This page contains all the messages put onto the BSN Stereo Chat Board during October, 1999. 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: Randy Price Website: From: New York Time: 1999-10-01 18:26:09 Comments: MONO ALERT! For anyone who got burned by buying the mostly-mono Roger Miller box set from a few years ago and were hoping that his new Millennium Collection disc would follow in the footsteps of Motown artists' stereo issues in that series, forget it! The Roger Miller Millennium Collection is 100% mono. I can understand why some people might prefer the mono mixes of some Motown hits, but why Roger Miller? All his Smash recordings used mostly accoustic instruments and were released on vinyl (and on the '80s CD reissue of his Golden Hits album) in nicely balanced stereo. What do the mono mixes of these tracks have to offer that the stereo ones don't? |
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Name: Larry Davis From: Longview WA Time: 1999-10-01 19:38:25 Comments: Thanks for the information on the Roger Miller songs. I'm also wondering about a 3 CD collection called 36 GREATEST HITS. There are 3 CD sets on at least a couple dozen artists. The only one I have already is on Brenda Lee and there was some stereo on this one. Can anyone comment on the Roger Miller volume? |
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Name: Bradley
Olson Website: Bradley Olson--A Person With Autism From: Bemidji, Minnesota Time: 1999-10-02 10:04:37 Comments: Re: Roger Miller's Millenium Collection. Randy, I don't think the mono versions of Roger Miller's songs offer anything that the stereo versions don't offer, but then, as Beetlefan said a while back. the Millenium Collections are geared mostly to the casual fans who want some of their biggest hits and are not mono/stereo particular. |
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Name: Doug Peck From: Elk Grove, CA Time: 1999-10-02 13:39:37 Comments: Re. ROGER MILLER: BEWARE of the the 3-cd set issued by GSC Music (EDI) in Eugene, Oregon. The title is "Roger Miller - 36 All Time Greatest Hits" and has a cover subtitle of "King of the Road". It is 100% MONO, licensed from and pressed by Polygram Special Markets. This is the set which is available at most Costco stores and is currently being featured in a number of catalogs. ALSO BEWARE of the "Best of Roger Miller: His Greatest Songs" on Curb (77511). It is 100% remakes, licensed from Tree Productions. Does anybody know where on cd one can find the original versions (in stereo, naturally) of "Husbands and Wives", "Little Green Apples" or "Walking In the Sunshine"? |
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Name: Mike
Nickel From: Cincinnati, Ohio Time: 1999-10-02 16:26:53 Comments: Hi! Can anybody fill me in on the stereo status of Tacoma's Sonics on the Etiquette label? The current Norton CD reissues are all mono, but sound about as good as we're gonna get (Bob Irwin strikes again)! I know that Boss Hoss showed up on a vinyl Nuggets LP in stereo from Rhino (geez, this is like poking a stick into a honets nest with the mention of the big "R"), but how's about the original Etiquette pressings on vinyl? While we're at it, same question regarding the Yardbirds in stereo up to the Roger the Engineer period? Since I foolishly brought up Rhino, let me poke around and see if I can get a rise outta someone there - while the Nuggets box certainly is pretty cool (although they kinda didn't give much/any credit for lots of pix used to the folks that shared 'em), it sure is lacking in the stereo department. Here's a wacky thought - since most of the songs in the set sold about 10 copies each the first go around, who the hell is gonna remember the original mono mix? Why don't the mono maniacs at Rhino ever talk about how the tape provided to the folks cutting the wax frequently would be compressed, squashed, or chopped at frequency extremes to get as loud a signal as possible on a 45? How often have you read an article about folks who worked at labels changing the mix each time something would need repressing (Motown is one notorious for that little problem - which mix is THE one)? Do you want the reissue today to sound like the multitracks did before they went to be cut? I know I want the sound a little more hi-fi than that 45 sound (2 channels worth, please). I guess it comes down to this - if nobody heard or bought it in the first place, then please don't give me the "that's what people remember" excuse. I have a sad feeling that some of those songs might have multitracks around to make new mixes... As a bone to the Rhino folks, it's nice having a clean version of You're Gonna Miss Me finally available, and Psychotic Reaction is clear and not rechanneled sounding - for these, I say thanks! |
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Name: Dave
