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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 9:07pm | IP Logged
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For anyone who wasn't aware, Sundazed is about to release the first three Lovin' Spoonful albums on both CD and vinyl in the original mono mixes. Apparently, they found the original Kama Sutra mono master tapes, and the release date is set for June 30. I pre-ordered my copies from the Sundazed website.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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bitman MusicFan
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 10:20am | IP Logged
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So, the question is, are the mono mixes the 45 mixes, or did they do a third mix for the single releases?
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 11:52am | IP Logged
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Good question, and I won't know the answer until the CDs arrive. I do have
some of the Spoonful 45s in my possession to be able to compare.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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Brian W. MusicFan
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 3:00pm | IP Logged
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The second two albums are definitely from tape (Sundazed
has posted photos of the tape boxes on their Facebook
page), but there is some speculation on the Steve
Hoffman board that the first album, "Do You Believe in
Magic," is not completely from tape sources.
Not only has Sundazed not posted a photo of the tape box
as they did for the other two Spoonful albums, but some
people hear evidence of the infamous "tape intro fold-
down tacked onto a vinyl dub" that Aaron uncovered, which
I later pointed out on the Steve Hoffman board and member
Lukpac also verified. (It's mainly on the song "The Other
Side of This Life.")
spoonful-in-mono-coming-from-sundazed.397936/page-5#post-
12378035">http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/lovin-
spoonful-in-mono-coming-from-sundazed.397936/page-5#post-
12378035
Edited by Brian W. on 08 June 2015 at 3:02pm
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 4:42pm | IP Logged
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I read that thread the other day, too, Brian. Let's hope that at least a majority of the first album is from tape.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 16 June 2015 at 10:27am | IP Logged
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They must have sent the pre-order discs early. I just received mine today! I haven't opened or listened yet, but I'll report back my findings when I've had a chance to check them out.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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Bwci Bo MusicFan
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Posted: 16 June 2015 at 4:04pm | IP Logged
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Looking forward to reading your findings, Aaron. I too have pre-ordered a couple of these discs so it'll be good to know what I'm getting, probably well before they arrive on my side of the world.
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Bwci Bo MusicFan
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Posted: 16 June 2015 at 5:02pm | IP Logged
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Well, I take that last comment back! My copies of Do You Believe In Magic and Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful arrived about half an hour after I made that post.
I can't comment on whether the mono LP versions match the mono 45 versions as I don't have any of the original vinyl, so I still anticipate Aaron's findings.
However, I played Younger Girl from Do You Believe In Magic as this is probably the song I am most familiar with. (I don't see it listed in Pat's database so I'm guessing it didn't crack the Top 40 over there?) Anyway, I'm pretty sure that something's not quite right with this track on the CD. The song sounds rather dull throughout, but at 2:05 (just before the fade starts), I'm sure I can detect a splice where the audio becomes slightly brighter and there may also be a very slight pitch increase too. So perhaps this is another case of a folded down stereo intro/outro tacked onto a mono vinyl dub? If so, I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed, although not entirely surprised given the earlier comments about the lack of photographic evidence of a tape master for this album.
Edited by Bwci Bo on 16 June 2015 at 5:07pm
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Yah Shure MusicFan
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Posted: 16 June 2015 at 8:50pm | IP Logged
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Bwci Bo wrote:
I played Younger Girl from Do You Believe In Magic as this is probably the song I am most familiar with. (I don't see it listed in Pat's database so I'm guessing it didn't crack the Top 40 over there?) |
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Duane, the Lovin' Spoonful version of "Younger Girl" wasn't issued as a single A- or B-side on Kama Sutra in the U.S. There were two cover versions that charted the same week in 1966, by the Critters on Kapp (#42 BB) and the Hondells on Mercury (#52 BB.) They sounded fairly similar to each other and the title may well have hit the top 40 if the two competing covers hadn't split the sales and airplay.
The version heard on the radio at the time tended to come down to where the listener was located, with the East Coast favoring the New Jersey-based Critters and the West opting for California's Hondells. Here in the Twin Cities, it was Hondells turf exclusively.
