Hey quick question, whats the differences between the mixes of “Land Of Make Believe” on the Vigil Deluxe edition?
There’s never really been an official “deluxe edition” of Vigil (only the fake dream one I posted here ). The only CD release is the Repertoire version with bonus tracks which doesn’t have LOMB. Here’s the posts that have the lists of all the known versions of LOMB and where to find them officially: The Easybeats: Album by Album Thread The Easybeats: Album by Album Thread
Drum reissue is mono, Italian single is stereo. Other mix differences as well, ie prominence of instruments etc. Neither available on "official" CD.
Just to add to what Jae said: The easiest way to think about LOMB is that there are two different edits that rearrange the structure of the song with one of them adding strings. And each of those two different edit has about 3 different mixes (mono, stereo and an alternate mono). So that's six different mixes all up! It's very confusing that the so many mixes make it past the keeper. Edit 1 (the regular version) Mix 1: Mono album mix - The Shame Just Drained CD bonus track, Vigil mono album version. This version is also on the Australian mono album and Good Times/Land of Make Believe single Mix 2: Stereo mix - Vigil stereo album version Mix 3: Mono mix (dry vocals) - unreleased until the Absolute Anthology LP and CD in 1980 Edit 2 (the strings version - re-edited to be verse 1, verse 2, coda 1, verse 1, bridge, coda 2, and coda 3 to fade.) Mix 4: Mono mix (single then double tracked vocals) - first released on the Drum version of The Best of The Easybeats Volume 2 (1975) Mix 5: Stereo mix - only available on the Italian single release of Land of Make Believe/We All Live Happily Mix 6: UK single mono mix (delay on vocals) - UK mono single of Land of Make Believe/We All Live Happily and the Very Best of The Easybeats CD
Thank you, I'm just putti Ty, I'm trying to put together a "complete" (what I can manage to get my hands on) set of Easybeats outtakes/rarities and just wanted to know what I should put on for this song because of the various mixes.
"come to the sunshine' radio podcast 2017-10-30 episode 122 did an easybeats special where there were great true stereo mixes of "Mandy" and "Baby I'm Coming".. .those 2 only previously available in acetate sound mono on the "shame just drained" LP/Cd. also played the Central Sound Studio Demos "moonshine and whiskey galore" and "Sweet Jelly Brown Is Swinging"not found anywhere else. an earlier easybeats "come to the sunshine" show he also did two other Central Sound Studio Demos. and finally there are still 2 unreleased studio tracks from their abandoned 2nd UK Lp that haven't been released...they are "Bad News" and "I Know It". ..one day hopefully they will see the light of day...William Small on Dec 30th 2019 contacted me through facebook and offered me an mp3 of both those tracks, but sadly he got very ill and passed away soon after.so I missed out... And finally there was also a private bootleg lp pressing (apparently only 20 copies...try finding that in a hurry) by an obsessive fan who somehow managed to tape some stuff from Alberts and put it on vinyl(much to Alberts horror... he was crazy enough to actually give them one as a present) ...on it were those 2 tracks mentioned above and 7 other early tracks from 1965. The bootleg lp was titled "steady on"and was really badly done as he used a cheap cassette recorder to copy it all , along with delayed rec button activation missing the opening notes of the songs at times. .somebody took part of it and transferred it to a bootleg cd called "steady on"(which is easier to find on the net) But as for easybetas tracks it contains just the 7 tracks from 1965 in poor sound. ..they are "The Bells","I Can Still See The Sun","Steady On","I Believe In You","Mama","I Need Your Lovin'","Nothin' Happens".
I forgot to mention that there are 2 different versions of "friends(who are my friends)" on the friends lp. The Uk version is true stereo and features Harry on vocals and the australian version is mono only and features George singing (slightly different arrangement). and there's a demo acetate that got put up on the easybeats facebook page that had George singing "What Becomes Of You My Love" instead of Harry whose version is on the friends lp and quite different arrangements between the 2 of them.
The two versions of 'Friends' are quite easy to find, but I never heard of another version of 'What Becomes Of You My Love' - could you give a link to the demo?
Back in part 1 of this thread it was said to avoid Repertoire's CDs of Easy and It's 2 Easy due to the annoying fake stereo. But are they really any different to the Alberts-CDs??? I have purchased Alberts-CDs of these two albums meanwhile but can't really hear any differences. After all they are also fake stereo! Btw I have compared to Repertoire's digipack reissues.
