Chat Board Archives: May, 1998




This page contains all the messages put onto the BSN Stereo Chat Board during May, 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.




Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-01 19:12:23
Comments: As the town crier who originally informed the BSN forum about the unforgivable use of rechanneled masters on The Dusty Springfield Anthology box set, Mercury took a second opportunity to correctly reissue "I Only Want To Be With You," "All Cried Out" and "Losing You" in mono, and "Wishin' and Hopin'" in stereo on its recent 20-song compilation The Very Best of Dusty Springfield. All the tracks previously appeared on the box set, but Andrew Panda's earlier posting didn't suggest a comparison in favor of the remastered replacements. Be that as it may, with another pat on the back to Eliot Goshman, the excellent stereo bonanza of Dusty treats Taragon released last year still reigns as the best in the world!

Name: BOB FINK
From: CONN
Time: 1998-05-03 00:36:36
Comments: Hi to all... Got a record recently called Incense and Oldies [Buddah#BDS5014]... Weird... It has alt. stereo mixes of several Red Bird tracks (i.e. "Walking in the Sand" without bird overdubs on intro or later)... There's an announcer between cuts who supplies "Hippiechatter" as intros... Mine's a promo... Anybody have a clue about the origins of this?

[ -- Just one of those '60s things. Buddah apparently licensed the masters and didn't know finished takes from alternates. The LP definitely came out commercially. Everybody who hears it for the first time has the same reaction... "weird. Is this a druggie LP or what?" -- MC]


Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From: NYC
Time: 1998-05-03 10:15:48
Comments: For Mike Callahan -- Mike, yesterday I was at a flea market and picked up a mint stereo LP called The Downtown Sound Of Tony Hatch. Am I crazy, or did you mention this LP once in BSN? I think you may have, although I can't remember why...is there something special on this LP? It's a GREAT LP, BTW, I especially like the version of the Vouges' "You're The One", one of my favorite songs of all time. Mike

[ -- Tony Hatch was the producer for Petula Clark. You may know that Pet Clark had a version of "You're The One" before the Vogues did it. The reason I mentioned that LP in issue #11 (1989! What a memory!) is that the song "Music" on that album was used for the theme song for CBS-FM in the 1960s, although they rarely announced what it was. -- MC]


Name: Joel Goldenberg
From: Montreal
Time: 1998-05-03 16:52:06
Comments: Help! I've been reading and hearing so much contradictory information on this subject and I'd like something definitive, PLEASE! On compact discs, should the label side be protected from scratches or the non-label side? I've read that it's the former and have been told it's the latter. Also, has anybody else noticed all the subtle changes on the remastered Who Are You disc? Roger Daltrey emits a previously unreleased "woo!" during "New Song," and "Trick of the Light" has different drumming and guitar parts, and a pounding guitar part missing at the beginning. I'll likely be in New York in a couple of weeks and will grab the Best of Red Bird/Blue Cat in that fine city.

[ -- Okay here's something definitive. The side that plays on a CD is the NON-LABEL side, so that's the one to protect from dirt, grease, and scratches. As for gouges, a gouge through the plastic covering on either side may allow the aluminum to oxidize, and eventually may result in the destruction of the CD.... As for the Red Bird/Blue Cat CD, it's definitely an "A" disc that everyone should have. It will be reviewed in issue #46, which for all those waiting for it, is not out yet. -- MC]


Name: Danno
From: Mid-state new york
Time: 1998-05-03 21:22:43
Comments: For those oldies fans in the NY/NJ/CT radio area, there's a dynamite oldies show on Sunday mornings at 11 a. m. on WUD 100.7 fm. Hosted by one of the original WMCA Good Guys, Joe O'Brien. Lots of rare oldies, with great stories behind the recordings. The records that Joe plays are not the same washed-out songs that are played by every oldies station in the country. Joe digs deep to pull out some classic chestnuts. This show is a breath of fresh air!

Name: Don Duffey
From: Buffalo
Time: 1998-05-03 22:40:51
Comments: Desperately seeking the following tunes on CD [in stereo of course] "Sanctuary"...Yankee Dollar; "Hari-Krishna"...Happenings; "Land of 1000 Dances..The Midnighters; "You Haven't Seen My Love"...Ones; "Teenage Hayride"...Tender Slim; "Roses Are Red [My Love}...You Know Who Group. Any help would be appreciated..Danke

Name: Doug Peck
From: Elk Grove, CA
Time: 1998-05-04 14:03:49
Comments: In response to Mike Arcidiancono's post and Mike's reply, and for any of you who might be interested, "Music" by Tony Hatch has finally surfaced in stereo on CD. The CD is entitled Hatchback [Squel NEM CD-951, rel 1997]. "Music" is NOT on the recent Tony Hatch release, Best Of.

Name: chaz
Time: 1998-05-05 19:45:20
Comments: Hello everyone.Does anyone know the source and sound quality of the new Peter & Gordon 2fers on Collectables label? I really want to buy these. Please help thanks! CHAZ P.S. Does anyone own the new Philips CDR870 CD recorded? Any feedback on that unit would greatly be appreciated.

Name: Barry Margolis
From: Minneapolis, MN
Time: 1998-05-05 20:35:51
Comments: Hey, Mike, Brenda and readers: I just got on the internet for the first time May 2nd., and I've been glued to it! BSN is one of the best websites yet! I've been a reader and subscriber for years. Though I've already reported this to Mike, I want EVERYONE to know two amazing finds: two (I believe) previously never-before-issued-in-stereo John Lee Hooker albums on CD! The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker [Vee Jay/Chameleon VJD-81058] from 1991 and John Lee Hooker On Campus [VJD-81066] also from 1991 are both 100% stereo and excellent sounding. Slight hiss, but loud, punchy stereo! (Not all the other Vee Jay/Chameleon CDs are as good, though.) If you see 'em as cut-outs or in used shops, snap 'em up.

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From: NYC
Time: 1998-05-05 23:16:59
Comments: For Chaz---RE The new Collectables Peter & Gordon releases...I have the True Love Ways/ I Go To Pieces CD, and it is very good. Mine is almost all stereo, and the sonics are very good. I was happy to get " True Love Ways " in stereo, as I has the LP and it sounded great in stereo. I would rate this a "B". Also picked up MORE Surf Legends and Rumors on Garland. Steve Hoffman did this one as well as the original one back in 1988. Very nice job here, virtually everything is from first generation tapes. Lots of wide stereo, too. I'd rate this an "A" Mike

Name: Bob Fink
From: Conn.
Time: 1998-05-05 23:56:47
Comments: Hey people...RUN..DO NOT WALK to your nearest source and grab the Red Bird/BlueCat Comp.!!! This thing is like goin' to church! Most tracks are like hearing 'em for the 1st time... The nuances of the sessions pop right out at you w/out sounding like they were tampered with, but lovingly brought to a new life. Taragon should party!! Great job, and beyond being essential/gotta have.. Thanks.

Name: Larry Naramore
From: Sun Valley, Ca.
Time: 1998-05-06 01:19:40
Comments: Sitting here in beautiful Southern California watching liquid sunshine descend in buckets and wishing I would have ordered the Red Bird/Blue Cat disc. Nobody on the West Coast has heard of it. Help!!

Name: Eliot Goshman
Website: click here for TARAGON RECORDS HOME PAGE!!!
Time: 1998-05-06 08:25:34
Comments: Larry, get out of the rain! The Very Best Of Red Bird/Blue Cat Records is available at most chains (like Tower) and independent record shops, too. Record stores that don't have it can easily order it. (Taragon TARCD-1029). Or you can order it from catalogs like Collectors Choice Music, or our own CDMO (www.cdmo.com). Most online music services also carry it.

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-06 12:47:45
Comments: I see where newly designed, updated booklets on Ace Records' re-releases of its Dion twofers are one reason to consider purchasing them again. But do these newly remastered releases sound noticeably better than the original CDs that Mike rated straight "As?" And are there any additional bonus tracks or mono/stereo differences between the old and new discs that we should know about? By the way, Dion's latest project isn't music-related at all. He and co-author Andi Litt Wiener have written a book titled Chapters: Writing the Adventure of Your Life ($10.95, Health Communications) that's now in stores. Based on Dion's own experience from writing his 1988 autobiography, The Wanderer, the new book teaches anyone how to write one, too.

Name: Marty Blaise
Website: The Blaise Page
From: Earth, Solar System
Time: 1998-05-06 12:51:41
Comments: I happened to hear "Solitary Man" by Neil Diamond on the way to work this morning. It was in stereo, so I'm sure it was one of the outtakes. Most of the song seemed to be in the middle, but a short guitar part appeared several times to the far right. Anyone know what version this one is? Thanks.

Name: Paul Bigelow
From: Austin, TX
Time: 1998-05-06 17:27:45
Comments: I agree with everyone here: The Red Bird / Blue Cat is simply astounding. I know Ron Furmanek has done wonderful work at Capitol and I'm sure he was very helpful on this release. I, for one, am having a huge sigh of relief on this reissue. With mono-mania sweeping the labels and the Mercury release of the Shangri-Las in mostly mono, I was certain the master session tapes were lost forever. What bothers me is why Mercury could not have released the Shangri-Las in wide stereo. Was it mono-mania, were the master tapes only recently discovered, did they not care, or did the bean-counters deem it too expensive? This CD makes a very convincing case that *with care* stereo mixes of classic hits can made so that the music does not sound weird. Gotta' love those wide-channel mixes!

Name: Larry Naramore
Time: 1998-05-06 20:49:31
Comments: I would really like to purchase the Jesse Belvin disc on the Collectables label. Any info on sound quality would be appreciated. What ever happened to RCA's release?

Name: Randy Price
From: New York
Time: 1998-05-06 23:05:05
Comments: Marty, check out the Bang Records discography on this site for info on which LPs contain which takes of "Solitary Man."

Name: Bob Fink
From: Conn
Time: 1998-05-06 23:37:49
Comments: Hey....Again Re Red Bird comp... Wonder if Taragon was able to unearth Bessie Banks' "Go Now" in big stereo? I don't know of one...readers? BOY you've opened a can 'o worms with this pristine comp... Please keep 'em coming. What an obvious labor of love and care!

