) That's all folks !!! |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-14 21:39:34 Comments: To Vic--Your best bet for the Fortunes' "Here It Comes Again" would probably be an imported 2-CD set called "And The Beat Goes On Vol. 3--38 Classics of the 60s" (UK Polygram 314 553 065 2), which is available from CDMO in New York (website: www.cdmo.com) for $23.99, not a bad price for a double-disc set. It is made up of Polygram-owned tracks, predominantly British hits, but some that were American hits as well. I have the first two volumes (sets) of this series, and they have excellent sound; very clean. Obviously done from the original British masters. This volume should be just as good. Stereo content on the first two volumes is generally good, too, although there is a song or two here and there in mono that exist in stereo (Tommy Edwards' "It's All In The Game" and Jimmy Jones' "Good Timin'" on Vol. 1 come to mind). The Vol. 2 set contains another Fortunes track, "You've Got Your Troubles", by the way. There was also a CD collection of the Fortunes called "Here It Comes Again" on Deram/Polygram UK a few years back, which was a collection of their London/Press material; I tried to order it from both CDMO and Midnight Records with no luck. Already out of print, I guess. As for the original 45 version of "Natural Woman", I know that the "deluxe reissue" of Aretha's "Lady Soul" LP on Rhino has the "mono single version" of that song listed as a bonus track; I don't know if it's truly the original single or if that monomaniacal Bill Inglot just combined the stereo mix into one channel (I wouldn't put it past him.) Does anyone know for sure about this one? Incidentally, the "Lady Soul" CD is one of those rare releases that Rhino got right: the original stereo album with the mono singles as bonus cuts. They did just the opposite with the "I Never Loved A Man..." CD, though; the entire album in mono with a few stereo versions as the bonuses...Grrrr!!! Anyway, hope this helps... |
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Name: Michael R. Fiedler From: Minneapolis, MN Time: 1998-10-15 00:31:10 Comments: For Boppin' Brian: The original lead singer of the Castaways for the song "Liar, Liar" was Dick Roby of Richfield, MN. Dick also was the groups bass player. Dick left the group after they had the hit with that song. For a while there were two groups touring: The Castaways & Dick Roby's Castaways. Dick has stayed in the music business all these years, and shortly after "Good Morning Vietnam" came out the four original members of the Castaways got back together and toured for about three years in the Midwest on the oldies circuit (Dick Roby, Bob Folschow, Roy Hensley & Denny Craswell (who later played in Crow). These four guys formed the group in Richfield while in high school. They auditioned for a keyboard player, and that is when they added Jim Donna to the group. Dick Roby's dad came up with the name for the group. You can guess where from......The Castaways from "Gilligan's Island." |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-15 06:51:56 Comments: Regarding Ace's upcoming volume 7 in the "Golden Age" series, here's an email from Julia Honeywell: "Yes it'll be out in the next Right Track newsletter and on out website in the next couple of weeks. Julia" ---------- From: curtlundgren@worldnet.att.net[SMTP:MIME @INTERNET {curtlundgren@worldnet.att.net}] Sent: 10 October 1998 17:05 To: Julia Honeywell Subject: "Golden Age" Volume 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Julia: Do you have a track lineup yet for the "Golden Age Of American Rock & Roll Volume 7"? Looking forward to it! Best from the U.S. Curt Lundgren Minneapolis, MN. By the way, I made great use of the first 6 in the series in developing the "Rockin' Rhythm" channel for NetRadio. Should be up either late this week or next. (http://www.netradio.net) |
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Name: Tom Daly Website: Skyline From: Metro Boston Time: 1998-10-15 14:33:53 Comments: I must say that Paul Bigelow has a good idea, but the majors will never spring for it: dual releases. Issue a mono disc for the "purists" who don't want stereo and a stereo one for the rest of us. I still say that unless there's a mix difference, use stereo, then throw the mono mixes of the hits as "bonus" tracks. Of course, they'd never make their minumum sales requirements on mono issues if a stereo counterpart came simultaneously... |
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Name: Bill Buster From: Eric Records Time: 1998-10-15 21:43:04 Comments: Here's the track list for the soon to be released Golden Age of American R&R (Volume 7) from ACE(UK). From the age of the titles, I'm guessing there's practically no stereo here. Frankly, I'm somewhat disappointed: many of these songs are available in lots of other places and the ones that aren't are pretty obscure. (30 tracks total): Book Of Love-Monotones; Susie-Q- Dale Hawkins; C C Rider-Chuck Willis; Echo-Emotions; Come On, Let's Go-Ritchie Valens; Mother-In-Law- Ernie K-Doe; Ling, Ting, Tong-Five Keys; Sea Cruise-Frankie Ford; Just A Dream-Jimmy Clanton ; The Caterpillar Crawl-Strangers; To Be Loved (Forever)-Pentagons; Cherrystone-Addrisi Brothers; Unchained Melody- Vito & the Salutations; Pretty Girls Everywhere-Eugene Church; Confidential-Sonny Knight; Watch Your Step-Bobby Parker; Harlem Nocturne-Viscounts; I Like It Like That, Part 1-Chris Kenner; Foot Stomping - Part 1-The Flares; Money (That's What I Want)-Barrett Strong; Tear Drops- Lee Andrews; Mr Lee-Bobbettes; Rhythm Of The Rain-Cascades; I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight-Barry & the Tamerlanes; Hushabye -Mystics; Clap Your Hands-Beau-Marks; Sugar Bee-Cleveland Crochet ; Shop Around-Miracles; Daughter-Blenders; Yea, Yea-Kendall Sisters. |
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Name: Joel Goldenberg From: Montreal Time: 1998-10-15 23:14:40 Comments: Here's a fun debate. I put it to you that the sound of clean 45 RPM singles is better than anything else - CD, tape or 33 1/3. 45s sound deeper and richer because of their wide grooves. Discuss. P.S. I bring up this point because I bought 11 45s of songs I had been searching for, including the schlocky Paloma Blanca by the George Baker Selection. Brings back memories of summer camp. |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-16 07:04:41 Comments: Bill, I agree. Tracks on "Golden Age" volume 7 are pretty much available. The exception, and what would swing the deal for me: the appearance of "Daughter" by the Blenders. Don't think I've ever seen this reissued before, even on vinyl. Since it's from '63, I am hoping this will be stereo. |
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Name: randy vest From: NYC Time: 1998-10-16 12:21:18 Comments: Boppin' Brian recently asked how to go about getting Ace Records (UK) to replace their defective CDs. Well, I didn't really give them a choice. Without asking beforehand, I just packed up the offending, laser-rotted ones and sent 'em off to Ace with a nice note asking them to replace the discs and also asked them for an explanation as to the rot. They very kindly replaced the CDs that are still in print. One had been deleted (The Laurie Records Story) so they sent along their catalogue and I picked a replacement disc. So, I give them a big thumbs-up for their kindness and courtesy. By the way, they completely ignored my query re the laser rot....three times! |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Baton Rouge Time: 1998-10-17 08:51:24 Comments: With regard to the Golden Age Volume 7, stereo or no, we are almost assured that we will still be getting just about the best transfer to CD available, and so I, for one, will buy it when I see it. More on Ace. I interviewed Roger Armstrong, managing director and founder, for an article on reissues that is scheduled to be published in issue 73 of THE SENSIBLE SOUND magazine. Since the magazine is hardware focused, most of the questions deal with those kinds of issues, but Armstrong spent a good deal of time discussing Ace's history and their method of acquisition. Should make for some interesting reading. The magazine should be on newstands (in larger markets) right before the January CES show. If you don't live in a "larger market." you can telephone the business office at 800-695-8439. |
