Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions about:
The Chat Board:
How do I reach the Chat Board?
Does the Chat Board have rules?
I posted a note on the chat board and it was edited
or deleted. Why?
I applied to be allowed to post on the chat board, but
I have been rejected or have not heard back as to my status. Why?
The Oldies on CD book:
What is the Oldies on CD book and how do
I get
it?
When is the Third Edition coming out?
Will there be a version of Oldies on CD
available on CD-ROM?
The Both Sides Now Stereo Newsletter:
What is the Both Sides Now
Stereo Newsletter and how do I get it?
Are back issues available?
When is the next issue going to be mailed
out?
Finding Oldies CDs:
Finding specific oldies CDs to
purchase
Finding if specific songs or albums
have been reissued on CD
The Discographies:
Finding LPs listed in the
discography
Why isn't my favorite label listed in the
Discography Pages?
How can you possibly omit major labels like
Capitol, Columbia, Decca, and RCA?
How do I find lyrics to songs?
Contacting the record companies for which
we list discographies
Getting the rights to reissue or
perform songs listed in the discographies
When is the Cameo-Parkway
material going to be available on CD?
What's going on with Vee-Jay?
THE CHAT BOARD
How do I reach the Chat Board?
Just click
here
Does the Chat Board have rules?
This chat board was set up as a means of communication among oldies collectors, reissue producers
and engineers, and others interested in the topic of oldies. The main focus of the chat board is stereo
oldies. This is not a board for buying or selling CD or vinyl products, audio equipment, or anything else.
The tone of the chat board is friendly and civil, although occasionally controversial topics will be
discussed where varying strong opinions will be held. After a period of time, the notes on the chat board
are retired to the Chat Board Archives, where they are much easier to search.
I posted a note on the chat board and it was edited or deleted.
Why?
The Chat Board is part of the Both Sides Now web site, and as such, we reserve the right to edit or
delete any message for any reason. We will almost always delete or edit messages that are offensive,
contain personal attacks on individuals, or are far off topic.
I applied to be allowed to post on the chat board, but I have been
rejected or have not heard back as to my status. Why?
The Chat Board requires the applicant's real name as part of the application. Obvious false names, or
leaving the name box blank, will automatically result in the application being rejected. Names are usually
checked with the internet for verification that the address and name correspond to a "real" person. Using
a brand new e-mail address will often delay approval. Names and e-mail addresses of board members
are not revealed except to board moderators.
THE BOOK OLDIES ON CD
What is the book Oldies on CD and how do I get it?
Just click here for a description and ordering
instructions.
When will the Third Edition be available?
We are currently working on the Third Edition. We hope to have the 3rd
Edition out on CD-ROM in late 2007.
Will there be a CD-ROM version of the book?
Yes, but there will not be a hard copy version. Hard copies in looseleaf notebook form will be available,
however, by special order at an increased cost.
THE BOTH SIDES NOW STEREO NEWSLETTER
What is the Both Sides Now Stereo Newsletter and how do I get
it?
Just click here for information and ordering
instructions.
Are back issues of the Newsletter available?
Currently, all back issues are available, dating from issue #1 in 1986. Just click here for information and ordering instructions.
When will the next issue of the Newsletter be mailed
out?
The Newsletter has ceased publication with Issue #61. Issues #1 through #55 were
published quarterly, but after #55 (which was mailed to subscribers in late August, 2000), we went to
publishing on no fixed schedule. Part of the reason for this change was a move from Fairfax
Station, VA to the Dallas, TX area which took place in October-November, 2000. Issues 56-60 were sent
to subscribers in 2001 and 2002. Issue #61, dated January, 2006, was mailed to subscribers in
December, 2005.
FINDING OLDIES CDs
Where can I find a certain CD I'm looking for?
With the phenomenon of the internet, one can find just about any CD if you want to do
a little digging. There are also links out there to hundreds of CD dealers easily findable
through the various search engines such as Google. If all else fails, post your wants on
the following newsgroup:
rec.music.marketplace.cd
I'm looking for a specific song. How can I find out if it has been released on CD,
and if so, what CD contains it?
There is no "perfect" resource for answering this question, but there are several places
to look.
1. First, of course, is our own book Oldies on CD, which has more
information about a wider scope of music than anything else we've encountered. The
limitation of the book is that it was published in 1994, with a 1996 update, but you'd
have to look through the later Both Sides Now Newsletters for more recent
reissue CD reviews. The updated version of Oldies on CD will be in CD-ROM format and will be
easily searchable, but it is not yet available.
2. There are online databases, with only currently available CD titles (but with track listings, usually).
These include CD Universe, Tower Records, CD
Now, and many others. The advantages of these are that they're quick and free, and you can order
the CD online if you find it. The disadvantage is that their listings are limited to CDs currently available.
3. For out of print CDs, probably the best source is E-bay.
THE DISCOGRAPHIES
Where can I buy the LPs listed in your discographies?
Both Sides Now is not a record company, but rather, an information web site.
