Re: No Subject

[WFang01@aol.com]

Ian, re:

>Ok, how did you know that the UK version would be better?  Did you buy the
US version and say "this sucks, I'm going to buy the polygram version to
compare?"  But since you could judge this against the original Decca it's a
little easier.

The point is, I **didn't** know it would be better. "A Quick One" has been
screwed up from the beginning. In the UK, it's always been mono, in the
USA---even on the original Decca, it was some stereo tracks, some
rechanneled, some mono. The MCA reissue, just sounded worse and the CD, just
compounded it. When the Polydor became available, I bought it a) to have
something different  b) on  speculation that it would sound different---and
it did! Very clean mono.

>>I thought Astley was using the mono tapes because Kit Lambert apparently
lost the stereo tapes in Italy.  Now I hear that they were "discovered"?
Clear this up about the rumor on the re re done Quick One?

What apparently was lost (and I'm still not convinced) was the original
multitracks. They have "safety" backups for the mono mixes and the stereo
mixes. In this case, very little time was spent preparing the tapes and they
*chose* not to release the stereo version, althought the version they did
release contains some stereo tracks as well as poor sounding rechanneled
tracks (ie "Whiskey Man").

Fortunately, the German vinyl LP of the same is mostly true stereo and sounds
wonderful. Had they used the tapes from Germany's Polydor warehouse, I think
everyone would have been satisfied with the results... Without spending the
time or attention on collecting, I never would have known this...

>>In fact in doing your collecting you might forget what the music was really
about and focus on what version or variation you own and lose touch with the
real importance; the music itself.  Maybe that's you, maybe it's not I don't
know. 

No, I consider the "collecting" just part of the whole scheme of things. When
I start buying different picture sleeves of "The Relay", it's more like
collecting art, than music. After all, I got the song already! The other
aspect of course is, knowledge about the band...

>>  I can imagine the high you got when you bought ICE for $200

Less of a "high" and more of a "relief". At the time, I needed that and the
Daltrey single "Thinking" (the b side is a non-LP track, "There Is Love") to
complete my "official" Who/Who solo song collection. I made a few offers to
the "shopkeepers" in NYC, but with no results. Finally, the one store I delt
with a lot got it in, and I didn't even have enough money in my pocket! (This
was in the days before cash machines and such...) I drove all the way back to
the garbage state, hoping my father could "loan" me the money for a day...
The other single I discovered at a small shop outside Philadephia. The guy
thought I was crazy driving 2 hours for a $3 record...
(He may have been right!)

-wf