This is my third copy of this LP, and so far it's the most listenable of the lot. Still not great, even after two runs through the spin clean and heavy NR/EQ on the PC, but listenable. Used WEA Quadradiscs are kind of a crapshoot- I've gone through multiple copies of Alice Cooper's
Billion Dollar Babies and they're all noisy and distorted as well. It's a shame there was no Japanese pressing.
For those unaware, this is an entirely different quad mix than the version on the
British EMI SACD (that mix was originally released on
EMI SQ LP and
Q8 in the U.K. in 1972). This version appeared in the U.S. in 1974 on
Warner CD-4 LP,
Q8, and
quad reel-to-reel. I guess that would imply the British mix, credited to Peter Mew, was done first. As for why Warner didn't just use that for the CD-4 release, that's anyone's guess.
Some Mix Differences:
- The British mix is your typical SQ layout- fairly dry, with drums, bass and vocals upfront, and opposing instruments in each rear speaker (in this case keys and guitar). Solos pop up in various quadrants.
- This mix is much wetter- if you isolate the fronts or rears you can heard reverb from the instruments on the opposing side. Makes sense, as CD-4 is a discrete format and can handle reverb much better than SQ.
- The drums are spread over all four channels- I think the main kit is upfront and the cymbals/overheads are in the rears (?), but it varies from track to track.
- Bass guitar is usually isolated in the rears, matching other Warner quads such as the 4 Doobies mixes.
- Keys and guitar are generally isolated in each front speaker, while solos pop up in various quadrants.
- Opening guitar in "Smoke On The Water" is located left front, as opposed to right rear on the British mix
- The lead vocal in "Space Truckin'" is totally isolated in the rears- a bit weird, but interesting. If you flip front/rear it sounds almost like the U.K. mix
Personally I like the British mix better overall, but this is also quite discrete and well done. There are actually some aspects of this version I like better, for instance the high harmony backing vocal on the chorus of "Smoke On The Water" is in the rears, while it's buried in the front with the lead on the British mix. "Highway Star" has a neat delay effect on the lead vocal in the rears. The intro drums to "Pictures Of Home" sound much more expansive spread over the entire soundfield vs. confined to stereo in the front speakers on the British version. I could write a paper on all these mix differences...
This is one of my all-time favorite albums, so what a treat to have three different surround versions (U.S. Quad, U.K. Quad, 5.1 DVD-A) each with their own merits and drawbacks. Maybe one day we'll get some mega ultra box set with all the different mixes- the 50th anniversary is in 2022.