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Name: Joe Reynolds From: Los Angeles Time: 1998-10-17 18:14:05 Comments: I'm sure you've heard this one before, but I'm new to this website so please forgive the redundancy of the inquiry. I'm looking for the stereo version of The Four Seasons' "Rag Doll." I've heard it numerous times on the radio but every Four Seasons disc I've bought has the same old mono track, even the newer British "Edizione D'Oro." I'm also looking for The Bob Seger System's "Ramblin Gamblin Man", in stereo if possible. Thanks for any help. |
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Name: Marty Natchez Time: 1998-10-17 19:11:30 Comments: New evidence on a various-artists import CD, "(Not Just ) A Pretty Face and a Pompadour" (Westside WESM 555), reveals that "Venus in Blue Jeans" by Jimmy Clanton may have been recorded in stereo, but chances are it may never be released. The proof is found on another recording of the song by another Ace artist named Bobby Jay (not to be confused with the famed disc jockey), whose recording is heard on the CD in TRUE STEREO, using the identical music bed of Clanton's hit! Since it has remained unissued until now, liner notes writer Rob Finnis theorizes that Jay's recording was either a publishing demo or an alternate recording that Ace owner Johnny Vincent was holding, while Clanton was still serving in the Army. Why Clanton's hit has never appeared in stereo may stem from the fact that Vincent, who was quickly looking to put Clanton's career back on track after the teen idol's discharge in 1962, simply mastered a discarded acetate that one of his associates recommended. And, if that's the case, "Venus in Blue Jeans" joins the ranks of Tommy James' "Hanky Panky" and Carole King's "It Might As Well Rain Until September" as a dubbed-from-disc hit. I wouldn't hesitate recommending the "(Not Just) A Pretty Face..." CD, if only to hear what Clanton's hit might have sounded like in stereo. But know ahead of time that Bobby Jay's vocal didn't have a chance in China of making "Venus in Blue Jeans" a success. And speaking of recycling, other interesting cuts on the 24-track CD include Scotty McKay's versions of "Sea Cruise" and "Roberta." Both tracks were re-recorded over Huey "Piano" Smith's music beds and are mono. |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-17 19:16:28 Comments: For Joe Reynolds--There are two CD appearances of the stereo "Rag Doll" that I know of; your best bet sound-wise is Ace UK's CD "Dawn (Go Away)/Rag Doll" Ace CDCHD 554. This is a reissue of these two albums on one CD; I have this one and it sounds great! There are some mono cuts, but "Rag Doll" is in stereo. I had some problems finding some of the 4 Seasons' Ace reissues, since I don't think they are actually supposed to be sold in the US or Canada. Curb Records, who has the rights to their stuff in the US, has apparently blocked sales of the Ace discs here, and it's easy to understand why--the Ace issues are vastly superior! Anyway, Midnight Records in New York (website: www.midnightrecords.com) does sell the Ace discs; thank goodness they ignored Curb's block. They have their entire catalog on the web, so this one should be listed there; it's probably somewhere around $17.99. The other CD I spoke of is--ahem!--on Curb, #D2-77891--The 4 Seasons "Gold Vault of Hits". "Rag Doll" is stereo on this one too, but Mike gave it a "C" rating because of oppressive hissiness, so the Ace disc definitely has the edge here... About "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man"--there is a Capitol CD reissue of the album of that name that is probably still in print, but if memory serves, that song is rechanneled on there. I don't believe it has ever turned up in true stereo; another mystery. Good luck!... |
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Name: Daryl Denton From: Alpine, CA Time: 1998-10-18 03:57:16 Comments: I'd like to comment on Joel Goldenberg's comment on 45's versus other media. I'm glad that this forum is one where we can agree to disagree instead of insulting each other. I've been collecting oldies since the mid 60's, and I think I've rarely found a case where the 45 sounds better than the LP version of a song. That said, remember that a commercial recording's sound depends on the mastering job done, and the the quality of the pressing. So there are always exceptions to the rule. Though 45's have the advantage of higher speed and deeper groves, they are usually cheaply pressed. The one exception being 12" or DJ recordings, which are usually excellent, and may be better than the LP. Another exception: If you prefer the "jukebox" sound of a recording, with it's some-what sloppy but very full bass sound, you may prefer the 45. To me, this is a question of individual taste, and there is no right or wrong. As for CD's vs. vinyl, it's more or less the same. Some vinyl recordings are better than CD, others are vastly inferior. Depends on the mastering. The only other comment I would have is that you have to have a $100 phono cartridge or better, or the CD will ALWAYS sound better. I will enjoy seeing other reader's comments. |
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Name: Tom Daly Website: Skyline From: Metro Boston Time: 1998-10-18 09:21:09 Comments: Re: 45s vs. LPs... I've found a few cases where an original 45 sounded better than the same track on an LP. One case I remember was the UA styrene 45 pressing of "Do Ya" by The Move. It was crisp where I thought the LP sounded muddy. Mastering has a lot to do with the difference between the 45s and LPs, but so do the source tapes used, and the mixing. Often, 45s were mixed "hotter" than the LPs, and used more dynamic compression. With CD reissues of oldies, it's a mixed bag. Sometimes you get one made from a new remix from the session tape, sometimes you get one from a 1st generation LP master, sometimes it's a high generation safety master and sometimes it's a disc dub. I, for one, would rather have a CD made from a clean disc dub from an A-1 vinyl pressing than one made from a high generation safety master. I hate to keep using this as an example, but the A-1 pressings of The Mamas and the Papas vinyl issues just don't have all the tape hiss that's on the CDs. It IS possible to get a disc dub that has better sound than what the labels are now using as "masters." |
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Name: Larry Naramore Website: From: Sun Valley, Ca. Time: 1998-10-18 15:28:20 Comments: Here's my two cents on 45's vs CD's. Way back when "Love Child" by the Supremes came out I purchased several 45's and was unable to find one where the "Intro" didn't "Break up"... Anyway, I purchased an album by Scat Man Crothers entitled "Oh Yeah" Simatar 56472, nice sound (though not perfect), no hiss and nice liner notes. My question, on the back cover theres printed "Pickwick Communications, Inc", is this the same Pickwick (budget label) from 20 years ago? Also, is there a good sounding version of "The Snake" by Al Wilson or "The Son of Hickory Hollers Tramp" by O.C. Smith? Are there any Imports of Cozy Coe? Thats All Folks!!! Thanks |
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Name: Larry Naramore Website: From: Sun Valley, Ca. Time: 1998-10-19 01:50:58 Comments: /Found a great site for hard to find albums and CD's. http://Gemm.com |
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Name: Curtiss Carpenter Website: The Cammy Awards From: Pinebluff, N.C. Time: 1998-10-19 03:59:46 Comments: The Snake by Al Wilson is on "Coolin' Out" Volume 2 on Ripete Records 0002 (Stereo from Master Tape Source) and "The Son of Hickory Hollers Tramp" by OC Smith is on a CD called "Me and You" from Sony Music Special Products A 22094. By the way all fans of Carolina Beach Music or Carolina Soul, Please check out our web page concerning The Cammy Awards in November in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Sonny Turner from the Platters Bill Pinkney and The Original Drifters, Jimmy "Handyman" Jones, Harvey Fuqua, Jay & The Techniques, The Clovers and many other acts performing. 26 total. All info about the show can be found on our web site at http://www.cammy.org Come party and celebrate great music with us. !! |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Baton Rouge Time: 1998-10-19 11:22:58 Comments: Several months ago I posted a request to participate in a survey to the BSN website (and to other places), noting that I would post the results in July. I didn't post the results of my survey because there were far too few respondents to make it a worthwhile sample. But several asked about the results, so here are the 12 (!) responses I got. Some (3) folks gave me reasons why they contributed what they did; the others simply voted. From these responses, it is clear to me that most oldies enthusiasts took GREATEST to mean FAVORITE which I confess is how I interpreted it for the greatest song category (I've indicated how I voted). What's fascinating to me about the contributions is that only three of the songs are from the fifties, when Rock was in its infancy, and changing the way that radio stations were assembling playlists. Anyway, thanks to those of you who chose to participate; sorry there weren't more of you. Here are the results..... Greatest Rock Song (all with one vote): Hey Mr. Tambourine Man..... Johnny B Goode..... Hey Jude..... Free Bird..... Stairway To Heaven..... Sounds of Silence..... At The Hop..... Be My Baby (MINE)..... Oh, Pretty Woman..... Roll Over Beethoven..... Surfin' USA..... Aqualung..... (Note the curious absence of an Elvis tune, and the influence of Chuck Berry -- 3 tunes if you attribute Surfin' USA to its roots in Sweet Little Sixteen)......................... Greatest Rock artist (Note some agreement here) Elvis (MINE)..... Beatles (4 votes)..... Pink Floyd (3 votes)..... Chubby Checker..... Led Zeppelin..... Jethro Tull..... Chuck Berry............... Did Rock Music die with Buddy Holly? All said NO, but one said it died in 1974. |
