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Subject Topic: "Year of the Cat" - Al Stewart Post ReplyPost New Topic
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sriv94
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Posted: 27 March 2016 at 12:25pm | IP Logged Quote sriv94

Hi folks.

Was a mono version of the 45 ever serviced to radio or released commercially? The piano in the right channel only to start the song just doesn't sound right.

Thx!

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Yah Shure
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Posted: 27 March 2016 at 2:10pm | IP Logged Quote Yah Shure

Hi, Doug. I agree; it doesn't sound right. Al wasn't aware that there was a cat napping in the Steinway, which made it sound more like a Baldwin. ;)

The Janus 266 DJ 45 was mono/stereo, and the piano is a bit more prominent on the mono side than when the stereo side is summed to mono. At least it is during the intro; I'll have to analyze it more thoroughly when I have a bit more time.

The stock Janus 266 45 was stereo.
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Smokin' TomGary
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Posted: 27 March 2016 at 3:36pm | IP Logged Quote Smokin' TomGary

On my stock Janus 266 45 the piano in the intro is in the left channel only.
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sriv94
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Posted: 28 March 2016 at 10:41am | IP Logged Quote sriv94

My right hand never knows what my left hand is doing.

I took another listen to my copy (45 version on T-L's Sounds of the Seventies 1977, LP version from Year Of The Cat). The piano is in both channels on the 45, but very faint (and seems to be just a little more on the right, so it is possible T-L reverse-engineered it). But the LP version it very much favors the right and is just barely audible on the left, but still very faint until the drums and guitar strum kick in.

(Insert Donald Trump/Ted Cruz joke here. :) )

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 28 March 2016 at 2:17pm | IP Logged Quote crapfromthepast

I'm surprised that there wasn't already a thread for this song. I did comparisons for this song about a year ago, and will try to reconstruct my thought process based on my sketchy notes.

I have the LP version on:
  • Arista's Perfect 10 Rides Again (1985; has the left and right channels swapped)
  • Priority's Seventies Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 5 Kickin' Back (1991; too loud and clips a lot)
  • EMI UK's Time To Remember 1977 (1996)
  • Disky UK's 8-CD Wow That Was The 70's (1999; heavily compressed)
  • Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 4 1976-1977 (2000)
For a number of reasons, including a fade that extends out farther than the discs I listed above, my preferred source for the LP version is Songs From The Radio The Best Of (1992).

The oldest CD I have with the 45 edit is Warner Special Products' Highs Of The Seventies (1987), which sounds like it uses a very high-generation source tape. The same analog transfer (and an additional wonky EQ) is used on Razor & Tie's 2-CD Those Rocking '70s (1991).

A MUCH better source for the 45 edit is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 5 1977 (1990), which sounds quite nice. There are digital clones of this version on:
  • Madacy's Rock On 1977 (1996; digitally exactly 1.3 dB louder)
  • Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 24 1977 (digitally exactly 1.269 dB louder)
  • Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 17 Heart To Heart (1997; digitally identical)
All of the above sound quite nice. There's a different analog transfer on Varese's Dick Bartley On The Radio Vol. 2 (1997), which clips a tiny bit.

One more different analog transfer on Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 4 More Than A Feeling (2006).

Finally, one CD that's edited like the 45, but uses the LP version's fade, running about 5:12 - Silver Eagle/Capitol's 3-CD Formula 45 (1988). Avoid, because this version wasn't released in 1977.

For the 45 edit, go with Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 5 1977 (1990) or one of its digital clones.

Edited by crapfromthepast on 28 March 2016 at 2:19pm


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sriv94
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Posted: 28 March 2016 at 6:48pm | IP Logged Quote sriv94

For the editors--are there ways to amplify the opening piano without amplifying any hiss that may be there to match the volume once the drums/guitar kicks in?

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jimct
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Posted: 28 March 2016 at 10:38pm | IP Logged Quote jimct

Doug, I have just sent you out a very clean dub from the mono side of my
1977 Janus promo 45.
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sriv94
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Posted: 29 March 2016 at 5:46pm | IP Logged Quote sriv94

Thank you, Jim. Amazing how seamless the mono 45 makes the transition from the opening piano to the drum/guitar sound. That suggests to me that
the stereo 45 wasn't mixed well.

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sriv94
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Posted: 13 May 2016 at 9:41pm | IP Logged Quote sriv94

And on top of this, I just found that you can't extract the 45 from the LP. You can made the edits with a little difficulty, but there's a guitar part on the 45
version at about (1:20) that isn't in the LP version at the corresponding part (which would be at about (1:56)), or if it's there it's mixed very low and under the
piano (which itself is mixed a little lower on the 45 with the guitar more prominent).

If that makes any sense.

Edited by sriv94 on 14 May 2016 at 6:39pm


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Fastphilly
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Posted: 24 May 2016 at 10:58pm | IP Logged Quote Fastphilly

I for one prefer the mono version of "Year Of The Cat". I have a "Arista Flashback" reissue and the intro of the piano segment is geared to just one channel and is quite low in volume compared to the rest of the track. It doesn't blend right when the intro segues into the rest of the song.

A few years back I acquired a double A side promo 45 (both sides cut in mono for AM radio) and it's much more "leveled out" between the piano intro and the rest of the song. Even though it's a styrene copy (god I hate those lol), it survived from being cue burned thank goodness.

Edited by Fastphilly on 24 May 2016 at 10:59pm
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radiofan16
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Posted: 02 April 2019 at 3:05am | IP Logged Quote radiofan16

sriv94 wrote:
And on top of this, I just found that you can't extract the 45
from the LP. You can made the edits with a little difficulty, but there's a guitar
part on the 45
version at about (1:20) that isn't in the LP version at the corresponding part
(which would be at about (1:56)), or if it's there it's mixed very low and under
the
piano (which itself is mixed a little lower on the 45 with the guitar more
prominent).

If that makes any sense.


The guitar part is audible in the LP version, it's in the right channel.
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AdvprosD
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Posted: 31 July 2020 at 8:30pm | IP Logged Quote AdvprosD

crapfromthepast wrote:
A MUCH better source for the 45 edit is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 5 1977 (1990), which sounds quite nice. There are digital clones of this version on:
  • Madacy's Rock On
    1977
    (1996; digitally exactly 1.3 dB louder)
  • Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 24 1977 (digitally exactly 1.269 dB louder)
  • Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 17 Heart To Heart (1997; digitally identical)

All of the above sound quite nice.

There's a different analog transfer on Varese's Dick Bartley On The Radio Vol. 2 (1997), which clips a tiny bit.



I just ripped the Dick Bartley disc a few days ago! I didn't have any other purpose other than putting it on hard drive for later use. Sounded ok to me but, now I want to check out those Time-Life discs. I don't have hardly any
equipment to check dB levels but, now I have something else to look for to burn the rest of my cash ;) For now, I'll be happy to trust the members here to list out details like this.

I'm also embarrassed to say that had I not read this post, I'd have never known my headphones were on backwards. I guess I need an upgrade. The sides aren't labeled!

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