Quincy Jones 'Body Heat' - new HDTracks 24/96 is SQ-encoded quad

[steelydave]

So I noticed this pop up online recently, and I took the plunge because my old A&M CD from the '90s is really muddy.

Listening on headphones, right from the opening notes of Body Heat, something didn't seem right - the lead vocals were too low in the mix.

I spent about a month restoring a copy of the Q8 of this album with Neil Wilkes about 10 years ago, so I know the quad mix of this album like the back of my hand. So I go and check Buffalo Soldier and Boogie Joe, both of which have hi-hat parts that circle around the room in the quad mix, and on headphones I can hear them moving left to right, so this definitely isn't the stereo mix, where they remain static.

Having A/B'ed the remaining tracks with my old stereo CD, I was 100% sure it was a different mix, every track was markedly different, and now thanks to a friend with a Surround Master, I can confirm without a doubt that it's the SQ encoded quad master.

I found it on HDTracks, but presumably UMG have released this to all the hirez and streaming sites, so you should be able to find it everywhere. The dynamic range has been slightly compressed, but it's still DR11 and sounds good.

https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/6008b194f08b3e5a17bf3de2
For me personally, this is a pretty big revelation because I presumed that all of A&M's quad masters perished in the UMG vault fire. It does raise a lot of questions though:

Why did they use this tape? By accident, or are the stereo master tapes no longer with us?
If a SQ-encoded master exists, does a discrete 4-channel master exist?
Are there digital downloads/streams of other A&M albums that have mistakenly used the SQ quad masters?

AND MORE.... (to steal a line from the HDTracks weekly release emails)

 

[4-earredwonder]

So I noticed this pop up online recently, and I took the plunge because my old A&M CD from the '90s is really muddy.

Listening on headphones, right from the opening notes of Body Heat, something didn't seem right - the lead vocals were too low in the mix.

I spent about a month restoring a copy of the Q8 of this album with Neil Wilkes about 10 years ago, so I know the quad mix of this album like the back of my hand. So I go and check Buffalo Soldier and Boogie Joe, both of which have hi-hat parts that circle around the room in the quad mix, and on headphones I can hear them moving left to right, so this definitely isn't the stereo mix, where they remain static.

Having A/B'ed the remaining tracks with my old stereo CD, I was 100% sure it was a different mix, every track was markedly different, and now thanks to a friend with a Surround Master, I can confirm without a doubt that it's the SQ encoded quad master.

I found it on HDTracks, but presumably UMG have released this to all the hirez and streaming sites, so you should be able to find it everywhere. The dynamic range has been slightly compressed, but it's still DR11 and sounds good.

https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/6008b194f08b3e5a17bf3de2
For me personally, this is a pretty big revelation because I presumed that all of A&M's quad masters perished in the UMG vault fire. It does raise a lot of questions though:

Why did they use this tape? By accident, or are the stereo master tapes no longer with us?
If a SQ-encoded master exists, does a discrete 4-channel master exist?
Are there digital downloads/streams of other A&M albums that have mistakenly used the SQ quad masters?

AND MORE.... (to steal a line from the HDTracks weekly release emails)

What a GREAT find Dave and a Great album at that. Wonder if Shane Buettner over at Intervention Records would be interested in releasing this as a QUAD SACD since he's been releasing several sterling Stereo SACDs from the A&M label in recent years?

 

[sjcorne]

I see a 96/24 version of Joan Baez's Come From The Shadows was issued on the same day (1-24-21)--maybe they used the QS-encoded master?

 

[Simon A]

What a GREAT find Dave and a Great album at that. Wonder if Shane Buettner over at Intervention Records would be interested in releasing this as a QUAD SACD since he's been releasing several sterling Stereo SACDs from the A&M label in recent years?

In order to avoid anyone having illusions on this subject, here's what Shane said about such a proposition on SH.tv (post #2300):

I will NEVER do multichannel albums. Barking up the wrong label for that.

 

[4-earredwonder]

In order to avoid anyone having illusions on this subject, here's what Shane said about such a proposition on SH.tv (post #2300):

I will NEVER do multichannel albums. Barking up the wrong label for that.

OMG, Simon, SUCH VITRIOL towards SURROUND! Wonder if Michael Dutton would be interested? D~V does have a relationship with UMG, after all! Perhaps Dave can put in a good word with Mr. Dutton!

Even IMPEX Records which has produced a few Stereo/Mono SACDs saw the light and released their very first Multi~CH SACD, Patricia Barber's HIGHER!

 

[4-earredwonder]

And as we speak, steelydave is busy scribing authoritative liner notes for not only Quincy Jones' BODY HEAT but WALKING IN SPACE [if the SQ or CD~4 masters are located] Would make for a GREAT D~V two fer!

LOL!

 

[fredblue]

And as we speak, steelydave is busy scribing authoritative liner notes for not only Quincy Jones' BODY HEAT but WALKING IN SPACE [if the SQ or CD~4 masters are located] Would make for a GREAT D~V two fer!

LOL!

"Walking In Space" was only released as a Q8 so i don't imagine there would be an SQ or CD-4 master but its a lovely idea

 

[surround.sound.enthusiast]

In order to avoid anyone having illusions on this subject, here's what Shane said about such a proposition on SH.tv (post #2300):

I will NEVER do multichannel albums. Barking up the wrong label for that.

I read a few pages into that thread, looking only for posts from Shane Buettner from #2300 onward. Yep, he is not supportive of surround sound, unless it's barely even present (what's the point then?). But hey, everyone's got opinions. We've got ours which is why we're here. Dutton Vocalion is still our hopeful when it comes to quad reissues!

"Walking In Space" was only released as a Q8 so i don't imagine there would be an SQ or CD-4 master but its a lovely idea

There is always Mellow Madness which had a CD-4 version...

 

[Fourplay]

Sounds like it's time for an Intervention with Shane Buettner!

On a side note, is there a way to extract a waveform and look at it in Audition and verify whether something has SQ or QS encoding? If so, could someone post a sample and indicate the telltale signatures? That would be cool!