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Name: Paul Stoddard From: Boston, MA Time: 1998-10-19 15:26:39 Comments: Collectables is trying hard. On the recent Billy Grammar collection from them, you can find "The Kissin' Tree" in true stereo. Polygram Special Markets has released 2 more volumes in their budget reissue series "45s On CD". The first 2 volumes weren't bad, but not as good as the original full-price releases from the mid-80's. The newest volumes are subtitled 1966 and 1967-68, respectively. Unfortunately, I don't have track listings for them. The latest gold CD releases from DCC, Jethro Tull - "Original Masters" and Linda Ronstadt - "Greatest Hits Volume 2" had me a bit worried at first: the sound quality seemed to be lacking. However, they are just mastered at a lower level than what I'm used to hearing from DCC. Other than that, both discs sound great. Has anyone noticed that the track lineups on some of the earlier Rhino Billboard series are starting to change? I guess licenses must be expiring. From the few that I've seen, it appears that Rhino is just filling in the blanks with songs from the Atlantic/Atco/WB catalogs. I'll bet that they're all in GLORIOUS MONO, the way music was meant to be heard. (Please assume maximum sarcasm for the previous sentence!) We could possibly see some new Time/Life series pretty soon. They're doing a sell-down on the Your Hit Parade, Classic Rock, and Rock 'n' Roll Era series. Here, too, probably lots of licenses are expiring. Tower Records seems to be inundated with oldies packages from the Crimson and Madacy labels. The Crimson stuff comes from the U.K. and lists no licensing credits on the package. I haven't been willing to spend $13 to find out how the sound quality is. It seems that artists from all of the major labels are represented. The stuff from Madacy is all over the spectrum. Their packages range in price from budget to full; some of them have notices of re-recordings on them; many of the discs are manufactured by various major label special-markets divisions. They have about 4 different series. Again, I haven't purchased any to check sound quality or stereo content. Does anyone have a CD copy of "Popsicles And Icicles" by The Murmaids that ends cold? The original 45 did, but all of the CD copies that I've heard so far have the ending faded out. |
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Name: Boppin' Brian From: P A D R E S country !!!!!! Go ! Go ! Go Padres ! Time: 1998-10-19 20:49:45 Comments: Hey, the previous message reminded me I'd like to ask for some help "weeding out" seedy CDs from decent ones offered by odd-ball import labels. In most cases, these things are right around $10 retail. I think that Discollector has had some of them, off & on... If anyone has any "tips", let me know (or post 'em here ). Labels I'm wondering about include: Fat Boy, Tring, Disky (Holland, my Herman's Hernits is all original, but "Hot Dogs Hits & Happy Days" has some re-recordings), Thunderbolt, Crimson, Castle, (I'm going to have to check/remember more thoroughly before I ask these questions, and carry my notes with me!!)... Someone was saying that a recent Collectables Jerry Wallace collection has speed problems. This must be the newer 24 - track version. I have the 18 track issue & it seems to be O.K. (except for the fact that a lot of tracks that are mono have been out on records in stereo). Thanks for the info on returning my "ACE - rot " CDs (see below post.). I have had no luck getting any written response, so I guess it's off to the P.O. with my 2 defective discs. As far as "Golden Age, Vol. 7", looking over the list Mr. B posted below, I know that the following could be & should be STEREO : "I Like It Like That", "Footstompin'", "Hushabye". According to some, the stereo version of "Footstompin'" that is on various reissues ("Hairspray" O.S.T., for one) is missing certain sfx in certain areas...footstomps or handclaps, as I recall. ARGH! it bugs me when I hafta rely on the old "mental file" when I'm fiddlin' around with stereo specifics & other arcane info & am not at home to double check!!! Anyway, I'd have to say the "G.A.of A. R&R, Vol. 7" line-up is a bit disappointing...a lot of re-hashes... a lot of MCA-controlled stuff. A few of the tracks may have upgraded sound or other corrections...I think I have at least 3 "original"/concurrent/1956(?) versions of "Susie Q" alone on 45, LP & CD.... O.K., that's all folks! GO PADRES! [ -- Fat Boy and Tring are terrible labels for deception, using remakes and passing them off as originals. I would avoid these labels altogether. Disky is sort of a midline reissue label featuring mostly "special products quality" stuff, i.e., sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes rerecorded, but I haven't come across many of the latter. Castle, of course, has an "in" with all the Pye material. Usually they're okay in quality, but rarely do they rise to any outstanding levels. On the other hand, they occasionally will have real dogs. I don't know anything about Thunderbolt or Crimson, but I'd be cautious, since "no reputation" usually doesn't translate later into "good reputation." None of these labels has anything like the good track records of Ace, Bear Family, Westside, or even Sequel.... As for the Jerry Wallace CD, the bad ones are any of the ones on Curb, where the speeds are all out of whack. I think the Collectable ones are okay.... -- MC] |
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Name: Marty Natchez Time: 1998-10-19 21:35:28 Comments: BSN bells have rung early this year on Westside's import reissue of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns (WESM 547). Remastered from tape, the 1962 LP on Ace Records is presented in its original mono mix. But eight of the album's 10 evergreens later reprise their instrumental beds as TRUE STEREO bonus tracks, including the group's rollicking remake of "Silent Night." Those who jumped at the atrocious disc-dubbed CD Ace owner Johnny Vincent previously released of this collection in the States should be overjoyed by the extra care and attention that went into Westside's reissue. It's definitely a Ho! Ho! Ho! treat. |
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Name: mike arcidiacono From: nyc Time: 1998-10-19 22:16:47 Comments: For my buddy Paul Stoddard: The Cd "Jukebox Hits 1964, Vol 2" has "Popsicles & Icicles" with the cold ending. I always loved this series, they are obviously boots, they say "Mastered by "Jezebel", and "Made In Israel"!! |
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Name: Jim Warrick From: Burke, VA Time: 1998-10-20 05:57:32 Comments: The October issue of ICE contained a mention of a new 2-CD release by Gram Parsons on the Colosseum label - UNDER YOUR SPELL AGAIN. Has anyone seen it? Does anyone know how to locate a copy? |
