The Mamas & The Papas: Complete Singles - 50th Anniversary Collection - 2 CD Set (Real Gone Music)*

Graham, no need to remove my update. I am very much aware there are two labels active with Real Gone in their name. I was responding to an update made about Real Gone, the Public Domain label.
It is not our fault they named them like that after all, don't you think?

 

Got this today. Put it in iTunes but no CD info found.... How long does that take for the info to show up?

Very nice packaging. Thick booklet with detailed info. Great pics. No signature though. Gonna listen soon.

 

I'm not Graham, but this thread is about a legit Real Gone Music (US) release, not a public-domain Real Gone (EU) issue, so every post about the public-domain label is off-topic here and could add to the confusion.

 

Can someone report on the sound quality. How is the EQ?



Thanks

 

No sound ?

Silence in this thread when any question about the sound quality comes up.

I'll buy a copy and decide for myself.

I'm gone, really gone from posting in this thread-

 

I'd gladly post about the sound, but since I'm the one who mastered it my opinion would be very biased.

 

Do the mono 45 mixes have the same crazy EQ that's built into the stereo mixes? Steve may be the only mastering engineer to "fix" that in his mastering of the stereo mixes.

 

A lot of the mono 45 mixes do have what you could call a "crazy EQ." I followed in Steve's footsteps, and I "fixed" the EQ on the Grass Roots, Steppenwolf, and the Mamas & Papas. Comparing the Real Gone collection with all of the stereo CDs I have (but not including Steve's 16 Greatest Hits), the EQ is quite a bit better on this CD.

That said, none of the M&P tracks from the '60s are what I'd call audiophile quality. Even Lou Adler comments in the liner notes that he's surprised the final mixes sound as good as they did, because John Phillips would do several bounces during the recording process to free up tracks on the multitrack tapes.

In mastering the mono mixes, I didn't make any attempt to clean up the tape hiss that is present in the original recordings. I often times feel that noise reduction takes away from the fidelity and sound quality, so I prefer to leave it in.

 

were any vinyl sources used?
Were

 

Can we twist your arm Aaron? We would love to hear anything you have to say and will forgive any bragging.

 

Ha! Well, I think it sounds great, given the material. As I said above, the "wonky EQ" problems that plague Dunhill recordings have been fixed, and there's a major quality improvement on some of the mono tracks that were previously issued on other releases such as "Creeque Alley" and "Mississippi."

I'd actually like to hear what @lukpac has to say after he's had a chance to listen to it. I've read his comments about other Mamas & Papas releases, and I agree with what he's posted in other threads.

 

Thanks Aaron. Luke is not known to be shy about expressing his opinion. He knows what he's talking about too.

 

I too might be considered biased since I worked on the package, however I am also absolutely committed to the best possible sound of collections such as these. (That goes for Gordon, as well.)

Fortunately, in Aaron, I had a kindred engineering partner.

Every step in the remastering process was approached with attention to the sonics of the original singles. We didn't reinvent the wheel - this collection is faithful to the 45s - yet we did strive to present them in the best possible light using today's technology.

Like The Grass Roots collection, this is one that Gordon and I have wanted to do for years, yet waited until we felt it could be done properly.

Even at deadline's end (and beyond...just ask Gordon!), we were still working to make sure that every track was as good as it could be.

Aaron lost some sleep and I some hair but we hope you'll agree that the efforts were worth it.

Happy New Year!

(BTW: For stereo, my #1 choice is SH's 16 Greatest Hits. Never knew the M&P could sound that good.)

 

Amen to that. A recent listen gave me goosebumps. No way I'd let that go, just because this new set will be here soon. They can be companions, right next to each other in the same drawer !
.

 

Agreed. The 16 Greatest Hits set sounds as good as the Mamas & Papas have ever sounded. I found this quote from Steve in another thread, and it nicely sums up why the sound quality of the Mamas & Papas music doesn't sound nearly as good as other records from the same time period.

 

...yeah, I remember thinking " damn, they were better than I remember !?! "

 

Hey guys, quick story about the Real Gone name. We had dreamed it up and were just a month or so away from our first release when my business partner Gabby Castellana called me up in a panic because the first release from the OTHER Real Gone Music had just come out overseas. But we talked about it and we were too far down the road to change it at that point. Plus we dug the name. But boy do we get complaints about their stuff all the time!
Anyway, looking forward to what the community here has to say about the set. Thanks to Ed and Aaron and Jim Pierson too for their hard work. And of course thanks to Michelle! She'll be signing copies at Hollywood Amoeba on the 19th if anybody here is in LA or thereabouts

 

@kanno1ae ...I love how proud your Mom is on Facebook. Mine was like that too.

 

Got my copy tonight -- about to listen for the first time. The booklet is more like an actual book -- just packed with details and history I can't wait to read. The whole set looks like a real labor of love.

And very excited to see Michelle Phillips' signature when I opened the box! Feeling like...

 

Wow. Where did it ship from? I'm in California and haven't gotten mine yet.

 

I ordered from Real Gone, and it shipped (to Massachusetts) from... Anaheim! BTW, they sent me an email when it shipped with a link to a USPS tracking site...

 

You deserve a medal!

 

Ed,

The work of you and your team is great!

You've nailed it thrice with ABC/Dunhill artists: Grass Roots, Steppenwolf and The Mamas and The Papas. My fingers are crossed for Three Dog Night in mono

 

Just received my copy today. I didn't luck out with the autographed copy but I'm sure the $5 coupon will be used....SOON. Played a few tracks - nice option from the over wide stereo mixes. Ed, IMO your team hit another one out of the park. Like others have said....fingers crossed for Three Dog Night! Keep 'em coming!