The Easybeats: Album by Album Thread (pt2)

Slightly off topic, but I couldn't believe my luck today, I found a second hand copy of the Albert Archives CD. I got it for $5. The CD's in fabulous condition, the disc case has a few bumps and bruises though, but the cover's fine.

Does anyone know when this cd is dated, as I can't find the cover of mine on the internet anywhere (here's a scan):


The disc is black with white writing, and it's an 80's pressing, as it has a ring around the edge on the bottom surface. The back cover states it's manufactured in Aussie and NZ by Sony Music.

Discogs only show's this cover:

 

The "vault" photo is a weird mock-up cover with an office door superimposed. I hope the boxes with the tape leaders hanging out was purely done for the photo and not how the real archives look

 

Good score, Nathan. I never knew this had been released on CD. Worth having for the Alison and Stevie tracks alone.

 

Yeah, I didn't know that it was on CD either. That might be why the cover art is different.

Yeah, an odd photo. It seems that cover was used for the original vinyl only.

 

I don't think it was a mock-up! it is probably better kept now though! far too many artists over here have lost stuff some by mislabeling, some thrown away due to storage space a little bit like the BBC tv thing which they burned most of the 60's output. to be honest not to many company's'thought too far ahead and a lot stuff was just thrown in a room in room.

 

Nah, it's a Sony reissue from sometime between 1991 and 1994.

From memory, the title was released on CD thus:
1989 - CBS Select (original artwork)
1991 - Sony (new artwork, although copies with the original artwork and Sony stickers exist - keep in mind CBS changed its name to Sony in 1991)
1995 - EMI Axis (new artwork)

Still, $5 is a good price - they sell for $30+ on ebay.

 

been in one of the Alberts storage rooms years ago..... yep it did look something like the photo with boxes of stuff on the floor.

 

You didn't happened to see a box labelled "The Easybeats - Volume 3" did you?

I also get the impression that the AC/DC masters (session, mix down and mastered tapes) would either be with Sony or the band's own vault.

 

I'm listening to a copy of Volume 3 as I type:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/listening-to-on-vinyl-part-213.388080/page-21#post-11266145

This album (well, all The Easybeats output) sure deserve an all-analog audiophile reissue treatment. I know the first few LPs got reissued a few years ago, but never have read anything regarding SQ.

 

The Down Under Records pressings from 2008 would be sourced from the Repertoire Records masters (I have not heard them).

Albert Productions reissued The Best of The Easybeats using the 2013 remastered version for RSD. The mastering sounds fine, but the pressing I had was on very noisy vinyl (my 1967 LP sounded cleaner).

 

Agree absolutely. We all do here. By the way, the first two albums were reissued on vinyl in 1985: “Easy” (APLP-057) and “It’s 2 Easy” (APLP-058). Red Albert labels and nice quiet pressings but the same phony stereo as what you hear on the Repertoire CDs. My thinking is that the digital masters used for the Rep CDs were accessed from the same source as what was used for those ’85 LPs. "Volume 3" was not a part of that '85 vinyl series and the reason is obvious when you play the Rep CD: they simply don't have the master. That CD is taken from original vinyl.

 

I had a Repertoire copy of Volume 3 a long, long time ago, but don't remember being too impressed with the SQ. In fact, I don't even own any Repetoire's any more. They all sounded really compressed or something.

An Easybeats reissue campaign would sure be a boon. Originals are so damn hard to find in great shape. I have the first 3 and The Best Of The Easybeats in NM or close originals, but it took a very long time to acquire those. Give how good the band was, how popular they were in Australia, how influential they were, etc., etc., it sure seems like they're a good candidate for reissuing.

 

A few photos from way back when, courtesy of the williamrsmall collection:









And one more, this time courtesy of Susie Gamble at the Go!! Show Facebook page:



So, where and when were this lot taken?

Any ideas?

 

*cough*1982*cough*

I have needledrops of the test pressings.

 

Which was before the big Easybeats tape recall, Alberts did.

 

The last two are at EMI Studios, no doubt. Most likely Studio A, given the orchestral stuff stacked at the back. The giveaways are the distinctive floor tiling and patterned rug.

