MCA Vintage Music Series

[Dan]

I picked up Volumes 1-10 of the MCA Vintage Music series mastered by Steve on Ebay a few weeks ago for $25. Boy do I like this set!

The bonus for me is that it contains a song I heard on a syndicated oldies show, and couldn't find anywhere because I must have wrote the name down wrong! It wss Billy Stewart's "Summertime".

Steve, if you could do some more compliations concentrating on the 60's and 70's that would be GREAT!!!

--Dan

[MikeD]

Was that you? You're lucky, I let you take that set home. :D I'm only missing 1 volume, so I decided to pass.

Mike

[Dan]

Well, If that's the case......Thanks!

I used to see those MCA CD's everywhere, and of course when I actually wanted to buy them they were nowhere to be found.

--Dan

[Andrew]

Some of Steve's best work, imho.

[Larry Naramore]

Originally posted by Dan
I picked up Volumes 1-10 of the MCA Vintage Music series mastered by Steve

--Dan

Hi Dan,
Can you tell me if Eve Of Distruction is noisy at the beginning?
Larry

[Grant]

Yes, "Eve Of Destruction" is hissy with other noises. Terrible engineering too. I guess Steve did the best he could.

[Dan]

Yes, I hear things on a couple of cuts "Eve" is one of them. Doesn't bother me. If that's what the original tape sounds like so be it.

[Evan L]

Steve,

I bought all of the "Vintage Music" CD's you did in the mid-80's for MCA. I have a few questions about them.

1)Who chose the tunes? If it was you, there were some inspired choices(i.e. "Eve Of Destruction" along with it's answer, "Dawn Of Correction").

2)Were ALL of the songs mastered from the original tapes? There's a few that sound a little dodgy(specifically, "Sealed With A Kiss").

3)Was it your choice to make a few of them not quite the original versions(i.e. "Born To Be Wild" with the long jam/cold ending; that was great!)

Again, I loved this series. Thanks for bringing it to us.
By the way, I worked at a radio station then, and used these versions on air, instead of the regular discs. The P.D. asked what I was doing when I played your "Born To Be Wild"!!

Thanks,
MatrixMan

[Steve Hoffman]

To answer your questions:

I chose the tunes for all 20 volumes.

All songs were mastered from the best versions I could find at the time. "Sealed With A Kiss" is from the master mix.

Since I used the best versions tonality wise that I could find, if a song ended cold instead of a proper fade, I used it. I wouldn't do that today. I would have given it a proper fade out.

[Dean De Furia]

Steve, the cold endings are what give that series it's charm! It's like being in the studio. Why not do it again?

[Michael]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
To answer your questions:

I chose the tunes for all 20 volumes.

All songs were mastered from the best versions I could find at the time. "Sealed With A Kiss" is from the master mix.

Since I used the best versions tonality wise that I could find, if a song ended cold instead of a proper fade, I used it. I wouldn't do that today. I would have given it a proper fade out.

I'm glad you left the cold endings in. :) I love those little extras.

[Bob Lovely]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
To answer your questions:

Since I used the best versions tonality wise that I could find, if a song ended cold instead of a proper fade, I used it. I wouldn't do that today. I would have given it a proper fade out.

Steve,

I appreciate having the unique and pure versions! I still listen to those CD's very often.

Bob :)

[Michael]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
To answer your questions:

I chose the tunes for all 20 volumes.

All songs were mastered from the best versions I could find at the time. "Sealed With A Kiss" is from the master mix.

Since I used the best versions tonality wise that I could find, if a song ended cold instead of a proper fade, I used it. I wouldn't do that today. I would have given it a proper fade out.


Steve,
Another question? Why would you do things differently today?

[Steve Hoffman]

Michael,

With 1380 posts you don't know? :)

I hate "history tampering", I hate engineers playing God. That's what I did with this series on some of the songs. I was going for sound quality instead of the correct hit version. Granted, everyone loves it. But if these were the ONLY versions available, then no one would ever realize that "Born To Be Wild" faded out on the hit, or that "Sally Go 'Round The Roses" had several layers of overdubs missing, etc....