Name: Tom Kennedy
From: San Ramon, Ca.
Time: 1998-05-07 00:08:11
Comments: Hi Everyone. Kinks: I've always liked the Kinks - even with the mono grunge sound. In the March issue of Collectors' Choice catalog, they have five new import Kinks CDs. "Remastered with Ray Davies overseeing the entire project...multitrack tapes.....etc." Collectors' Choice does a great job so I bought the first CD The Kinks. I AB'd "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" with the the Rhino CD The Kinks - Greatest Hits. On speakers, I could tell no difference at all. On headphones, the songs sounded virtually the same. The new import EQ was just slightly different and the grunge was the same to my ears. Of course, the import had the full albums and bonus cuts. Has anyone else tried the second CD: Kinda Kinks?? How was the sound? Thanks Guys, Tom Kennedy, BSN Subscriber.

Name: Larry Naramore
Time: 1998-05-07 23:53:58
Comments: Several issues back someone inquired about "Manhattan Spiritual" by Reg Owen. It might be old news but it's available in mono on Aces' Teen Beat Volume 2 [Ace CDCHD522].

Name: Greg Burns
From: Calabasas, Ca.
Time: 1998-05-08 01:56:26
Comments: Has anybody heard anything about new DC5 releases?They are long overdue.

Name: Paul
From: Florida
Time: 1998-05-08 13:57:48
Comments: Agreed, additional titles by the Dave Clark 5 are long overdue! Would really like the B-Side of the single "Because" released on CD: "Theme Without A Name."

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From:
Time: 1998-05-08 14:09:51
Comments: For Greg: RE The DC5: Greg, don't hold your breath. Here's the scoop: Dave Clark had a 5 year contract with Hollywood Records to put the DC5 material on CD. He was unhappy with how they distributed the 50 Greatest Hits CD, so he pulled the material back. Contractually, he has to wait untill 1999 before he can sign another deal, but everyone is fairly sure he will. He had a lot of DC5 material that was not on the CD remastered by Adrian Kerridge, so it is ready to go. I think I speak for most DC5 fans that want to see ALL of those great DC5 LPs on CD. A series of two-fers would be perfect, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they won't do that, because Dave will say that the format "cheapens" the music. Still, I'll be happy with 5 or 6 LPs on CD at this point. Keep your eyes open in 1999...my feeling is that Rhino is going to do it. Dave was considering them in 1994 before he chose Hollywood. Mikey

Name: Paul Stoddard
From: Boston, MA
Time: 1998-05-08 15:23:52
Comments: RE: DC5: I sincerely hope that Rhino does NOT get the new contract for the Dave Clark Five, or any artist, for that matter. Rhino could go out of business tomorrow for all the good they've been to stereo collectors recently. When Rhino was just a start-up, they put out packages that were worth looking forward to. Now, whenever I see the Rhino name on a CD, I leave it strictly alone. If they get the DC5 contract, you can count on CDs full of dull, boring mono.

Name: Jim Bailey
From: Stamford, Ct
Time: 1998-05-08 23:06:38
Comments: Mike maybe you or one of your readers can help here. I heard a song in a movie sound track (Under the Light House Dancing) I believe the song title is "Angels" by John Farnham. The movie was made in 1997, but I don't know how old the song is. Well, you know how small the credit printing is at the end of movies, but I think that's the right title and artist. Any one know of this song? I'd like to get a copy but haven't found a listing for it. I didn't find a listing for the movie sound track either. Help! BSN subscriber Jim Bailey

Name: Bill Nunan
Time: 1998-05-09 02:47:19
Comments: To Don Duffey: I've been looking for "Roses are Red, My Love" by the You Know Who Group for years and I can assure you, it is not available on CD.

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From:
Time: 1998-05-09 16:04:03
Comments: RE: 3 things. Got a few good things for my fellow BSN readers this time around. 1) The DC5. I saw my buddy Paul Stoddard's post about Rhino and the DC5 releases. What I think I should clear up for everybody is that it doesnt matter WHO puts out the DC5 catalog, its going to be 100% MONO. The reason I know that is because Dave Clark has already stated publicly that he isn't going to remix, because he feels people want the mono hit versions that they remember and, are all that were issued at the time. He has kept the mono mixdowns in a temperature controlled vault all these years, so they are in excellent shape, and were only used a few times over the years. Also,virtually all the LPs prior to 5 by 5 were only mixed in mono, there ARE no stereo LP mixes to use. The only way to do that is to go back to the 4 tracks, which he has said he is not going to do. So, altho I hate to say it, there is virtually no chance of "Glad All Over" or any of the early stuff in stereo. If you want it, they are available on bootleg on a CD called Bits and Pieces. I warn you, the stereo isn't all that great on those tracks. 2) Sam Cooke--latest word is that the CD was recalled because of a dispute over the song "Another Saturday Night". Abkco (there they go again) claims ownership, RCA disagrees. They will probably re-issue the CD without this song, but that could take some time. If you see this CD..BUY IT, as they are VERY hard to come across now. I haven't seen one in NYC for over a month now. 3) Red Bird/Blue Cat-- I STILL haven't found this CD, Tower doesnt have it yet, nor do any of the local stores near me. But I'll keep trying. Also, while we are on the subject, there was some discussion of the Red Bird tracks that appear in stereo on the Buddah Lp Incense and Oldies as being "alternate takes". Actually, they are remixes done in 1967/68 by Micky Lane, who did them at Neil Bogart's request especially for that LP. It then appears that Mercury used some of THOSE mixes when they did the first version of the Shangs Greatest Hits LP. The second versions, I believe, had mono substitutes for some of the stereo tracks. The idea was to create a sort of "Hippie LP" of oldies (which, as we all know, they sure did !!). They remixed those tracks into stereo for that LP, which does explain the missing sound effects (the seagulls on "Walking", for example) as they were not on the 4 track multi, they were added "live" into the mix while they mixed the mono 45, Confusing, but it does make sense. I think!! Any comments? Mikey

Name: Larry Davis
From: Longview, WA
Time: 1998-05-09 23:01:07
Comments: For Jim Bailey: There is a song by John Farnham called "We're No Angels" on his Age of Reason CD. You didn't give us the name of the movie you were watching. You could go see the movie again and set closer so you can read the titles. Or wait until it's available on rental and sit REAL CLOSE........I checked just the title "Angels" on BMI's website and they list 837 different songs with that title! (If you check for "Angel" (without the "s"), they list over 2,000 different songs with that title)............On the Taragon Red Bird comp., I had it on advance order from CD NOW (a pretty good internet source to buy from) and about a week AFTER it was being lauded on this site, I got a email from them that they didn't expect it for at least a month, so the backorder was being cancelled. I thought that was REAL STRANGE. I'll probably get it from CDMO (also a pretty good place to buy CDs.)

Name: Paul Bigelow
From: Austin, TX
Time: 1998-05-11 18:16:07
Comments: RE: DC5. I think the companies in the best position for a DC5 release would be 1) Sundazed (perhaps Sony Legacy) 2) Bear Family 3) Capitol. These companies have been very good to stereo collectors. The DC5 is probably not one of the Bear Family's major concerns, but, you never know. Maybe Taragon could do it!

Name: Tom Daly
Website: Skyline
From: Malden, MA
Time: 1998-05-11 22:01:29
Comments: Let's settle this dispute about the DC5 material right now! I have the following tracks in TRUE STEREO: "Do You Love Me," "Glad All Over," "Bits and Pieces " (doesn't have faded cymbal crash at end, like Bits and Pieces disc), "Because," "Thinking of You Baby," "Whenever You're Around," "Come Home," "Try Too Hard," "Please Tell Me Why," "Nineteen Days," "You've Got What It Takes," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "A Little Bit Now," "Everybody Knows " (Not "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You"), "Red and Blue." All of these are disc dubs, but from VERY clean vinyl discs. That Bits and Pieces disc fades out the tail ends of all the songs, most notably the title track. If Clark is maintaining this material was never mixed to stereo, he's full of it. Epic issued a two-LP set of old tracks in 1971 in the U.S., without a mono track on it. EMI Regal/Starline issued a single disc with 14 true stereo tracks, again with no mono material. I believe everything on the EMI LP was also on the U.S. package. Two of those tracks appeared on the CBS Special Products CD Get Yourself a College Girl, a soundtrack disc that was a reissue of an old M-G-M LP. As far as I know, the only U.S. hits that never existed in stereo are: 1. "I Knew It All the Time " (issued on 45 by Congress, not Epic) 2. "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)" 3. "I Like It Like That " 4. "Reelin' and Rockin'" 5. "Anyway You Want It " (this always had lousy sound), and 6. "Over and Over. " As far as I know, all albums after Try Too hard were issued in true stereo, making "Over and Over" the last U.S. chart hit that was not mixed to stereo. For some unknown reason, the wrong "Everybody Knows" keeps getting issued. The earlier hit, "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)" went to #15 in October of 1964, while the other one (the group's last U.S. chart hit) only went to #43 in 1967. "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" went to #35 in June of 1967, yet that hasn't been reissued in the U.S. since the original single went out-of-print! Well, things could be worse. The DC5 catalog COULD have been purchased by Allen Klein, and we could have no reissues at all. Perhaps Clark will cut a deal with Varese Vintage, Taragon, Collector's Choice Music, Eric, or Black Tulip. Rhino's out of the question. Hollywood, the current licensee, is handled by Elektra, a WEA label. It doesn't make sense for Clark to switch from one WEA label to another. Whoever gets the material, rest assured it will be mono.

[ "Reelin' and Rockin'" was also stereo [see DC5 discography in Both Sides Now Stereo Newsletter #6]. The later version of "Everybody Knows" was apparently a UK hit. MC]


###
Name: BOB FINK
From: CONN>
Time: 1998-05-11 22:19:15
Comments: Hey! Well, I'm here to eat a bit of crow re: the Red Bird/Blue Cat Comp....

I just received a tape of one of the tunes that showed up on there, from an anonymous source, and I gotta tell ya... there's trouble in paradise... After hearing this track (PRISTINE!!!) vs. the one on the Taragon comp., I gotta think that no one ever referred to the mono 45 for a point of reference for balance and authenticity.... Haphazard placement of vocals and instruments, yes there is seperation, but at the sacrifice of the intent of the version we know and remember... Keep in mind that stereo is a treat after all this time, but not at the expense of creating an alien mix... I thank my unnamed source for opening my eyes on this and can only hope that if given the chance, these tapes fall into the hands of the right people to do them justice... Sorry for changing my tune, but since having my eyes opened to this, I can't sit back and be silent... E-mail me if need be with comments. Sorry to burst the bubble, but a deaf person could hear the difference. Thanks for listening...BOB

Name: Randy Price
From: New York
Time: 1998-05-11 22:51:49
Comments: To Tom Daly re DC5: The stereo mixes of the pre-1967 material that have appeared on various LPs were done after the fact in the late 60s; some of them differ slightly, and others significantly, from the hit versions of these songs. What we need, but are not likely to get, are new stereo mixes that are faithful to the hit versions. BTW, "Reelin' and Rockin'" was issued in stereo on the '70s Dutch LP History of British Pop Vol. 3 - Dave Clark Five on EMI Columbia.

