Early Rock "Tinny" Sound

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by RhodyDave125, Feb 13, 2018.

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  1. RhodyDave125

    RhodyDave125 Streetwalkin' Cheetah Thread Starter


    I submit to you exhibit A and B:

    The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons

    LP, Album, Mono
    London Records LL 3499
    1967 US

    The Rolling Stones - Got Live If You Want It!
    LP, Mono, Album
    London Records, London Records LL 3493, LL-3493
    1966 US

    Original pressings, in my collection (Discogs). Sound tinny. My system is at least halfway decent - see my info.
     
    Mr_Vinyl likes this.
  2. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    I think ALL of the early Stones records sound tinny, and terrible. A lot of British rock records do. But that isn't "early rock". The British invasion is post early rock!
     
    zphage and sunspot42 like this.
  3. Vinyl Socks

    Vinyl Socks The Buzz Driver

    Location:
    DuBois, PA
    Got it. An earlier reply corrected me on that.
     
  4. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    In the 50s they still tried to make music and record it. By the 60s they started making "records". Natural timbre gave way to "effects" or a "sound".
     
    Hubert jan likes this.
  5. burntprairie

    burntprairie Forum Resident



    Every time I see this thread title, I think of this.
     
  6. Mr_Vinyl

    Mr_Vinyl Forum Resident

    I unfortunately don't have those, so I can't comment. Maybe someone who does can?
    I do, however, have a Canadian 70's press of Hot Rocks, and a US 80's press (digital remaster) of the same album, and the 70's one is waaaaarm and cuddly.
     
  7. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    I sort of thought that when I had a peek at your equipment profile, but you just never know ~ it's not unheard of for people with high-end equipment to rip everything, convert it to MP3 so that they can carry more of it with them.... hence my earlier question.

    Part of the problem for me is that the premise of your OP ( original post), and subsequently this thread, seems painting with a broad brush, "early rock", apart from comparisons with the music of the digital age, is still quite something of a bit of a mixed bag. If you were to examine my early rock collection, for instance, you'd find little there besides rich, full-sounding, punchy, very nicely textured and warm sounding recordings with a whole lotta frequency range and dynamics. Unless there is an historic or some other reason for my keeping something in my collection which I might describe in any way as substandard, I've tended to discard most of that which lacks "life in the grooves", and hang on to the recordings that are the antithesis of what you first described.

    Despite the open-ended remit, the thread works on an elevation of ideas.
    :righton:
     
    RhodyDave125 likes this.
  8. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    Do you know if Vic Anesini used the master tapes for other Elvis tracks that he mastered for CD, other than “Hotel”?
    It sounds like Vic is the one you want for the best sounding 50s Elvis. True?
    His work I have on other artists is very good
     
  9. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Well Elvis tape sources are widely varied there is no way I could say the 1st generation tapes are always used. In fact I am SURE they are not. In some cases the tapes are forever lost. Generally I like Anesini and I really like Kevan Budd. Kevan seemed to specialize in the 50s material.
     
  10. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    It's All Over Now sounds incredible, especially in stereo. But that was recorded in the US, at Chess I think. A lot of the early Stones records were recorded in America.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  11. Doug Sulpy

    Doug Sulpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I posted about that a few months ago, I think - I found an original 45 of "Heartbreak Hotel" (the one with "Mae Axpon" credited on the label) and it sounds FAR better than any version I've ever heard on CD. Since the last Elvis CD I bought was that SACD you mention, that makes perfect sense.
     
  12. Hubert jan

    Hubert jan Forum Resident

    Recording in the 50-ties and earlier did not use too much compression. All my R&R records sound lifelike and full. Reissues : many bad, added compression, EQ, even added reverb.
    When the ears are adapted to contemporary music/recordings pre sixties music can come as a shock, the originals are wonderfull, the aim in those years was HiFi, still something to go for.
     