We have no affiliation with the companies listed in the discographies, and no special
connections to obtain their product. We have always had good luck in finding old vinyl
records by either looking in the auctions such as e-bay (see
below)
or by
posting our wants on the following newsgroup:
rec.music.marketplace.vinyl
There is an analogous newsgroup devoted to CDs:
rec.music.marketplace.cd.
If I were trying to find an old vinyl LP, I would use e-bay's search/notification system. Everything shows
up sooner or later on e-bay, but if you don't like looking every week or so, e-bay will notify you by e-mail
when an item that matches your search is posted. Here's how it works. Go to e-bay and register, then establish a "My-ebay" page. Then do a
search for what you want. If you're searching for a Five Emprees record, for example, search for "Five
Emprees" (in quotes). If the "current" search comes up empty, go to the link near the top of the page that
says "Save this search." You will be taken to your "My E-Bay" page and the search will be listed. Check
the box that tells e-bay to notify you by e-mail whenever something new meeting your search criteria is
posted. That done, e-bay will notify you by e-mail whenever anything is put up for auction by the Five
Emprees (in this case, you might also want to save a search for the "5 Emprees". A search for just
"emprees" will return a lot of false positives).
Why isn't my favorite label listed in the Discography Pages? How can you possibly omit major labels
like Capitol, Columbia, Decca, and RCA?
Patience, patience. We have been working on this project on-line for over 10 years, and for many more
years before that. We are posting labels as we have time to do so. Major labels have so many LPs that it
would take possibly a year of work to complete just one of them. We are trying to post many of the
minor labels instead, but will eventually get around to posting more of the majors (MGM and
Warner/Electra/Atlantic labels are already posted, as well as a few small pieces of Columbia and
Capitol). The plan is to post the other majors "eventually."
I'm trying to find lyrics to an oldie I've seen listed on your site. Is there anywhere I can go to get the
lyrics to a specific song?
There are many web sites dedicated to song lyrics. Try using search engines like Google. Type the
name of the song in quotes, followed by the word "lyrics" (not in quotes).
I'm trying to get the licensing rights to use a song listed on one of your
discographies. How do I get in contact with the company?
Both Sides Now is not affiliated with any of these companies, so we have no
information about licensing rights. Today, most of the labels for which we have
discographies are out of business, and the rights are owned by other
companies.
Typically, licenses are administered by the publishers such as BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, etc. For more
information on how to obtain these licenses, a good starting place is the discussion
(especially on "mechanical rights") available on the internet from ASCAP or BMI. For broadcasting or public performance
rights, the discussion by Barry Massarsky is
helpful.
If you are looking to put out a CD of reissued material, the easiest way is often to
contact one of the "special products" or "special markets" divisions of the major record
labels. They will often take care of the licensing paperwork for a client, including songs
which are outside their own holdings. They often will want a guarantee of numbers of CDs sold,
however, which can be costly if they don't sell, because the company often wants the money
upfront.
I'm trying to get the address of a record company so I get in contact with the company. Where do I
find that information?
There is a list of record company address (both e-mail and s-mail) maintained on the web. It's
maintained by Dirty Linen
Magazine and updated regularly.
When is Allen Klein's Abkco Records going to release the Cameo/Parkway masters
for reissue on CD?
Abkco has been promising a Cameo/Parkway reissue CD package "in a few months"
since the late 1980s. In late 2005, Abkco finally issued a 4-CD various artists box set and seven
individual CDs by single artists. These are reviewed in Issue #61 of the Both Sides Now Stereo
Newsletter.
What's happening with Vee-Jay? Are their CDs still available?
Vee-Jay, of course, originally went bankrupt in 1966. The rights were purchased sometime later by
Randy Wood and Betty Chiapetta. Betty eventually bought Randy's interest and ran the company until
the early 1990s, when it was sold to a Limited Partnership. The Vee-Jay Limited Partnership put out a
series of compact discs, including a three-CD box set, during 1993 and 1994. About 1994, the company
again went dormant. None of the 1993-94 Vee-Jay product has been in the stores since 1994, save the
stock on hand at that time.
More recently, the Vee-Jay Limited Partnership has again been
active, not in putting out Vee-Jay CDs, but in licensing product. Through administration by Rhino
Records, the Vee-Jay Limited Partnership in 2000 has licensed to Collectables Records hundreds of
tracks from their vaults. In 2000, 2001, and 2002, Collectables reissued many of Vee-Jay's albums in
their original
configurations with original cover art...such as Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and The Staple Singers.
Other CDs are double-length with two original albums on them; still others are various artist compilations
or "best of's". Most of these Collectables reissues have now been cut out and the remaining stock sold
off. They should still be available on E-bay and CD vendors, however.
GENERAL
What's a newsgroup, and how do I get there?
A "newsgroup" is a Usenet group, a place where people post messages and other
people post answers or send them e-mail directly in answer to their questions. Most
web browsers (Netscape, Internet Explorer, AOL, etc.) have a button or a line in a pull-
down menu that connects you to newsgroups it may be called "news" or
"newsgroups" or "Usenet," but it's usually somewhere. If you still can't reach the
newsgroups, look in the help section of your web browser or ask your internet service
provider.
Back to the Both Sides Now Home Page