Dusty Springfield "The Complete Philadelphia Sessions: A Brand New Me (Expanded Edition)"

Yes, I got a copy of that and burnt an Elements CD. Corner of the Sky finally came out on a Petual Clark album Duets where she finished the vocal and it actually works really well.

 

I have that album.
Is it just me or does anyone else find these Dusty releases/compilations totally confusing?
All of these overlaps with the additional tracks tacked onto different albums...

 

So is mine now! Many thanks for the heads up - you just saved me a crisp tenner off the best UK Amazon marketplace price!

 

I'll have to check out Petula's duet ... thanks for the heads up!

 

It was a real mess when I first became serious about tracking down Dusty's catalog. Most artists of her stature have complete album box sets instead of the patchwork that is her catalog.

 

I must say haven't now received this I wish I hadn't bothered. What an horrendous brick-walled mess. I mean, for Pete's sake they take the time and effort to remix everything from the multi-tracks for optimum sound quality and then they smash it into a harsh brick-walled nightmare of a mess, complete with a horrid, sharp, bright, spikey EQ at the top end. My copy won't be staying long. A real crushing disappointment.

 

Sadly, I can only echo negative sentiments on the overall sound of the remix. Strings, where present, tend to have been brought way up in the mix and they sound awfully shrill - the flutes in "Bad Case of the Blues" suffer the same fate. The horns at the beginning of "Lost"... well, it was the right decision to leave them off the original mix. They sound off. I'm very disappointed as I was looking forward to a more balanced sound mix. I never dreamed that I'd be so let down by the mixing and mastering. I enjoyed Real Gone's release of "Faithfull" - I'd even describe the mastering as smoother than that found on the 1999 Rhino "Dusty In Memphis", where many of the Jeff Barry tracks made their first appearance... What went wrong here?

I tried to give the remix a chance. I even listened to it with several sets of headphones - some of which have the highs rolled off more than others - no joy. I don't consider myself an audiphile. And I don't generally complain about brightness. I grew up in the CD/Digital era, so my frame of reference has little to do with expectations based on original vinyl sound.

 

Just read those two reviews and, even though I've been a Dusty fan since the 1960s, I'm glad I didn't get this.

 

I should add that in addition to not considering myself an audiphile, I also don't consider myself an audiophile.

 

Here's some pertinent text from the press release:

As we know, Ted Carfrae is credited on the packaging of the CD. I wonder if there's a story there relevant to the sound issues of this set.

 

The thread title grabbed my attention. The pedant in me says how can you have an "expanded" of anything that is "complete"? Even in the crazy world of music reissues this is bonkers (imho).

 

I agree, a complete album box set would be good. It is far too difficult to collect all of Dusty's music as it is scattered all over place and on different labels.
Mind you, as a life long T.Rex fan I am used to this kind of thing. Marc Bolan's catalogue has always been a complicated mess.
I have two Dusty box sets, Complete Dusty and the 3 CD Anthology, plus maybe 3 CDs. I will just stick with these..

 

Well thats too bad. They never learn, do they?

 

I just got this a few weeks ago and am enjoying it a lot. However, one of the main reasons I purchased this was for the remixes supposedly performed by the legendary Tom Moulton. I was subsequently disappointed to read in the liner notes that Moulton did not in fact remix it, but rather Ted Carfrae. Any information for the reason for the switcheroo?

 

Yeah, this could have sounded better, but I don't hate it.

I'd be all over a complete albums package.

 

A question for those who are familiar with the original mix of this album (I am not - this is the first time I've heard it): do the strings on the remix sound a bit off and warbly to you, like a record that has been pressed off center? They certainly sound that way to me.

They also sound thin and mellotron-like in other sections. I may need to seek out the original mix to compare.

 

If you like the album, you shouldn't hesitate to buy a copy of the original mix.

Here's the original LP mix of Lost. The uploader cut off part of the beginning and end to fit the video, I guess, but it's the original mix:

 

Thanks. This sounds a bit different (and deeper/richer) than the remix.

 

I found a used copy of this today at a local store that I frequent, and it’s in mint shape all the way around from the case to the artwork to the cd.

My only concern is that it appears to be quite rare now, and all of the copies I see on eBay are from the Russian Federation. How can I be sure the copy I found is legit?

 

They bootlegged this CD? Someone in Russia really loves blonde 60's singers. Nancy Sinatra is also heavily bootlegged on CD from there.

I doubt many copies circulate period, much less counterfeits. I'd chance it unless they are asking a fortune.

 

I didn't know of this release when it came out, its now cost over a $100, did they only make limited copies? It gets frustrating being a Dusty fan, so many compilation, I guess I shouldn't complain as some artist have so little re-issues. So Far I own the Magic Of Dusty 3 CD/1 DVD set, Everything Coming Up Dusty, , Where Am I Going, The Complete A and B sides 1963-1970 (not sure I like the sound quality of this CD) Dusty In Memphis and Dusty In London from 1999 with the bonus tracks but I still can't completely put the full track list together of Definitely Dusty and See All Her Faces.

Is the Remaster of Brand New Me that bad should I try and track down the original CD instead?

 

I would recommend the original mix, yes.

 

I now have everything Dusty ever recorded and also material she didn't () but it's taken a little time, money and careful persuasion!

The only way to get Dusty 'right' and complete currently is by using a combination of CD and original LPs. For this album you need the original vinyl which is probably a lot cheaper than the original CD.

Avoid the remix travesty at all costs. It could have been the definitive version but if they'd handed the multi-tracks to a pack of hungry baboons the results would have been much better.

I don't know how people in the industry can produce utter rubbish like this and keep their positions. Words fail me.

 

Is this vinyl easy to find? I doubt it.

 

Both The Complete Philadelphia Sessions: A Brand New Me and Come for a Dream: The U.K. Sessions 1970-1971 are being reissued on CD on September 25.