Hi Eric:

I don't have answers to all your questions, but some info. See below.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Nagamine" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2016 3:21 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] A couple of Mercury questions for Tom Fine


> Hopefully Tom can answer a couple of questions..
>
>
>
> 1.       I've been sorting through a deceased friend's collection and I
> noticed there were many different colored labels in addition to the normal
> Dark Plum or later Red labels. There's the common white label promo, but
> I've also found Pink, Green, Yellow and Gold labels in place of the normal
> plum or red labels on stereo SR series discs. Some say promo and some don't.
> Any significance in this? I know some of the early mono Mercuries have the
> Gold Label and I think so does the Civil War sets, but these are not those.
>
First of all see this, from the late Ron Pendorf
http://ronpenndorf.com/labelography3.html
Ron got his information directly from Harold Lawrence, so I assume it's correct. Ron doesn't address 
the green, pink and yellow labels I have seen from time to time. I assume they have to do with 
promotional or other uses. Ping me off-list with some deadwax info on those records and maybe we can 
figure out some things. One thing I can tell you  is that the non-glossy sleeves of early issues, 
even if they have color printing on the back, indicate an inferior pressing from Mercury's own 
Richmond IN plant. The best pressings, 1951 through about 1962, were done at RCA Indianapolis and 
have an "I" somewhere in the deadwax. What has surprised me is how bad the Richmond "for broadcast 
only" white-label pressings are! Those were supposed to be the best vinyl, for broadcast. The 
examples I have did not shine a nice light on the quality of Mercury's plant.

> 2.       Do you know if the Dorati/Minneapolis Copland 3rd in the most
> recent Mercury box has the uncut version of the finale? From what I
> understand, every recording from the late 50's on use Leonard Bernstein's
> cuts from the late 40's, even the 2 Copland led recordings.
>
I am not familiar enough with the work to know the answer. Here is a video said to be of that 
movement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZruGxBJwwg
BY THE WAY -- I can tell you that all the wow and flutter and distortion you hear in this lousy 
transfer DON't EXIST in the new CD reissue, thanks to Plangent Process. The work is available in Box 
Set 3 and as a 96/24 download from HDTracks. We also got a much more full sonic spectrum, thanks to 
Andy Walter at Abbey Road Studios. If there were enough potential sales, and thus interest from the 
corporate parent, I'd remaster all the mono recordings the way we did Copland 3rd.

>
> Thanks for any light you can shed on this.
>
You're welcome!

>
>
> --------------------------
>
> Eric Nagamine
>
>
>
>