Time Passages - Al Stewart

Not to hijack this thread, but as long as we're talking about Al Stewart, were the 45 and LP versions of "On The Border" different?

The 45 version of "Time Passages" also appears on a budget Rhino 2011 release not currently in the database: Billboard Series: Mellow Rock (R2-528952), subtitled 10 Hits From The Hot 100.

The LP version runs 6:41 and sounds great on Songs From The Radio The Best Of (1992), with great dynamic range, nice EQ, and no hint of noise reduction. There's a slight tape glitch at 4:56, but overall the song sounds quite nice on Radio. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Priority's Seventies Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 6 FM Hits (1991; not sure how to reconcile the release dates; this one is a bit louder and clips a tiny bit; there's no clipping on Radio)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 5 1978-1979 (2000; differently EQ'd digital clone of Priority disc)

There's a different analog transfer on Sandstone's Reelin' In The Years Vol. 4 (1991), which runs a few seconds shorter than Radio. Great dynamic range, decent EQ, no noise reduction, and has the tape glitch at 4:55.

The version on Greatest Hits (2004) is compressed/limited.

The 45 version can't be edited down from the LP version,as noted above, because the intros are different.

The 45 version first appeared on Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989), where it runs 4:36. I have a personal soft spot for this collection because it was one of the first light-rock compilations I owned. Overall, to my modern ears, the whole collection sounds good, not great. However, this one track quite good on Shades, almost as good as Radio, despite a whole lot of hiss on the fade.

The version on Heartland/Silver Eagle's 2-CD Night Songs (1994), which reverses the left and right channels. In addition, the balance between left and right is a little off, which pushes the vocals away from the center. The same analog transfer is used for these two discs, both of which have their left and right channels reversed:

• Time-Life AM Gold Vol. 25 1978 (1997)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 11 Sweet Freedom (2000; differently EQ'd digital clone of AM Gold)

My recommendations:

For the LP version, go with Songs From The Radio The Best Of (1992).

For the 45 version, go with Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989).

Edited by crapfromthepast

The Arista Al Stewart stuff is recorded really well. The versions I've heard range from very good to excellent; it's hard to go wrong with any of these.

"Clipping" occurs when the volume level would have exceeded 100%. Sometimes the volume level stays at 100% for a few samples until the source level drops below 100%; sometimes the volume levels are handled a little more elegantly.

In most cases, you won't hear much of a degradation if there's only a minor amount of clipping.

Edited by crapfromthepast

If a few peaks hit 100%, it's no big deal. If a LOT of peaks hit 100%, it gets to be problematic. I'm talking about cases where the song is just too loud, so that peaks consistently hit 100% for a portion of the song.

For most of the Time-Life, Warner Special Products, and Rhino collections that I encounter, it's never really an issue.

For some of the collections on Priority Records, they're mastered way too loud, and show lots of clipping. A lot of the Priority discs really don't sound that bad, but given a choice between two similar-sounding discs that only really differ by a volume change, I'll choose the one that keeps its levels under the 100% value.

Modern mastering for CD has gone overboard using added compression/limiting to make the track as loud as possible. (Google the expression "loudness war".) Some other forums use the term "brickwalled" to describe the shape of the waveform, and to describe the mastering technique itself that adds the excessive compression/limiting. I'm not a fan. Again, most or nearly all of the Time-Life, Warner Special Products, and Rhino collections that I encounter don't have this problem.

Edited by crapfromthepast