Name: Paul Stoddard
From: Boston, MA
Time: 1998-05-12 09:58:38
Comments: A few things first: other than being a very satisfied and loyal customer, I have no connection with Eliot Goshman or Taragon Records.

I'm about to go ballistic on a subject that has become a very sore spot with me, so, if you don't like reading tirades, skip to the next message. Finally, for Bob Fink: this is not aimed at you, personally. Your post just served as the proverbial straw!

Recently, Taragon Records released the Best Of Red Bird/Blue Cat Records CD. It is a great CD and a true labor of love. The sound is outstanding, and hearing these tracks in stereo after 30 years of mono sludge is like really hearing them for the first time. Taragon went to the trouble of tracking down the lowest generation masters that could be found, licensed everything properly, and put out a package that they can be justifiably proud of.

Then some individual comes along and says that one song doesn't sound authentic so he's changing his mind about the value of the package.

Excuse me? Can I ask a few questions here? What track are you talking about? Just how radically different is the copy you have from what showed up on the Taragon CD? Where did your copy come from? Was the person who sent it to you authorized to have it? If he and you were interested in seeing a great product made better, why wasn't it offered to Taragon during the compilation phase of the project? The RBBC package had been in the planning stages for almost a year before the disc was issued and it was no secret that Taragon was working on the package. Instead of waiting and sitting back after the fact and saying like a little kid: "Nyah nyah, you screwed it up," why wasn't assistance offered?

Taragon put their money where their mouth is and took a heavy financial risk to put out the RBBC disc. I don't see many other people rushing to do the same. Take a good look at upcoming releases: there are practically no '50s and '60s reissues and very few '70s reissues on tap from the major labels. It's very obvious that they don't care about catalog anymore. Serious collectors are going to have to depend on labels like Taragon, Sundazed, Eric, Relic, Ripete, and even Collectables to fill in the gap. Yet, over and over I read nothing but nit-picky criticisms of every reissue that comes out. No wonder the independent labels are wary of doing anything. Who wants to put tons of time and effort into something only to get slammed? And all it takes is one or two slams or petty gripes to turn other readers of these slams off on an otherwise-worthwhile product.

Finally, if the stereo version of a song sounds a little different from the mono single, so what? I don't believe that stereo versions of songs have to sound identical to the mono version. There are spatial effects that come into play and altered dynamics that result from them. Feel free to disagree, but you're not going to change my mind about any of the above.

[ -- Good points. What's one of the biggest reasons for mono reissues these days at the expense of stereo? They're "safe," and people can't gripe about any change of what they (in retrospect, years later) think about that ever-nebulous "intent." Whose intent? The artist's? (Don't make me laugh.) The songwriter? Producer? It gets down to whoever was in charge of putting the record together that particular day. If they had a bad day, there are those who will fight to the death that any mistakes made were the purposeful "intent" of whoever, and should never be changed. But rather than argue about "intent," many reissue producers are just taking the "safe" way out.

Personally, I find radically different stereo versions of songs I've heard thousands of times to be a bit disconcerting. I like them about as much as I do alternate takes, which means they can be fun to listen to, but unless they sound pretty reasonably like the originals, they get mentally filed in a category with alternate takes.

As for the negativism, it's well known that one negative comment takes about ten positive ones to offset. I have done a lot of writing and other creative things in my 50+ years, and I can say that it's really discouraging when people totally ignore the 95% of a project that's great just to dwell on a 5% that doesn't meet their flavor of perfection... and therefore they call the whole effort worthless. This is especially galling if the constraints under which a product was produced are ignored.

I have talked to many of the oldies reissue producers about this very subject, and every last one of them agrees. It's not that they want "all praise" for their work; they can have honest discussions about why things are the way they are and what limitations they faced in doing the project without getting bent out of shape at all. It's the criticism that says, "You had everything you needed to do the **perfect** job, and through your laziness or incompetence you put out a slipshod product that's worthless" that really sticks in the craw. This is the type of criticism that takes the focus off what's been done or not done, and makes it a personal attack on the person who did the work. Honest, fair, criticism will be fine, but cheap shots aren't appreciated by anyone.

My comments above are about collectors' attitudes in general, and not specifically about Bob Fink's earlier comment. I can only surmise that in Bob's case, the sound was different enough that he chooses to hold out for the more perfect version rather than "an alien mix," and that one song tainted the entire CD to his ears. That's okay. I suppose that means you'll be returning your copy of the Red Bird CD, then, Bob? :-) -- MC]


Name: Martin G. (Marty) Blaise
Website: The Blaise Page
From: Houston, TX
Time: 1998-05-12 13:51:41
Comments: If anyone can provide me with information about recording studios in Houston, Texas in the late 1950s or during the 1960s, I will be glad to check to see what type of stereo equipment was used. If you know of artists who recorded in Houston, let me know. Thanks.

Name: Bob Fink
From: CT
Time: 1998-05-12 16:45:34
Comments: Re: My last post on Red Bird... First, let me tell ya that in the heat of the moment, I did go overboard..No, I would'nt return my CD because it does represent a great effort, the first and only one out there. But the track I received on tape was just so much more balanced and true to the original mono "impact" of the original, that I was blown away.The tape came from an impeccable source, is all I can say...I don't know all the "ins and outs" about who helps whom with projects, etc., I just found it amazing the difference in perspective and the sound to my ears of the track. I do recommend the Taragon CD as the only available source on the market currently for this material...only, someone else has been at the tapes with, to my ears, a more accurate interpretation...Didn't mean to stir a hornet's nest..Bob

Name: Dave mack
Website: Welcome To Dave Mack's Home page
From: The Witch City, Salem (Ma) USA
Time: 1998-05-12 23:25:05
Comments: I picked up a copy of God, Love and Rock & Roll on Verese (Thanks to Paul Stoddard for telling me about it). Lots of hard to find material. Thought other readers would appreciate the track info: God, Love and Rock & Roll - Teegarden & Vanwinkle (s), Put Your Hand In The Hand- Ocean(s), Day By Day - 5th Dimension (s) (WHY they didn't use the HIT by Robin Lamont is a mystery), I Met Her In Church - Box Tops (s), Amen- Impressions (s), Spirit In The Sky -Norman Greenbaum (s), Why Me (Lord) -Kris Kristofferson (s), Turn Your Radio On - Ray Stevens (s), Mighty Clouds Of Joy - B.J. Thomas (s), Dominique - The Singing Nun (m), God Bless The Child - Blood Sweat & Tears (s) (lp version), Crying In The Chapel - Sonny Til & the Orioles (m), The Deck Of Cards - Wink Martindale (s), People Get Ready - The Impressions (s), Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkin Singers (s), Amazing Grace - Royal Scots Dragoon Band (s). As for quality I rate it a high B or an A. Some of the material is hard to find (so far) on CD and in stereo. "Deck Of Cards" IS a disc dub but is about as clean as it will ever get. "Crying In The Chapel" is outstanding. Definitely (to my ears) from tape. Separation on "People Get Ready" is wide enough to drive an 18 wheeler between channels and not hit anything.. Just wonderful. The package claims to be aimed at a "God Rock" audiance but it has some material that doesn't turn up other places. Enjoy fellow oldies/stereo sleuths.

Name: Dave Daugherty
From: Dublin, OH.
Time: 1998-05-13 00:45:50
Comments: Re: Paul Stoddard's "tirade"..........You hit the nail right on the head. It irritated the hell out of me a week or so ago when people started ragging on Bob Irwin for his choice of mono for the Sonny & Cher re-issues on Sundazed. I have nearly 1500 CD's and Bob Irwin's name is on a boatload of the very best ones. He's been responsible for some of the most outstanding re-issues of the past decade, both in choice of material AND sound quality. His Sundazed label has also found a way to get some material back in print that I had no hope of finding on CD. I can't think of one Bob Irwin project that I have any problem with and I respect his audio choices as well. I haven't heard the Sonny & Cher discs, but I'm willing to bet the mono tapes do sound better. Think about it...in 1965, AM radio (mono) and 45's (mono) were king. Sonny recorded the first 2 albums on a shoestring budget in 2 and 3 track studios and he learned his production skills at the foot of Mr. Mono himself, Phil Spector. What would make anyone think that Sonny was even remotely considering stereo at the time? It's damn difficult to make a good stereo mix out of 2 and 3 track masters, and it's pretty obvious that Sonny put the work into the monos and then tried to replicate it in stereo. I'd be very surprised if Irwin didn't make the right choice with those tapes, and I'm certainly not going to blast the guy for it. Thanks to him, a lot of tapes that have been missing in long forgotten vaults somewhere are now on our CD players. I love stereo as much as everybody else, but stereo doesn't ALWAYS sound better. Perhaps if he had put both the mono and stereo mixes on each disc, we might have been able to make the same comparison he did, and maybe reach the same conclusion. Anyway, sorry for my tirade, but I just think there are more deserving targets (i.e. Producers and labels who consistently make bad decisions, or won't release things at all) than Bob Irwin. Even if the mono tapes are the wrong choice in this case, the sheer weight of everything he has done right over the years more than makes up for it.