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Name: Marty Blaise Website: The Blaise Page From: Houston, Texas Time: 1998-10-20 13:29:07 Comments: The recent post about BSN bells and the upcoming holidays in November and December has led me to thinking about several things. First, does anyone know if the original recording of The Little Drummer Boy by the Harry Simeone Corale was actually recorded in true stereo? I believe the song was recorded around 1958. One of the albums I came across was from about 1966 and the song was rechanneled. Was this song recorded by 20th Century Fox? Anyone know where it was recorded? I believe the rest of the Christmas album is in true stereo except for Little Drummer Boy. A more recent LP and even a CD also had this track rechanneled. I think it would sound great if it is indeed in true stereo somewhere. I also think I may have heard an alternate take in stereo (quite different from the original?). Second, I was sad to hear of the passing of Gene Autry. I think of him when I see the Rudolph cartoon special each Christmas. I think someone addressed that soundtrack in a recent issue of the BSN newsletter. First of all, I find it amazing that it exists partly in stereo as that TV special was done pretty early (early 60s?). But, I also wonder why the entire soundtrack was not fully stereo. If I remember the newsletter correctly, a couple of songs were not in stereo, but most of the soundtrack was. Anyone know any more about that TV special and how it was recorded? Third, what about other TV holiday soundtracks in stereo? In particular, I am wondering about the Charlie Brown Christmas, which I think had the first show in 1965. I have two of the songs on that special in stereo as they are by Vince Guaraldi - Lucy & Linus (instrumental) and Christmastime Is Here (Vocal by children). I haven't had the chance to use my stereo tv to check if that special is in stereo. Maybe there's some other TV holiday specials with interesting stereo versions done as soundtracks or other productions using more than one track. Again, just some thoughts with November and December approaching fast. Good listening everyone. |
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Name: Tom Daly Website: Skyline From: Metro Boston Time: 1998-10-20 16:41:59 Comments: TO Marty Blaise: The "original version", as reissues have always been billed by 20th Century-Fox Records (and Springboard) of "The Little Drummer Boy" by the Harry Simeone Chorale was recorded in 1957 and mixed to mono (if it was recorded in stereo) as stereo for records did not yet exist. All 45s issued at that time were mono, anyway. The LP was a 1958 afterthought, based upon the success of the single in 1957. It was issued as a two-disc set entitled "Sing We Now of Christmas," and was sequenced for stack-loading record changers. Side 1 was backed with Side 4, and Side 2 was backed with Side 3. Sides 1 and 2 were by The Harry Simeone Chorale and were in stereo except for "The Little Drummer Boy." That recording has never appeared in stereo. Sides 3 and 4 contained Christmas carols played on the pipe organ in Radio City Music Hall. Subsequent reissues had the same stereo content, but dropped the two sides of organ music. In 1962, the Harry Simeone Chorale rerecorded the tune for Kapp Records. It's that rerecording that is common today, due to licensing restrictions on the original recording. The only digital issue of which I am aware is on the Casablanca CD, which again has the song in electronic stereo. I guess where 20th Century-Fox Records would license the hit version to whoever wanted to issue it, Polygram has been much more restrictive about it. I hope that clears up the issue of "The Little Drummer Boy." |
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Name: Paul Stoddard From: Boston, MA Time: 1998-10-20 17:53:21 Comments: For those of you who may have missed out on things like the Capitol Collectors Series, the EMI Legendary Masters series, the original 3 volumes of Mercury's 45's On CD, and the stereo Motown Compact Command Performace and Anthology series, most of these titles are still available through the BMG Music Service. It seems that they don't necessarily cut out items when the labels do. |
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Name: Joel Goldenberg From: Montreal Time: 1998-10-20 23:44:52 Comments: Speaking of Tring, their Shangri-Las CD looks good on the surface. Twenty-five songs, all originals and more than 70 minutes of music. But the sound! This should rate a "G" in Oldies on CD because it's worse than most "Fs"! Many songs begin as if they were recorded down a deep sewer, and feature tape defects as a bonus. Even when the volume rises as the songs progress, the sound is raw and distorted, and sounds rechanneled. Surprisingly, though, a couple of songs benefit because their struggle to break through the CD's limitations make them sound more dramatic - I'm thinking of It's Easier To Cry and He Cried, both of which don't even sound that good on clearer CDs. Unhappy listening if you buy this CD! |
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Name: Bob Olivia From: Burbank, California Time: 1998-10-21 03:58:32 Comments: Hi everyone. Does anyone know if 'The Children's Marching Song' by Cyril Stapleton on London Records has ever been released on CD? Can't wait to get the New Dion and the Belmonts CD, I Wonder Why in Stereo; has anyone heard it yet? Bye for now, Bob. |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-21 06:06:24 Comments: More on BMG.....I just did a search at their site, and they DO have several titles in both the Capitol Collector's series & the Legendary Masters. Prices are generally $16.98, but the Bobby Vee disc is listed at $2.98! Note: a title search with "Legendary" won't bring back the entire series. For instance, the Manfred Mann, Jay & The Americans and Jackie De Shannon entries in the EMI series were found only by searching under "Artist". (By the way, if you want the best Jackie anthology, RUSH to get this one. I've never seen it at retail!) |
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Name: Paul Bigelow From: Austin, TX Time: 1998-10-21 11:01:28 Comments: Marty, Last Christmas I posted the item about the "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" soundtrack - the "Videocraft spectacular". It is/was on an MCA Special Products label and bought for $5.99. I plucked it out of the Circuit City cheapo CD section. Stereo content is there but with some strange quirks - songs beginning in stereo with the musical intro then switching to mono when the vocals are mixed in. Most of the songs from the special are present. The CD is fleshed out with instrumental versions of the songs recorded later. Also, Marty, I have seen, but not heard, a Sony CD that pairs together tracks from the "Rudolph" special plus "Frosty the Snowman". I do not think it is complete Rudolph-wise but it may be easier to obtain. I will get the MCA# and post that info for you "Rudolph" fans! The "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" song, by the way, is a production right up there with Spector. Let those sleigh bells ring! |
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Name: Paul Bigelow From: Austin, TX Time: 1998-10-21 11:25:44 Comments: Everyone: I searched the archives and found my posting from 12-08-97. The Rudolph soundtrack may be found on MCA Special Products MCAD-22177. Oh, the "We're A Couple of Misfits" song also has different lyrics than the special but the same voices and instrumentation. Perhaps an attempt to make the song happier? Who knows? Does Sony own the RANKIN/BASS productions now? |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-21 16:11:42 Comments: I'd like to bring up two completely unrelated topics--First, does anyone have any idea if there is a possibility of Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" existing in true stereo? I know it has always been mono and rechanneled (duophonic?) here in the US, but I don't know about Japan. The Japanese always seemed to be ahead of us in terms of technology, so I'm guessing that, whether or not it was ever released in stereo in that country, it was probably recorded in some sort of multitrack format. This is one of those songs that rarely makes a CD appearance. When Rhino did their "Billboard Top Pop Hits" series a few years ago and decided to include this track on the 1963 volume, I thought that it would've been a good opportunity for them to do a little sleuthing and perhaps find a multitrack master in Toshiba's vaults in Japan to create a stereo mix from if possible; I don't know if there would be any licensing problems with doing that, but to us collectors it would have been worth the effort to get us some stereo for a track that we otherwise would probably have that proverbial "snowflake's chance in *heck*" of ever hearing that way. But no, it's in mono as usual on that CD. Of course, it may have simply not been recorded in multitrack, and it's a great song as is, but one can dream, can't one? Second--I'd like to make a few observations about Dick Bartley's "On