To be honest - there's no real prefect CD of the first three Easybeats albums. The Alberts are slightly less limited than the Repertorie discs. If I was going to list my prefered CD's, it would go: Easy - Albert Productions – 465263 2 - original master tape, processed in fake stereo It's 2 Easy - Albert Productions – 465264 2 - original master tape (found in the U.S. in the early 80's!), processed in fake stereo Volume 3 - Albert Productions – PMCO-7537 - suspected needledrop, processed in fake stereo. It's been long rumoured that the master tape for Volume 3 has been M.I.A. for decades. The Best of The Easybeats + Pretty Girl - Albert Productions – CDAX 701440 - Original master tape. The CD is pretty good. A flat transfer of the mono master, including the U.K. tracks (but with a stereo tape a machine judging by the sound). The Don Bartley 2013 is an honorable mention as the sound is much more detailed and in its source from a (then) newly discovered master tape (bar the 80's remixes if the U.K. tracks). However this one is limited for iTunes. If you like vinyl, then I'd STRONGLY recommend the RSD reissue also mastered by Don. Friday On My Mind - 1992 - Repertoire Records – REP 4162-WY - UK stereo mastertape. Although the cover says Friday... it's in fact Good Friday. Less limiting than the digipack version. Vigil - 1992 - Repertoire Records – REP 4240-WY - UK stereo mastertape. Less limiting than the digipack version. Friends - 1992 - Repertoire Records – REP 4278-WY - Less limiting than the digipack version. Needledrop with edits. The opening sax to "St. Louis" have been edited off and there is a skip in "I Love Marie" at 1:40 mins. The digipak has the skip fixed. The Shame Just Drained - 1993 Repertoire Records – REP 4304-WY - Australian mastertape. Less limiting than the digipack version.
IMHO the Sony CD of "The Best of The Easybeats + Pretty Girl" is better than the EMI CD. The Sony CD is a straight, unfutzed-with tape transfer, right down to the tape hiss, tape machine/splice clicks and gaps between tracks. The EMI has edits between tracks and, from memory, fades. Thus the Sony CD is most like the original vinyl release. Also, as PaulisDead points out, there are two different sets of Repertoire mastering. The original jewel case CDs from 1992 and the 2005-era digipaks. The 1992 masters (also used on the Aussie boxset) are the superior - less limited/compressed. I thought the digipak of Friends still had the skip?
I must of confused the EMI with the CBS. I was quoting a post made by someone else. I just checked and yes the 2004 digipak has the skip. I'm not holding out on a better version either. The CD boat has sailed and you can't even stream Friends in Australia.
Thank you, Paulis. That helps a lot. As for Volume 3, Repertoire did a needledrop in 1992 for their first (jewelcase) issue. They were sent the actual vinyl by Alberts who could not come up with a proper (master) tape. They DID have a tape though but that was damaged! Maybe that IS the master tape and no further copy exists. At least that explains why it wasn't reished together with Easy and It's 2 Easy. For the digipack reissue Repertoire either made a new ND or processed the old vinyl transfer. My source can't recall this precisely. However, I think the digipack does not sound too bad. There's lots of criticism here on the poor sound of Repertoire's Volume 3. But do people really mean the digipack or does everyone refer to the old 1992 jewelcase issue? See I can't put my finger on an original 1966 press, so would like to know whether it is really that preferable over the "current" digipack.
Both Remember Sam and Pretty Girl got their first release ca. 12/66 on F-United Artists 36106 UAE. I seem to recall there were thoughts here that Pretty Girl was only finished during the Good Friday sessions in Jan-Mar 1967. It was finished earlier.
No CD comes close to the original 1966 Volume 3 vinyl. Even the original CD release doesn't compare. The vinyl just has way more presence. That guitar ... Of the CDs I have them all and the original is the cleanest sounding, notwithstanding the processing.
That's pretty amazing, Paulisdead. Do you have any other details on this discovery? Was it covered earlier in the thread(s)?
