| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1346.1 | How to handle a major star poorly :==RCA | VEEJAY::ECTOR | Bush/Dukakis??? Give us a choice !! | Thu Oct 13 1988 18:08 | 38 |
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2 things about Elvis music on CD. If it's an old RCA single album
reissue, then expect less than half of the CD capability. In other
words, you're paying full CD price for usually less than 35 minutes
worth of music. A famous one for this is "Return of the Rocker"
which clocks in at 31 minutes.
The second thing is, beware of the digital transfers by RCA, which
may sound vastly different than what you're used to hearing on record.
It's not that these are bad, on the contrary, just different sounding,
i.e.; less depth, less echo effect, higher highs....all the bad
things about analog to digital transfer. Keep in mind the age of
the masters.
Personally, I only have one CD with Elvis music on it (the previously
mentioned "Return of the Rocker"), although I've heard the "Number
1 hits" & "Top Ten" compilations. Save your money & buy all the
remastered, mono originals on lp. These are all marked with a black
or gold paper band around the shrink wrap & state that they're
remastered AND remixed from the original mono tapes. These sound
impressive as hell and better than I remember them as originals.
If you're wondering why I got the one CD, it's because it had a
couple of songs (most notworthy is the 1:59 "Follow That Dream")
which had only previously been issued on EP's, long out of print.
RCA's big problem with Elvis reissues is that no one there knows
his music anymore, in either how to sequence it or how to package
it. RCA's Presley marketing has been & probably always will be tacky,
and downright greedy. I'm sure Col. Parker still has his greasy
fingers in the pie. Presley releases have never been for the fans,
but only for the money it could part them with. Unfortunate, but
true. If Elvis had ever paid attention or had ever had a say, it
may have been different.
The Cruiser
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| 1346.2 | what next | AYOV29::KIRKPATRICK | | Wed Nov 02 1988 04:36 | 24 |
| Around eighteen months ago RCA issued a double CD (45 tracks) "GHs"
compilation in the UK. Can't remember the name, I asssume its "Elvis's
Greatest Hits" or something equally original. It has a red cover.
It retailed in the UK at 15 pounds.
The previous note is correct about the sound. The track that I
found to sound very shallow was "suspicious minds" to the point
that I thought it was not the original. Still, I found the overall
package very enjoyable.
I believe that there is a single CD issued by RCA covering the Memphis
recording sessions including tracks like "suspicious minds", "in the
ghetto". These recordings were originally issued on two records. This
seems to show that RCA have hired someone with a little bit of "grey
matter" willing to group related tracks to produce a meaningful
album rather than shuffle a load of tracks to produce yet another
"GH", "best of", "golden greats" compilation.
On the other hand - some nut in RCA has deemed it necessary to issue
the "alternate aloha from hawaii" which is a recording of the
rehearsal. What next - "elvis whistles in the bath".
I.K.f
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| 1346.3 | why did they do this? | COMET::BERRY | Annie are you ok, Are you ok ANNIE! | Tue Dec 20 1988 02:47 | 15 |
| I have "Elvis" - 50 Worldwide Gold Hit - volume 1 - part 1 & 2 .
It's really strange, part one of the two disc set, is all in mono.
It sounds very shallow, but clear.
The second disc, part 2 of the same set, is all done in stereo.
It sounds wonderful! What a difference!
Suspicious Minds on that second disc, in stereo sounds great, as
do the rest of the songs on that discs!
Does anyone know why they couldn't add the stereo touch to the first
disc?
Dwight
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| 1346.4 | | LESLIE::LESLIE | | Tue Dec 20 1988 03:07 | 4 |
| Presumably because it was recorded monaurally and they decided not to
tamper?
Andy
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| 1346.5 | RCA stereo ? | AYOV27::KIRKPATRICK | | Tue Dec 20 1988 04:25 | 18 |
| Does digital re-mastering mean that it is 'easier' to separate sound,
and so produce 'quality' stereo.
I bought the G.H.s Elvis package after looking at the package info
to see if they (RCA) had left what was originally in mono, as mono.
I remember the earlier RCA re-issues, mostly on Camden vinyl, which
had originally been mono, became re-gurgitated stereo - and sounded
awful.
The Memphis package I mentioned in an earlier note consists of 23
tracks on one CD, but the packaging is absolutely terrible. I
would have thought that having issued a 'meaningful' set, RCA might
just have had the sense to give the recording dates, times, musicians,
etc. Instead its a write-up by someone giving, on the whole, a load
of irrelevant rubbish.
Ian K.
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| 1346.6 | | HELIX::CLARK | | Tue Dec 20 1988 11:42 | 15 |
| RE: .3
The version of 50 Worldwide Gold Hits I have (the complete 4-record
set) was programmed chronologically (in order of chart impact, not
actual recording dates). So the earlier sides would indeed be
difficult to render in decent stereo. RCA's previous rechanneled-
stereo versions of the early RCA hits sides didn't sound particularly
decent if you were already familiar with the original 45 releases.
Personally, I would rather have the sides recorded for mono kept in
mono, even if enough tracks were used to remix for true (hah!) stereo.
But I'm a known crank on this topic -- for example, I'm not at all
peeved, like practically everyone else, that the first 4 Beatles CDs
came out in mono (although I will grant that the stereo [per]versions
ought to be out there as well).
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