The Radio" series on Varese... I don't want to sound too negative about this series, because generally it's a great idea; it provides a place for many of those truly unique versions of things that would otherwise probably never see the light of day again. For the sake of completeness, it's nice to have these rare single versions/mixes/edits, but I really have to wonder about some of their choices; some have already appeared on CD at least once. For example... On Vol. 1: "Judy In Disguise"--this is listed as the original single version, but is actually the same old part-stereo part-mono mix that we've always heard and that was on the Paula CD "The Best of John Fred & the Playboys" and the Rhino CD "Billboard Top Rock and Roll Hits 1968"; a better choice here would have been the all-mono true single version. "Crimson & Clover"--this is the stereo single version, which is fine, but not very rare; this is just about the ONLY version of this song that ever shows up these days. "Shape of Things To Come" (Max Frost)--stereo single version--okay, but this is identical to the stereo version on Rhino's "Even More Nuggets" CD. On Vol. 2: "A Lover's Concerto"--mono single version--okay, but I really must question this one's inclusion at all, since this is actually the ONLY version of that song that I know of, and I already have it on three other discs. Also, editing the full-length stereo masters of some songs to match the original single edits and then calling them "stereo single versions" is technically true, but seems a little redundant to me, especially for two tracks--"Hang On Sloopy" on Vol. 1 and "Him Or Me--What's It Gonna Be" which I understand will be on one of the upcoming volumes. For these two tracks it seems to me that they're "riding Bob Irwin's coat-tails" in the sense that Bob already did all of the real work involved to bring these songs to stereo, and they're simply editing the stereo tapes to create their "stereo single versions". Oh well, I won't complain TOO loudly, since the sound on the first two volumes is generally excellent, and they contain some tracks that are real gems to me, such as the new stereo mix of "Romeo & Juliet", the stereo version of "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog", and the 45 version of "Magic Carpet Ride". The two upcoming volumes should contain many goodies as well, so I'm definitely looking forward to them, in spite of my rantings above!... |
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Name: Jim Bailey From: Stamford, Ct Time: 1998-10-21 23:41:59 Comments: Any one know where the best available copy of Jimmy Clantons, Venus in Blue Jeans, can be found? I have 2 greatest hits collections. 1 is on Ace of America, the whole disc is poor. The other is the West Side collection, which is a lot better, except for Venus in Blue Jeans, which has lots of noise or distortion. |
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Name: Michael Raphone From: Toledo, Ohio Time: 1998-10-22 08:06:32 Comments: TO Barry...A few years ago, Toshiba in Japan released an anniversary 3" CD of Sukiyaki, which contained the mono single version, the mono B-side, and the stereo music track to Sukiyaki (without the vocal). I don't think a stereo mix exists, so someone would have to sync the mono version to the stereo music... |
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Name: David Clark From: Ottawa Time: 1998-10-22 17:11:07 Comments: To Jim Baily...the best sounding "Venus in Blue Jeans" I've come accross is on Stardust's Treasured Tunes 8. This company (a Canadian one) seems to seek out the best sounding versions of songs (not always, but for the most part) from that one CD where it appeared, likely not in North America. They've come up with some tunes that simply haven't appeared on any other readily available CDs. |
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Name: Bob Fink From: Conn. Time: 1998-10-23 19:10:38 Comments: Heyall: Any Feedback on the Beach Boys Christmas C.D release? I haven't seen it in my "local-yocal" shop yet, but I DO have the "Sea of Tunes" 3-cd box set, which is breathtaking! That label has been breakin'my bank tryin' to keep up. Astounding quality and content....of course if Capitol decided to release this stuff, I may have to apply for a loan, but I would buy it!!!! Speak up B.Boy fanatics! The Bub |
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Name: Paul Bigelow From: Austin, TX Time: 1998-10-24 00:44:19 Comments: Bob: Check my entry 143 (second half of entry) for my Capitol B.B. update. It isn't the ULTIMATE but it isn't badly done either, not by a long shot. As for the "Sea of Tunes", WHEW! What a collection! I have vols. 1-8, the two Sacramento shows and am hoping to get 9-12 soon. What a deal. If you LOVE the Beach Boys and WANT IT ALL - this is as close as you are ever likely to come. An absolutely fascinating exploration into the the Brian Wilson recording process. It is not for casual fans and some of the stereo mixes are a little weird (no multi-track sync ups) so the balances are not always for the *best* stereo mix - but they're there! |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-24 00:49:57 Comments: It's about time for a good Los Bravos CD collection, don't you all agree? Recently I've talked about this online with several people, including Rory Musil, who was looking for "Bring A Little Loving" on CD, and Eliot Goshman, who I asked about the possibility of a Taragon CD of them. He mentioned that there is some question as to legal ownership of their masters, which leads into something I've been curious about; their original releases were on the American London labels ("Black Is Black" was on Press and "Bring A Little Loving" was on Parrot), so I wonder how BMG came about claiming ownwership of their stuff? On "The British Invasion, Vol. 7" CD from Rhino, "Black Is Black" is listed as being under license from BMG Music (and seems a little out-of-place on a British collection, but I'm glad to have it), and then there was the CD that RCA International did several years ago--"Lo Mejor de Los Bravos" ("Major Hits of Los Bravos"). I tried in vain to get that one, by the way. You guessed it--out of print. I thought that the BMG Music Service might possibly have that one, since it was on RCA, but no. Maybe the legalities will be worked out soon and we'll get a good CD compilation on one of the "good labels"--I would even settle for Rhino at this point if they would just do it RIGHT, like they used to (stereo wherever possible, etc.)... |
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Name: curt lundgren Website: ReelRadio Time: 1998-10-24 06:03:12 Comments: I see Cheap CDs has "Golden Age of American R&R-Vol. 7" available: http://cheap-cds.com/surf/disps/279327 The price is $15.62, including shipping. Caveat: I've been waiting 2+ weeks for an order, and nothing yet. Anyone have good/bad experience with them? |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Baton Rouge Time: 1998-10-24 09:54:40 Comments: Hey guys, I just recently saw the new two-CD (Forgotten Angel) set of Clyde McPhatter in a local store, and I had been waiting for that one to be released. I was all ready to buy it, as I am weak on McPhatter, when I noticed the word "RHINO" in small print on the back. There is no mention of Bill Inglot anywhere, though, so it may not be 100% Mono. Does anyone have any info on this one? |
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Name: graham From: colorado springs Time: 1998-10-25 21:22:50 Comments: To Steve and Jim. The best "Venus in Blue Jeans", by Jimmy Clanton I have is on an old "Dick Clark presents"... I got it on Cd about 8-10 years ago. It is OK, not the best but the best I can find. Also, when I was in Germany about ten years ago, I was listening to a German radio station with my head phones and I am 99.9% sure I heard "Lovers Question" in TRUE WIDE STEREO!!! I will always remember that!! I did not look into it, I should have done though. Since I started collecting music that is probably my biggest goof. Also the Best of the Cascades is released this week, does anybody know what stores it will be in? Tower maybe? |
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Name: Dave Breathe Time: 1998-10-26 05:51:28 Comments: Re CLYDE MCPHATTER: All Atlantic cuts on "The Forgotten Angel" are in mono. "Lover Please" & a couple live tracks from the 60's are in stereo. Collectables 6227 "CLYDE MCPHATTER - LOVE BALLADS / CLYDE" has "A Lover's Question" in wide stereo! And for LAVERN BAKER fans: Collectables 6231 LAVERN BAKER - SEE SEE RIDER / BLUES BALLADS has some 12 cuts in stereo including "I Cried A Tear." |
