RHINO QUADIO batch #6 - Speculation Extravaganza!

[ForagingRhino]

I would absolutely love for Rhino to release both Spitfire and Dragonfly to complete the Quad(io) trifecta with Red Octopus! Here's hoping Foraging Rhino is taking notes re:the interest in these titles.

I am paying attention!

 

[kenm]

he may have meant Full Logic

Yes thank you.

 

[kenm]

Yes thank you.

 

[kenm]

Going way off topic (again)...I photocopied an article in Billboard (sometime in 1974) about the Tate SQ logic decoding system, if the Tate tech could have been brought to the consumer market in 1975, things might have been different and the transition to quad might have happened (the QSI-5022 CD-4 IC was talked about in 1973 and brought to market in 1974).

and now...back to the regularly scheduled Rhino Quadio Batch 6 speculation...


Kirk Bayne

Yes, you were right, not SQ, it was Full Logic. Wish I knew someone who had and a Tate decoder back then, I was still in school out of my price range. Would have loved to have known someone who had one to hear what it could do for all the SQ albums that I still have. Sorry for taking you off topic but was really resounding to another members post about disappointment with CD-4 decoder, the "background noise" on some album was so distracting. Thanks again.

 

[peloton]

I am paying attention!

Okay, I'll stop (or at least try to stop) belaboring the point. In all seriousness though, we appreciate the feedback, Steve - thanks.

 

[quicksrt]

Since our wish lists are being paid some attention to, I may as well say that I would not mind seeing Alice Cooper’s “Muscle of Love” getting a Quadio reissue. As I never thought that the AF SACD was that great. The horns didn’t really scream on the AF like they should imo. So put me down for that one along with the “Spectrum” reissue.

 

[gvl_guy]

The best part about all the Rhino Quadios is that they replace all those finicky CD-4 albums in my collection.

 

[par4ken]

Since our wish lists are being paid some attention to, I may as well say that I would not mind seeing Alice Cooper’s “Muscle of Love” getting a Quadio reissue. As I never thought that the AF SACD was that great. The horns didn’t really scream on the AF like they should imo. So put me down for that one along with the “Spectrum” reissue.

While I love that album I would rather get unreleased (on silver disc) quads first. AFAIK the AF releases were all flat transfers. Tweaking the equalisation a bit should help bring out the horns.

 

[par4ken]

Sorry for taking you off topic but was really resounding to another members post about disappointment with CD-4 decoder, the "background noise" on some album was so distracting. Thanks again.

Don't be sorry. CD-4 was very finicky, while a few people here swear by it, they were the lucky ones to be able to get near flawless playback.

For most CD-4 suffered the dreaded sandpaper effect on the inner groves or worse, I think what you are describing as "background noise" is the crashing distortion that you get as the carrier drops in and out. That made the record playable in stereo only. IMHO CD-4 was released too early before the hardware had been perfected. Myself I prefer SQ or QS but some labels insisted on discrete. With these Quadios we get to hear them as originally intended!

 

[quicksrt]

While I love that album I would rather get unreleased (on silver disc) quads first. AFAIK the AF releases were all flat transfers. Tweaking the equalisation a bit should help bring out the horns.

Have you expressed this position to those asking for the "Spectrum" quad being reissued?

 

[4-earredwonder]

I really think it would be wise for RHINO to release titles that have had no previous physical surround releases FIRST and then re~release titles that are now OOP like SPECTRUM [which has had two prior releases on DVD~A and SACD].

And then I mused that if SPECTRUM is re~released, give it an ATMOS remix!

 

[par4ken]

Have you expressed this position to those asking for the "Spectrum" quad being reissued?

No, I never purchased that title but my response would be the same! Lets get the unreleased quads out first!

 

[quicksrt]

No, I never purchased that title but my response would be the same! Lets get the unreleased quads out first!

So you singled out my post on Alice Cooper only. ok.

 

[par4ken]

So you singled out my post on Alice Cooper only. ok.

No, why so sensitive? I've said the same thing before about other titles, most recently Carly Simon "No Secrets". And by the way I thought that I said that I love "Muscle of Love" but we already have it so lets move on other unreleased titles first!

I would like to see it released at some point.

 

[steelydave]

Does anyone really think that Craig Anderson (for Rhino) and Gus Skinas (for AF) have discernable "signature" mastering styles that would make a Quadio reissue of Muscle of Love a compelling buy? In my opinion, both of these gentlemen have primary expertise in the areas of tape transfer and authoring (for different formats) and whatever mastering work they do is incidental to that, more from a "quality control" perspective than a taste one.

All of the AF SACD quad layers that Skinas was credited for involvement with sound to my tin ears to be pretty close to flat transfers (for better or worse, and I think some fall in to both categories) with minimal sonic intervention, and I wouldn't say that the Rhino Quadio releases thusfar (which I'm overjoyed to be getting) stray too much from that approach.

So having said that, if you're Rhino, given the niche appeal of the Quadio line, do you really want to take a chance on reissuing a quad mix that several thousand of your prospective buyers already own on SACD? Spectrum is one thing, given its status as a catalog evergreen and one of the great fusion albums of all time, and the fact that AF in its death throes clearly underestimated the demand for (and this is borne out by the prices it fetches on the secondary market), but a reissuing a dud album with no hit singles like Muscle of Love when there are dozens of other (better) choices seems like folly to me.

I'm only one guy - and I would hope that a major corporation doesn't base its decisions on what one person says on the internet - but if Warners has 50 quad mixes (and I hope it's 100, or 150) in the vault I would hope that they put out every single one of them before they make Muscle of Love (or the handful of other WB titles that AF did) release number 51.