Name: Curtiss Carpenter
Website: Ripete Records
From: Pinebluff, N.C.
Time: 1998-05-13 07:12:47
Comments: The Sam Cooke Greatest Hits CD is excellent! All tracks are stereo that could be expected except "Wonderful World," but the stereo tracks are back to the W-I-D-E original stereo. This is the disc of the year for me so far, but I haven't had a chance to purchase the Red Bird/Blue Cat CD yet. The Temptations Greatest Hits Disc (20 bit mastered version) is great, but I wish they had used the clean mix of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" from The Time-Life R & B 1966 disc. As for the DC5, the stereo mixes of these song are great and have a lot of punch. I have several LPs with the stereo versions of many of the hits and they sound great. It is very well balanced stereo and not the very wide two track stereo of many of the British bands from that era. I think these stereo mixes should be released in some form. How 'bout a Stereo Hits Collection or putting out the LPs in orignal form in a two-fer format? What's the latest on the Herman Hermits tapes that Ron Furmaneck had found when he was at Abbey Road. I would like to see Taragon do a best of Jimmy Jones. I am Jimmy's manager, and I would like to see a nice package put out on him instead of the bootlegs that are on the market. Jimmy told me that "Handy Man" was recorded in two track and then mixed to mono. I hope that someone can find this master and release it in stereo. I don't know if Polygram has this master. I have called them and they have let me know that this might be possible in the future. Jimmy's new CD is out and selling well in the southeast. For more info check out http://www.ripete.com

Name: Paul Bigelow
From: Austin, TX
Time: 1998-05-13 20:48:24
Comments: You 'gotta love this place. Long discourses on stereo content, personal attacks, nit-picking - ain't it fun? :-) Anyway, I understand that mono releases may be, in some cases, the preferred release sonically and historically but since this group is here to discuss STEREO content we have to call the factual STEREO content like we see it (listen to the entire package first, please). I also understand that the STEREO mixes that can be made may not be the optimum but at least they're there. Who ever thought that "Him or Me, What's It Gonna Be?" would ever be in STEREO. Bob Irwin (God bless him) made that dream a reality for me. What's the point of all this? There are some folks out there that are really trying hard to satisfy us nit-picky STEREO collectors while trying to satisfy the cost-concious general public all while trying to remain in business. No one's perfect, but I think support needs to be given to those people and companies that have done an excellent job (no particular order): 1) Sundazed (Bob Irwin) 2) Sony Legacy (Bob Irwin) 3) Capitol Collectors/Legendary Masters (Ron Furmanek) 4) Taragon (Elliot Goshman) 5) Bear Family (Richard Wietze) 6) Varese Vintage (Cary Mansfield) 7) Rhino (Ken Perry and Bob Inglot) (yeah, I know - no flak on this one, please - Rhino seems to have shifted focus on STEREO content but their packages are beautiful and they have a great past. Let's keep our fingers crossed). Our job (if you can call it that) is to keep these companies INFORMED of what we want without appearing to be off the deep end (I'll bet it's hard, too). Because...? we're the buying public also, and since many of us (probably) have huge CD and record collections, it is in these companies' best interest to keep us happy. What would be nice (and Sundazed and Taragon seem to be open to this) would be to provide a forum for what collectors want to see made available. That would involve a process of informing the potential buyers of what is planned BEFORE the tape research starts and solicit suggestions. Bob Irwin has done this with Stevie Ray Vaughn and appears to be open for suggestion with the Vanilla Fudge. Maybe we can invite the aforementioned people to participate in this forum, or, at least, read it. With some organized work perhaps other dreams can come true...Whew! (had to sneak in one more item within parenthesis);-)

Name: Don Duffey
From: Buffalo
Time: 1998-05-13 22:43:52
Comments: Did'ya ever browse through the magazine racks and come across any mags called Mono Review?, or buy an album in the '60s that says "...Sounds Great in Mono???" Mono sucks. Who says that all songs should sound like the holy grail of all music as we know it, the mono 45? I grew up watching TV in black & white; now when these shows are on Nick at Night should I switch my boob tube to B&W? I don't think so, get real!!! We have two ears, we hear life in stereo, so why should we hear music in mono?... On that same note, Collectables has it's own web site now: www.oldies.com. Quite nice...with no surface noise or hiss.... Anyone ever found "Dribble Twist" [Raging Storms], "Let's Call It A Day Girl" [Razor's Edge], or "Everybody Knows Matilda" [Duke Baxter] on CD? (I'll even take them in mono)....

Name: Tom Daly
Website: Skyline
From: Malden, MA
Time: 1998-05-14 15:31:52
Comments: If I could interject something into the discussion about Red Bird/Blue Cat, I've heard several different mixes of the RBBC material over the years, some good, some poor. There are all kinds of tapes floating around of recorded material, some from masters, some from rough mixes, some demos, etc. Eliot Goshman and Co. did the absolute best possible using the best sources available with which they could work. This does not mean they had the best sources in existence, but knowing Taragon's reputation, if better sources materialize over what was used for the current pressing, Eliot would remaster the disc if it sold well enough to need a second pressing. What we collectors need to remember is that what we pay for a disc can be directly related to production costs. If I've got a label and I have a choice between using a fairly clean AAD master or spending $3000 on studio time to get a stunning ADD master, I'm probably not going to spend the money, preferring to save it until I have a fairly lousy AAD master and have to remix the track ADD in order to get anything better.... Regarding the Sonny & Cher material: many of the S&C stereo tapes are underdubs; overdubs were added during the mixes to mono. Some of these were minor items, some were more prominent. The issue is that the finished mixes of this material is mono, and that's why Bob Irwin didn't use the stereo tapes. This occurs frequently. Notable tracks that the stereo mixes are underdubs are: "She's Not There," "My True Story," "Tossin' and Turnin'" "Footstompin" "Angel of the Morning" "Old Cape Cod" and the Doris Day recording of "Everybody Loves a Lover." On the last three, the hit versions featured double-tracked vocals, the lack of which on the stereo tapes are annoying, plus the reverb and effects were added during the mix to mono, therefore the stereo tapes of these three titles are unfinished productions and should be junked. The others I mentioned are minor items, like cymbal overdubs or one background voice missing. "Footstompin'" is in a class by itself. The stereo tape is missing the footstomps under the verses! So let's take a look at what we're dealing with. I agree with Mike Callahan in that, if a stereo mix differs drastically from the mono hit mix, it's nothing more than an interesting curio for a collector. For general release, let's stick to the "hit" 45 rpm versions, unless there's a big difference between the 45 version and the LP version. In that case, include BOTH versions.

Name: Chris Nagel
From: Michigan City, IN
Time: 1998-05-14 18:28:30
Comments: A couple of quick comments: (1) I happen to like the Doris Day recording of "Everybody Loves a Lover" in stereo. The add-a-track vocals sound hokey to me and she sounds better not singing in Columbia's washroom. (or as Stan Freberg says, that's too much echo!) Let's not junk it! (2) I like to add another producer to Paul Bigelow's list: Paul Williams at RCA/BMG/House of Hits. He worked on the Sam Cooke package and has done some fine work on past projects (Perry Como, Henry Mancini, Nillson, etc.) The chat page is getting better by the day!

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-14 19:12:54
Comments: Brace yourselves for the arrivial of a never-before-heard mix of "Time of the Season" by the Zombies on the upcoming Ace/Big Beat CD reissue of Odessey and Oracle. The album has been totally remastered, and it features the orignal mono British mix, the post-stereo remix (reluctantly made by the band at the request of CBS Records) and alternate bonus tracks. It's among those that the original mono mix of "Time of the Season" appears, revealing some punctuated drumming under the lyric "It's the time of the season for loving..." that was deleted before the record's release. Arguably, the song sounds even better! Interestingly, it does not appear on the recent Zombie Heaven box set, and word has it that Ace/Big Beat will heavily export and promote the CD in the states. A pre-release disc I heard was thrilling and it demonstrates a completely sensible way to satiate both sides of the mono/stereo debate.

Name: Jim Day - BSN Researcher
From: BSN Pubs
Time: 1998-05-14 21:18:52
Comments: From what I am reading many of you are looking high and low forSam Cooke's Greatest Hits and The Very Best of Red Bird/Blue Cat Records. Well, CD Now at www.cdnow.com has the (rumored) first issue of the Sam Cooke CD with "Another Saturday Night" on it. If it's been pulled, here's your chance. The Red Bird can be purchased there too.

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-15 12:14:50
Comments: Look who's cleaned up the garage! Hip-O's The Very Best of the Standells reissues the band's 1966 hit "Dirty Water" in first-time TRUE STEREO! In some cases, the Tom Moulton remix differs from the mono master. Seems to me that stereo mix is missing some double-tracking on the lead vocal, and the cough heard during the middle instrumental section is definitely absent. Moulton, however, gives the song an excellent stereo spectrum, even adding some panning of drum overdubs. The song also clocks in at a longer 3:07, allowing listeners to hear the session tape run out to the breakdown of the music bed. Because this Beantown bombshell on the new CD can't be beat, here is the rest of the mono/stereo track list: "Dirty Water" (M)/"Hey Joe" (M)/"Medication" (M)/"Why Did You Hurt Me" (M)/"Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" (S)/"Black Hearted Women (S)/"Mainline" (S)/"Mr. Nobody" (S)/"My Little Red Book" (S)/"Why Pick On Me" (S)/"Riot On Sunset Strip" (S)/"Try It" (S)/"Did You Ever Have That Feeling" (S)/"Barracuda" (S)/"Can't Help But Love You" (S)/"Ninety-Nine And a Half (S)/"Dirty Water" (S). I encourage knowledgeable Standells listeners to add their comments to the forum about any other critical differences they'll hear.

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From: NYC
Time: 1998-05-15 15:40:05
Comments: Re: Standells: Well, I've heard the stereo "Dirty Water", and Tom Moulton, I think, did a FABULOUS job on it. It has all the punch of the mono, and the seperation is great!! Nice Job, Tom. However, I'm not too thrilled that this new CD omits my three favorite Standells tracks of all time: "Rari" (how can you do a Standells comp without this song?), "You Were The One," and "The Boy Next Door." The last track was on Liberty, so okay, but the first two should have been included. I mean, can't we get one nice retrospective with these songs in stereo? Am I asking for too much? Mike

Name: Paul
From: Fl
Time: 1998-05-16 09:43:30
Comments: Regarding the Dave Clark Five, anything else that is put out on CD in mono is a pass for me. Instead, I've purchased pristine copies of vinyl with the stereo versions and burned CDs. If multi tapes exist, its foolish to issue only mono. Why not issue mono/stereo versions on one disc like EMI did for their 100th birthday? That way we could have the original mono mix and a new stereo mix as well. I guess Dave's not the businessman he thinks he is! Give the people what they want!