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Name: Graham From: Colorado Springs Time: 1998-10-26 13:48:30 Comments: To Dave, Are you sure the "Love Ballads"(Collectables) by Clyde McPhatter has "A Lovers Question" on it in stereo, I looked at the tracks from the Tower Records catalog and it does not have that song on "Love Ballads". |
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Name: Graham (again) From: Colorado Springs Time: 1998-10-26 14:21:19 Comments: Sorry Dave, my goof, yes "A Lovers Question" is on that CD, I just ordered it!!! I won't get it until the end of next week because I also ordered the new Alantis Morissette CD with it and that CD won't be released 'til next week. So disregard last message. |
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Name: Ralph Curcio From: N.J. Time: 1998-10-27 10:38:51 Comments: Paul Anka's long-lost true stereo versions of "Lonely Boy" and "It's Time to Cry" appear on the newly released CD "Paul Anka" (Canadian Records Ltd. CD 240), which also boasts 15 other songs in stereo. Quality is very good overall, with "Lonely Boy" sounding cleaner and better defined than the 1959 stereo 45 though slightly less crisp than its mono incarnations elsewhere. The CD has 30 cuts in all, many of which don't appear on the Rhino "30th Anniversary Collection," making it a worthwhile addition for Paul Anka fans for some of his more obscure later 45s and B sides. |
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Name: Mike Arcidiacono From: NYC Time: 1998-10-27 21:50:46 Comments: Re: Cascades Well, my BSN friends, I'm sitting here listening to Taragons new CASCADES Cd, and I CANT BELIEVE WHAT I'M HEARING!!!. This Cd is, in a word, amazing. Its 19 incredible tracks, and heres the best part...all but 2 were REMIXED from the session tapes!! The sonic quality here is breathtaking...it feels like John Gummoe and the band are in the same room with you. 17 tracks in beautiful, clear, earth shaking stereo. The song selection was right on....ALL the hard to find RCA material,including the super rare "Is There A Chance" and only the best of the Valiant/WC years. The big smash "Rhythm Of The Rain" is in mono (my only regret is that the multi for this is lost), and has never sounded cleaner than on this CD. Same goes for ""Let Me Be" How nice it is to FINALLY hear "For Your Sweet Love" and "Cinderella" in stereo from the master tape. I cannot say enough good things about this CD. For me, this is THE release of 1998. A huge "Thank You" to Eliot at Taragon for this one. BUY THIS CD NOW!!!!! Mikey. |
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Name: Bob Olivia From: Burbank, California Time: 1998-10-28 03:07:26 Comments: Was at Tower Records in Hollywood Today an pick a CD called "Rock'N Roll Relix put out by Polygram, Eclipse Music, dated 1996. It has "I Got You Babe" Sonny & Cher; "Hang On Sloopy", McCoys; Mr. Tambourine Man" Byrds, all in True Stereo. Also "Wow Wow Wee", Angels in Stereo among others already available else. Where can I get that new Paul Anka CD with "Lonely Boy" in Stereo? Bye for now, Bob. |
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Name: Ralph Curcio From: N.J. Time: 1998-10-28 09:18:35 Comments: The CD "Paul Anka" with many of his rare stereo hits is available from DisCollector in Parker, Colo., or Rock Classics in Port Orchard, Wash., according to their ads in the November issue of Discoveries magazine. |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-28 11:56:12 Comments: There was a letter in issue #46 of the newsletter from a Mr. Joe Schultz, in which he mentioned a rather unfortunate experience with Roy Kaysen of Memory Lane in PA (NOT Memory Lane Records in AZ). It seems Mr. Kaysen was attempting to do a little "scalping"; Mr. Schultz asked about two out-of-print CDs--"Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" and the EMI Legendary Masters CD of "Surf City-The Best of Jan & Dean", and was told that they would cost $30 and $50 respectively. After this offer was politely declined, Mr. Kaysen actually sent photocopies of the cover pictures of those CDs to Mr. Schultz with a note saying "Eat your heart out, Joe."! I can't imagine what Mr. K.'s problem was in that situation; I've dealt with him a few times myself, and he's always been very cordial with me. I suppose anybody can have a bad day, but that was taking it a bit too far... Anyway, with the BMG Music Service having been mentioned recently on the chat board, I looked through their web catalog, and they list a CD called "The Best of Jan & Dean: Surf City". There's no label info., but since they also have several other CDs in the Legendary Masters Series, this is probably the same one, with the words in the title changed around a bit in the catalog listing. I couldn't find the Olivia Newton-John disc, though. So Mr. Schultz, if you're out there and still looking for that J & D CD, there 'tis, and priced a little more reasonably (I believe it was $15.98)... |
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Name: John K. Walker From: Phoenix, AZ Time: 1998-10-28 22:08:20 Comments: Hey, has anyone heard Motown's remastered versions of the previously atrocious-sounding Steview WOnder's Greatest Hits, Vols. I and II? A couple of years ago I e-mailed Al Quaglieri about why Motown had neither improved Stevie's catalog nor released a box set on him, especially since his is the most glaring gap in the reissue pantheon AND he has always considerd his own recordings to be state-of-the-art. Without betraying any confidences (if you read this Al, please feel free to chime in), Mr. Qaglieri indicated that the record company was game but Stevie himself was not. Thus, I am curious to know whether these upgrades are worth spending the money on, as several people have indicated that the Temptations ones definitely are. |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Baton Rouge Time: 1998-10-29 09:06:02 Comments: With regard to the Stevie Wonder remasters, I can only contribute that a couple of my audiophile friends and I did some comparisons on a few, and were not surprised to find no improvement. Mike Callahan's discussion on the topic of working masters versus original session tapes (which can be found on this site) can provide the plausible explanation for this. What follows is an excerpt from one of my articles in another magazine on the subject of 20-bit remasters, and from it, one might draw a conclusion about the new Stevie Wonder remasters. "The other CD to incorporate Super Bit Mapping technology in its reissue is The Greatest Hits of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Motown 314503882. Of course, Motown was never known for producing good sounding records, as this disk will attest, but in comparison to an earlier release of the same CD, MOTD-5225, I find no difference whatsoever in the sound of the two disks. I compared the two disks on my own system, and then took them to a friend's house to compare them on his Infinity IRS Betas. (I did similar comparisons with the new reissue of Van Morrison's It's Too Late To Stop Now, but all who were there for the test found the sound on the earlier CD preferable to the new 20-Bit release.) So as to avoid shooting any audiophile sacred cows, let us just assume that those responsible for this reissue chose not to return to the original tapes, but used the same lo-fi working copy as the earlier release. A pity indeed! Marvin and Tammi formed one of the most exciting rock duos of the late Sixties, with such classics as "You’re All I Need To Get By" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." This is a terrific CD for its content, but as with most music from the Motown label, the sound rates a D." I would love to hear from someone that this is not the case with SW's. Of all of the early Wonder Material, I find "Love Songs" to have the best sound. |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Baton Rouge Time: 1998-10-29 12:01:28 Comments: With the discussion of Clyde McPhatter's "Lover Please," I queried my oldies database to find that I have 4 CDs that contain the song in stereo on 1. Ace's GOLDEN AGE, Vol. 6 (CDCHD650), 2. Eric's 21 Hard-to-Find 45s 1961-64 (11503), 3. Time-Life's RNR Era 1962 (2RNR-02), and 4. a CD done for the Post Office by Warner a few years back called Legends of RNR (DMC 1-1100). I had my wife put the CDs into my two players so that I would not know which ones I was hearing, and would not be prejudiced by label. It was obvious from the start that all 4 were from the same take, although