    SKATTERBRANE likes this.
  13. Socalguy

    Socalguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    CA
    Early Stones album probably sound tinny and thin because their producer (Oldham) had zero previous experience as a producer and had no idea how to record them.
     
    seed_drill and sunspot42 like this.
  14. jjhunsecker

    jjhunsecker Senior Member

    Location:
    New York city
    They need to re-do that box set with the updated Anesini masterings
     
  15. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura

    Location:
    Virginia
    This reminds me of the soundtrack for American Graffiti. Oh man, it sounds awful. A great compilation, but with every song sounding worse than the one before it.
     
    seed_drill and hi_watt like this.
  16. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Who do you suppose was the first studio to not check a final mix over a typical dashboard or backseat speaker, once the custom got started...?
     
  17. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Mine says Axton - Dunham - Presley.
    So that’s a later one?
     
  18. Brian Lux

    Brian Lux One in the Crowd

    Location:
    Placerville, CA
    I'll tell you one thing-- the first time I ever heard Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" was at night, aired by a station that played the entire song, and listened to by me on my brand new little transistor radio that I got that day on my 14th birthday in 1965. The last thing I was concerned about was whether or not it sounded tinny. I was too busy having my mind blown open!
     
  19. jjhunsecker

    jjhunsecker Senior Member

    Location:
    New York city
    Funny, I have a friend who listens to all his music streamed to some small unit, and I told him it sounds just like a 1967 transistor radio
     
    troggy likes this.
  20. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    British Invasion is early rock. Before that is rock'n'roll.
     
    Hubert jan likes this.
  21. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    Pop music of the late 20th century was most commonly heard on transistor radios, tv sets, and cheap plastic phonographs so the limitation was in the playback equipment. Hmmm im no engineer but I'd divide this into eras... as always exceptions and trends and a grain of salt for my categories...

    50s to mid 60s heard but not felt... vocals or lead instrument out front..deep(but gentle) acoustic bass thumps, percussion heard not felt ... little richard, Chuck berry, early elvis, Leslie gore, early beatles, burl Ives holly jolly christmas... approximation of band sound restrained bass and drum sound.

    Middle to late 60s increasing more detailed percussion and bass with resrained volume, more intense electric guitar and keyboard sounds the doors, psychedelic rock, pop beach boys, Judy collins, motown, forever changes, the Byrds 8 miles high, mama's and the papa's California dreaming

    END OF 60S ...EARLY 70S..more natural straightforward drums bass... chicago 25 or 6 to 4 ... mirrors sound of live combo loud drums electric bass, amp distortion hendrix,who, stones, good sounding live albums, country rock with more organic bass mix...many pop songs still have a mid 60s sound with more detail bridge over troubled water

    Early to mid 70s high tech multi multi track proliferation.. prog rock, l.a. pop, disco, funk, James Brown, r&b, California country... Bass and drums become very present move to the fore or share stage with vocals lead instruments.. strings and horns surround distinct bands playing ... the spinners, James taylor, abba,led zeppelin physical graffitti.., bombastic reproduction is common, less left to the imagination.. the Eagles hotel California

    Late 70s to mid 80s... analogue reaches its peak ... deep bass... aggressive electronic production synthesizers
    Bee gees, British heavy metal, disco, prince 1999, Phil Collins in the air tonight, steely dan, pink floyd.. very powerful reproduction of percussion with reverb and ambience alongside strings horns, layered synthesizers with heavily amplied instruments...
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2018
    Panama Hotel and John B Good like this.
  22. polchik

    polchik Forum Resident


    this might be of some interest ….

    a nice selection of 'small amps producing huge tone' stories ….

    10 Huge Sounds Recorded on Small Amps



    1957 fender champ

    [​IMG]
     
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  23. The early CD's were kinda 'tinny' sounding because they didn't know how to master them . Records of the 50's and 60's were definitely NOT all 'tinny' sounding. The RCA Victor "New Orthophonic Sound" 78 rpm records of the late-50's were very dynamic and often sounded better than their 45 rpm counterparts. At least to me.
     
  24. Doug Sulpy

    Doug Sulpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
  25. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    Every time I see this thread title, I think of Aldous Huxley's philosophical essay,
    "The Doors of Perception ",
    first released as a book in 1954.
     
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