Sampson Time: 1999-10-03 18:43:36 Comments: Re: The Sonics. I dont know about most of the Etiquette Label releases(the only ones i have are the 2cd set "Here Are the Ultimate Sonics"(ETCD-024027) and the single Ace Cd - both are entirely mono. The only existance of Stereo Sonics on CD that i know of is the song "Psycho" which appears(believe it or not) on a Time Life CD-part of the Classic Rock series "Rock Renaissance III" (2CLR-26/OPCD-2609) the song is binary stereo-so much so that you can isolate the music and sing the song yourself. Personally, I rather like hearing the song in Stereo. very clean and punchy. I only wish they'd give us the rest of the Sonic's stuff this way. It was out on vinyl like this(alot of it was at least) why not on cd? |
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Name: barry
margolis From: Minneapolis, MN Time: 1999-10-04 20:32:48 Comments: The early 1984 Etiquette reissue vinyl LP of "Here Are the Sonics" (ETALB-024) contains spectacular sound and wonderfully, tough-ass natural 2-track stereo. ("Witch" is the only re-channeled track). It's just wonderful and I've been looking the material in stereo on CD ever since. So far, no good. - Barry |
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Name: Marty
Wekser From: Los Angeles Time: 1999-10-05 00:45:33 Comments: They promised me a pair of $500 tickets to their New Year's Eve concert in Los Angeles if I would plug their DVD release on this website (just kidding...I should be so lucky.) Since many of you have been talking DVD lately, this is one of the best live concert tapes I have heard - both performance and sound quality - THE EAGLES - HELL FREEZES OVER. it is DTS encoded so you need a DVD player and a receiver which support DTS. With just a Dolby Digital receiver you'll only get stereo, not 5:1. The group does great versions of their hits, Joe Walsh is on the DVD also and they do a few of his songs, plus there are a few newer songs and an audio version only of "Seven Bridges Road." If you're contemplating putting together a home theater system and you want a good music DVD, this is the one. Highly recommended. High A. Some hiss. (Just kidding - no hiss.) |
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Name: Bob Olivia From: Burbank, Ca. Time: 1999-10-05 04:30:52 Comments: Can anyone answer this question. Can I input an audio cassete into my PC to make copies on to my CD creator? I have an original Give It Up By KC, the 2 sided extended versions, also extended version of La Bamba by Antonio Rodriguez which I would love on CD. Doubt either is available on CD. Just purchased the Disco CD of KC put out by our good friends at Rhino. Was dissapointed that these were not the extended versions originally on the extended play albums. Bob Olivia. |
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Name: Joe From: The Island Time: 1999-10-05 06:04:43 Comments: Does anyone have any information about the new Animals CD at Collector's Choice titled "The Story Of The Animals"? |
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Name: beetlefan From: The Twilight Zone Time: 1999-10-05 06:16:48 Comments: Hi Bob, At the risk of making a few regulars angry, here goes: Yes, you can connect your cassette, or anything else to your soundcard and record with Spin Doctor in CD Creator Deluxe. If you don't have the deluxe version, use Microsoft's recorder and save the file as Windows PCM (.wav). If you don't have either, download Cool Edit 96 from www.syntrillium.com. It is a fully functional shareware. If you don't register it, you can only use two options at a time. Just make sure you choose "save" everytime. It costs $50. to register. You can use CE96 or Spin Doctor to clean your records and tapes, but there is better software out there for records. Neither progran cuts it for cleaning up vinyl. E-mail me. I don't recommend using a Soundblaster 16 or AWE 64 card...I didn't like the new K.C. $ THE SUNSHINE BAND because they compressed the low end. Just listen to the beginning of "Please Don't Go". I also noticed that it was remastered by Bob Fisher and the sound produced by Bob Fisher. I am not a fan of Bob's work. |
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Name: beetlefan From: The Twilight Zone Time: 1999-10-05 06:18:47 Comments: Correction, the sound on the K.C. CD was produced by Bill Inglot. |
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Name: Groovin'
Garrett Time: 1999-10-05 11:49:03 Comments: There's the problem, then. "Bill Inglot=Garbage sound" |
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Name: beetlefan Time: 1999-10-05 14:43:08 Comments: Groovin' Garrett, that's not true. Do any of you own any of Varese Vintage's CD's? You like 'em, don't you? Well, your buddy Bill Inglot did them! 'Nuff said. |
