Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild - stereo

I'm not sure what I'm hearing, so I'm hoping Ron will be able to find time at some point to do one of his excellent reviews and identify what (if anything) is going on.

On a number of the stereo copies I have of "Born To Be Wild," the first drum beat has significant reverb in the right channel only. Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits 1968, Rhino Hard Rockin Hits, Time Life Guitar Rock, Guitar Rock Monsters.

Then I have some other copies that still seem to be stereo but have the downbeat centered in the stereo image. These are missing the overdubs at 3:15, like the Bill Inglot remaster that plays out to a cold end. The bass guitar, in comparison, is WAY up in this mix. Time Life Classic Rock, Starland Music Presents 40 Summer Fun Hits.

Are these just early fades of the Inglot CORRECTION: Hoffman mix?

Edited by NightAire

Mono 45 version (3:03)

Get Real Gone Music's 2-CD The ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection (2015), mastered by our own Aaron K.

Then don't even bother looking for the song in stereo, because the stereo mix can't compete with the mono 45 for raw-power awesomeness. (My opinion, of course.)

Stereo LP version (about 3:28)

I think the first appearance on CD of the stereo LP version was MCA's 1985 reissue of Steppenwolf's 16 Greatest Hits (1973). It may not be the lowest-generation source tapes, but on the plus side, I don't hear any attempt to tame the tape hiss at the fade. The same analog transfer is used on TM Century track no 00001599, which shortens the fade slightly and adds noise reduction (avoid).

There was another analog transfer on MCA's multi-artist Classic Rock Vol. 1 (1988). MCA released a Vol. 2 in 1988 and a Vol. 3 in 1989. I personally like the sound on these three discs. To my ears, it sounds like MCA dug up decent source tapes and did a nice, clean job getting them into the digital world with no extra noise reduction, great dynamic range, and a decent EQ. For "Born To Be Wild", the EQ is very similar to 16 Greatest Hits, and the fade fades out a bit more slowly. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Guitar Rock Monsters (1992)
• The Right Stuff's Harley-Davidson Road Songs (1994)

There was a new analog transfer on Rhino's Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits 1968 (1988). (Note that it's only on the original 1988 release. "Chain Of Fools" replaced it on the 1993 rerelease of this disc.) The tail of the fade extends about three beats longer than 16 Greatest Hits. It's a very different EQ than 16 Greatest Hits, with far less high end and lots more low end than 16. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Rhino's promo CD Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits 1955-1974 Sampler (1989; Rhino PRO 2 90025)
• Time-Life's Guitar Rock Vol. 7 1968-1969 (1994)
• Rhino's Let There Be Drums Vol. 2 The '60s (1994)
• JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll #1 Radio Hits 1965-1969 (1996)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Flower Power Born To Be Wild (2007)

And then... a bunch of outliers that I couldn't wrangle into telling a coherent story:

• Rhino's rare Hard Rockin' Hits Vol. 6 (1993) - sounds a lot like Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits 1968 but not the same analog transfer
• Tommy Boy's ESPN Presents Jock Rock (1994) - includes crowd cheering over the fadeout; avoid
• an obscure Canadian compilation called Joey Vendetta Presents 100% Pure Rock (1994) - boomy EQ; avoid
• Rhino's Hard Rock Cafe: Classic Rock (1997) - EQ somewhat close to BB
• Ace UK's Chartbuster USA Vol. 3 (2003) - deletes the first drum hit of the opening 2-drum-hit, making for a most unsatisfying opening to the song. Sound quality is fine otherwise.
• Rhino's More Stadium Rock (1996) - boomy EQ; avoid
• Time-Life's Legends My Generation (2004) - seems to be same analog transfer as More Stadium Rock (1996)
• Geffen's Steppenwolf collection Gold (2005) - mastered too loud and clips a lot, EQ'd with very little high end; avoid
• TM Century track no. 00001055 sounds a lot like MCA's Classic Rock Vol. 1, but runs slower

Non-hit 1986 stereo remix

Steve Hoffman remixed "Born To Be Wild" from the multi-tracks for the MCA compilation Vintage Music Vol. 9 (1986).

In the remix, the opening two-drum hit is centered in the soundstage, not panned to the right as in the LP mix. The remix is missing the high-pitched single-note guitar line that starts around 3:09 in the LP mix. Most interesting (to my ears), the remix runs out to the full length of the take to a cold ending; it's more than a little jarring if you're used to hearing the song fade out. The full take on Vintage Music Vol. 9 runs 3:37.

The following CDs use the same analog transfer as Vintage Music Vol. 9:

• Time-Life's Classic Rock Vol. 4 1968 (1988), faded early to 3:27
• Starland Music's mail-order 2-CD 40 Summer Fun Hits (1993), faded early to 3:26
• Simitar's The Number Ones Party Time (1998), faded early to 3:34

My recommendations

For the mono 45 version, you'll need Real Gone Music's 2-CD The ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection (2015). It's a stellar-sounding package.

For the stereo LP version, go with MCA's multi-artist Classic Rock Vol. 1 (1988). (I prefer the EQ over the Rhino disc, and the vocals seem to be closer to dead-center in the soundstage than the Rhino.)

For the non-hit 1986 stereo remix, go with MCA's multi-artist Vintage Music Vol. 9 (1986).

Edited by crapfromthepast

crapfromthepast wrote: Mono 45 version (3:03) Get Real Gone Music's 2-CD The ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection (2015), mastered by our own Aaron K. Then don't even bother looking for the song in stereo, because the stereo mix can't compete with the mono 45 for raw-power awesomeness. (My opinion, of course.) .

I didn't know that Aaron is the mastering engineer for
this album, which is great news and tells me that there
are very qualified members on the forum!!! excellent
description ron!!!! Thank you