each sounded different from the other. The Time CD had the poorest sound, being muddy and kinda lo-fi. The stereo was acceptably wide with good center fill, and Clyde's voice a little indistinct. The Eric was kinda harsh and bright in the upper midrange. It was a much hotter transfer and clearer than the Time CD despite the harshness, and it gave a little more of the sonic ambiance around the voices and instruments. The Ace CD was much better than either of the previous two, being somewhere between them -- clear like the Eric, but not as harsh or bright. It lacked some of the ambiance too, showing that, like the Time, Ace monkeyed with the sound a little more than they should have. But the real surprise was the CD I got from the Post Office. Wow, what a fabulous engineering job! It displays more dynamic range than the other three, with all of the clarity of the Eric but none of the harshness, and with all of the smoothness of the Ace, but with more detail. From what others are saying, I would have to guess that this one rivals the sound found on the Collectibles CD which I've never heard. I then compared the two stereo copies of Ta Ta; one on Eric's 21 Hard-to-Find 45s 1955 - 60 (11502), the other on Time-Life's Sixties Teen Time (2RNR-40). The Eric track was similar to its Lover Please, being harsh and bright, and with no center fill at all; the Time CD had less harshness, its channels were the reverse of Eric's (don't know which is right), but was sufficiently clear to be more listenable and preferable. In this discussion of McPhatter's new Forgotten Angel release no one has yet mentioned the earlier Rhino/Atlantic release, Deep Sea Ball; nor has anyone mentioned that the only available source for his "Little Bitty Pretty One" is on Curb's Greatest Hits Package. Does anyone have any comments on these, or the new Australian CD that was released earlier this month? |
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Name: Graham From: Colorado Springs Time: 1998-10-29 20:20:48 Comments: To Steve. I understand "Lover Please" in wide stereo, but is "A Lovers Question" in pretty good stereo on the "Love Ballads" (collectables) CD? |
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Name: Mike Cloud From: Houston, TX Time: 1998-10-29 21:30:42 Comments: Driving to work today, my radio was tuned to the local oldies station. They played the stereo version of "Big Girls Don't Cry" by The Four Seasons with a slightly different backing than I'd heard before. The vocals were centered and the right channel had added organ(?) sounds. The biggest difference was in added drumming which sounded more modern than mid-sixties. Are these recent over-dubs? Has this version been around for a while? |
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Name: Mike Arcidiacono From: NYC Time: 1998-10-29 23:32:51 Comments: For Mike Cloud: regarding the 4 Seasons "Big Girls Dont Cry", what you MAY have been hearing was a Cd called "The 4 Seasons, Digitally Enhanced". This Cd was a travesty, they added "modern" keyboards and drums to the original '60s tracks for a "modern club sound". It makes me want to puke, to be honest with you. Why couldnt they just leave well enough alone?? Its almost as bad as the Tokens Cd of a few years ago that had a disco beat behind a medley of thier hits. I mean, c'mon guys, what are you trying to prove, that you're "with it" in "todays music scene"??? EEECCCHHHHH. mikey |
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Name: Steve Baird From: Baton Rouge Time: 1998-10-30 09:20:02 Comments: To Graham & others. I don't think it's likely that you'll ever see "A Lover's Question" in stereo. Although it's from 1959, it dates from Clyde's Atlantic period, just before he switched labels. Scanning over Whitburn's book, then, I would think that only "Little Bitty Pretty One" (1962), and "Let's Try Again" (1960) could possibly be seen in stereo. As I said in an earlier posting, Little Bitty Pretty One appears to be missing from ALL of the collections except the Curb. Perhaps those who make CDs commercially should take note of this, and consider it for one of their subsequent compilations, eh? |
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Name: Dave Sampson From: Ottawa Time: 1998-10-30 11:31:17 Comments: To Steve Baird: Not see "A Lover's question" In stereo? it most certainly exists-and on CD too. My understanding is that it's only vinyl appearence was on the Atlantic LP"History of Rhythm & Blues-vol 4(The Big Beat-1958-1960) SD 8164. It has since turned up on CD on Time-Life "Rhythm & Blues-1958"RHD-16/OPCD-2671. I'm Glad to have both. as for the Atlantic Collection of McPhatter's tunes "Deep Sea Ball" it is entirely mono and was a major dissappointment to me. Amazing how we get told time and time again that these stereo masters don't exist-yet other companies(like Time-Life) are able to dig them up somehow. |
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Name: Ralph Curcio From: N.J. Time: 1998-10-30 11:39:15 Comments: Just to set the record straight, "A Lover's Question" by Clyde McPhatter was most definitely recorded in stereo, and appears that way on the Atlantic various artists LP "History of Rhythm & Blues - Vol. 4" with fine-sounding wide separation. It's also been in stereo on a Time-Life CD compilation. |
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Name: Ron Fisch From: St. Louis, MO Time: 1998-10-30 14:41:23 Comments: Will we're on the subject of Atlantic/Atco stereo, does anyone know exactly which multitracks of the "never stereo" hits were destroyed in the warehouse fire and which multitracks still survive? I'm referring mostly to early Otis Redding, Joe Tex, Arthur Conley, Carla Thomas, Percy Sle.. well, you get the point! Also, which 2-track masters of "rare" Atlantic stereo were destroyed in the fire, accounting for their non-appearance on ANY CD reissues? Ex: "B-A-B-Y" by Carla Thomas, or the "Things.." LP by Bobby Darin? |
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Name: Marty Blaise Website: The Blaise Page From: Houston, Texas Time: 1998-10-30 17:39:32 Comments: Regarding Mike's post about the Four Seasons: Mike, I think you and I must be listening to KLDE 94.5 FM here in Houston. While I'm not sure about the Walk Like A Man track, I did hear something interesting the other day on KLDE and it also was a Four Seasons track. I listened and heard the Four Seasons sing "Pretty as a midseasons ... they called her Dawn." I figured it was the usual mono version. It started out in mono and then interestingly continued in mono for a couple of seconds and then began "expanding" into stereo (like it was slowly widening). Did someone splice two versions together? KLDE also plays the stereo version of Rag Doll. I wish they could splice and make a stereo Lets Hang On. They play the mono version. Also, I wonder if Ronnie was recorded in two or three track? Is Ronnie the only Four Seasons top 100 track that has never been in stereo in any form? KLDE seems to be doing better in playing more stereo. They include the Shades of Blue and Billy J. Kramer in stereo, so that's at least a good start. |
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Name: Graham From: Colorado Springs Time: 1998-10-30 18:53:14 Comments: I was just moving my old records next to my CD's and found my first record I ever got, 1967's LP "Snoopy and His Friends the Royal Guardsmen". I played it and "Snoopy vrs The Red Baron" sounds OK in fantastic STEREO. But it is the kind of stereo that is music on one speaker and vocals on the other. I also remeber I have somewhere (I have to look for it) 1968's LP "Snoopy for President". Does anybody know what CD has the best "Snoopy vrs the Red Baron" on it. And does the song "Snoopy for President" exist anywhere on CD? |
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Name: Barry Cashion From: Mooresville, NC Time: 1998-10-30 19:41:13 Comments: I want to briefly mention the BMG Music Service once more--I looked through their web catalog and found several out-of-print CDs that I was sure were just plain unattainable, one of which was Sam Cooke-"The Man And His Music". I know this one's sound pales in comparison with the new "Greatest Hits" disc, but the new disc is missing several good songs of his that are on the old one. I sort of "jumped the gun" and mentioned to several people via e-mail (hi guys!) that I had found the CD there but, alas, it didn't come to pass. I was all set to join the club and order the Sam Cooke disc as one of my seven free selections, but had some problems with their online order form and called customer service to ask about it. In the process, I found out that they actually don't have any copies of it left. At least I found out before I officially joined! I believe they really do have a lot of hard-to-find things though; for example, that Jan & Dean Legendary Masters CD I mentioned in my last note. So anyway... does anyone know where I could get a new (still sealed) copy of the Sam Cooke disc? If so, PLEASE advise. In fact, I'd be interested in hearing about any good sources for still-sealed out-of-print CDs in general, since there are many that I've wanted but never found... |
