Left Banke: There's Gonna Be A Storm vs Sundazed CDs

OF COURSE NOT...

 

One thing I know is that "Walk Away Renee" was assembled by the original producer from two separate vocal takes, using bits and pieces of both. Bill Inglot had to listen to both over & over to figure out where the edits were.

 

IMO, WAR sounded good, but very metallic...

 

Just so we're clear, the only remixes on TGBAS are the songs from the first album. 11 of the 26 tracks.

 

Unfortunately, I've the tendency to dig out records by artists whom I've admired and just recently heard of their passing....

Previous to purchasing this "There's Gonna Be a Storm" comp, I only had a copy of the original stereo LP and the "Walk Away Renee" single.

This is the rare instance, IMHO, in which the remixes have indeed superseded the original mixes. The remixes for the first LP tracks are very "thoughtful," as it were, and actually only enhance the beauty of those cuts without trying to "modernize" anything.

I don't have the Sundazed reissues to comment or compare, but this comprehensive 1992 CD really delivers.

 

This Bam Caruso CD has the original mixes but with unclipped intros, right? Missing a track or two, though*. I have this, the "...Storm" CD and the Sundazed reissues on vinyl (which I'm ashamed to say I haven't got around to listening to yet; I'll remedy that today). (*actually, just realized this is wrong - both the original albums are on here; it's the LB version of "Men are Building Sand" which is absent).

 

Anybody know anything about the WAR/Too twofer on Red Cap? I thought this was maybe an unofficial release...

 

Some great news for fans of The Left Banke and related projects. I'm very happy to report the upcoming release of The Beckies, Michael Brown's post-Left Banke power pop group. Real Gone Music will be releasing this CD on October 9th, 2015.

• The Beckies Were the Last Significant Musical Project for the Late, Great Michael Brown (Left Banke, Montage, Stories)

• Their One and Only Release, a 1976 Self-Titled Album, Is a Bona-Fide Power Pop Classic

• Perfect for Fans of Badfinger and the Raspberries

• Reissued with Liner Notes by Jeremy Cargill and Lyrics

• Worldwide CD Debut for a True Cult Favorite!

Real Gone Music answers the pleas of power pop fans worldwide with the first-ever CD release of this classic one-off album from The Beckies, the group led by Michael Brown of Left Banke, Montage, and Stories fame. Brown made a career out of melding classical motifs with rock, but here—on what would turn out to be the last project to which he made a significant contribution—the focus is definitely more on the latter. The Beckies fits right on the shelf with your Badfinger and Raspberries records, full of catchy tunes that in another era would have had a chance at significant radio play, but 1976 was the height of the disco craze, and therefore it sunk without a commercial trace. A quick search online, however—there are about four solid pages of blog posts about the album—quickly confirms cult classic status for The Beckies, here reissued with notes by Jeremy Cargill and lyrics. Long overdue reissue and worth the wait!

SONGS:

1. Right by My Side (Etude)

2. River Bayou

3. Midnight and You

4. Fran

5. Other Side of Town

6. Song Called Love

7. Can’t Be Alone

8. River Song

9. On the Morning That She Came

10. One of These Days

11. Run Jenny Run

 

Man, I just went back to compare since I hadn't tested 'em with my new DAC and speakers. Woof. Still TGBAS by a mile. If ever there were bands that made a case for remixes The Left Banke and The Monkees are it. (Not The Beatles though. Diminishing returns for them.)

 

how did the Sundazed CDs sound? still as bad as they do?

 

did you pick this up? if so, how is it?

 

Isn't the single mix on Hard To Find 45's On Cd, Vol. 6?

 

Yes. Or at least bad in comparison to the Rhino release. My DAC leaves nowhere to hide and that mix and/or mastering...ye gads!

 

yes, I thought so...the Sundazed really suck! too bad I wanted to love them.

 

It could be, but I don't have that CD.

 

Hi Michael, The Beckies CD is an excellent disc and I recommend it in addition to the original vinyl. The mastering on this CD is tasteful IMHO, so the only negative aspect I found was the lack of bonus material. The album itself runs at just a little over 30 minutes and would've benefited from bonus tracks. Singer Scott Trusty recorded other songs with Michael Brown which should've been included in this release. Also, Real Gone could've sought the participation of Scott Trusty, perhaps by having him autograph copies for the limited pre-order as they've done with reissues by so many other artists. With great songs from start to finish, The Beckies album should've been a huge hit.



Scott Trusty (sunglasses) is directly behind Michael Brown

 

thanks so much for the information...

 

The original mixes just sound like complete crap. They always have and they always will. However, rolling off all of the high end didn't exactly help matters.

You can argue whether or not Bill's remixes get the balance and imaging right, but they are so much better than the original mixes sonically it's not even funny.

 

so much different I was floored when I did the comparison...the original tapes could not have sounded that bad! it was all Sundazed fault in the mastering...IMO. geez, they sounded like bootlegs, bad ones...

 

It's actually a combination of bad mastering and bad source in regards to the Sundazed version. I tried transferring LP's and re-equalizing all of the CD versions (including the Sundazed), and it's a futile exercise. I believe that Bill has also stated that he prefers not to remix but in this case he had to because the original mixes sounded so poor. I believe him.