The Laurie Records Story

I'm just checking to see if anyone has bought the Laurie Records Story that was reissued this month by ACE Records of the UK. I am curious about the sound quality. From what I hear, ACE is a very reputable reissue company, but I have never bought anything on their label before and wanted to get some opinions on this collection. Thanks in advance!

Jerry of Cincinnati

 

Hi Jerry, welcome to the Forum.

I don't have a new release but I do have the original ACE Laurie Story (CDCHD 933) from 1990 that's an excellent quality cd.

mud-

 

One other thing, I have quite a few ACE cds and none have disappointed me soundwise.

mud-

 

Me Too! and mine is turning BROWN from Cee Dee ROT! From our friends at PDO-UK! I have over a dozen BROWNING from that plant!

 

I agree. I have a ton of ACE Cee Dee's...The only one I can half complain about is the 30+ track Chiffons...Another BROWNING Cee Dee in my ACE collection...

 

Look on the bright side, Michael.....now you can buy the re-issue!


mud-

 

Same as the original issue? or is it remastered?

 

I dunno. Maybe Jerry can tell us.

mud-

 

Make a list of the cd's you have and write a letter to PDO in the UK requesting replacements. They may ask you to return your bronzing discs, but I doubt it. They replaced more than a dozen titles for me. While I got my replacements about 5 years ago, it wasn't that long ago that someone told me that they are still issuing replacements (when the re-press is still available).

I don't have the address handy but I'm guessing a google search would find it pretty quickly.

 

As far as I know, it's just a reissue. There was nothing in the information that I read about it being remastered. What are you guys talking about when you say the CD was BROWNING? I've never had that happen or even heard of it happening. What exactly takes place? Does the sound goof up too or is it just cosmetic?

 

Some of the early discs mfg by PDO turn "brown" or gold depending on how you wanna look at it. It's caused by some malfunction in the mfg process which cause the cds to oxidze. It's also called "cd-rot"

mud-

 

Yep, send 'em back Michael. They'll replace them if they can.

I sent some back several years ago and another batch just recently.

Here's the email I received from PDO recently:

"Thank you for your E mail

Please return your CD (CD only please no cases or booklets) along with a
covering letter plus full postal details and I will attend to the matter
asap

THe address is

PDO Helpline
Philips Road
Blackburn
Lancs
England
BB1 5RZ


Regards
G Taylor"


By the way if you have any Live On Mountain Stage CDs which have bronzed, forget it. They don't have any replacements in stock.

 

My only concern about recent Ace releases is that they have been MAXIMIZED. The early Golden Age of American Rock 'n Roll discs sound quite nice, but the later entries in this series are loud, loud, loud. The discs in this series were mastered by Duncan Cowell.

Hopefully this isn't the case with the Laurie comp.

 

I noticed that on the recent Ace "Land Of 1000 Dances, Volume 2" as well as "Teenage Crush,Volume 3",a few of the songs are so maxed out,there is very audible distortion. Hopefully, this is not a sign of things to come with Ace. Regarding the Laurie Records story, I also have the original pressing (which so far is not turning brown),and in my opinion, the remastering holds up quite well. It has what I feel is the best sounding version of "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons.

 

Can we assume the mono/stereo content hasn't changed, then? That was an interesting mix, with some stereo I wish had been mono, and some mono I wish had been stereo. It could have been updated to include the Dean & Jean, Bernadette Carroll and Royal Guardsmen tracks in stereo, for instance.

ED

 

ED, if yer talking the Laurie Story web info says it's a straight re-issue. I checked and the track listing is identical.

mud-

 

The track listing would be, but not necessarily the mono/stereo content. Time-Life was notorious for changing the 2nd pressings of some discs in several series they put out. Let's hope a straight reissue without a new mastering job is what this is. It was perfectly fine as is.

ED

 

Is The Balloon Farms A Question of Temperature on there? That's another one that I've been hoping to see in stereo someday. Ace is pretty good about using stereo when it turns up (witness the stereo Sonics tracks on Required Etiquette - mmmmmmm goooooood)...

 

Indy, here ya go:

1. I Wonder Why - Dion And The Belmonts
2. Teenager In Love - Dion And The Belmonts
3. Hushabye - The Mystics
4. Just To Be With You - The Passions
5. Where Or When - Dion And The Belmonts
6. We Belong Together - The Belmonts
7. Little Bit Of Soap, A - The Jarmels
8. Runaround Sue - Dion
9. Wanderer, The - Dion
10. Lovers Who Wander - Dion
11. Molly - Bobby Goldsboro
12. He's So Fine - The Chiffons
13. Heart - Kenny Chandler
14. One Fine Day - The Chiffons
15. Denise - Randy And The Rainbows
16. My Block - The Four Pennies
17. Tra La La La Suzy - Dean And Jean
18. When The Boy's Happy - The Four Pennies
19. Hey Jean, Hey Dean - Dean And Jean
20. Party Girl - Bernadette Carroll
21. I Wanna Be Loved - Dean And Jean
22. Goddess Of Love - Dean And Jean
23. Nobody Knows What's Going On In My Mind But Me - The Chiffons
24. Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl - Barbarians
25. Sweet Talkin' Guy - The Chiffons
26. Snoopy Versus The Red Baron - Royal Guardsmen
27. Return Of The Red Baron - Royal Guardsmen
28. Little Bit O' Soul - Music Explosion
29. Question Of Temperature, A - Balloom Farm


mud-

 

It is, but mono, as always. That might have been recorded independently, and Laurie purchased the master. Same thing happened when Columbia bought the Cryan' Shames early masters. The producers just mixed to mono and that was it--no multi-tracks were kept, so mono is all we're going to get there. Too bad, that Balloon Farm hit would be great in stereo.

ED

 

Mighty sporting of you mr. mud - I emailed Alec Palao awhile back and he didn't know if there was any new stereo added as he hadn't worked onnit...

 

Maybe someone in here will buy this gem and let us know.

mud-

 

Dave, They used SILVER instead of aluminum!!! Sucks!

 

Hi Ed,

You need to check these CD's out from Sundazed by the Cryan' Shames:

Sugar & Spice, A Scratch in the Sky

http://www.sundazed.com/artists/index.html

A Scratch In The Sky has a Stereo version of "Mr. Unreliable" - a different take, the Stereo mixes for 'It Could Be We're In Love", "Up On The Roof" and "I Was Lonely When" and the Mono 45 mixes for these three tracks.....

I have Sugar & Spice on order (All Mono, I believe)

I like the sound on the Legacy anthology as well...

Bob

 

Thanks for the info, Bob! SCRATCH will be worth it for the mono mixes alone...the Destination masters do seem to be mono-only, including what Columbia issued.

ED