Name: Tom Moulton
From: nyc
Time: 1998-05-17 00:24:33
Comments: This message is for Mikey, Tom and Don.... The stereo version of the Standells' "Dirty Water" does not have a doubled lead vocal, and the mono doesn't either. The microphone used for the backgrounds was picking up a lot of the lead vocal. They had recorded the backgrounds with a lot of reverb; in mono it is hidden, but in stereo it is right out there, so unless the background track is muted when they are not singing, the lead vocal seems to jump over to the side at times, which sounded strange to me. As for the cough, I think they left it in by mistake. Mono always, or usually, hides the mistakes. Cary E. Mansfield had already compiled this collection, and adding my stereo version of "Dirty Water" was a last minute thing. The project was held up a couple of days to add that track as a bonus. "Rari" & "You Were The One," ironically recorded at the same session as "Dirty Water," were not used and I asked myself the same question.... Ace records in England is going to put out one of the single versions of "Foot Stompin'" by the Flares. There was also a single without the organ. When John Broven from Ace was dealing with the estate of Buck Ram in Las Vegas, he came across the session tape with the organ and foot stomps. I mixed it for him in stereo which is no longer a binaural, but a stereo track with the vocals in the center.... There are multi-tracks on all the songs by the Raging Storms with the exception of the first single and the B-side. I went through every multitrack and quarter-inch tape that Morty Craft has (he owns Trans Atlas and a few other labels) to find a tape of it in mono. It was not there. Since it was recorded at Bell Sound, and mastered there, we can assume the worst. So many tapes were left there thinking that "they will always be safe." Bob Crewe kept most of his multitracks there. That's one reason why a lot of his early hits, which were mixed as mono singles and eventually would have been mixed in stereo, can't be. That goes for the early Four Seasons songs as well........ Tom Moulton

Name: T P Uschanov
Website: T P Uschanov's Icy Frigid Aire
From: Helsinki, Finland
Time: 1998-05-17 16:05:28
Comments: Paul Stoddard wrote: "When Rhino was just a start-up, they put out packages that were worth looking forward to. Now, whenever I see the Rhino name on a CD, I leave it strictly alone. If they get the DC5 contract, you can count on CDs full of dull, boring mono." Or, in the case of their recent The Very Best of Solomon Burke CD, the making available of the mono 45 mixes for the first time in 30 years, and a note explaining that not only were most of the stereo versions used on previous (readily available) compilations after-the-fact remixes, those that weren't were complete recuts. After having been rather disappointed with the sound of Rhino's recent 2-CD Home In Your Heart Burke collection, I now counted on a CD full of punchy Tom Dowd-engineered mono, and got it. Sometimes Rhino does it, sometimes it doesn't.

Name: Mark Mathews
From: LI, NY
Time: 1998-05-17 20:52:33
Comments: Hi All. Now this is what I like here...controversy, opinions and debate! Makes interesting reading. I will agree with most of the points made here and I offer major thanks to all those guys who labor over a project even if it's not economically practical. I even thank those who make mono 45 mixes available on CD for historical accuracy. However, I do NOT agree with taking the stereo versions off the market because "they" say I was supposed to be hearing it in mono with a missing overdub or something.... A '90s perspective: Many (too many) new songs are released with 4 or 5 wildly different mixes. I'll hear a puchy new dance track on the radio, only to find the LP has a ballad version of it. Oh, then there's the A/C mix without a guitar or something. Then there's the Techno-dance re-mix. My point is, that my favorite version may not be yours, just as back in the sixties where there might be the mono 45 mix and a different stereo LP mix.... I have the stereo Best of Sonny & Cher on Atco vinyl, and now I find I cannot upgrade to CD anymore because someone decided I need to hear these songs in mono now, even though I never heard those versions. I want MY LP on CD, the way I'm used to hearing the songs my whole life, but I can only find the Rhino with mono hits on it. No thanks. To me, those mono singles are the "collector's curiosities." All I ask is leave the stereo CD versions in print so I can vote with my money. Example: Tom mentions below the "Dirty Water" stereo version is included on a new Best of.... I don't need another CD with this song in mono; I have many. But since they've given me something different to hear, I'll buy! I wouldn't even care if it was missing reverb or an overdub, I just want to hear it in stereo. Now, why doesn't everyone do that? Give us BOTH mixes, and everyone's happy. I like stereo, even if it's a little different. And once again, thanks Elliot, I would buy Red Bird/Blue Cat for any ONE of those great songs in 1st-time (proper) stereo, I can hear things in the productions that were lost in the muddy tinny mono. The disc of the year for me! I always welcome e-mail opinions. Good Listening, all. -MDM

Name: Don Duffey
From: Buffalo [Go Sabres}
Time: 1998-05-17 22:17:16
Comments: Just Picked up my copy of Red Bird/Blue Cat. WOW!! If all CDs were built like this, M.C. could retire, move to Florida, and sell shoes. On the other end of the spectrum, I picked up The Best Of Island Records, Vol. 2 R&B Series. YEEECH! Most tracks sound like they were mastered from Edison cylinders, complete with clicks, pops & sparkles and the mono 45 sound.... "Dirty Water" in STEREO!!!!! When is this coming out? Can't wait.....Thanx, Tom. Don

[ Retirement sounds fine, but I don't like selling shoes... MC]


Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-17 22:45:04
Comments: I won't let one disappointment spoil the high quality of Hip-O's The Very Best of the Standells, but a correction must be made. The back of the CD leads buyers to believe that the group's 1966 hit "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" is a stereo recording. I regretfully have to change my previous (S) designation to a flat-out, rechannelled (E). Collector-savvy Cary E. Mansfield, who compiled the 17-track disc, certainly could have used the previously reissued mono mix. But like all bouquets of roses, just be aware of the thorn.

Name: Paul Bigelow
From: Austin, TX
Time: 1998-05-18 09:14:39
Comments: Tom's comments have begged the question. What happened at Bell Sound? Fire, bankruptcy, theft? I guess that answer would explain the unavailablity (in part) of new remixes and stereo versions by the Four Seasons and Freddy Cannon. Since Dion recorded at Bell Sound, could that affect him also? Are we talking about OLD Bell Sound vs. NEW Bell Sound, or is the distinction irrelevant?

Name: Jay Johnston
From: London,ON
Time: 1998-05-19 08:30:08
Comments: Hi there. I have been reading the comments about the Sam Cooke CD from RCA. I have ordered, and received, three copies of the CD. One from CDNOW, another from CDWORLD, and the third from Collector's Choice. Is there any definitive word on whether the album has been pulled by RCA, or is it just rumour? I'm in Canada, and I know that the Cooke CD has never reached any store up here. The copies that I now possess all have "Another Saturday Night" on them. BTW Mike, just found this site and think it is great. Any thoughts of adding a Real Time Chat, where all of us lonely stereo buffs could hang out and converse? Also, kudos to Taragon for Red Bird/Blue Cat. Superb transfer, far superior to both Mercury and RPM compilations, as well as, finally, stereo on CD!

[ -- I probably won't be adding real time chat to the board soon, if ever, unfortunately. -- MC]


Name: Dave Breathe
From: England
Time: 1998-05-19 09:28:11
Comments: Re: Sam Cooke's Greatest Hits, I received this comment from Paul Williams, "The first pressings of this CD included 'Another Saturday Night,' which has been taken off for legal reasons, and the liner notes were slightly amended on version II... with regard to the Sam Cooke situation, there are quite a few problems. The Tracey masters (that is, Sam Cooke RCA masters recorded after Sept. '63) have reverted to ABKCO. They will be releasing this product in due course! We hope to put out as much of the remaining catalogue as we can once certain confidential issues have been resolved!!" So there you have it, dear old Allen Klein again! On a totally separate issue, is anyone reading this willing to help me get some Time-Life CDs (starting with the Oak Ridge Boys Legendary Country Singers Series)? - they don't mail outside the US! Best wishes to everyone out there!

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From: nyc
Time: 1998-05-19 14:38:38
Comments: Re: Sam Cooke. I saw the "second" press of this CD at Tower, and sure enough, "Another Saturday Night" is off. I had to laugh when I read that ABKCO will put out this catalouge in due course.....sure they will, after the massive Cameo Parkway Box set, that's been "about a year away" for the last 10 years. I maintain that Klein's strategy is to keep all these masters off the market, to help force a sale of his whole catalouge. At this point, he had better sell it soon, as anybody who remembers Cameo Parkway is getting old!! (myself included!) I PRAY he sells out to a reissue compnay, yes, even Rhino. At least we would get one decent compilation, like we got with Colpix/Demension. Mike

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-19 19:48:53
Comments: I contacted Cary E. Mansfield of Varese Vintage, and he had GREAT news to share with the BSN community. It's been decided that the reissue label's first releases, in partnership with Discoveries magazine, will be two CD compilations of rare stereo recordings from the '50s and '60s. "They're probably six months down the road, but that's where we'll be beginning," he revealed. "We're still in the licensing phase of getting what we want, and some tracks may be alternate takes, but we feel stereo is what collectors most want." And when asked about the rechannelled "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" on the new Standells CD, he stated that he did not have final approval of the production masters. "I compiled and okayed the tracks for Hip-O, but I was more concerned with the stereo "Dirty Water" getting out," he explained. "Hip-O or Andy McKaie (at MCA) did the licensing. I have yet to hear how it came out. I'm still waiting for my copy." Let's thank Cary for being on our side.

Name: Mark Mathews
From: LI, NY
Time: 1998-05-19 20:58:06
Comments: Had to share my pleasure of just receiving my Very Best of The Standells from CDnow, and give Tom Moulton a pat on the back for a great stereo "Dirty Water". I can't believe the disc almost came out without that...they would've got no $$ from me for it. I admit I was also looking forward to "Sometimes Good Guys..." in stereo from the posted review, but indeed it is "E", oh well, a very nice sounding disc anyway and a happy purchase for the stereo gem. By the way, I hear an echo of some kind in the drums, like a double-track. Am I getting a syncing feeling? I'm always interested in the various ways an engineer attacks constructing a stereo version with bits and pieces of the original production that might be available. Tom, if you have time any further comments on how you made that mix would be appreciated. Oh!!! and hurry hurry! I just got Sam Cooke's Greatest from CDnow also, better get it while they still have the 1st version. "Another Saturday Night" sounds superb here in a nice wide mix (like all the stereo here) and once Allen Klein gets his paws on it, you can forget about ever hearing it again until you're way too old to care. -MDM

Name: tom moulton
From: nyc
Time: 1998-05-20 10:43:37
Comments: This message is for Paul and Mark. When Bell Sound sold in the seventies most of the tapes that remained in the studio were thrown out. Again, most people including myself were shocked to learn about this (unfortunately, too late) and several people have some of the tapes. The real early things that were done there must have gone to the dump before anyone could go through the dumpsters. On "Dirty Water," the backgound track has a lot drum leakage (in other words, the backgrounds might have been done live, and their mike picked up a lot of the drums) and with all that reverb it can, at times, alter the drum sound. I tried to minimize that as much as possible. I would much rather have a live kind of stereo mix as opposed to something sounding impossible to visualize. I like to close my eyes and see where the members of the group are on stage. I hope I am not getting too deep on that one......tom