The floor "tiles" were light grey and olive/dark green, and the rug was cream/green. Here's a photo of Studio A, same angle (kinda) as the second photo...



Look close enough and you'll see the tile pattern is the same.

 

Here's a video of Armstrong Studios in 1968. With their (then) newly installed 8-track recorder and famous Neumann microphones.



Although there is a rug (which is common anyway at recording studios), there are no checked tiles. Also, the vocal microphone Stevie is using in the photo above is an RCA 44BX. The Twilights videos shows the guys singing into what is clearly a Neumann U48.

The "She's So Fine" story of Bill Armstrong recording the backing is told again here

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/08/16/3827266.htm

@ 21:15 mins.

Were he confirms The Easybeats did record the song there. So were does this leave the photo? We'll if the backing track (with or without guide) was recorded at Armstrong Studios and further overdubs were done at EMI Studios in Sydney - then why is the rest of the band mic'ed up in the photo? Are they even recording "She's So Fine"?

 

Slightly off topic, but here is a closeup of the mixing console in use at the time (although this photo is taken in 1969).


(As an aside, that's the renown David Woodley-Page at the helm. See the two Scully four track tape decks in the background? David ingeniously synched both machines together to simulate 8-track when recording The La De Da's "Happy Prince" LP in 1969.)

Here's an earlier photo of the same desk, circa 1966 (with BTR-2 mono tape deck in the background)...



The mixing console is obviously a 12 channel, four track desk. It would appear to be a one-off build courtesy of EMI Hayes.

I have read conflicting information about when it was installed. The Studios 301 website states it was installed in 1962, yet period EMI documents I have from 1967 state it was "recently installed" (with the Scully 4-track, but we have photographic proof that the desk was installed before the Scully, and I know for certain the Scully was installed in July/August 1966). So my question to anyone in the know - is this desk something that could feasibly exist in 1962? It seems somewhat advanced, even moreso than the EMI REDD desks, so it strikes me as odd that EMI Hayes would build something like this for EMI Australia. But again, we have photographic proof of The Easys, presumably from 1965, drooling over the desk.

 

Yeah, I first thought it was Armstrong Studios, but obviously not. Too small.

It would appear that EMI Australia went four track before Armstrong Studios did (their first stereo LP, The Loved Ones' Magic Box from 1967, was recorded on a Scully 280 1/2" 3 track, but they moved to 8, 16 and 24 track machines before EMI did).

 

Here's the rub though. ...



Notice when it states the studio opened? I also believe this is what is claimed on the "official" website (or was when I last visited a year or so ago). So something doesn't add up.

Interestingly, this history states that Armstrong went 4 track in Feb 66, five or so months before EMI Australia, however, my understanding is that their first stereo pop recording was not released until 1967, after EMI's first stereo pop release...but I haven't validated that claim independently.

 

Re-recorded at EMI? Or miscaptioned in the songbook...



Caption:


(Not sure why Stevie is singing on a backing track though?)

 

When I contacted Don Bartley last year about the "Best Of" remaster he mentioned that he remembered conversations about the missing tapes back in the day.

 

Yes, the CD sounds nothing like the original vinyl - the guitar really cuts through on the vinyl. Completely different feel/listen.

 

I've read this history in a few places. The two mono recorders make sense (to dub down onto each other). As for stereo. I still believe that Armstrong was 4 track but they could of only had a mono recorder for the final mixes. If Australia wasn't producing stereo rock albums at that time - it wouldn't have been a priority for the final mixes to be stereo. So they would have kept a mono machine for mix down. However, the 4-track recorder would have given them a lot of flexibility. The ability to balance, add effects and EQ post recording as well as bouncing.

All this means that there could also be 4-track tapes of Easybeats recordings from the Australian era. If this is true and they still exist in the Alberts Vaults, then it's possible for a stereo remix of material from the It's 2 Easy and Volume 3 eras!!!

 

Call me a pessimist, but I wouldn't be holding my breath. I reckon the closest thing we'll get to stereo are the tracks Crotty put on his "bootleg" LP, LOL!