Boy, that cover's just a bit iffy and creepy. Clarence White is worth the price of admission, IMO. Whilst I'm no lover of Skip Battin's contribution to The Byrds or the latter day Burritos, I look forward to reading about his later years with a morbid fascination, especially his time with the Fake Byrds in the 80's.
Anyone interested in the upcoming Sundazed release of Eight Miles High b/w Why? Original mono masters from the 12/22/65 RCA Studios sessions. https://www.spincds.com/coming-soon/live-78-expanded-53101
More b.s. from Sundazed. There are no "masters" for these tracks. They (or at least EMH) were never completed, with editing and overdubbing still needed for the ending.
Snapshots taken by the late wife of Rich Martin (Powder, the Art Collection, Richard & Thomas Frost), and posted by Rich on Facebook... "I still have my Byrd glasses. They're a bit tarnished after all these years" ~ Rich Martin
Maybe I was being too harsh in my assessment above. It is not impossible that the "recently located original mono mixdown masters" are real and that the Byrds did actually finish the RCA version of "Eight Miles High." But since Sundazed clearly published misleading information about the sources for Canceled Flytes, I remain skeptical.
Except Teehan makes claims like (IIRC) 10 or 11 of the tracks on Mr Tambourine Man were remixed while Irwin claims it was only about a third. He's clearly calling Bob Irwin a liar. And, as I said, the burden of proof for making such a claim persuasive is very high. I can easily produce differences of that order when applying light DR compression in Audacity. 3 or 4 db is just on this side of perceptible, let alone unlikely to be achieved through compression. Unless I'm misunderstanding you and you mean the opposite...(i.e. that compression would have a greater effect)... Teehan never addresses the fact that the Anesini versions are always more dynamic (quieter intros, louder choruses) than the releases he's comparing them to -- even though that recognition might provide a clue as to what's going on. I should add, finally, that I respect Mark Teehan and have no personal inclination to discredit him. His article on the chart activity of "Eight Miles High" was fascinating and impeccably researched. I'm aware that he is probably a member here (based on his vocabulary and I believe he even references the forum in one of his posts.) I admire his stick-to-it-iveness and rigor. I just think he overlooked something in his analysis and it led him to erroneous conclusions. There's no shame in that, but we shouldn't perpetuate those (probably false) conclusions just because they're there on the internet.
That was already released as RSD item about 5 years ago. This mixes sounds very different to 90's remixes (and more dry and lo-fi)
And more recently, Sundazed falsely claimed their Beefheart Safe as Milk CD was sourced from the original mono masters, when it is in fact a frankensteinian blend of needle drop and folded-down stereo mix. Unfortunately, Sundazed cannot be trusted as far as what they say about their source tapes.
That was an episode of almost sublime weirdness. And it was dumb too, considering that only the most dedicated purists would be interested in that CD in the first place...It was inevitable they would be found out.
The oddest thing about it to me is that it seemingly serves no purpose. Given the rarity and high cost of decent-condition pressings of the mono mix, I doubt they would have lost many (any?) sales if they'd simply done a high-quality needle drop and been completely upfront about that being their source. Going to the time, cost, and effort to create the weird hybrid thing they did in hopes of deceiving buyers seems unnecessary in terms of what impact it might have had on sales.
So true. I have bought needledrops, more or less happily, on CD many times over. For pre-1950s jazz (e.g. Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens) it is often the best, or only, option. I guess it's less common in post-'50s recordings, but it still happens. What they did do was much more likely to be complained about then producing a thoughtfully-mastered needledrop.
Teehan claims that 9 out of 12 tracks on the 1996 Legacy are remixes. Irwin said: "“Only part of the Tambourine Man and Turn, Turn, Turn albums were mixed. They were "mixed" by me from the three-track reduction masters..." (byrdsremasters). The 1/3 figure that you're referring to is the amount that Irwin claimed were remixed on the Byrds' third album, not their debut.
I've heard the RCA version on the expanded CD. I prefer it to the later re-recorded one. I assume it's the same one.
Hey, @czeskleba ! Do you know all of Crosby's contributions on The Notorious Byrd Brothers? (vocals, instruments, ect.)
New 90s-era stereo mixes of the recordings. What Sundazed is claiming is that they are releasing vintage mono mixes that were considered completed versions of the tracks, ready for release (ie, "masters"). It's unlikely the tracks were considered complete or under consideration for release. If these mono mixes are actually vintage (which may or may not be true), they are likely rough mixes rather than finished masters.
Rhythm guitar and vocals on Old John Robertson, Tribal Gathering and Dolphin's Smile. Bass and vocals on Change is Now. Rhythm guitar on Draft Morning.
I thought I had read somewhere that Crosby played bass on "Old John Robertson" so Hillman could take a guitar part. Perhaps I'm getting that confused with "Change Is Now" (which has a simpler bass part that could well be Crosby).
The 1965 version of "Eight Miles High" that was first mixed for release on Never Before, and later included in remixed form on the 1996 Fifth Dimension CD, is not complete. The intention was always to go back into the studio to punch up the ending with extra guitar overdubs to produce a feeling of "landing", in the manner of the 1966 version. There is also a guitar flub on the 1965 version that (like the guitar flub on the original stereo release of "Everybody's Been Burned") probably was supposed to have been corrected. To my knowledge, these overdubs and corrections were never done because Columbia insisted on re-recording the songs in their own studios. The Byrds did that in January, using exactly the same arrangements. So the RCA recordings, wonderful as they are, were never actually completed. Indeed. Why would a "master" have been produced for something that Columbia out-and-out refused to release, not on the grounds of quality but because it had been recorded at a rival studio?
It is a common misconception that Crosby played bass on "Old John Robertson" which I believe originated with Rogan's first book, Timeless Flight (based on an erroneous recollection from Crosby). Rogan corrects the error in Requiem For The Timeless, confirming that "Change is Now" is the actual song that has Crosby on bass. Here's an insightful comment from earlier in the thread that points out how the playing on "Change is Now" is far more consistent with Crosby's musical abilities.
Almost certainly not. It had been released a good six months before the Notorious album and was a huge flop, their lowest-charting single to date. And both McGuinn and Hillman were uhappy with how it had turned out musically. I don't think there was ever any consideration of putting it on the album, or that even Crosby was advocating for it by that point. As you certainly know, "Triad" was the song he wanted on there.
