Four Seasons: no audiophile grade remasters? why?

The only group from my days of spinning 45's on a turntable bought from Woolworths that never went high end. I enjoy my multiple Rhino and Ace compilations, but I'm missing high quality audio to go along with every other of my favs from the 60's. So, why no audiophile grade mixes and masters from this one time singles super group?

 

They seem like more of a Sundazed kind of project than a MoFi (though some of those Sundazed albums sound great). Which is to say they were more of a singles group than an album act. Also do they have their masters? If not, I wonder if the whereabouts are known, given the state of the Vee Jay and Phillips catalogs.

 

good question, you'd think at least a hits comp would have made the bins.
my Time Life comp isn't bad, but it could be better.

 

Steve, just 'surviving tapes' tells me something happened to the originals? On those cds, better than the Rhinos which are brighter IMO, it just seems what's on the masters would be better, for instance, my mono 45 of Rag Doll just kicks every version on cd I've heard, and I can make mental adjustment since most cds are stereo, but I just assumed those original masters weren't lost....

 

Big reason, many of the master tapes are missing in action. Plus, they recorded in long defunct studios, like Bell Sound and Stea-Philips, the tapes were stored at the latter (Bell Sound) and for labels which were defunct. These missing master and session tapes is why these recordings often sound less than ideal, many a Four Seasons hit from the Vee-Jay and Philips era sounds today on CD like they came from high generation or less than ideal source tapes. The Four Seasons tape library is in less than ideal condition. Unless good fortune intervenes, and missing tapes turn up, and in usable condition, this won't get better. I suspect many of the available tapes from their sound are 2nd or 3rd generation or higher at best from what the available CD issues sound like.

 

Problem here, is that single master may well be missing in action or in unusable condition.

 

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What more do I want? let me think.. A bit of noise reduction and some audio restoration for starters. Plus some detailed background on what Inglot says is "the only surviving tapes". In the Four Seasons 25th Anniversary edition, I believe Inglot stated that the best sounding tapes were used and that's why it's a coin toss as to mono vs. stereo masters being used on that compilation.

And no matter how careful Inglot and Ken Perry mastered these "surviving'' tapes, that was 25+ years ago and technology has moved on. New masters could do wonders, but we'll never know if there's little more to what we want then putting up with what is already a quarter century old.

But what do I know. I'm not a real audio engineer like yourself, I only play one on TV.

 

Great overview of the Four Seasons' tape story. It explains a lot and is a fascinating story on it's own. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

Noise reduction can't cure lack of lower generation, better quality, source tapes. All the technology in the world, can only do so much when the source tapes are only of such quality. Remixes can't be done most likely since there likely aren't multitrack masters to remix from. The best you or I can do is what is extant, or hunting down clean original Philips and Vee-Jay LP and 45 RPM discs in the best condition we can find.

 

I thought Ace's “EDIZIONE D’ORO” was supposed to be, er, well, the Gold Standard for Four Seasons on CD.

Lots of Mono on that set, whereas, IINM, Inglot used almost exclusively Stereo (not ideal for Four Seasons) -- at least he did on his Rhino 2-CD set.

But nothing can touch the Mono 45's (though I think that's usually the case for 60's acts).


EDIT: I was actually typing my "45's" comments at the same time as McLover posted the same opinion.

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I agree, Ace's Edizone D'Oro is the best available CD of what we have for Stereo sources. And agree heavily that the Mono 45 RPM singles are the best Four Seasons mixes of the hits we know and love.

 

yeah, the wide stereo saps the power but did sound cool on vintage console systems

 

Please, no.

I know zinging the Inglot is the in-thing to do, but those old Rhino CD's are made from the only tapes that exist. The later Jersey Beat box was an improvement for a few tracks, but no amount of expensive technology is going to improve what's on those tapes. It's a miracle we have some of the Vee-Jay sides on tape at all. Life is short. Enjoy the music.

 

I'm not in town at the moment to check but I thought the 3 CD box set that came out last was mostly mono up to a point on the first CD and maybe into the second.

 

I want them in MONO! The mono mixes are vastly superior. I have the few that were released on CD.

Most copies of The Four Seasons on original vinyl are fairly beat up. Half (or more) of them ended up in people's basements or garages and got moldy.

 

I have the following, although I've never opened it (I'm almost afraid to, to be honest!)

The 4 Seasons-Super Audio Best-Hybrid Stereo SACD|Acoustic Sounds

 

^^^

Same company did an SACD on Nancy Sinatra (I own that one as well and again, it remains sealed!)

Nancy Sinatra-Super Audio Best-Hybrid Stereo SACD|Acoustic Sounds

 

I've got this, as it was recommended on this forum : The Four Seasons - Edizione D'Oro

 

Nice!
I've have it's 1969 US counterpart 2x33, I need to to give it a revisit Myke
The 4 Seasons* - Edizione D'Oro (Gold Edition)

 

Even if the correct masters were all accounted for... There are few original Four Seasons albums that are solid enough to scream for audiophile treatment. Nor is there enough demand.

They could do a hits collection if they had the masters. But they don't

 

I made my own compilation CD-Rs from vinyl ages ago so I'm good (I can't resist collecting reasonably priced vintage singles... Gentrys, Gene & Debbe, Don Williams/Pozo Seco, Everleys, Miriam Makeba, Cowsills, Bill Haley, New Colony Six), but often wondered myself, especially with the success of the Jersey Boys show/movie, why no super deluxe reissues? The only albums I have are the Phillips collections of singles (Gold Vault ones and More Hits), partly because I'd run into them a lot and found some really sharp condition examples. Oh, just remembered I do have the 'Genuine Imitation Gazette' LP, a concept album of sorts... it might be a good place for a label to start on an as good as can be got quality reissue if it has to be albums.

 

I have my dad's Phillips greatest hits vol 1 and 2 Nd they sound like crap (not because they are worn). My Rhino greatest gits is my go to but

 

Again, what is the official statement on the masters? What exactly is extant? Sessions masters? Album safety masters? etc.

 

Wow! Cool. I'll try to track down a copy. If I can afford it.