Tom/Mike,

In regards to Everest, I've spent part of my time lately trying to work out some of the legal/financial aspects of our Classic Records license.  What we've decided to do is to begin and release these ourselves, but the titles not yet released by Classic Records will initially be available on CD (at least) via Amazon's Disc on Demand service.  Not ideal, but Lutz is beginning to continue the re-mastering/digitization process from the original tapes begun by Classic (and he wasn't always impressed by their results).  I'll try to keep you apprised of the status of these as they are released.  We hadn't really envisioned doing these on our own while Classic was involved (having Bernie Grundman do the mastering, etc.), but I guess we'll be taking this over.

Mark 

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
Sent: September-13-11 1:02 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Everest UK reissues

Hi Mike:

If I remember correctly, Rippe was transferring the films for Madacy. So what then happened? I never saw any reissues from them except for that Beethoven cycle, which was from an old digital master made from tape.

I'm not sure how Rippe lined up a 4-track head since the Everest films were 3-track, but there is a good bit of latitude in that format due to the large guard bands between tracks.

As I understand it, Bernie Grundman did have a restored Westrex machine to do the Classic Records reissues. He seems to have made digital transfers of 3-track and also a 3-2 mixdown. The LPs were from a 3-2 mixdown, said by Classic to have been done in the analog domain. Classic sold DVD-Audio discs that had 3-track and 2-channel stereo versions of the material, plus an accompanying 2-channel audio CD.

From what I've been told by former archive folks at Polygram and then Universal, any of those 35mm masters from that era (Everest, Mercury, Command) suffer from varying degrees of vinegar and shrinkage. All of the still-existing Mercury film masters were reissued on CD in the 1990's, and some of that playback was difficult even with the forgiving Westrex transport (the Westrex drive has small sprocket wheels and thin sprocket pegs, so it can play through a moderate amount of shrinkage as long as it's uniform and the film can rest flat against the head). Another 15 years of aging, and the only solution nowadays is probably playback on those sprocket-less transports that also hold the film firmly against the play head. I doubt there's any will to invest in that kind of effort.

Anyway, if Rippe did transfer film masters, are there plans to reissue those titles on CD?

BTW, I've been surprised to pick up Everest records pressed in California long after the original company went out of business. This was from that iteration of the brand based in Los Angeles. Some of those records appear to be re-presses from original masters or metal parts since they have the same deadwax inscriptions in the same handwriting. Also same cover art, but not the fancy silver-foil covers with the cardboard pull-out sleeve.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gray, Mike" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 11:42 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Everest UK reissues


> According to Lutz Rippe, the classical engineer at Countdown Media in Hamburg, Bernie Grundman 
> used a vintage Western Electric 35mm
> transport, which had problems reproducing some of the Everest films, while Rippe himself had a 
> 4-tr transport that played them just fine.
>
>
> Mike Gray
>