Re: [ARSCLIST] Recording Innovations

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel@xxxxxxxxx>
>  Most other companies recorded two, three, or more
> takes but they usually select one take as the primary approved take.
> Alternates get ISSUED by those other companies when something happens to
> the master of the primary approved take, there is a mistake in the
> factory, a leasing agreement with another company might provide them
> with alternates,  the thing is such a big hit they need more stampers
> right now and using an alternate will speed up the process, or years
> later when a new edition or a reissue is being done the guy in the
> warehouse sends the producer the better-looking less-worn master.  (When
> I congratulated Vince Giordano for finding and issuing Paul Whiteman's
> "Charleston" without the Chinese scat vocal on the Buddha "Time Capsule"
> CD, he admitted that, yes, the vault sent him the best looking master!)
Victor normally used the "best" take for issue...but "held" other presumably
"almost as good" takes as well. These were often used for later issues of 
the
recording, simply because they were in better condition than were the
issued takes; this resulted in never-before-heard performances finally being
made available...more or less "by accident!"

Meanwhile, CBS intentionally used alternates for re-issues; the labels made
it clear buyers were getting a "never before heard" performance on the
re-issue disc!

I don't know if Victor eventually figured out that they were to some extent
"sitting on a gold-mine" with their many alternate-take masters, and started
intentionally issuing those...or not...?!

Steven C. Barr