I've dug out my minty pink promo copy of Jean Carter 'like one' on USA Decca and the sound is rather distorted. Like muffled and trebled. And even the flip side 'that boy ain't no good' suffers the same fate. It looks like a real clean Ex++ copy. It sounds like it could be covered with a veil of "grease" like some NOS stored in warehouses get through the years, but it's not the case. Anyone out there has the same ? Or not the same !

Yes mine was the same...looked near mint but sounded otherwise just as you describe. I think all/most of the US issues are like it and some of the pink demos, remember reading somewhere. What a voice though!

old thread on the subject here...

 

 

Edited March 14, 20169 yr by Scotters

I've had a couple of the pink label promos - both were poor sound

OK, I've browsed through the two previous topics (2006-2008) on the very same subject thanks the links provided by 'macca'. I believe we can now forget about finding a proper copy since they all (stockers and promos) seem to suffer the same fate from a bad/faulty master-plate issue at the pressing plant. I'd have wish for a bad run of pressings instead  but it doesn't seem to be the case...

3 minutes ago, tlscapital said:

OK, I've browsed through the two previous topics (2006-2008) on the very same subject thanks the links provided by 'macca'. I believe we can now forget about finding a proper copy since they all (stockers and promos) seem to suffer the same fate from a bad/faulty master-plate issue at the pressing plant. I'd have wish for a bad run of pressings instead  but it doesn't seem to be the case...

...does make one wonder then....on what was it played on back in 1972....can't recall it being muffled.....well no more than any other record at the time lol !!....My copy does sound muffled................................

7 minutes ago, jez jones said:

...does make one wonder then....on what was it played on back in 1972....can't recall it being muffled.....well no more than any other record at the time lol !!....My copy does sound muffled................................

My Ex looking pink demo muffled too. However do agree with above, don't recall this sounding bad when regularly played (for my history 75/76)

I had a black stock copy way back in the 70s played perfect no distortion.

5 minutes ago, jez jones said:

...does make one wonder then....on what was it played on back in 1972....can't recall it being muffled.....well no more than any other record at the time lol !!....My copy does sound muffled................................

I couldn't say (me born 1970 !!!) but there are other example of major USA labels with misfortune of faulty pressing runs (in such or such pressing plant) or sometimes it's the whole pressing run that is faulty. Like Bobby Hebb 'you want to change me' on USA Philips where both promos and issues have a master-plate issue (PFFFF sound all the way through) while the non USA presses don't !

3 minutes ago, Dean said:

My Ex looking pink demo muffled too. However do agree with above, don't recall this sounding bad when regularly played (for my history 75/76)

Could the DJ's have then play the MCA issue (dunno when was that issued) ?

5 minutes ago, tlscapital said:

I couldn't say (me born 1970 !!!) but there are other example of major USA labels with misfortune of faulty pressing runs (in such or such pressing plant) or sometimes it's the whole pressing run that is faulty. Like Bobby Hebb 'you want to change me' on USA Philips where both promos and issues have a master-plate issue (PFFFF sound all the way through) while the non USA presses don't !

Could the DJ's have then play the MCA issue (dunno when was that issued) ?

Will have to check when the MCA issue came along. It was common practice to drop tunes from playlists as soon as widely available, but my memory is not reliable regarding dates, events and playlists.

45 minutes ago, Dean said:

Will have to check when the MCA issue came along. It was common practice to drop tunes from playlists as soon as widely available, but my memory is not reliable regarding dates, events and playlists.

As others have said the Decca copies were played back in 72.

The MCA were done towards the end of the 70's, due to demand.

Every Decca copy that l have heard sounds distorted, but in a club it doesn't sound as bad as it does at home.

Quick question do the MCA copies play normally?

m.c.a. copies sound the same

All 4 sound clips on you  tube ,sound decidedly Low Fi!  Certainly nothing  like the Hi Fi  back in the day ,or is it just those pharmecuticals &  nostalgia!  LolJohnny 

Our Jean didnt have much luck did she! Her Sunflower recording Love Hangover is muffled too.Mind you its part of Golden Hit and they had issues with Nomad Woman didnt they.

Tricky

The quality of the pressing put me off the record full-stop. Over a big system the bottom-end was like hiking through mud. If the system was terrible (as most were back then), then all you'd hear was a sea of muffled distortion.

Ian D

Just a terrible recording full stop, all were/are the same.

I recall a thread about this maybe 10 years ago as my MCA reissue was poor quality and if I remember correctly the only thread contributer who claimed to have a sweet sounding version was Ady Croasdell.

