I do not have 'golden ears' and I would expect your judgement to be better than mine. I have recently upgraded my system and will listen again to the two versions of 'Tabor'. However, the difference of opinion here is really between Mark Obert-Thorne and yourself. With respect, his reputation is second to none. Any comments from other parties would be most welcome. Steve Abrams ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Fine" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 4:34 PM Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops question) > Well, to each their own. The critics did not agree with you in most cases. > The Mercury mono reissue CD's sold very well worldwide and are now > available again as a 4 or 5CD (forgot which) set, all the Kubeliks. I > personally greatly prefer the CD's to the original LPs (which we have > excellent-condition copies of). Again, everyone's entitled to an opinion. > I'll grant you that the master tapes were over 40 years old in 1996, but > it was amazing how they played back OK. The LPs noisy surface may mask > some of the limitations of tape, machine and microphone. > > If the "Tabor" is what I heard, we have very different opinions. I heard > all sorts of digital artifacts, obvious tape degradation and a > non-realistic stereo pickup. But again, to each their own. > > -- Tom Fine > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Steve Abrams" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 10:18 AM > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops > question) > > >> What I am saying is that the Mercury Living Presence CD issued in 1996 of >> "Ma Vlast" does not sound good. I remember the LPs sounding better >> though I only had them on a cheap reissue in the UK on the Wing label. >> The stereo issue of "Tabor" that I know came out last year on Music & >> Arts and was restored by Mark Obert-Thorne. It sounds much better than >> the mono version. >> >> Steve Abrams >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Tom Fine" <[log in to unmask]> >> To: <[log in to unmask]> >> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 3:02 PM >> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops >> question) >> >> >>> Hi Steve: >>> >>> Thanks for the RCA clarification. It was the same set of sessions I >>> thought but different works. >>> >>> Yes, Bert Whyte was permitted by Mercury to bring his 2-track >>> Magnecorder and place a pair of U-47 mics at the Kubelik session. Some >>> of the tapes were issued on a small label CD in recent years and sound >>> terrible to my ears. Could be the tape is deteriorated, could be the >>> playback or transfer equipment wasn't good. Could be the engineer didn't >>> properly line up the staggered tracks, etc. They definitely over-used >>> digital noise-zapping tools so there are digi-artifacts galore. I >>> imagine the tapes sounded better when they were new and played back on >>> that Magnecorder. >>> >>> Bert's tapes were a personal experiment. Never intended for release. Not >>> particularly praised or lauded by the professionals involved in the >>> session. In fairness to Bert, this was pioneering in many respects, as >>> was his pioneering use of magnetic film recording for Everest. Bert >>> wrote a really nice column for Radio & TV News in 1956 about the day he >>> was invited to the studio to hear the first Mercury 3-track tapes that >>> were ready for release. He was treated to a full-monty 3-speaker >>> extravaganza. >>> >>> -- Tom Fine >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Steve Abrams" <[log in to unmask]> >>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 8:18 AM >>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops >>> question) >>> >>> >>>> Not quite. The Munch Damnation of Faust in February 1954 was recorded >>>> in stereo but only issued in mono. Something happened to the stereo >>>> tapes. The Reiner recordings of Heldenleben and Salome's dance were >>>> recorded on March 6th. Zarathustra came two days later on the 8th. >>>> However - and you should be able to shed some light on this - some >>>> stereo recordings were made by Bert Whyte at the December 1952 sessions >>>> of the Chicago Symphony recording Ma Vlast under Kubelik. 'Tabor' >>>> recorded on December 6th has recently been issued on Music and Arts in >>>> a transfer by Obert-Thorne. The very unpleasant overload distortion on >>>> the Mercury Living Presence mono set, very evident on the CD issue, is >>>> not evident in the stereo version. >>>> >>>> Steve Abrams >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: "Tom Fine" <[log in to unmask]> >>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 12:10 PM >>>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops >>>> question) >>>> >>>> >>>>> I'd be interested to know what's on them and who released them. I do >>>>> not believe you'll find that they are in fact 2T stereo. They are >>>>> likely half-track (2-sided) mono. If they are stereo, it would be very >>>>> interesting to know who put them out as in 1952 only a few people were >>>>> experimenting with 2-channel stereo recording of music. No major >>>>> labels yet, although I believe RCA started making 2T masters in 1954 >>>>> or even 1953 -- I think Zarathustra with Reiner was the first 2T >>>>> session. >>>>> >>>>> -- Tom Fine >>>>> >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>> From: "Jack Palmer" <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 12:29 AM >>>>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops >>>>> question) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> I bought my first 2 track tapes for my reel recorder/player in the >>>>>> Base Exchange in Sidi-Slimane, Morocco in 1952. I still have a >>>>>> couple of them in fact. Jack >>>>>> >>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>>> From: "Tom Fine" <[log in to unmask]> >>>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>>>> Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 9:40 AM >>>>>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] commerical reels history (was Boston Pops >>>>>> question) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> Ampex developed their own, was developed by Leon Wortman in NY and >>>>>>> detailed in a 1951 Radio & TV News article. Wortman's line made >>>>>>> full-track or half-track tapes. Commercial half-track tapes were >>>>>>> available as early as 1951 or 1952, but there was only a very small >>>>>>> consumer market for reel to reel machines at that point. > Because >>>>>>> this was a new format sold at a premium price, a lot of QC attention >>>>>>> was paid by the reputable companies in this era, so the net quality >>>>>>> is very high. Akin to what happened when stereo LPs came along. >>>>>> . >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> No virus found in this incoming message. >>>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >>>>> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.0.0/751 - Release Date: >>>>> 07/04/2007 22:57 >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> No virus found in this incoming message. >>> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >>> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.0.0/751 - Release Date: >>> 07/04/2007 22:57 >>> >>> >> > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.0.0/751 - Release Date: 07/04/2007 > 22:57 > >