"Saturday Dance" & "Lonesome Fella" ('stereo' versions??)

[Fenderman]

Hi all,

Magic Records re-issued the Shadows compilation album "Somethin' Else!!" (with bonus tracks) in 1998 (MAM 113 / 3930609). If me memory serves me right it was the first release in the thin cardboard sleeves.
Apart from the bonus tracks this CD was an exact replica of the original LP including the first two track 'Lonesome Fella' and 'Saturday Dance' in mock stereo as they were with this LP. The original sleeve notes and the ones on this CD prominently state these tracks as 'electronically reprocessed to give a stereo effect' and marked by Ø.
I think that Magic Records received those tracks from EMI just as they were used for the "Somethin' Else!!" album. Thus it sounds logic to me that Magic Records used these recordings.

Best wishes,

Ulrich

Worse still, the Magic Records issue of "Somethin' Else!!" has the left and right channels reversed for ALL tracks! The same probably also applies to the Cliff Richard & The Shadows compilations "Early Rock 'N' Roll Songs". Another whole batch of alternate mixes!
I don't think Magic Records has used original master tapes for all Shadows tracks the company has issued over the years. Listen to "Little 'B'" in its 'British' form (with Hank, Bruce and Brian Licorice's percussion) and in its 'French' form (without the percussion of the three guitarists, first issued in 1962 on the French 10" issue of "Out Of The Shadows"). The latter really sounds as though it has been taken from vinyl disc. The same can be said about the 'acoustic' version of "Genie With The Light Brown Lamp" and the alternate take of "All Day", first issued on the 1966 Japanese album "Thunderbirds Are Go!".
Magic Records started off very promisingly in the late 1990's with Shadows compilations, but from about late 2004 on, started to tamper with the sound mix of their compilations, either creating mono mixes out of stereo mixes or reversing the stereo image of tracks. Also, information printed on the sleeves is often inaccurate, as the example of this discussion proves.

I've got a feeling that 'Genie' and the alternate 'Little B' were lifted from vinyl copies as that's all that probably exists now. Norrie Paramore wasn't one for keeping tapes filled with alternate takes. They were probably cut to acetate so the shads could listen to them at their leisure and suggest what needed changed.
This might not be true but it's just my theory

[Didier]

Norrie Paramore wasn't one for keeping tapes filled with alternate takes.

In most cases, the tapes were probably re-used for new recordings once a take was selected for the record.
It saved money for buying new tapes and for storage space...

Didier

[Didier]

Magic Records started off very promisingly in the late 1990's with Shadows compilations, but from about late 2004 on, started to tamper with the sound mix of their compilations, either creating mono mixes out of stereo mixes or reversing the stereo image of tracks.

May be it was the original releases which were reversed !
Anyhow, it's easy to correct...

Don't knock Magic Records, even if their work isn't pefect, they reissued many interesting tracks when no one else cared to do so.

Didier

[iefje]

Magic Records started off very promisingly in the late 1990's with Shadows compilations, but from about late 2004 on, started to tamper with the sound mix of their compilations, either creating mono mixes out of stereo mixes or reversing the stereo image of tracks.

May be it was the original releases which were reversed !
Anyhow, it's easy to correct...

Don't knock Magic Records, even if their work isn't pefect, they reissued many interesting tracks when no one else cared to do so.

Didier

You're right about Magic Records, they have made available again, tracks which have been issued sometimes just once in the past. That's a definite plus. Some sleeve information isn't always correct, but the same can also be said about releases from EMI Records in the past. The practice of tampering with sound mixes per se, with unsatisfactory results, in my opnion, is just not done. EMI Records in France and Australia have done so on some of their releases. The second issue of the Australian compilation CD "Another 20 Golden Greats" have all nineteen stereo tracks in reversed stereo mode!