Suggestions for Dutton Vocalion Multichannel SACD Releases

[bmoura]

I love that question Brian, now if some insider here could just let loose and answer that one question, that would a special day here at the QQ. I'm sure that the answer would change depending on each title in question.

You are correct. The answer varies by artist and often by album. And that is the case for both Stereo and Surround reissues.
Unfortunately, many of the answers/stories are shared only under the promise of not being discussed in public.

 

[sjcorne]

I can't see Columbia mixing EVERY OTHER O'Jays album to Quad EXCEPT the one that went Platinum and had TWO Gold Singles. There's no way they were that incompetent.

As much as I'd love to be proven wrong, I think it's another example of the label hedging their bets on the follow-up album (Ship Ahoy) for quad rather than going back and remixing 'older' product. Hence we have flop titles like Johnny Nash's My-Merry-Go-Round and Redbone's Beaded Dreams given the quad treatment rather than the hits.

 

[roundhousequad]

MAC DAVIS -
All the Love in the World. Columbia PCQ-32927 (SQ), CAQ-32927 (DQ8)
Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me. Columbia PCQ-31770 (SQ), CAQ-31770
(DQ8)
Burnin' Thing. Columbia PCQ-33551 (SQ), CAQ-33551 (Q8)
Stop & Smell The Roses. Columbia PCQ-32582 (SQ), CAQ-32582
(DQ8)
Thunder in the Afternoon. Columbia PCQ-34313 (SQ), CAQ-34313
(DQ8)

 

[Q-Eight]

As much as I'd love to be proven wrong, I think it's another example of the label hedging their bets on the follow-up album (Ship Ahoy) for quad rather than going back and remixing 'older' product. Hence we have flop titles like Johnny Nash's My-Merry-Go-Round and Redbone's Beaded Dreams given the quad treatment rather than the hits.

Oh I understand that. Yet on the other side, we have some big name acts like Santana or Chicago, where after initially releasing the current albums, they went back to remix the earlier albums later in 1973, '74 and '75. Seeing as how The O'Jays were Columbia's top Soul Group, they may have gotten the same treatment - taking into consideration that virtually every other album of theirs appeared in Quad be it disc, tape or both. I just have this sneaking suspicion that there's a LOT of albums from 1972 (or, what I've sometimes called, "the truncated 31xxx series" of Columbia Quad releases) that were prepared, but by the time they came around for release, either other albums took precedence at time of manufacture or too much time had passed since the initial stereo release.

Maybe I'm clinging to a glass doorknob. But, I had always dreamed of having Edgar Winter's White Trash in Quad only for two songs.... fast forward a few years and there it was!
It was prepared but for whatever reason, never released. I'm speculating entirely, but I get the impression that Columbia wanted to start off their Quad program with the most recent album by Edgar Winter (which would've been They Only Come Out at Night) and then White Trash simply was forgotten about.

It's possible. And think on the bright side, if it WAS mixed to Quad, then you get the album on SACD and you won't have to clean up the mess when I explode.
That's a win-win if I ever heard one.

 

[4-earredwonder]

All good candidates, although I'm not sure that Universal/EMI has the rights to War.

Was Barleycorn ever mixed for Quad? It does sound good on SHM-SACD albeit 2ch.

According to the Quadraphonic Discography, Traffic's John Barleycorn was never remixed for QUAD and yes, Linda, the SHM~SACD does sound fantastic.

 

[4-earredwonder]

During the Quad Era, the labels were often mixing and releasing the latest albums by an artist or group vs. their back catalog.
That is the more likely explanation as to why certain hit albums were not mixed and released in Quad.

Today, the question is would the cost of pulling tapes and remixing into Surround Sound plus the artist and label guarantee payments pencil out for a reissue label to revisit an album not originally mixed into Surround Sound.

As per your second query, Brian, we are getting remixed surround albums in 4.0, 5.1 and even a few in Atmos from current artists and long ago releases. IMO, they do afford an album a new lease on life if done correctly [older albums] but I just wish since they've gone to all the trouble they spend less on packaging and more on creating DEFINITIVE HI RES REMIXES insteading of giving us lossy codecs.
A troubling trend is giving us a Stereo Hi Res 96/24 remaster and a 5.1 DTS/DD lossy 5.1 remix. SUCH A TEASE, IMO, and kind of ridiculous since one could probably purchase the stereo hi res remaster from one of the many HQ download services BUT NOT A HI RES 5.1 remix!

Dutton Vocalion's approach to releasing brilliantly remastered QUAD/STEREO SACDs in no frills packaging with some very classy/authoritative newly minted liner notes should be a blueprint for ALL TO BEHOLD and their prices are still unbelievably more than fair in today's reissue market.

 

[Larry Geller]

According to the Quadraphonic Discography, Traffic's John Barleycorn was never remixed for QUAD and yes, Linda, the SHM~SACD does sound fantastic.

It was announced and advertised.

 

[4-earredwonder]

It was announced and advertised.

Hopefully, the original analogue masters still exist [somewhere] and I'm sure we'd all be gratified if D~V could have access to them for a definitive SACD QUAD release, Larry.

 

[Eggplant]

We now have all four Earth, Wind and Fire's with the two brought by Audio Fidelity and that is very cool.

