Two November releases from ERIC Records

The two thumbs up on this forum is all I need to influence me to buy these CDs without reservation!

 

Bob Lovely, the clairvoyant Gort!!

 

I grew up with the sped-up 45, and I have it already on one of the Dick Bartley "On The Radio" CDs by Varese Vintage, a very overlooked, sometimes ignored, and sadly OOP series. The version on Steve's MCA Vintage Music CD just doesn't do it for me.

 

That's funny you should mention that Vintage Music CD. That's the version I'm more familiar with. When I first heard the mono 45 on that Dick Bartley CD it kind of shocked me cause it sounded too fast to me. I like it better now of course. Speaking of classic "hit" 45's, does anyone know where I can find the mono 45 mix of Roy Heads' "Treat Her Right"? I've never been crazy about the stereo mix of that track and I love the mono version but haven't been able to find it on CD.

 

Ace UK Chartbusters USA, Vol. 1

http://66.232.131.72/cgi-bin/SearchCatNo.asp?intSite=1&strProdID=CDCHD722

The Mono "hit" version has horn overdubs...

Bob

 

That is the one I'm looking for. Thanks Bob!!!

 

It's also on that Beg, Scream, and SHOUT! box from Rhino that is OOP. You can find it used.

Jeff, i'm surprised you don't have that box! It's fantastic!

 

Grant, I did actually buy it, but I kept getting copies where one of the discs skipped in the same place!! On Ike & Tina Turner's "A Fool In Love" to be exact, skipping across 3 or 4 other tracks!!! After three attempts I got fed up and bought something else. Now unfortunately, it's out of print.

 

The pitch of "Bend Me, Shape Me" was speeded up to match the original Acta 7" single, which we used as our reference source.

 

Thanks for clearing that up Tom.

 

I told 'ya!

Bob

 

Thank you again, oh wise one!!!

 

I told ya too!

 

Thank you too, oh wise one!! Please don't think I wasn't trying to give you props also Brother G..

 

Both collections sound good, but I was really hoping for a stereo "Keep on Dancing" by The Gentrys. Even the 1963 original by The Avantis has been in stereo.

 

I'm guessing that the multitracks(if it was even recorded that way) for "Keep On Dancing" must no longer exist. I've never heard a stereo mix of this song. Wasn't this also a track that was first released on a small indie label before getting picked up by MGM for national distribution?

 

"Keep on Dancin'" was originally released as a single on Youngstown 106, and sounds like a "garage band" record, anyway. Many songs that started out as "indies" have never been mixed to stereo: "Incense and Peppermints" comes to mind, but so does "Time" by the Pozo-Seco Singers and many of the hits Dot purchased from the original indie guys, like "Wipeout." If a multitrack tape HAD existed at MGM, it certainly doesn't now. Polygram junked whatever Mercury & MGM multitracks they had and just kept the finished "production masters," explaining why so many Connie Francis songs on the Bear Family box sets sound so bad. There aren't any session tapes to go back to for remixing.

 

That, and the fact the entire "Keep On Dancing" album was mono(well, rechanneled on the 'stereo' edition), and was kind of muddy sounding to begin with. That's the mystery to me: why the whole album's mono, since it isn't likely they recorded an entire Lp's worth of music before they got a contract with M-G-M. On the other hand, unlike the major labels, sound quality was not a big issue at M-G-M: you'd be hard pressed to find a more successful '60s label with such an erratic range of sonics, from very good to very bad. Part of this was probably the fact that they didn't have recording studios of their own, as RCA, Columbia and Capitol did; a lot of indie work, they pretty much just used the masters they were given and didn't raise hell over mono-only stuff, let alone care about multi-tracks. The irony is that Val Valentin got credit on every MGM/Verve album as being the 'director of engineering,' and one wonders how he could possibly get such a credit, when there was nothing to supervise except the regular rechanneling of non-stereo sources....

 

Yes, "Keep On Dancing" was a licensed master, but plenty of licensed masters have turned up in stereo.

Of course, the likelihood of that happening now is pretty low.

Oh Well. i'm sure it will sound as good as it ever will on the upcoming ERIC package. Tom, what did you have to work with? Same tape as the "45s on Cd" release in the 90s?

 

Thanks for the info Tom. "Keep On Dancin'" is a great record regardless of how it sounds. I love that period from 1960-66 when lots of "garage band" records became big hits. The unpolished performances and sonics are part of their charm.

 

I just ordered the two of these. Thanks for the heads up, can't wait to spin em'.

 

I'm quite happy with both discs, even though "Whiter Shade Of Pale" seems to be a synch-up of the backing track in mono and the mono hit version, but well-synched. I'm guessing the same was done with the Troggs song.

 

I've got the Dick Bartley disc direct from Eric (Bill Buster) and I'm well pleased with it. The mix of The Israelites is different to that which I've had previously, and I like it.

Definitely worth buying!

 

I have been grooving to the "Sweet Soul Sounds" CD since Friday. What a great mix of big hits and obscurities.
My favorite discovery is "I'm The Lover Man" by Little Jimmy Williams. Also, the longer, stereo remix of "Expressway To Your Heart" by The Soul Survivors is outstanding. Since the mono mix is out there on dozens of CDs, it's nice to have a stereo mix to enjoy for a change. I've heard the nearly five minute stereo version of "Expressway", and I have to give Tom Daly and Mark Matthews a big thumbs up for being able to match up the edits to the single mix. It's also a pleasure to have "Trapped By A Thing Called Love" by Denise Lasalle on CD. That is probably the biggest hit single to never previously appear on any US CD, excluding the Cameo Parkway masters.
Sound quality is top notch all around. Hopefully, there will be a volume two somewhere down the road.

 

I can attest to the fact that "Love is All Around" was remixed from a 2-track source, although my partner Mark Mathews actually did the remix of that and "Whiter Shade of Pale." How the Procol Harum mix was done wasn't something we discussed. I listened to it, gave it my stamp of approval, and mastered it with the rest of the tracks on the CD.