Name: Mark M.
From: LI, NY
Time: 1998-05-20 16:18:02
Comments: Thanks for the insight on the mixing, Tom. I think you achieved your goal quite well. It would be nice if all stereo could be mixed with a stage performance in mind, but a more crude 2-track or 3-track kind of thing makes that difficult. I still like wide mixes (like the early Beatles' stuff) off 2-tracks....but sometimes the results can be so-so. Walter Devenne's mix of Belmonts' "Tell Me Why" comes to mind as sounding kind of empty on the center, so I use my equipment to narrow that one a little to "fill it in". Speaking of 2-tracks.......a while back I remember reading a letter in BSN asking Mike of "Does You Chewing Gum...." by Lonnie Donegan in stereo. As I recall Mike had not heard this song in stereo. I have it in a wide 2-channel mix on an obscure Arcade LP from England called 40 Fantastic Hits of the 50's and 60's, a TV-offer looking thing probably from the 70's. It also appeared here in stereo on a Pye LP from 1975 called History Of British Rock but it was very narrow. (The latter also included a couple of Sandie Shaw hits in stereo) My question: I would gladly offer my Arcade LP if a compilation producer wanted to include this track from disc, the sound is well worth it. I've wondered how I go about contacting anyone who is interested. I've often bought CDs with a stereo disc-dub and thought "gee, my copy is cleaner and if I knew they were going to do this I'd have given them mine....." Sometimes up-coming projects are mentioned here, but many are not...anyone have suggestions? Maybe that Cary Mansfield rare stereo collection would like to include it? Dunno, but I'm sure someone here would like it and other rare gems some of us stereo-files might have....I figure we gotta start somewhere. I'd gladly buy a collection of some of Mike's "Lo-Pro" rarities he reviewed in a BSN issue. Once you licence a track, does it matter if you don't use their tape and master it from a "donated" source? Any comments? -MDM

Name: Larry Naramore
From: Sun Valley, Ca.
Time: 1998-05-21 01:27:06
Comments: Varese Sarabande now has a website-http://www.VareseSarabande.com/. Is the "Little Blue Man" on CD? How about " My Wife Can't Cook" can't think of artists names. Any good reissues of "Tall Cool One" by the Wailers?

Name: Tony Waitekus
Website: All Hit 98-9 WHTS
From: Davenport, IA
Time: 1998-05-21 09:24:57
Comments: Thought some might be interested in this post from "allaccess.com": Warner Music Group has acquired the outstanding 50% of Rhino Records. The deal would place much of the catalog from the Atlantic, Elektra and Warner Brothers Records labels under one roof. The agreement, which took four years to orchestrate, bases a final sale price for Rhino on the label's projected future revenues. The company is currently estimated to be valued at $100 million

Name: Joe Barnaby
From: Massachusetts
Time: 1998-05-21 11:54:48
Comments: Larry, Ace has recently released The Fabulous Wailers - The Original Golden Crest masters with "Tall Cool One" and "Mau Mau" in mono from the original master tapes, along with the rest of the Wailers' Golden Crest recordings, with 11 of the 20 cuts in two-track stereo. A great package overall as you would expect from Ace.... As for Rhino becoming the repository for the back catalog of all WEA labels, three words come to mind - A LOST CAUSE. Any resemblance between the pre-WEA Rhino and the current one is purely coincidental. Even though I've been semi-retired from collecting for several years, a lot of things haven't changed much. Major record labels change hands and personnel all the time, and new small indie labels devoted to collectors go great for a while for a while then usually go under or sell out to bigger labels. Somehow just when you think mono is dead and buried, it comes back like a bad horror movie sequel. There's too much money to be made, that some marketing genius would pass up a chance to recycle old mono tapes under various pretexts. Why is it that you want but can't get a mono Mams & Papas CD with the 45 mixes but you can't buy a stereo Sonny & Cher CD of their Atco material except for a few cuts? Myself, I'll stay in semi-retirement.

[ Hi, Joe. Good to see you still looking in from time to time. MC]


Name: Larry Davis
Time: 1998-05-21 22:48:19
Comments: For Larry Naramore: Betty Johnson's "Little Blue Man", with Hugh Downs, is on Time- Life's Your Hit Parade: Golden Goofers. It's available from Collector's Choice Music or from Time-Life. It's a good sounding CD from 1993, that also has "I Got A Wife" by the Mark IV, "Rip Van Winkle" by the Devotions, "The Old Philosopher" by Eddie Lawrence, "I'm A Nut" by Leroy Pullins, "There Is A Tavern In The Town" by Wally Cox, and "Hot Rod Race" by Tiny Hill among its 24 tracks. A lot of rare novelty tracks that is a must have if you are into that genre.

[ The Tiny Hill song is a piece of history, referred to in the opening lines of "Hot Rod Lincloln" that we all know and love. MC]


Name: curt lundgren
Time: 1998-05-22 16:38:26
Comments: Forgive me in advance if the subject of Arista's Fifth Dimension Definitive Collection [Arista 18961-2] has been thorougly covered here. A two-CD set from 1997 in "20 Bit", I think it's quite stunning. Although never a terrific fan, I always did like the early Rivers-Webb-Howe productions. And the greatest studio musicians for my money: Al Casey & Tommy Tedesco, Larry Knechtel ...and the most recorded drummer I can think of, fabulous Hal Blaine. For those of you who think of only "Up Up & Away" & "Aquarius" when you hear the group's name, check out the pristine "Another Day, Another Heartache" or "Carpet Man". A solid set in nice packaging. Are there others in Arista's "Definitive" series?

[ -- Bob Irwin of Sundazed did the 5th Dimension package if memory serves, and is doing some other things for Arista. You may want to ask him at the Sundazed web site (www.sundazed.com). -- MC]


Name: Mark Mathews
From: NY
Time: 1998-05-22 19:40:51
Comments: Just a quick correction here: I gave the wrong name of the vinyl LP which had "Does Your Chewing Gum... etc." by Lonnie Donnegan in stereo in the US. It's called Best Of The British Invasion (The Pye History Of British Pop Music) on the U.S. Pye Label. White cover, with a British flag in the upper left corner. Now, mind you, this mix is so narrow and has reverb added for "E" effect -- anyone would miss the stereo. I had to tweek it a little (with a "widener" I made using a dolby amp) to separate the other track. It's kind of like "Bad Moon Rising"/"Proud Mary", if you work at it you can find the separation. The wide mix I've only heard on the weird Arcade LP which I've never seen another copy of..... -MDM

Name: Dave Daugherty
From: Dublin, OH.
Time: 1998-05-22 22:18:05
Comments: A few weeks back there was a message here about a British Tommy James & The Shondells CD on the Sequel label titled Hanky Panky & Mony Mony. It was rumored to have "Hanky Panky" from a clean tape source and was supposed to run a few seconds longer than the 45 version. I bought this CD from Music Boulevard and I was pretty excited to see that it had been "Digitally Remastered at Abbey Road Studios" and the tracks had been licensed from EMI. After a quick listen though, it's the same old vinyl 45 source that Roulette has been feeding us for years, and it actually is shorter than most other versions I have. It's also been "No-Noised" pretty heavily and a lot of the top end is muted. So much for that! The CD does have a really weird mix of "Mony Mony" though.... It's stereo, but the mix and the EQ are unlike any I've heard to date. Just letting everybody know.

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-23 11:57:51
Comments: This is NOT to start a rumor, but has Relic Records gone out of business? In recent years, their CDs by the Aquatones and the Belmonts were exceptional, not to mention The Golden Era of Doo Wops series. Relic's catalog is no longer being offered by online music stores, so what has happened? Anybody know?

[ -- I asked Donn Fileti about that a few months ago, and his note to me said that Relic's distributor went out of business in mid-1997, killing the availability of their CDs through the "normal" channels. They are still in business, though, as of a few weeks ago. You might want to write to them at PO Box 572, Hackensack, NJ 07602 to inqure about recent releases. -- MC]


Name: Charlie
From: Perrysburg Ohio
Time: 1998-05-24 14:41:12
Comments: Hello Everyone.......I have looked for the out of print Bobby Vee CD Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets [EMI 96054] for some time with no luck. Does anyone know if the recent import from the UK, Bobby Vee..The Singles [EMI 8272] contains the song "Someday"? It was the US flip of the 45 RPM "Punish Her". If anyone can help with the out of print disc please give me an e-mail.... On another note I was recently viewing the Varese web page and spied two titles I know nothing about. One is Bubblegum Music Vol 4: Soul. The other title is Bubblegum Music Vol 5: Tony Burrows. Clicking on the titles reveals no further information. Anyone else know anything about the two titles?.......Charlie

[ -- "Someday" is NOT on EMI 8272, The Bobby Vee Singles Album.... In 1996, when Varese put out the three volumes of Bubblegum Classics, they also put out two various artist CDs of similar material, called Soulful Pop [Varese VSD-5718] and Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes: The Voice of Tony Burrows [Varese VSD-5725]. It sounds like either these are the CDs Varese is referring to on their web page (more likely), or they're getting set to reissue them with new titles (less likely). In any case, the track lineups and stereo content for these two CDs appeared in the October, 1996 issue of the Both Sides Now Stereo Newsletter (Issue #41). -- MC]


Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-24 14:46:13
Comments: Can I get another witness? In learning about Dave Daugherty's purchase of Sequel's Hanky Panky/Mony Mony CD, based on my BSN posting, I was deeply distressed that I may have mislead others to believe that it contained a clean tape of "Hanky Panky." Michael Thom, my source, the liner notes writer of Rhino's Tommy James CDs AND the compiler of the discography on the T.J. website, questions Mr. Daugherty's findings. "The version of 'Hanky Panky' on the Sequel two-fer CD *is* from a tape and runs a few seconds longer than any version Rhino has issued," Thom replies. "Perhaps he is referring to the Westside CD (which uses, for the most part, the Rhino masters), but I am certain about the Sequel Hanky Panky/Mony Mony CD. Now, admittedly, the length is not that much longer, but once you're used to hearing the complete version, i.e. the complete fade, it is definitely noticeable." I ask any BSN listener who has purchased the Sequel import to step forward and side with either Mr. Daugherty or Mr. Thom. But don't blame me. I was only the messenger.