We do?

Other than the one track (“Shining Star”) in The Collection, nothing from “That’s the Way of the World” or “Spirit” has been released digitally that I know of.

Edit: My apawlogies. Seems somehow DV slipped this one past my aging eagle eyes.
How’d that happen?

Simple:
Don’t no one never tell me no kinda nuthin’.

Now where’s that dang MasterCard ...

 

[bmoura]

It was announced and advertised.

Announced and advertised doesn't always mean it was mixed in Surround Sound.
True both in the Quad and SACD and DVD-A days.

 

[fredblue]

Oh I understand that. Yet on the other side, we have some big name acts like Santana or Chicago, where after initially releasing the current albums, they went back to remix the earlier albums later in 1973, '74 and '75. Seeing as how The O'Jays were Columbia's top Soul Group, they may have gotten the same treatment - taking into consideration that virtually every other album of theirs appeared in Quad be it disc, tape or both. I just have this sneaking suspicion that there's a LOT of albums from 1972 (or, what I've sometimes called, "the truncated 31xxx series" of Columbia Quad releases) that were prepared, but by the time they came around for release, either other albums took precedence at time of manufacture or too much time had passed since the initial stereo release.

Maybe I'm clinging to a glass doorknob. But, I had always dreamed of having Edgar Winter's White Trash in Quad only for two songs.... fast forward a few years and there it was!
It was prepared but for whatever reason, never released. I'm speculating entirely, but I get the impression that Columbia wanted to start off their Quad program with the most recent album by Edgar Winter (which would've been They Only Come Out at Night) and then White Trash simply was forgotten about.

It's possible. And think on the bright side, if it WAS mixed to Quad, then you get the album on SACD and you won't have to clean up the mess when I explode.
That's a win-win if I ever heard one.

White Trash is such an interesting one! it got as far as a catalogue number and sleeve being depicted on the inners to some early Japanese CBS SQ LP releases but seemingly never came out, or its just so scarce nobody's produced evidence of a copy the last 48 years.. and via those Robin Reels we subsequently discovered it was mixed in Quad twice and yet still never made it out!!

 

[fredblue]

MAC DAVIS -
All the Love in the World. Columbia PCQ-32927 (SQ), CAQ-32927 (DQ8)
Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me. Columbia PCQ-31770 (SQ), CAQ-31770
(DQ8)
Burnin' Thing. Columbia PCQ-33551 (SQ), CAQ-33551 (Q8)
Stop & Smell The Roses. Columbia PCQ-32582 (SQ), CAQ-32582
(DQ8)
Thunder in the Afternoon. Columbia PCQ-34313 (SQ), CAQ-34313
(DQ8)

i'd buy all those in a heartbeat! it'll never happen but i'd love to see DV do a Quadio style set of all 5! wouldn't that be something

 

[PmikeK]

Shaft?

 

[fredblue]

Shaft?

oh yes! we're long overdue a good Quad Shaft-ing!

the other Stax Quads (Isaac Hayes Live At The Tahoe, Joy, Tough Guys & Truck Turner and The Staple Singers' Be What You Are) are similarly wonderful in Quad! i'd love DV to do them all.!!

not sure who DV would have to negotiate with now in order to licence them? are these albums under Concord's auspices?

 

[Q-Eight]

White Trash is such an interesting one! it got as far as a catalogue number and sleeve being depicted on the inners to some early Japanese CBS SQ LP releases but seemingly never came out, or its just so scarce nobody's produced evidence of a copy the last 48 years.. and via those Robin Reels we subsequently discovered it was mixed in Quad twice and yet still never made it out!!

And don't forget that the Lauro Nyro "Eli and the 13th Confession" was mixed for Quad THREE times and still left in the can!

 

[fredblue]

And don't forget that the Lauro Nyro "Eli and the 13th Confession" was mixed for Quad THREE times and still left in the can!

mind = blown!!

this is the kind of thing that gives me hope about your 31xxx theory.

 

[fredblue]

post 2...

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/unreleased-quadraphonic-mixes-known-to-exist.27241/

 

[Quad Linda]

Fizzywigs, you invoked the name of one of my favorite EMI Quads: BABE RUTH!

Some great originals. Great covers of Stax classic Private Number, Fistful of $$$$, and Curtis Mayfield's We People Who Are Darker Than Blue.

You NEED it!

Here's 2ch mix of the entire thing from You Tube (I recommend starting at 13:30 and listening to We People, Jack & Private Number tracks 4, 5, & 6)

 

[humprof]

@steelydave's revelations this morning about previously anonymous mixing engineers--

We also had access to the quad master tape boxes and pilfered them for every extra bit of information about studios, engineers, and recording/remix dates we could find.

--got me wondering if D-V might use the web to give us more visuals than what they're able to include in the booklets. I'm ready to hear that Sony (or whoever) would simply never allow it, but wouldn't it be great to see photos of tape boxes and session logs, high-res album art (possibly including the original jackets, gatefolds, and liner notes), etc., etc.? I'm sure there's some industrious elf--or intern--who could do the scanning.

 

[The Rang]

Linda, Babe Ruth is an excellent idea, great band that most people have never heard of