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Name: Mike Cloud From: Houston, TX Time: 1998-10-30 22:03:37 Comments: You're right Marty, it was KLDE. I've listened for years but have never heard any altered oldies. (Well, during the Monkees "comeback" of several years ago, someone added modern backing to one of their old recordings. But who cared?) Hopefully The Four Seasons didn't authorize these "enhancements". This could be a disturbing trend. |
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Name: Daryl Denton From: Alpine, CA Time: 1998-10-31 00:04:07 Comments: I've got a small personal project to make up my own version of an Otis Redding anthology, with as much stereo as possible. To this end I bought "Otis Redding, The Soul Album", today at my local vinyl store today for $6. (Volt 413). It's all stereo except "Just One More Day" and "Any Ole Way". Where does Rhino get off saying there is anything wrong with these masters? Lots of dynamic range and "punch". They sound great. The mono masters couldn't be any better. I would appreciate any advice from other Otis Redding fans. |
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Name: Michael R. Fiedler From: Minneapolis, MN Time: 1998-10-31 01:07:46 Comments: To Graham in Colorado Springs: The Snoopy & His Friends album from 1967 was the 4th album I ever bought. To answer your question about the Royal Guardsmen....there have been 2 cd greatest hits issued in the past 3 years and they were disappointing to say the least. One was on the One Way label...The Return of the Red Baron & Snoopy for President were alternate takes. The Snoopy for President had the word "1968" clipped from the front and some other anomalies, as I remember it. The president of One Way Records sent me a cassette copy of all the masters he had for those 2 songs (about 3 of each) and none of them were the right single or album masters. Raven in Australia issued a similar CD greatest hits, which sonically sounded a little better, but had the same alternate take problems. Apparently, Capitol, which holds the current rights, either does not have or can not find the correct masters. If you have a clean album, run it through a clean up program and record it on CD. We may never see these cuts as we remember them. |
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Name: Luke Pacholski Website: LukPac.org From: Racine, WI Time: 1998-10-31 10:18:35 Comments: Re: Atlantic Fire - It's my understanding that if Atlantic had the tape, and it was unreleased (different mix, multitrack, etc), it's gone. It's also my understanding that everything previously released *does* still exist, as that stuff was held elsewhere. I've never gotten all of the details on this, but... |
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Name: Barry Margolis From: Minneapolis, MN Time: 1998-10-31 12:38:55 Comments: Ron: Many of the Southern produced Atlantic soul masters were recorded in mono only: The first Percl Sledge track to be recorded on a multi-track was "Baby Help Me" in January 1967. The first two albums were mono only. Similar for Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals. They didn't get into stereo equipment until late 1966 or early 1967. Stax got a stereo recorder for their "Otis Blue" album. (the single "Respect"/"Ole Man Trouble" was recorded in mono, and rerecorded in stereo for the album sessions.) I haven't posted recently because I'm mad and disappointed that all my past posts were ignored. Hopefully, someone will read this and include me in the "BSN A-Crowd". Barry. |
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Name: Marty Natchez Time: 1998-10-31 13:32:44 Comments: When we are seeing a repositioning for leadership among reissue labels, I have to agree with BSN buddy Mike Arcidiacono that Taragon's "The Very Best of The Cascades" is an excellent example of what can be done without cutting corners. Stacking exceptional sound and a track lineup that includes previously unreleased RCA material (check out the group's withheld "First Love Never Dies," which was jumped on by the Walker Brothers), the CD definitely rates an "A." There's only one observation that should be added, and that's how "Rhythm of the Rain" sounds on this disc. It's listed as the mono master, but that's not entirely true. Through headphones, the mono-only song appears to have been given more "spatial ambience" and some subtle panning that gives it a very appealing psuedo-stereo "openess." I don't know why Eliot Goshman would choose to experiment with this track, but he pleasingly enhanced that hit. Anybody want ot second that opinion? |
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Name: Mike Arcidiacono From: NYC Time: 1998-10-31 13:47:15 Comments: For Marty Natchez: You are correct about "Rhythm of The Rain". To my ears , tho, i dont think Eliot did a psuedo stereo mix. Its really just the "Rain" sound effects that are seperate. It sounds to me that they found the mono master without the "Rain" sound effects, and then found the sound effects on a seperate reel. This would have let Eliot mix the sound effects and the track into left/center stereo. Of course, Eliot is here, so I'm sure he can clear this up...Eliot, want to take over? |
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Name: Eliot Goshman Website: click HERE for Taragon Records home page! Time: 1998-10-31 19:13:06 Comments: I was just evesdropping from the next room and heard my name mentioned...here's the story on Rhythm Of The Rain. When I got the Cascades Warner Bros tapes, there were only 2 copies of the song, both mono, one with "storm" effects and one without. My first thought was (of course) to use the hit version, as is and that was the final plan. In a conversation with Steve Kolanjian (our compiler), he suggested making a stereo mix with one version on the right and one on the left. I told him I didn't think it would sync up correctly (due to small speed variences in the tape decks) but I might try it just for fun (and not for release). In making up a CD-R reference to listen to in the car, I used the "stereo" version in position with the other tracks. The master for manufacturing was made with the mono version. The graphics were already done when, the night before I had to send the master to the plant, I decided the "stereo version" was kinda cool (even if it does sound kind of pseudo) and I'd take my chance on purists being angry with me. Besides, "Rhythm" in straight mono is so many other places. So the bottom line is I hope you like it! By the way, the notes indicate that all tracks are from 3 track tape; that's not correct, the first two tracks are from binaural 2 track masters, 3 & 4 from mono tapes, 5 & 6 from stereo 2 track masters, and the rest (RCA) are all from three track tape. Phew! |
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Name: Tom Kennedy From: San Ramon, Ca Time: 1998-10-31 20:47:46 Comments: For Barry Margolis - There ain't no BSN "A" list. Many of the questions are not answered because nobody knows the answer. Also, Mike rarely answers questions at this site. He's probably busy with the newsletter or the new book. This is an open forum and anybody can join in. So just ask any questions you have and post any cool stereo info that might be of interest. Tom Kennedy (BSN A-LIST) |
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Name: Luke Pacholski Website: LukPac.org From: Racine, WI Time: 1998-10-31 21:16:42 Comments: Re: Barry & Atlantic. I may be wrong, but I do think that Stax studios had a 3 track setup early on - I don't know the details, but for some reason I remember reading it was a 2 track deck and a mono deck hooked together... Now, this could be a misinterperatation of the original author, but at any rate, I did read that they were multitrack... Anyone have more details on this? I know Atlantic's studios in NY were 8 track *very* early on ('58?), but of course that makes little difference now...:( |
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