Small Faces box set

I hope so! its been fairly quiet about it so I was thinking maybe September.

 

This is slightly off-topic, but this thread is more active than the massive "Small Faces 2012" one that I don't have the time to wade through. Does anyone know if there are plans to release a non-limited/numbered version of Ogden's on vinyl? The copy I bought has a lot of surface noise, pops, and clicks, which I attribute to damage in transit. I was shocked that there was no sleeve for the record itself. I don't know how to go about returning my copy since I bought from a shop while on vacation, and it's a limited/numbered import item of course. I would gladly pay for a new copy of the same mastering.

 

According to amazon, this is a "(d)igitally remastered and expanded edition." Does anyone have a full track listing for the CD? I assume it's the same remastering as the British versions, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Has anyone noticed the mastering fault on the OGDENS' deluxe CD? The stereo CD, HUNGRY INTRUDER near the final seconds at 2:04, right channel, there is a slight wavering dropout in the string melody ( or is that the mellotron ?) It is also on the Mp3. The mono version is fine. I played my UK original stereo versions ( lilac and first pink label pressings ) and the dropout is not there. Speaking of Ogdens', I wish they would get the reissued artwork correct to the 1968 original. The original sleeve looks to be a 5 colour offset print, using CMYK 4 colour process and a fifth plate for the GOLD INK. The reissues are a 4 colour process reproduction of an original sleeve that was photographed or scanned ( hence where the gold sections are they appear as light brown). Funny thing is that the 1975 NEMS 1001 reissue in the round sleeve was printed like the 1968 original, that suggests the printing plates and / or the film negatives from which the plates were made from still existed at the printers, and of course all round LP reissues after that, as far as I know, have not used the 5 colour / plate print. Most likely the 1968 plates / film negatives don't exist. I am sure there are other people in the forum that are aware of printing processes... sorry to rave on about it. I work as a graphic artist so I think with a lot of effort the GOLD INK areas on a reissue could be recreated. I saw a copy of the recent mono reissue and it looks like it was reproduced from a poorly coloured corrected scan of a 1968 sleeve.

 

Larold
It's on varese sarabande, so will be the the Steve Massie remaster rather than the UK remaster. Why they are two remasters of the same material in the same year is beyond me, but then the SF's catalogue is one of inconsistency, overlap and down right abuse!

 

I haven't heard anything about it. Try Ebay, you can get one for a decent price.

 

Yes, the new There Are But Four Small Faces CD was mastered by Steve Massie. The reissue was produced by Cary E. Mansfield and Byron Davis. Copyrighted in 2013 and 1968, the fine print reads "Licensed from Licensemusic.com ApS. Courtesy of Charly Acquisitions Ltd."

All songs are stereo. There are no bonus tracks, only the 12 songs from the original album.

Now for the good news - it sounds very good indeed. Overall the vocals, both lead and backing, are forward a little (they are still back in the mix for Tin Soldier and Show Me The Way). The vocals sound natural and warm.

Compared to 2012 Deluxe Edition, this mastering is more listenable, less harsh and less bright, from start to finish. It reminds me of the nice job Sundazed did on the CD issue of Traffic's Heaven Is In Your Mind in mono - very listenable.

Playing Itchycoo Park against the Deluxe Edition version, I found the phasing on the drums not to be overemphasized, and the organ chords didn't burn my ears, playing off of There Are But Four. "S"s in the lyrics of the Deluxe Ed.'s version seemed much more prominent. I Feel Much Better and I'm Only Dreaming were also a much smoother listen on There Are But Four.

I will say that I was uncertain whether or not I had heard better versions of the tracks that actually come from Small Faces (the Immediate debut album), but I have that same feeling about the Deluxe Edition as well. Again this different mastering seems to cut down on the fatigue factor.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BRY1Y2G/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Amazon's "Editorial Reviews" of the 2013 There Are But Four Small Faces claims incorrectly that this is an expanded edition. Following that error they announce that the included versions of My Way Of Giving and I'm Only Dreaming are exclusive stereo mixes. Well, they are half right. The same mix of My Way Of Giving appears on the Deluxe Edition of Small Faces (1st Immediate album).

I have to believe that they meant to say I'm Only Dreaming and I Feel Much Better appear in stereo mixes here. While these exact mixes may be exclusive to this set, there are stereo mixes of both songs to be found on The Darlings Of Wapping Wharf Launderette, although that release has been declared a hodge podge of out-takes and unfinished versions of late. (Not by me. Read the longer threads for a discussion of that idea)

Both songs do sound really nice in stereo on There Are But Four Small Faces. Here is the track listing that Amazon doesn't include (all tracks are true stereo):

1.) Itchycoo Park
2.) Talk To You
3.) Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire
4.) My Way Of Giving
5.) I'm Only Dreaming
6.) I Feel Much Better
7.) Tin Soldier
8.) Get Yourself Together
9.) Show Me The Way
10.) Here Come The Nice
11.) Green Circles
12.) (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me

 

Quoting myself to correct myself. Get Yourself Together, not Show Me The Way, is the second song with vocals back in the mix used here. Of course, this is not unusual for Get Yourself Together or Tin Soldier.