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Name: Jeff Time: 1999-10-05 17:32:45 Comments: I just caught up with the messages from Mike Nickel and those that were posted since. Who would have thought back in the mid 1980's that Rhino and Bill Inglot would ever be vilified by stereo collectors ten or fifteen years down the road? It's a sad and scary thing what too much Phil Spector Kool Aid can do to an oldies producer who gave us so much way back when. As for whether a song is best remembered in stereo or mono...why not give the listener the option? Most of us have buttons to turn stereo into mono...none of us have buttons that turn mono CD's into true stereo. In cases where a multi-track master exists, and the same master was used to mix the stereo and mono versions, what's wrong with producers making sure the tracks are properly aligned to avoid phasing problems and releasing songs in stereo? Anyone who wants mono could just press the button. Presumably a producer has to check out stereo mixes in mono mode anyway to ensure that they can be listened to on mono FM radios, so I can't see that this would create any extra work. Anyone agree? |
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Name: Boppin
Brian From: A Jack to a King Time: 1999-10-05 20:02:32 Comments: YES ! I have, from my very 1st post here, been hollerin out to anyone who'd listen -- flip the "Mono" switch if you have to have that true transistorized-flat-AM-as-it-was-when-i-first-heard-it-on-my-car-radio sound!!!!!! There are surely others out there that'l say "true original mono 45 master must always be the top priority to maitain original production qualities & artists' mix & sound balance & all overdub elements & single EQ & .....(blah blah blah)". But, they are really wrong to assume that this will be the "most correct"/ "true to the original artist's vision". The most important factor should be taken into account : the '50s & '60s pop 45 was mastered to sound best on '50s & '60s equipment! Probably the best example of an "over saturated" "over modulated" mix that went over the top, trying for more "punch" is "Go Now" London 45 by The Moody Blues. Yes, it seems that folks like Bill Inglot have made an "about face" in their "stereo thought process", say, from when LPs ruled, but it's up to the consumer to voice their displeasure & support other superior efforts, not just rant about it on this "board". As for "....stereo status of Tacoma's Sonics on the Etiquette label?...", yes, unfortunately Norton did opt for an all mono approach to their reissues of this group & others like The non-Rastafarian Wailers (I had tried to alert folks here back when they were still undecisive - M vs. S -..tried to get people to write in their preference.... The Etiquette original & '80s reissue LPs had stupendous stereo. I still haven't turned up a copy of "Out of Our Tree", which should be stereo....."The early 1984 Etiquette reissue vinyl LP of "Here Are the Sonics" (ETALB-024) contains spectacular sound and wonderfully, tough-ass natural 2-track stereo. ".....they had about a half dozen titles out (from the original stampers !!!) "......the Nuggets box certainly is pretty cool ......it sure is lacking in the stereo department." Yes, & they used all those compressed 45 "mixes", but, it seems, cranked up the treble settings & re-EQed & filtered stuff. Example "Story of My Life" by The Unrelated Segments. Nuggets: slight noise (disc dub?) audible (intro , especially), fades like 45, but is otherwise identical to "previously unreleased mix" on Collectables Cd 0710 , "Where You Gonna Go", which has , according to notes, a "..more prominent bass..". Collectables does run to cold end tho. has instr./backing track version which is narrow stereo. Bottom line, niether of the Unrelated Segments' bigggies , "Where You Gonna Go" or "Story of My Life" are stereo on Collectables CD, but are, at least clean transfers, not from rumble-y 45s, like Rhino "Nuggets". There was one other prior CD reissue of this material that I cannot seem to locate a copy of ...."Rock Hits of the '60s".....or izzit "SVR Rock Hits..".....?!?!? Label is "SVR", I believe.... this was mentioned a few years ago in a "DISCoveries" column lamenting the onset of monomania..... had also mentioned a BRUNSWICK label collection , along with the SVR CD, as a "good" stereo CD reissue.....anyone got that one !?!? The SVR CD is probably basically the same collection as Collectables, perhaps.... but then again there could be some more stereo ....??? I woulda never believed it either, but they do "bake tapes to save them for at least one , final "preservation" transfer...... " The binder (glue) that adheres the oxide to the plastic backing is causing problems for over 500,000 master tapes, causing the oxide to stick to the adjacent tape layer as it's stored on the reels. These tapes have to be baked in convection ovens for around 8 hours at 250 degrees in order to be played without damage......" Saw photo of a big ol fat reel of "Grease" tunes settin there on the center rack in a picture in the LA Times, back a few years ago when they were "rescuing" tracks for the re-release of the movie....... Talk about some HOT TRACKS............. |
