SH Spotlight Pressing and mastering quality of Creedence Clearwater Revival albums*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alexbunardzic, Jun 5, 2017.

  1. MickAvory

    MickAvory Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Very interesting stuff as always W.B.
     
  2. Hamhead

    Hamhead The Bear From Delaware

    I didn't see it, might have been written the same time as the other post. Oh well.
     
    McLover likes this.
  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Remember, they were a plastics company first and they got into the record business because they had the plastic.
     
    caravan70 and onlyacanvasky like this.
  4. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Like Steve Hoffman and I have said, Fantasy pressed THEIR OWN Records in that era. In their own owned pressing plant. Not outsourced.

    They were a small company when these were made, when the label grew and began having national hits, they had to begin outsourcing. Their records in that era were works of art, but TOO EXPENSIVE to make, and could not be made and offered NATIONALLY.

    As this plant became not able to keep up with NATIONAL DEMAND. Meaning all 50 states. Fine when most Fantasy output was sold in the Western United States and mainly was Jazz. Not viable for rock and roll and national hits. Fantasy began as a small, independent, mainly Jazz label with that Artisan mindset, not the more general label they became later on.

    In the jazz era, the Fantasy/Circle Records pressing plant didn't deal with more than 10,000-25,000 copies of any single title nationwide at most. (and better sellers at that scale could be pressed again as necessary) And they could handle that being a small, mainly regional jazz oriented label.

    When Vince Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate To The Wind", Fantasy's first national Top 40 hit record charted big, that mentality went out the window, all of a sudden. that 45 and the parent "Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus" LP went from 10,000-25,000 to double, triple and many times more that sales volume and then some on LP alone, the single did 500,000 units nationally very easily. Fantasy's one plant could not manufacture that many records and distribute them efficiently across our 50 states.

    Fantasy had to then pick up many more distributors, and outside mastering and pressing plants as necessary to grow to satisfy the demand for more records, and this increased with Little Johnny Taylor's big national hit, "Part Time Love" and when the Weiss brothers sold out to Saul Zaentz and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the growing Jazz and R&B hits which followed, the old small run Colored vinyl had to step aside. Blame it on growth of the company!And going from tiny independent to huge independent over many years.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2017
  5. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    I'd forgotten that Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus/Cast Your Fate was originally a Fantasy album. I love that set, plus that's probably my favorite film of all time! Might be nice to have it on actual vinyl.
     
  6. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    miles.jpg hines.jpg cal.jpg Yeah, if you see any colored vinyl Fantasy LPs out there, Lenny Bruce or Cal TJ., Vince G., Dave B. or K. Rexroth, etc., those are all in-house pressings. Even K. Pandit! They look really great, especially help up to the light..
     
  7. onlyacanvasky

    onlyacanvasky Your guess is as good as mine.

    Sounds like all those old 78 RPM labels that started out as furniture companies, started building gramophones then decided to start making records to go with the gramophones :)
     
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  8. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    my Aussie copy of 'Bayou County' is pressed on the liberty label with the fantasy stamp:
    [​IMG]

    sounds fantastic! loud and clear.:righton:
     
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  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    That label makes my head hurt.

    At the very least it should say: "Liberty Presents!"
     
    Rick Bartlett likes this.
  10. Amazing knowledge to be gained on this thread, and I for one appreciate it much.

    Thanks all.
     
  11. SuperFuzz

    SuperFuzz Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I have a few of those colored Fantasy records - noisy as heck. But they do look pretty...
     
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    The mastering is crappy as well, usually dull/lackluster. Beautiful to look at, great to impress people with.
     
    seed_drill likes this.
  13. SuperFuzz

    SuperFuzz Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC USA
    OJC reissued some of those old Fantasy titles in the 80's on colored vinyl. Both the mastering and vinyl quality were huge improvements.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Khamakhazee

    Khamakhazee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    [QUOTEThe OP should definitely NOT buy any Creedence I ever remastered, either for DCC Compact Classics or Analogue Productions. He will come to grief.[/QUOTE]

    I agree, those SACD's from 2002 mastered by some guys named Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman have given me nothing but grief! They aren't even 50 year old recordings, they should sound much better than that.
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    First Creedence record I ever got was the 45 of Susie Q. Then my mom bought me BAYOU COUNTRY. I loved that KEEP ON CHOOGLIN had only one chord for like 46 minutes. Back then it seemed cool. Still does, actually.
     
    Mark L., ODShowtime, Rekkerds and 8 others like this.
  16. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    This thread made me put on my Fantasy blue label Bayou Country F2715/6 1 Does that 1 mean very first pressing? The record looks un-played. Not a spindle mark on it. Listening to Chooglin' right now. Sounds so good. Some of those guitar parts screaming through my horns is a bit too much for me.
     
  17. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    I have a similar label on my self Titled CCR Japanese ever clear red vinyl pressing. I think it is a Japanese first pressing because the back of the cover is all Japanese. Playing Susie Q and I notice the stereo separation seems pretty strong on this record. I don't know if the US version is the same. But this record sounds very good too.
     
  18. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    Later I'll play my MFSL Cosmo's. What's the consensus of that pressing? I also have a Japanese pressing of this in a gatefold sleeve.
     
  19. douglas mcclenaghan

    douglas mcclenaghan Forum Resident

    Brings back great memories. My vinyl is long gone, but I am happy with the 40th Anniversary CDs.
     
  20. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Separation on Susie is very wide. Not so much on the other songs. Can you photograph the record and back cover for me?
     
  21. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    Yep, give me a few minutes.
     
    Steve Hoffman likes this.
  22. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Hold on for the vinyl pic. My internet sucks at sundown.
     
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  23. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    [​IMG]
    Finally.
     
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  24. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
  25. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    oooooooh! that Japanese copy is sweet as! mouth watering
     

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