(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis R

Dave, my 1968 Volt 157 promo 45 has a listed time of (2:38), an actual
time of (2:36), and deadwax info of "VLT-13684-1 1".

I also own two Volt 157 stock copies. One has the black and red label
design (which is the same label design as found on my promo, but the
label colors on my promo are, not surprisingly, black and white instead.)
Listed time (2:38), actual time (2:41), with deadwax info of "VLT-13684-
6". My second stock copy has a multi-colored "Volt Records" (alternating
green, orange and red with each letter) a red lightning bolt, with an
orange, black and brown label, which I believe Volt was transitioning over
to, by late spring of '68. This copy has a listed time of (2:38), an actual
time of (2:42), with deadwax info of "VLT-13684-7".

Based on both your post and my own findings here, Dave, I believe further
examination is necessary. Therefore, I will forward the above 45 versions
to Aaron, for further analysis, as his busy schedule permits.

Edited by jimct

Did some searching around on Rhapsody. I found, what sounds
like the 45 mix John describes above, on a collection
called "Platoon And Songs Of The Era." I have sent a file
to John (Yah Shure) for analysis.

Stereo version

I think the first version to appear on CD was the stereo version on Warner Special Products' Ultimate (1986). There are a bunch of CDs that appear to use the same analog transfer as Ultimate, but all have a slightly longer fade:

• Atlantic's Golden Age Of Black Music 1960-1970 (1988; nice and hissy)
• Atlantic's Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-74 Disc 7 (1991 release - not the same set that Yah mentioned above; differently EQ'd digital clone of Golden Age Of Black Music 1960-1970; hiss drastically reduced, which is not really a good thing)
• Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul Vol. 3 1968 (1991)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 6 The 1960s (2000; differently EQ'd digital clone of Solid Gold Soul)

Stereo version with left/right channels reversed

There was one Time-Life disc that was based on the same analog transfer as all of the above, but had its left/right channels reversed - Time-Life's Superhits Vol. 2 1968 (1990). There are a few discs that use the same analog transfer as Superhits, and all have their left/right channels reversed:

• Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 4 1968 (1990; digitally identical to Superhits)
• JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1965-1969 (1994; fades about a second earlier than others)
• Time-Life's Singers And Songwriters Vol. 31 Classics (2001; digitally exactly 0.532 dB louder than Superhits)

Two stereo outliers, both with the correct left/right channels and neither one based on Ultimate:

• Warner Special Products' Freedom Rock Disc 2 (1987; fade truncated - avoid)
• Simitar's Number Ones Hot In The '60s (1998; sounds surprisingly nice on this disc)

Now, the mono mixes. (The first mono version to appear on CD was probably the original '80s-era release of the Atlantic R&B 1947-1974 set, which is not the one I have; I have the 1991 rerelease.)

Mono mix with the vocals way out in front

This turned up on Time-Life's Classic Rock Vol. 4 1968 (1987), but is from a really high-generation tape source and sounds really dreadful.

Infinitely better is the version on Rhino's Millennium New Soul Party (2000), which sounds truly stellar in comparison. I'm really surprised that this disc isn't a digital clone of the Stax/Volt box or Very Best Of, but there it is. Probably the only place on CD to find the vocals-out-in-front mix from really good source tapes.

Mono mix with the vocals mixed pretty low compared to the instrumentation

The first appearance on CD is on the 9-CD Complete Stax/Volt Vol. 1 Disc 9 (1991). There are some CDs that all use the same analog transfer as the Stax/Volt box:

• Rhino's Very Best Of (1992; digitally identical)
• Rhino's cheapie Soul Hits Vol. 2 (1993; digitally exactly 0.238 dB quieter)
• Rhino's Billboard Top R&R Hits 1968 (1993; digitally identical)
• Time-Life's Legends Of Soul Vol. 3 Otis Redding (2001)

I tried mono-ing out the stereo version, and it's closer to the vocals-far-out-in-front than the vocals-to-the-back.

For sound quality, go with the Rhino discs for the mono mixes. The stereo mixes aren't all that great on any of the CDs I listed above. I think the best of the bunch is probably Atlantic's Golden Age Of Black Music 1960-1970 (1988), which has a lot of hiss and the longest fade of the bunch. The hiss is probably indicative of a high-generation tape source, but I don't know of any discs that use a lower-generation tape source. (Are there any mid-'90s-era Rhino discs that feature the stereo version?)

Edited by crapfromthepast

Ron,
That's what i was getting too, I can't really tell a
difference between the stereo-fold-down and the "vocals up
front" mono mix.
I'd be interested to hear the "vocals buried" mix.
MM

The mono mix on Rhino's 2-CD Definitive Soul Collection is also very nice sounding and is the correct mono mix.