Hmm. My Decca with W3 definitely has Sax's handwriting on both sides but there is no 7 squeezed in after the 'MG'. Significant? What I still don't get is who mastered Side 2 of the Track if not Sax and why is there no Sax handwriting on that side if Sax did do it?
From the Deluxe 2003 3LP set inners. Side 1: Side 2 Seems to me that the Side 2 matrix inscription definitely isn't Sax's if you compare the Decca Side 1 and 2 and the Track Side 1 matrices. Can we conclude anything from this about who mastered the second side of the Track? I don't think that Sax's '8's are always open, as has been stated.
The second photo and your text weren't there when I responded. Don't know about the UK Track, but the tapes for both sides were originally mastered and stored at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood. I.e., Doug Sax.
Right, so is it significant that the second Side B matrix ending in '889' in the picture doesn't look like his handwriting?
I know there are many that will vehemently defend the UK side two as having been made from Sax lacquers but I don't see the physical (deadwax) or hear the sonic proof.
Sure, Cassius. I read your other posts but I don't think you ever wrote who would have done the second U.K. side and why? It's all moot in a sense as I can hardly tell any great difference between the U.K. 1st, the Decca W3, and the 2003 (digital?) deluxe. Either down to my ears or my pretty limited system. But it's fascinating to me just as mystery to be solved.
Yeah. I just listened to the UK first pressing last night after seeing this thread. Side two sounds very good to me, and tonally similar to side one, but side one does sound like it is cut a touch louder and is a bit more dynamic. So I hear what you mean, but I don't know if that means it wasn't necessarily cut by Sax, or at least somebody else at TML. If TML had the master tape, and side one is certainly the Sax cut, why would side two have been cut from anything other than the master by somebody at TML? A mystery indeed...
What's interesting about that is that my W3 Side 2 is a bit louder than the U.K. Side 2, so that might support the idea that the Track Side 2 was indeed done by someone else.
Lost in the sand of time for sure now that Doug has passed away, unless there are notes. I know the Deluxe Edition CD set I had from the early 00s has some pics of the tape box with Doug's hand writing. I don't recall how complete the image(s) is, it's been a long time since I listened to that.
Sure. I posted those images a few posts above and was asking about a possible discrepancy between the handwriting of the matrix for Side 1 and for Side 2. ( Now I see lukpac has done the same.)
Thanks. Often times I will read these threads on a computer that doesn't render those images. I checked my phone after Lukpac's post so I could get a view. No cutting log like some of the MFSL Beatles ones from HTM unfortunately. We're just left with proof Doug's unique manner of writing the number "8". Thank god he didn't spend too much time on making them straighter in the 1st grade so we at least have an easy way to spot his handiwork.
We know that those are the masters, and we know that Sax mastered both sides of the Decca LP, so I'm not sure what different handwriting on the masters has to do with side 2 of the Track.
Sure we know he cut some of the copies for Decca, but certainly not all of them. There are the machine stamped and alternate copies without his hand writing also cut in the summer of 71 that do NOT sound as good. We know he for sure cut side one of the Track. Do you have additional intel , recording logs, or studio paperwork that can shed additional light?
The question has always been what copies did Doug Sax cut from the masters in 1971. We know for sure that some Decca copies with W1 & W2 matrices. We know that side one of the Track UK 1st and some sides West German originals. We know this from the insertion of the hand etched MG 12888 & MG 12889 respectively. Marc's question is does anyone have conclusive evidence Doug cut side two of the UK Track original. As your a man of vast knowledge on these subjects and have done extensive work , the question was if you've come across any materials to shed light on the situation.