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Name: Mike
Nickel From: Cincinnati, Ohio Time: 1999-10-05 20:20:15 Comments: Howdy! Thanks for the Sonics comments - keep that stereo info coming in... Seems as though the Rhino comments got the juices flowing - as to the good/bad sound from Rhino, to me the midrange seems to be overpowering on a pretty regular basis. I like the midrange and highs to be natural sounding, and Rhino things seem sorta bright to me; DCC and Sundazed product tends to be more natural sounding, and aren't shy about having bass wallop if it's really there. The mono/stereo mix question is tough to talk about sometimes; if the multitracks were very specifically recorded to get a specific sound (Mr. Spector would be the prime example), a stereo mix is not gonna be too good. Try punching your preamp to mono when listening to the Spector hit set from JVC - Japan; it just doesn't sound right. Even mixing the 3 tracks would result in some pretty weak sounding things, like the viloin tracks that take up an entire channel. Like it or not, I have real doubts that Uncle Phil's earlier works really fare well in stereo; a careful transfer by Steve Hoffman in mono would be a treat we'll of course never live to see. If this seems like a retreat on my part, I'll say this - if the multitracks for a song can spread things out so there's a natural spacing of instruments, let's go stereo. If the multitracks are vocals one channel and instruments the other, put them in a boxed set for the folks who want it all. If we're talking Spector things that had a very specific goal in mind, mono will probably give the best sound; face it, nobody who copied Phil's Wall of Sound ever really got it right (ok, Brain Wilson had some moments that got pretty close). That Nuggets box just disappointed me because there are tapes that Rhino probably had access to that could have made some good stereo mixes finally available. Unfortunately, my notes and the regular Rhino bashing routine have probably poisoned the well with everyone at Rhino, so that they just don't bother replying (Bill Inglot used to check in once in a while with scoops on what he'd dug up - it's been a long time since that happened). So, after all that, how much of the Nuggets box is known to exist in stereo? I know I have probably close to 30% of it in my grubby paws - anybody got a list??? |
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Name: beetlefan Time: 1999-10-05 22:22:32 Comments: Jeff: If all of the balances of the stereo mix match the mono master, I'll take my music in stereo. But if the stereo mix doesn't match the mono, give me mono, and I mean everything has to match, pretty much down to the fade-out. The best example I can think of at the moment would be the McCoy's "Hang On Sloopy" stereo mix. It's perfect. |
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Name: Don Duffey From: Buffalo Time: 1999-10-06 22:33:36 Comments: To Boppin'Brian...AMEN!!!!been searchin'the"net" for a mono lovers website dosen't seem to be one,I wonder why??Speaking of websites an interesting one to visit is..www.kissthisguy.com..The achive for mis-heard music lyrics.Title is takin'from the Jimi Hendrix tune 'Cuse Me While I Kiss The Sky. (get it?)D.D. |
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Name: Luke
Pacholski Website: LukPac.org From: Madison, WI Time: 1999-10-06 23:35:29 Comments: Don: Perhaps you mean "Purple Haze"?? |
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Name: Bradley
Olson Website: Bradley Olson--A Person With Autism From: Bemidji, Minnesota Time: 1999-10-07 11:18:04 Comments: Luke, Don did mean Purple Haze but probably didn't remember the title. |
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Name: Boppin'
Brian From: SunnySoCal Time: 1999-10-07 15:49:46 Comments: HI - "Collector's Choice" has ad/blurb for Ace's "Golden Age Of American R &R Vol. 8", and lists a few tracks, all pretty obscure (Yeah, but why not pick the better Jimmy Norman tune, "Here Comes the Night".....anyone have that on CD???) . Ace site has no news of G.A.8 in their newest releases, even. Anyone got this yet ?? As for "....how much of the Nuggets box is known to exist in stereo? I know I have probably close to 30% of it in my grubby paws - anybody got a list??? " I'd guess a god 1/2 of the box has been out in stereo, from original '60s compilations & LPs thru current CDs. Interesting to find some of the "radio station" "promo" LPs from the '60s sounding better than some current CDs !! I guess it all goes back to getting the "low generation" tapes, as mentioned in CCM "Golden Age.." blurb...... I have even found some "Oldies But Goodies" LPs that -- clean, mono, pre-"fds", pre-fake-stereo -- sound better on certain tunes than current "state of the art reissues......(dubbing from worn polystyrene 45s just don't get it, guys.). I guess it would be up to the folks with the "goods" technologically & musical library-wise to get something like a stereo-where-ever-possible "NUGGETS" box......"burn " the stuff from LPs, reels, etc...... |