[Michael]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
Michael,

With 1380 posts you don't know? :)

I hate "history tampering", I hate engineers playing God. That's what I did with this series on some of the songs. I was going for sound quality instead of the correct hit version. Granted, everyone loves it. But if these were the ONLY versions available, then no one would ever realize that "Born To Be Wild" faded out on the hit, or that "Sally Go 'Round The Roses" had several layers of overdubs missing, etc....

Steve,
Now with 1381 posts I finally know:laugh: Rather than make an assumption, I went to the source. Thanks Steve!:)

[Grant]

Steve, what i've always wondered about was "Dizzy". the tape you used sounds a bit more like the 45, except that it has reverb on the opening snare hit. Only the mono master has a dry intro. But, overall, the one on the Vintage CD sounds like the single. The only way I could get the sound of the 45 was to get the 45.:( These days it seems that all you can on CD is a stereo mix with the reverb in the wrong places. They must have made many mixes of that song.

Not a question, just a comment.

[chip-hp]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
To answer your questions:

I chose the tunes for all 20 volumes.

You have excellent taste ... "Mr." Hoffman ... I bought a used copy of 'Vol. 7 & 8' 10 or so years ago for $3.99 ... what a deal ... and "discovered" The Radiants 'Hold On' ... what a great song ... I don't know how I missed this one the first time around in 1968 (Bob - if this isn't on your 1968 list ... it will be on mine).:)

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally posted by Grant
Steve, what i've always wondered about was "Dizzy". the tape you used sounds a bit more like the 45, except that it has reverb on the opening snare hit. Only the mono master has a dry intro. But, overall, the one on the Vintage CD sounds like the single. The only way I could get the sound of the 45 was to get the 45.:( These days it seems that all you can on CD is a stereo mix with the reverb in the wrong places. They must have made many mixes of that song.


Grant,

I'm trying to remember. It was a long time ago. I think there was a "greatest hits" stereo mix and a album stereo mix. I can't remember which one I used, but I liked one better than the other stereo mix. By that time all the mono versions had been dumped, so I only had the "Oldies 45" copy to use as a reference point.

[Grant]

I sure wish I could go back in the time machine and save all those mono tapes!

[Bob Lovely]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman

I hate "history tampering", I hate engineers playing God. That's what I did with this series on some of the songs. I was going for sound quality instead of the correct hit version. Granted, everyone loves it. But if these were the ONLY versions available, then no one would ever realize that "Born To Be Wild" faded out on the hit, or that "Sally Go 'Round The Roses" had several layers of overdubs missing, etc....

Friends,

The following link should further detail Steve's view points:

www.netassoc.net/dougspage/Interviews.htm

Bob

[Mike V]

Now Steve, why is it you only mastered volumes 1-10? Had you left MCA by that time, or were there other projects on your plate? Inquiring minds.....

[Steve Hoffman]

I left, and someone else did the mastering of the second 10. Doug Schwartz, I think.

[CT Dave]

The first five "Vintage Music" CDs were among the first CDs I bought. It is nice to have some alternate mixes to enjoy, since many of the songs on that series have been reissued over and over since then. The variations in the mixes is one of the things that make that series unique.The only song on the series that is probably less enjoyable than the hit version is "Sweet Little Sixteen" by Chuck Berry. This track is much slower than the hit version,because the single master was apparently sped up considerably. The local oldies station still plays the "Vintage Music" version of "Sweet Little Sixteen".Apparently no one at the station realizes it's at the wrong speed.

[Steve Hoffman]

Well, I remember that the "Chipmunk" version sounded really crappy to me so I used the "real" version.

Now I would speed up the session tape a bit to the "hit" speed.

[Larry Naramore]

On "Eve Of Destruction" why is the beginning so nasty sounding? I don't have the disc handy so can't elaborate. :(