So, many of us are familiar with EMI Australia's 1969 follow up to their 1967 "The Best Of The Easybeats" compilation. But what most people do not know is that what we got to hear in October 1969 was not exactly what Alberts and EMI had originally planned. The initial plan was to cash in on the band's return to Australia by releasing a hastily (and somewhat lazily) compiled selection of single sides that had been released in Australia since "Friday On My Mind", with a "brand new", contemporary single track added in for good measure. Not too dissimilar to what they did back in early 1967 with the first "Best Of" release. Alberts came up with an admirable selection of twelve tracks, albeit randomly sequenced across the two sides. The "new" single track was "Peculiar Hole In The Sky", a throwback to the previous year but familiar to listeners through The Valentine's very faithful cover. Presumably it was considered at that point as the best unreleased track in Alberts' vaults. However, just prior to pressing, Alberts became aware of plans from Polydor -- the band's new label -- to release locally an album of new recordings, also to coincide with the tour. Of course, it was not known at this stage by either Alberts or EMI that the new tracks were largely just a hodge-podge of demo recordings; Polydor was merely cashing in along the same lines as Alberts/EMI were planning to do! Regardless, the news made Alberts/EMI nervous, especially considering that their compilation reached back over two years into the band's back catalogue. There was concern that an album of new tracks would provide greater interest to buyers than a collection of old, largely moderate hits, if they could even be called that. Of course, it would not stop them from going down the same path that practically every record label does when they lose an artist - to put together a collection of whatever they could find, or had left, in order to thwart the success of a new label release. So, even more hastily(!), Alberts resequenced side one of the compilation to replace four previously released tracks with another four unreleased recordings harvested from their vaults. The acetate source of most of the recordings is evidence of the haste with which Alberts responded to the threat. Like "Peculiar Hole In The Sky", Alberts/EMI had hoped that listeners would be somewhat familiar with most of the new tracks -- three of the four had been covered by local artists over the previous 18 or so months -- and would want to hear the versions as recorded by their heroes. In parallel, one of the unreleased tracks -- "H.P. Man" -- was coupled with "Peculiar Hole In The Sky" as the new coincident single. It hit the streets on 25 September, two days before the band touched down in Sydney. Alberts/EMI's intention was for the album (and single) to hit the streets on 11 September but the decision to resequence side one delayed release by four weeks, seeing the album not released until 9 October, well after the band had touched down and commenced their tour. Alberts/EMI needn't have panicked though; Polydor's new album was also met with delays, with it not eventuating until well after the band's tour had ended. Listed here, for the first time, is the sequence as originally planned by Alberts/EMI: Good Times Who'll Be The One Saturday Night Falling Off The Edge Of The World The Music Goes Round My Head Peculiar Hole In The Sky (TT: 18:19) Hello How Are You Heaven & Hell Come In You'll Get Pneumonia Lay Me Down And Die Do You Have A Soul? Land Of Make Believe (TT: 18:06) You can still see this sequencing typed on the original EMI Acceptance Sheet... All tracks used the same mono mixes as those used on the original Aussie singles. And here is the original artwork, also impacted by the Polydor release. EMI redesigned the artwork once it became apparent that both it and Polydor were using the same promo photo (Polydor would also redesign their cover for the same reason, however, the original design is still largely intact on the Canadian release of "Holding On"). Arguably, the original sequence provides a stronger album and is more worthy of the "Best Of" tag. However, it was not to be. But you now have the sequence if you want to recreate the album as it *should* have been! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMER: The above story may or may not be true, who knows? But it is, IMHO, a completely plausible scenario. In any event, it's been an excuse for me to resequence the horrid "Best Of Volume 2" into what I think it *should* have been! I created this "fantasy" three years ago but never got around to posting it anywhere! For my copy I used transfers of the actual Australian singles, just to keep things completely authentic.
Would love to hear from anyone who can help me with needledrops of the Good Friday album (UK-mono and/or RSD). It's a bit too pricey for me to buy the vinyl but then I prefer CD or good NDs anyway. So anyone out there??? I also have a few more on my wants list, such as a good ND of the UK-45 Made My Bed mix. Just purchased the IT-Friday On My Mind album based on recommendations here, that it is a slightly better pressing than its US equivalent. Some friend of mine will digitize it as soon as I get it. Same goes for the RSD Vigil, which I just got...
I just got a copy of the Easy-LP on AUS-Parlophone PMEO-9484, the 1967 reish. It's either my ears who play tricks on me or it's the stereo cartridge I have, but this release sounds like it's been treated with a stereo effect already. Just like the much discussed 1980s release. Can any confirm this?
If it’s the Parlophone version, then it’s just stereo cartridge playing tricks (invest in a Y-cable - you’ll notice a massive difference in the sound). The Parlophones are mono. The fake stereo copies are on the Alberts label from ‘82 onwards.
The Encore PMEO reissue was first released in April 1969. Mono just like the original (uses same master).
Not sure about excellent sound quality. The 12 Inch Mixes was rumoured to have vinyl rips (and one song was erroneously duplicated), and I'm pretty sure Headlines and Early Morning Wake Up Call also did not come from master tapes. I think it would be good if Alberts put the whole catalogue out again in a consistent series. There are a couple of vocal parts on that album that don't sound like George. The verse of "War Games" springs to my mind, the entirety of "Psychos on the Street", the chorus of "Hey Jimmy". Might not be Stevie, of course.
The best hope now is for a reissue label to licence the albums from BMG (the current owners of the Albert Productions catalouge). If you've read this thread back throughout the years it's been going, you'll spot a theme of Alberts not really caring too much about CD reissues during the 1990's (the height of the CD boom!!!). They made a hopeful but brief effort in the early 2010's to set things right, but ultimately ended up selling the company to BMG. At least all tapes were donated to the NFSA, so we know they're safe.