 

[par4ken]

Does anyone really think that Craig Anderson (for Rhino) and Gus Skinas (for AF) have discernable "signature" mastering styles that would make a Quadio reissue of Muscle of Love a compelling buy? In my opinion, both of these gentlemen have primary expertise in the areas of tape transfer and authoring (for different formats) and whatever mastering work they do is incidental to that, more from a "quality control" perspective than a taste one.

All of the AF SACD quad layers that Skinas was credited for involvement with sound to my tin ears to be pretty close to flat transfers (for better or worse, and I think some fall in to both categories) with minimal sonic intervention, and I wouldn't say that the Rhino Quadio releases thusfar (which I'm overjoyed to be getting) stray too much from that approach.

So having said that, if you're Rhino, given the niche appeal of the Quadio line, do you really want to take a chance on reissuing a quad mix that several thousand of your prospective buyers already own on SACD? Spectrum is one thing, given its status as a catalog evergreen and one of the great fusion albums of all time, and the fact that AF in its death throes clearly underestimated the demand for (and this is borne out by the prices it fetches on the secondary market), but a reissuing a dud album with no hit singles like Muscle of Love when there are dozens of other (better) choices seems like folly to me.

I'm only one guy - and I would hope that a major corporation doesn't base its decisions on what one person says on the internet - but if Warners has 50 quad mixes (and I hope it's 100, or 150) in the vault I would hope that they put out every single one of them before they make Muscle of Love (or the handful of other WB titles that AF did) release number 51.

While I agree with much of what you are saying I find that I must now defend "Muscle of Love". "Teenage Lament '74' was a hit from the album albeit a minor one. When I rescued my first copy from the cut-out bin, I recognised the track immediately. It should have been a huge hit as it's much better than all of the singles from "Billion Dollar Babies". Rating albums on the basis of "hit singles" is a very poor way to do so! I traded in Muscle of Love when I got the CD-4, I traded or sold the CD-4 when I bought the Quad reel. I now regret not keeping the stereo (or the CD-4) copy with the novelty cardboard sleeve!

For better or worse the AF releases are AFAIK flat transfers while the DV, Sony and Quadios appear to all have a bit of so called "smiley face" equalisation. There have been numerous posts on the subject. Not a big deal IMHO, just use your tone controls to taste the same as salt and pepper!

As for "Spectrum" while I've heard it I was not impressed enough to purchase it. As a Quadio In a bundle I certainly would. Do we need it right now given the previous releases I don't believe so! BTW I would rather see "Muscle of Love" come out before "Spectrum".

 

[JediJoker]

For better or worse the AF releases are AFAIK flat transfers while the DV, Sony and Quadios appear to all have a bit of so called "smiley face" equalisation. There have been numerous posts on the subject.

This has been my impression as well.

 

[fredblue]

While I agree with much of what you are saying I find that I must now defend "Muscle of Love". "Teenage Lament '74' was a hit from the album albeit a minor one. When I rescued my first copy from the cut-out bin, I recognised the track immediately. It should have been a huge hit as it's much better than all of the singles from "Billion Dollar Babies". Rating albums on the basis of "hit singles" is a very poor way to do so! I traded in Muscle of Love when I got the CD-4, I traded or sold the CD-4 when I bought the Quad reel. I now regret not keeping the stereo (or the CD-4) copy with the novelty cardboard sleeve!

For better or worse the AF releases are AFAIK flat transfers while the DV, Sony and Quadios appear to all have a bit of so called "smiley face" equalisation. There have been numerous posts on the subject. Not a big deal IMHO, just use your tone controls to taste the same as salt and pepper!

As for "Spectrum" while I've heard it I was not impressed enough to purchase it. As a Quadio In a bundle I certainly would. Do we need it right now given the previous releases I don't believe so! BTW I would rather see "Muscle of Love" come out before "Spectrum".

Sony Japan and Quadio maybe but there's absolutely no way someone the calibre of Michael J. Dutton would use a "smiley face" EQ on anything, ever.

 

[quicksrt]

While I agree with much of what you are saying I find that I must now defend "Muscle of Love". "Teenage Lament '74' was a hit from the album albeit a minor one. When I rescued my first copy from the cut-out bin, I recognised the track immediately. It should have been a huge hit as it's much better than all of the singles from "Billion Dollar Babies". Rating albums on the basis of "hit singles" is a very poor way to do so! I traded in Muscle of Love when I got the CD-4, I traded or sold the CD-4 when I bought the Quad reel. I now regret not keeping the stereo (or the CD-4) copy with the novelty cardboard sleeve!

For better or worse the AF releases are AFAIK flat transfers while the DV, Sony and Quadios appear to all have a bit of so called "smiley face" equalisation. There have been numerous posts on the subject. Not a big deal IMHO, just use your tone controls to taste the same as salt and pepper!

As for "Spectrum" while I've heard it I was not impressed enough to purchase it. As a Quadio In a bundle I certainly would. Do we need it right now given the previous releases I don't believe so! BTW I would rather see "Muscle of Love" come out before "Spectrum".

Exactly, was a hit album and had a true but minor hit single. and I never said I wanted Muscle of Love before the other essential unissued or reissued quad masters in the vault. I'd just like to see MoL come out in the series at some point is all.

The truth is the this Alice Cooper album is no more a dud than Stromringer is. They both were certified gold in the US (not bad for a dud), and maybe never reached platinum which was quite unusual for both artists in the prime years of the 70's.

Spectrum was an unissued quad mix. It no longer has the status, but still has some demand at retail I'd expect.

 

[quicksrt]

Sony Japan and Quadio maybe but there's absolutely no way someone the calibre of Michael J. Dutton would use a "smiley face" EQ on anything, ever.

There are times when it is actually absolutely necessary.