 

So, we're halfway through May and no official annoucement on the box set yet - other than the inserts in the RSD 45's. I wonder if the release date is being pushed back?

 

Thanks for sharing this information. I was lucky enough to snag the last copy of There Are But Four Small Faces LP that my record store had. The version of "I'm Only Dreaming" on the LP sounds like it features a slightly different vocal take in the mix. I would have to listen again to say more, but does anyone agree with me? Did this translate to the CD as well? I didn't notice anything all that different in "I Feel Much Better," so I'll take another listen.

 

I think both songs are the takes we are used to hearing. I think the EQ choices for this mastering are what make the vocals sound different in some places, although I must say that this is the first time I noticed the doubletracking of Marriot's voice when he gets loud with "I got high" etc. in Itchycoo Park. Previously I had just thought he blew it out loud in one performance. It is nice to hear these better master tapes that don't simply burn out and obscure the detail, when he gets loud.

I Feel Much Better is only different in that it is in stereo. It appears only in mono on the SF Deluxe Edition. (And once again both I Feel Much Better and I'm Only Dreaming appear in stereo on The Darlings Of Wapping Wharf Launderette.)

That said, I won't be able to compare LP to CD because I don't have the new LP pressing, or a rig set up to play it.

If you do decide I'm Only Dreaming is in fact an alternate take, please spot a few clues and post the times at which they occur (or maybe lyric references). I love a listening challenge within familiar music. It can only add value to owning this disc.

 

"I'm Only Dreaming" should have been an A side.

 

Playing around in my iTunes library, I discovered that you are right about the vocals on I'm Only Dreaming. Listening to 4 different-sourced versions of the song I found, beginning at about 1:50 into the song, the ad libs in the final section of the song differ.

The version presented on There Are But Four finishes the same as does the stereo version from The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette. They are also identical to a version I bought as part of a discount bundle from the iStore, credited as "I'm Only Dreaming (Original Re-Mix)" taken from The Immediate Years Vol. 1 (Disc 2), dated 1996. A stereo version of I'm Only Dreaming is indeed listed on the 2nd disc of the Charly box set by that title from 1995.

What that means is that the odd-man-out among recent releases is the mono mix found on Small Faces Deluxe Edition, and presumably the original single, where the ad libs are noticably different and perhaps so is some of what is played (or mixed forward) as well.

It's been so long since I had listened carefully to anything other than the stereo Wapping Wharf version, that I didn't pick up on the variations with the mono mix.

So now the question remains - Is the whole vocal an alternate or are the differences confined to the final section's ad libs?

 

John Heller's facebook page says the box is out in august and it's going to be very "de luxe", very limited and supposedly very expensive. For real fans ...

 

I love the Small Faces, but I don't think I'm ready to shell out the big bucks for a fancy memorabilia set like this when I'm not convinced that there's all that much in the way of really vital unreleased material in the vaults. I think we'll also have the new Beach Boys box hitting that month, which I suspect will be more heavily loaded in outtakes/rare tracks department.

 

Same here. I'll probably get the deluxe Autumn Stone (if it eventually is released) and that's it.

 

Like everyone else, i've been waiting waiting waiting for this box. My hopes and expectations are greatly tempered. After buying all the new deluxe issued last year, i ripped those and all of my previous versions into the computer and did some intense a/b'ing and studying the waves. I still have some notes from this at home, but am going from memory here now. Overall, really the only release that showed a significant difference in the sources was Ogden's. Most of the tracks showed less compression than on previous releases. On the other titles, there was little to no difference on the vast majority of tracks. A lot of the s/t Immediate tracks looked and sounded identical to the prior 30th anniversary 2-cd deluxe. There would be a track here and there with slightly less compression, or slightly lower volume level, and there were also a few that had more compression or a higher volume level, than prior releases.

Bottom line, any claims for dramatically improved source material was for the most part limited to Ogden's. Everything else is in serious doubt. So the credibility for any claims of improved SQ/sources for this reissue campaign, is questionable.

It really bothers me, too, as i was so pleased to know that the band (and presumably Steve and Ronnie's estates) would (finally) financially benefit from these releases.

So, i'll be very interested to see just how limited and how expensive this box is going to be. It sure sounds like it's targeted for the fans who will have to own it, regardless of content and value.

If any folks are interested in track-by-track details of those comparisons, i'll bring my notes in later.


p.s. - Darlings Of Wapping Wharf is still the best, to my ears.

 

can't wait to see pre-orders for it !

 

this been cancelled? far too quiet !

 

The archivist is still trying to obtain more additional tracks with re-processed stereo.

 

Latest news now for UK fans is that unless you preorder one from John Hellier this won't be available in the UK officially AT ALL. While this is largely down to the current shenanigans with the Sanctuary label that affects more than just this release, it's still nothing short of disgraceful. And the cherry on top is that the release date for this box just keeps being shoved back, again and again. Sources now hint [and it's categorically only a hint] that it might get released by Christmas. Maybe. For some reason, I'm reminded of those Faces remasters that kept getting deferred a few years ago...

With each new announcement, this whole thing becomes more and more dispiriting.

 

Is there a link for that?

 

+1

 

+2