[ -- Hmmm. Good way to get shot, if I remember correctly.... In this case, being "from a tape" doesn't mean much. The song originally came out on Snap Records, as everyone knows, and when Roulette picked it up for reissue, they used a tape of a single as their "master tape." It is therefore theoretically possible that a CD version can be from the Roulette master tape and still have vinyl as the ultimate source. To my knowledge, there is no session tape or Snap 45 master tape in existence, which is what you'd have to have to have a real "tape source." -- MC]


Name: Dave Daugherty
From: Dublin, OH.
Time: 1998-05-24 17:36:53
Comments: While we're waiting for teams to choose up sides here, let me provide some further information on this Tommy James "Sequel" controversy. My Rhino copy of the Tommy James Anthology lists a timing for "Hanky Panky" of 2:59. The actual timing on the disc is 2:54. My other Rhino Tommy James disc is the "Special Edition" Best Of which doesn't list a timing for the song, but it actually runs 2:54 as well. The Sequel disc also doesn't have listed timings, but when you insert the disc in a CD player, it shows a time of 2:57 for "Hanky Panky." However, the song is not tightly cued and doesn't actually begin playing until a mid point between 2:55 and 2:54. It also completely ends with 4 seconds left on the run timing. At best this version is 2:54 1/2, but with the 4 seconds trimmed off the end, it could be as short as 2:50 1/2. In any event, it doesn't sound any longer to me. Now, here's something that might end the confusion.... my Sequel disc says "This reissue 1993 Sequel records" and it also shows a copyright from Rhino Records of 1991. Is it possible that this disc has been remastered and that I have one of the older versions? Regarding the sound quality, the back cover of the Sequel disc has a very prominent NO-NOISE symbol on it registered to Sonic Solutions. While "Hanky Panky" does sound like it has less "groove noise" and fewer clicks and pops than the Rhino versions, it doesn't have nearly the fidelity of those versions. The top end is very muted and it sounds like a generous amount of No-Noise was applied. This can give the appearance of coming from a tape source, but if you listen through headphones, there is still a lot of the usual distortion and vinyl noise that's usually heard on this song. It's minimized, but not gone, and consequently, I think this is still the same vinyl source as we've always had, but somewhat cleaned up at the expense of the high end fidelity. As I mentioned before, though, I could have gotten hold of an older version. I'd be interested in anyone else's comments.

Name: Mike Cloud
From: Houston, TX
Time: 1998-05-24 23:51:06
Comments: For several years I've listened to a mono version of Nat Cole's "Stardust" on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack. Is this recording available in stereo anywhere? If so, is it the same recording or a different version?

Name: Ray Matthews
From: Georgia
Time: 1998-05-25 22:00:11
Comments: In answer to Mike Cloud's question about Nat King Cole's "Stardust"... I haven't heard the version on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, but the original was out in the spring of '57 and to my knowledge, none of his songs were in stereo that far back. There is a stereo version on the double CD Nat King Cole Story which came out about 1991. This is a recut version done about 1960... most of the songs on this CD are very close to the originals. Lush, pretty arrangements, too.

Name: Larry Davis
From: Longview, Washington
Time: 1998-05-26 02:14:45
Comments: The 1992 4 CD box set Nat King Cole contains "Stardust" in stereo. The booklet makes special mention that this and the other tracks on Love Is The Thing, recorded in December, 1956, was Nat's first stereo set. I see no reason to doubt this. We now have "Moonglow And Theme From Picnic" by Morris Stoloff in stereo and that first charted in April, 1956. Even Elvis' "Love Me Tender" was recorded in stereo, we just didn't get to hear it for 40 years. Stereo was pointless for singles (no stereo radio, no stereo home players) and considered wasted on Rock 'N' Roll, but movie soundtracks and "good" music were deemed worthy of the new technology.

Name: Mike Cloud
From: Houston, TX
Time: 1998-05-26 08:23:25
Comments: To Larry and Ray. Thanks for the input. After posting the message, I found the original 1956 album on DCC gold disc. All but two songs are in stereo. Thankfully, "Stardust" is in true stereo as is the alternate take of that song at the end of the bonus tracks. It's not even mentioned on the track listing. It's hard to believe that a 42 year old recording could be in stereo and sound that good. It's obvious the people at Capital took a great deal of care in putting out a quality product. Today's recordings should sound so clear.

Name: Steve Baird
From: Baton Rouge, LA
Time: 1998-05-26 11:22:07
Comments: Although I've been to Mike's website before, this is the first time that I've read some of the chat messages. Here is one for those of you who like to get STEREO versions of recordings. Taragon's Very Best of Red Bird /Blue Cat Records, [TARCD-1029] has 14 tracks in STEREO, many for the first time on CD. The artists include The Dixie Cups, The Shangri-Las, and the Jelly Beans. Sound is generally very good to excellent. Taragon claims these to be from the Master Tapes. Also, would the guy with the three copies of the Sam Cooke CD be willing to part with one of them? Does anyone know of a source for Joe Barry's "I'm A Fool To Care" (besides the Time-Life CD which sounds terrible)?

Name: Charlie
From: Perrysburg Ohio
Time: 1998-05-26 17:56:26
Comments: Hello All......Mike , thanks for the reply regarding the Bobby Vee import EMI 8272. I will keep searching for the out of print Bobby Vee collection for the song "Someday". I agree with you about the Varese issue I raised. They probably did rename two of their older CDs. What confused me on the Varese web page was new catalog numbers , the addition of Bubblegum Volume.... to the title of the new discs and the "new" slogan next to the title on the web page. The "new" Bubblegum Vol 4 is catalog number 5890 while the old one Mike reviewed was 5718. The "new" Tony Burrows catalog number is 5896 while the older title is 5725A. I could not find a track listing for either CD at the Varese site. No product picture was offered for either disc.The older titles are also still listed on the web site. Two other questions follow. Has anyone heard the Deejay and the Runaways CD from Arf Arf ? I have wanted "Peter Rabbit" on CD for a long time. KOMA used to play this song. Does the Carpenters disc Love Songs in the CCM catalog have the seques found on earlier releases? Thanks.......Charlie

Name: Randy Price
From: New York
Time: 1998-05-26 23:33:18
Comments: Charlie: In addition to the Dee Jay & The Runaways' comp, "Peter Rabbit" also appears on the K-Tel CD The Best Of Bubble Gum Music (3386-2). Sound quality is fairly good (PR is in somewhat compressed mono); other tracks include "Gimmme Gimme Good Lovin'" (Crazy Elephant), "Quck Joey Small" (K-K Singing Orch. Circus), "Alice Long" (Boyce & Hart) and "The Rapper" (Jaggerz).

Name: Steve Massie
Time: 1998-05-27 11:33:02
Comments: I can clear up the Varese confusion. They decided to put those two titles under the "Bubblegum" umbrella for purposes of display in the record stores. That way the stores should file all these titles in one place, rather than under the individual title. In order to do that they also had to change catalog numbers. But nothing else on these CDs has changed. By the way, a couple of interesting things coming up from Varese include a Kingsmen Greatest Hits CD that was mastered from the stereo tapes and two more volumes in the Dick Bartley On the Radio series that should have some nice surprises for both collectors and stereo collectors. More information on those titles as it becomes available.

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-27 14:23:06
Comments: "Hanky Panky"...disc or tape source on Sequel's Tommy James import CD? For the answer, Bob Fisher of Britain's Westside label, who compiled the twofer when he headed Sequel, sent this information about the BSN debate:

"The comments by Mike (Callahan) at the end of the "Hanky Panky" dialogue are quite correct. There is no tape other than a disc dub. On the Sequel release and the Westside, we dubbed from the Rhino CD. But on the Sequel, Abbey Road did try and improve on the sound via no-noise, and those comments regarding the high end are quite accurate." As for the few extra seconds T.J. discographer Michael Thom hears on both the original Roulette "Hanky Panky" LP and the Sequel reissue, Fisher adds " I have no input regarding the mini second time differences, other than the fact that it is probably down to the mastering."

That can only mean that Rhino lopped off the full ending of "Hanky Panky" on its own reissues, but Sequel may have received a reference CD of Rhino's full disc dub and even cleaned up the fade. Amen.

Name: Charlie
From: Perrysburg OH
Time: 1998-05-27 17:26:03
Comments: Thanks for the replies everyone. Randy.....I did not know about the K-Tel release of "Peter Rabbit" . I tend to block out all news about that label. I have the other songs you mentioned on other CDs. I will keep the K-tel release in mind until I hear from someone on the Arf Arf release. Steve M.....Thanks for clearing up the Varese confusion I had. Your explanation makes good sense. Pretty good news you related about the upcoming Kingsmen and Bartley releases from Varese. First I heard of either of these CDs. It will be interesting to hear the Kingsmen material from the masters as opposed to the Gusto drudge. I just seen the Kingsmen in concert with three of the original members. They put on a good show and sounded great. They talked of their recent lawsuit victory resulting in money and the return of their master tapes. I will also keep watching for news of the Bartley discs.It is always a treat to look forward to the stuff Dick Bartley puts out........Charlie

Name: Jim Clarke
Time: 1998-05-28 01:43:49
Comments: For Larry - "My Wife Can't Cook" is by Lonnie Russ, originally on 4 Corners Records, and has never been on CD. A shame, indeed.

Name: Tony Waitekus
Website: All HIt 98-9 WHTS
From: Davenport, IA
Time: 1998-05-28 09:06:53
Comments: "Peter Rabbit" on the Arf Arf CD is a so-so disc dub, although other songs on the CD are from tape. I don't have the K-tel CD. Is K-tel from tape or disc?

Name: Paul Bigelow
From: Austin, TX
Time: 1998-05-28 19:31:30
Comments: I saw the Kingsmen about two years ago and they put on a good show. I was aware of the lawsuit win but I wonder what will really turn up as far as master tapes? Does master tapes mean session masters? I have all of the Sundazed Kingsmen reissues and the sound was OK and stereo for album tracks. No remixing was done (I think) except for (maybe) the Since You've Been Gone live album. Since ownership has transfered will the Sundazed CDs go out of print?

Name: Mike Cloud
From: Houston, TX
Time: 1998-05-28 22:30:24
Comments: Some 14 years ago Time or Newsweek ran an article on stereo recordings from the 1930's. For unknown reasons some sessions were recorded with two disc cutters and two sets of microphones. Separate 78 rpm records were pressed. About 1980 two record collectors got the idea of synchronizing the records and, lo and behold, stereo. After searching, they were able to find enough such recordings for a full length album. Does anyone else remember this article or have any information on this process?