Edited by Yah Shure on 16 June 2015 at 8:52pm
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Bwci Bo MusicFan
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Posted: 17 June 2015 at 4:11am | IP Logged
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John, thanks for the additional info on Younger Girl. I'd never heard The Hondells' or The Critters' versions before now. After having just checked them out on YouTube, I can safely say that I like both of them as they're not too dissimilar to the original. I only ever heard The Lovin' Spoonful's version on local oldies radio stations while growing up here in NZ.
Edited by Bwci Bo on 17 June 2015 at 4:13am
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 17 June 2015 at 2:18pm | IP Logged
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Bwci Bo wrote:
However, I played Younger Girl from Do You Believe In Magic as this is probably the song I am most familiar with. (I don't see it listed in Pat's database so I'm guessing it didn't crack the Top 40 over there?) Anyway, I'm pretty sure that something's not quite right with this track on the CD. The song sounds rather dull throughout, but at 2:05 (just before the fade starts), I'm sure I can detect a splice where the audio becomes slightly brighter and there may also be a very slight pitch increase too. So perhaps this is another case of a folded down stereo intro/outro tacked onto a mono vinyl dub? If so, I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed, although not entirely surprised given the earlier comments about the lack of photographic evidence of a tape master for this album. |
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I just listened to "Younger Girl," and there is definitely a major change in sound quality at the point you mention, just before the fade. It doesn't sound like the earlier part of the track is a vinyl dub, but the high frequencies are rolled off at around 14kHz. The only possible explanation I can give is that the mono tape they had sounds like this (highs rolled off) and perhaps the fadeout on the tape was damaged, so they spliced on the stereo version folded to mono to replace a damaged section. It certainly does appear to be two different sources, but both sources sound like tape.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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Bwci Bo MusicFan
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Posted: 17 June 2015 at 3:22pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for confirming this, Aaron. Admittedly, I'm not always the best at picking up on discrepancies like this but to my ears, this one stuck out like a sore thumb.
I didn't actually detect any evidence of a vinyl transfer either but assumed it might've been the case because I couldn't figure out why else they would've spliced on a new fade-out. But your theory is a good one. What a shame the bulk of the song sounds so muddy.
Here's hoping that "Do You Believe In Magic" is the correct 45 version and that it hasn't been modified in any way.
Edited by Bwci Bo on 17 June 2015 at 3:22pm
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 17 June 2015 at 5:09pm | IP Logged
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I hate to disappoint you, but "Do You Believe In Magic" is not the mono 45 mix. I just folded down the stereo version, and it's identical to the version on the Sundazed CD. That means that either 1) the mono LP version was just a fold down, or 2) Sundazed didn't have the mono tape, so they just folded the stereo. I don't have a mono LP to be able to compare.
Edited by aaronk on 17 June 2015 at 5:14pm
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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Bwci Bo MusicFan
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Posted: 17 June 2015 at 5:43pm | IP Logged
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Hmm ok. Perhaps I should've held off buying this until the reviews were out! Not to worry though. I'm happy with Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful which I purchased at the same time.
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Brian W. MusicFan
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Posted: 18 June 2015 at 2:45am | IP Logged
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aaronk wrote:
That means that either 1) the mono LP
version was just a fold down, or 2) Sundazed didn't have
the mono tape, so they just folded the stereo. I don't
have a mono LP to be able to compare. |
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Which makes one wonder about the rest of the songs on the
album...
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 18 June 2015 at 2:07pm | IP Logged
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I agree, Brian, but it is possible that the mono LP used a fold down for
"Magic." I found a video on YouTube where someone had posted the
mono LP version of this song; however, the cover of the album shown
in the video is a greatest hits compilation and not the original LP. I
would still love to hear from someone who has an original mono LP to
see if the version on the vinyl is a fold-down like what is on the CD.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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bitman MusicFan
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Posted: 18 June 2015 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
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I recreated a 45 version approximation in which I used a 45 dub posted on YouTube as a guide. I folded down the stereo, added compression and some reverb on the last 20 seconds or so. It sounded like a match to me, but that comparison wasn't as meticulous as some of the pros here do...so I'll just call it a recreation...
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aaronk Admin Group
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Posted: 18 June 2015 at 7:49pm | IP Logged
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PM me. I can send you the actual 45 mix in pristine sound quality.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
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