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Name: j. leonard From: North Texas Time: 1999-10-07 19:18:32 Comments: I am interested in the CD Somethin Else by Eddie Cochran (Razor and Tie, 1998). Does anyone have a recommendation or review? JL |
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Name: Luke
Pacholski Website: LukPac.org From: Madison, WI Time: 1999-10-08 22:11:16 Comments: Ok, ok...one more addition to the "what equipment did Stax have" saga. I just picked up "Soulsville U.S.A." by Rob Bowman today. Tom Dowd recalls that not long after Otis Redding's "Mr. Pitful" he convinced Jim Stewart to install a two track machine. Stax had two 4 input mixers, so each went a track - nothing was mixed to the center, for example. The book goes on to say that "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and "Respect" were originally cut in mono for the singles, then were both re-recorded during the Otis Blue sessions, all in stereo, at Stax studios. So... |
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Name: Mike
Arcidiacono Time: 1999-10-09 11:09:14 Comments: Re: Stax Luke, very interesting comments about the Stax studios. One thing tho---- a very simple trick that engineers used back then when they had two mono mixers feeding the left and right channels of a stereo deck was to take the output plug of a mic, put a "Y" adapter on it, and plug one into mixer #1, and the other into mixer #2. Now, that mic will appear in the Center of the stereo picture. So just because they didnt have a stereo mixer didnt mean they were limited to hard left/right mixes. Those early '60s engineers were good!! Mikey |
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Name: Jeff Time: 1999-10-09 11:53:50 Comments: For J. Leonard, who wanted information about the Eddie Cochran CD from Razor and Tie: It's been my experience that R&T CD's are always above a certain level...and the Cochran package sounds good. However, to my ears, "Eddie Cochran Volume 1" in EMI's Legendary Masters Series sounds better. Perhaps the tapes used by EMI were the actual masters, or closer to them. There is no stereo content on the R&T CD. On the EMI disc, "Weekend" and "Three Steps To Heaven" appear in stereo. For whatever it's worth, Steve Hoffman did not produce the R&T disc (it seems Steve is associated with their very best packages)...it came from EMI-Capitol's Special Products Division. |
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Name: John R.
Preston From: Arlington. Texas Time: 1999-10-09 15:30:55 Comments: Just bought the "newly remastered" Exile On Main Street cd by THE ROLLING STONES, and if this is an indication of the whole series, I'll pass, thank you. With headphones on, there is little difference in the new and the old. In fact, some, like "Happy" are actually hissier than the original release. The only difference I could tell was maybe a pumped up bass on some songs. Of course everybody hears things a little different, but to my 53 year old ears, this is the same old hissy mastering! Don't get me wrong, neither cd is real bad (or unlistenable), just disappointing. |
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Name: Luke
Pacholski Website: LukPac.org From: Madison, WI Time: 1999-10-09 15:41:52 Comments: John, re: The new Exile (and other Stones releases) use the same Bob Ludwig masters that the standard Virgin CDs do - he didn't do any mastering specifically for the new CDs. Mike, re: While I'm sure many engineers did what you say, there was a wrench in the equation at Stax - in addition to the stereo machine they still fed a mono machine. So splitting the signal for the stereo machine to have it fed back together for the mono machine was probably not a good idea... |
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Name: beetlefan Time: 1999-10-09 21:19:49 Comments: John Preston quoted regarding the "Exile On Main Street" mini LP-CD: "but to my 53 year old ears, this is the same old hissy mastering!" The master tape probably had hiss on it, and the powers that be didn't want to try to remove it. In other words, that's the was it is. |
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Name: Larry
Naramore Website: From: Sun Valley, Ca. Time: 1999-10-09 21:25:11 Comments: Which re-issues contain the original recordings by FREDDY FENDER? Picked up the remaster of BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY'S Mainstream album, great sound, all tracks stereo. Also picked up Love Of The Common People by WAYLON JENNINGS also great sound released on BUDDHA RECORDS a unit of BMG. Here is the url for thier website http://www.buddharecords.com/ |