[ -- Offhand, I seem to remember Duke Ellington or some bandleader of the time. As for the "process," It's far simpler than one thinks. Back in the days of 78s, they recorded a performance direct to disc, since they didn't have tape. This disc was then the "master" for making records. If the master disc wore out, as it might on a popular record, it was either make a new lousy master from the worn out disc, or re-record the song.

Back even before 1900, the record companies found a way to overcome this problem: record many "master discs" simultaneously during the performance so that when one wore out, they would have another ready to go. This was accomplished by setting up several disc recorders at the session. One was used as a master, the others stored away, and the records were pressed and sent on their merry way.

MUCH more recently, somebody was listening to two copies of an old 78 and noticed that the recording session was the same, but that the prominence of certain instruments made it sound like the recordings were done from different positions in the recording studio (obviously this was a case where a second "master disc" had been used), and decided to synch the two versions up. As you can imagine, it sounded very much like stereo, not that anyone had planned it that way or anything... -- MC]


Name: Randy Price
From: New York
Time: 1998-05-28 23:51:07
Comments: For Tony: On the K-Tel CD, "Peter Rabbit" sounds a bit grungy, but if it's a disc dub, it was cleaned up very well. It was licensed from PolyGram, so it's probably as good as it will ever be (unless somebody has the session tapes in a closet somewhere).

Name: Steve Massie
Time: 1998-05-29 10:29:48
Comments: Regarding the K-Tel CD with "Peter Rabbit". Steve Wilson was at K-Tel at the time that package was put together, and he said that there was no tape available, so they used a disc dub. And when Erik Lindgren of "Arf! Arf!" put together the IGL Story CDs and then the DeeJay & The Runaways, he couldn't find a master tape, either.

Name: Joel Goldenberg
From: Montreal
Time: 1998-05-29 13:17:21
Comments: Got back from New York a week and a half ago and returned with the two CDs I wanted most, along with many tapes. The Red Bird/Blue Cat does sound great, although it sounds like a hard time was had getting a good stereo mix of "Leader of the Pack." Otherwise, the set is the equivalent of cleaning years of grunge off of a great artwork. Mary Weiss's cries of "Mama!" on the Shangri-Las' "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" are even more dramatic now that her voice is isolated from the instruments. Getting the CD took a lot of walking through Manhattan and inquiring of puzzled salespeople. However. I finally got it at Tower for $15.98 US (about $200 Canadian -just kidding). Then, when it was too late to return, I saw it for $7.50 at Footlights (Argh!) on 12th Street. In other good news, I saw the 21-track Sam Cooke Greatest Hits at Tower. Then, at J. and R. Music World, I saw the 22-track album on tape. Hmmm, I thought. If they have it on tape, maybe they have it on CD. Yes! Grabbed it! Sounds great. I got some great Time-Life Tapes (1949, 51, 52, Heart and Soul 1959, 60) at a street fest for less than $2 each, and the first Doo-Wop Box on cassette for $15. What a deal!

Name: Steve Baird
From: Baton Rouge
Time: 1998-05-29 13:24:46
Comments: Have noted in last few issues of Goldmine that there are some imports of some Cameo/Parkway stuff, including Question Mark & the Mysterians, Bobby Rydell, and Charlie Gracie. Does anyone know anything about these, i.e. are they from tapes or records?

Name: Doug Schenker
From: Annapolis, MD
Time: 1998-05-29 15:16:05
Comments: I just picked up a CD at Tower Records in Annapolis, MD. It's called the Best of the 60's on Boomerang Records (BEA-51602 I think, but it's very hard to read the number). It only cost $3.99 after a $3.00 off Maxell coupon. The tracks are : "Laugh, Laugh" (The Beau Brummels), "Raindrops" (Dee Clark), "Five O'Clock World" (Vogues), "Light My Fire" (Jose Feliciano), "Happy Together" (Turtles), "Itchykoo Park" (Small Faces), Build Me Up Buttercup" (The Foundations), "Sugar Sugar" (Archies), "Rhythm of the Rain" (Cascades) & "You Keep Me Hanging On" (Vanilla Fudge). I picked it up for The Small Faces & The Vogues tunes. "Itchykoo Park:" seems very bassy. The Foundation tune sounds close to the version that's played on the radio, but this one has a very prominent organ throughout, which I don't recall on the radio version. I actually like this version better (maybe it's just a different mix). The last two tracks are definitely NOT the original versions-"Rhythm of the Rain" on this CD has a totally different arrangement with an acoustic guitar playing fills throughout the song. It does sound like the Cascades lead singer. The Vanilla Fudge cut is live and I'm not even sure the lead vocalist is the same as on the hit. Overall an interesting CD.

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From: nyc
Time: 1998-05-29 17:25:42
Comments: For Steve B--- The "Imports" of Cameo Parkway material are ALL bootlegs. Allen Kleien, who owns these rights refuses to license anything for reissue. As to the actual quality of the boots, they are all made from vinyl, but cleaned up with digital noise reduction, and some of them sound very good. I have the Bobby Rydell Boppin Hits CD, and it doesn't sound bad at all. They will never sound as good as a virgin master tape, but for now, that's all we got!! Also, there is very little stereo on any of these CDs, as so much of the Cameo hit material was in mono. The Tymes CD may have some stereo tracks, altho I'm not sure. Hope this helps. Mikey

Name: bill lunna
From: swanton, vermont 05488
Time: 1998-05-29 22:48:36
Comments: I would like to get a Martha Reeves and the Vandellas hits CD with stereo versions that includes "Jimmy Mack." Does anyone know if there is such a CD? Thanks, bill lunna

Name: Charlie
From: Perrysburg Ohio
Time: 1998-05-30 05:39:58
Comments: Thanks for all of the replies concerning Dee Jay and the Runaways. I will opt for the Arf Arf disc to get the group's other material. Too bad "Peter Rabitt" joins the ranks of "Hanky Panky" as a missing master recording song. On another subject, has anyone else ever noticed that the Dick Clark program Rock , Roll And Remember plays the wrong version of Gary Lewis' "Sure Gonna Miss Her"? The show uses the underdub, missing the horn section. I also hear the bad stereo mix of the Mamas and Papas " I Saw Her Again" that has the vocals buried played on the program. Seems kind of funny to me. I guess I just expect better from this program. Of course a lot of local oldies stations play a lot of wrong versions.............Charlie

Name: Mike Arcidiacono
From: nyc
Time: 1998-05-30 08:47:31
Comments: Can some kind soul tell me if the Jay & The Americans 3 CD set Masterworks contains the song "I'll Remember You"? (and also if it is in stereo) This was the flip to "Lets Lock The Door", and I have always liked this song and want to get a clean copy of it. Also, in regards to Gary Lewis' "Sure Gonna Miss Her", the alternate version is not an underdub, but an entirely different take. The drums are very different, in the hit version, there are no fills, while on the "missing horns" version, Gary fills every bar or so. Actually, I have always like the "missing horns" version better. I believe the masters got mixed up sometime in the '70s when they started issuing cassettes of the Gary material, because thats the first time I heard the wrong version, on a budget cassette, around 1975 or so. Hope this helps, Mikey

Name: tom moulton
From: nyc
Time: 1998-05-30 15:31:48
Comments: Mikey, on the Jay & the Americans CD box set "I'll Remember You" is stereo.

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-30 20:04:02
Comments: Fire up those stereo martinis for EMI-Capitol's new Dean Martin CD Greatest Hits: King of Cool -- the first legitimately licensed compilation to reissue both his Capitol and Reprise hits. Remixed and remastered, the Reprise material debuts in sparkling stereo on the 16-track collection, which includes "Everybody Loves Somebody," "The Door Is Still Open (To My Heart)", "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," "Houston," "I Will," "Somewhere There's a Someone," "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" and "In the Misty Moonlight." A 20-song retrospective titled The Long-Lost Reprise Hits of Dean Martin is also slated for release July 15 from Collector's Choice Music.

Name: Steve Baird
From: Baton Rouge, LA
Time: 1998-05-31 10:15:03
Comments: Thanks to Mike A for his reply to my query on the imports of the Cameo/Parkway stuff. Since I have most of this on vinyl, I'll forego them. What I don't have on vinyl, and would like to get (and will buy someone's vinyl if it's in good shape and cheap) are the following: Senator Bobby's version of "Wild Thing" (Parkway 127), Joe Barry's hit, "I'm A Fool To Care" (Smash 1702), The Daddy-O's, "Got A Match?" (Cabot 122), The Rays, "Daddy Cool" b/w "Silhouettes" (Cameo 117, and anything else by the Rays). I am also looking to buy someone's unwanted copy of Rhino's Peter & Gordon CD. Finally, The Sam Cooke CD with "Another Saturday Nite" on it is also available from Music Boulevard on the net for $15.49, and free shipping when you buy a minimum of 3 items. Got mine last Friday.

Name: Larry Davis
From: Longview, Washington
Time: 1998-05-31 13:08:02
Comments: For Steve: Barry's "I'm A Fool To Care" is on Time-Life's Rock 'N' Roll Era: New Orleans Sound. It came out in 1991. One of my esoteric wants is to find "Abraham Martin And John" by Moms Mabley. This was a Top 40 hit in 1969 which never seems to find the reissue spotlight.

Name: Marty Natchez
Time: 1998-05-31 17:51:38
Comments: A stereo anomaly found on the new Dean Martin Greatest Hits: King of Cool CD may not sit well with true blue fans. Martin's 1967 hit "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" is littered with light but audible "ticks" on the far right music channel, but the left and center vocal tracks are clean. And before my previous description of the Reprise tracks being in "sparkling" stereo draws any fire, I vote "Everybody Loves Somebody" as the best-sounding song remix on the set. The others share various degrees of inherent tape hiss and high-end roll-off that may not sound as perfect. I should have qualified my choice of words before being distracted by a flashback to Dino's harum of Golddiggers.

Name: Michael Thom
Time: 1998-05-31 18:56:50
Comments: With regard to "Hanky Panky" (yet again!), I appreciate Marty Natchez' research into the different "versions." Sequel's version on the "Hanky Panky/Mony Mony" two-fer CD is obviously from a disc dub--we know that now--but it is de-clicked nicely and does have the full fade, which is not on any of the Rhino CDs. Yes, it's only about three extra seconds, but at least it's there. And I agree that the Sequel version loses some of the high end due to the No Noise reduction, but at least it's complete. So, if you want the full version with some high-end loss, get the Sequel CD or even an original 45; otherwise (somewhat shorter version, more high-end response), pick up a Rhino CD. :)




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