13 minutes ago, Northern Soul UK said:

Just a terrible recording full stop, all were/are the same.

The recording was not the problem. It came out on the Kent compilation 'floor shakers' and it sounds just perfect from the tapes (recording). It's a master-plate pressing issue with the USA 45. My quest was to understand if some original USA 45's didn't suffer the same fate as it's sometimes the case when another pressing plant is doing it's own masters... 

11 minutes ago, tlscapital said:

My quest was to understand if some original USA 45's didn't suffer the same fate as it's sometimes the case when another pressing plant is doing it's own masters... 

This one always springs to mind, although there are a couple of very clean sounding copies on YouTube. This one, posted up by John Manship, has the hiss common to most copies, which I've always presumed was down to a pressing fault.

 

 

14 minutes ago, tlscapital said:

The recording was not the problem. It came out on the Kent compilation 'floor shakers' and it sounds just perfect from the tapes (recording). It's a master-plate pressing issue with the USA 45. My quest was to understand if some original USA 45's didn't suffer the same fate as it's sometimes the case when another pressing plant is doing it's own masters... 

Well that would explain why Ady had a good one if he had gained access to the master tape and then had a carver done to DJ with.....

4 hours ago, Dean said:

My Ex looking pink demo muffled too. However do agree with above, don't recall this sounding bad when regularly played (for my history 75/76)

To be fair back in the day even the better systems only had Citronic turntables and mixers. I doubt if most changed their cartridges ever, unless they actually broke. Speakers, one base, a top box with built in single horn per stack. In the very best clubs maybe a double stack each side, but if you add this to the fact that many peoples used energy enhancers, how can anyone make a subjective comment about sound quality back then, plus that was over 30 years ago. Wigan sound system was a shocker, Yate, Cleethorpes and St Ives mainly used mobile systems, slightly better. Only The Mecca clubs had built in sound systems professionally designed. Anyway back to the subject in hand, had a couple of copies both played badly.

Edited March 14, 20169 yr by Dave Thorley

My mint demo sounds good, but my system is set up to play my records in Mono! 

A lot of 60's records sound better in Mono, including some of the stereo recorded ones!

Maybe they just going for a Phil Spector type of sound, and they did not quite get it!

Edited March 14, 20169 yr by Guest

Agree with all about the faulty Decca pressings ... never heard a decent one

Ady had 2 acetates that were alternate versions in so much that they had lots of additional backing vocals ... might just have been different mixes of the same take ...  I never A/Bd them to compare

As I recall they were in the batch of acetates he got along with Ben E. King - Gettin To Me ... Lou Johnson - Panic Is On  etc etc

Andy

Did Jean Carter get an original release in Europe, France perhaps ?

10 hours ago, Dave Thorley said:

To be fair back in the day even the better systems only had Citronic turntables and mixers. I doubt if most changed their cartridges ever, unless they actually broke. Speakers, one base, a top box with built in single horn per stack. In the very best clubs maybe a double stack each side, but if you add this to the fact that many peoples used energy enhancers, how can anyone make a subjective comment about sound quality back then, plus that was over 30 years ago. Wigan sound system was a shocker, Yate, Cleethorpes and St Ives mainly used mobile systems, slightly better. Only The Mecca clubs had built in sound systems professionally designed. Anyway back to the subject in hand, had a couple of copies both played badly.

I think you could judge really, as you would compare it to other records that were being played at the same time on the same systems.
Another one that springs to mind, for me anyway, was Bobby Paris - Night owl, always seemed to sound low Fi and Hissy to me. But also it has to be taken into account that the recording methods weren't up to todays standards obviously, but again, saying that, some of the recording from back then were really very good depending on the record company and the studio or pressing plants where they were produced.

21 hours ago, Andy Rix said:

Agree with all about the faulty Decca pressings ... never heard a decent one

Ady had 2 acetates that were alternate versions in so much that they had lots of additional backing vocals ... might just have been different mixes of the same take ...  I never A/Bd them to compare

As I recall they were in the batch of acetates he got along with Ben E. King - Gettin To Me ... Lou Johnson - Panic Is On  etc etc

Andy

Actually I only had one and I'll compare it to the single one day soon. I play off that not a carver

Just played my copy again and their is nothing wrong with it, sounds fine!  

Maybe one of the first copies to come off the pressing run before the stampers got dirty?

Edited March 15, 20169 yr by Guest

I couldn't stand to listen to my copy and sent it back.

 I had a demo and now a black issue, both are as everyone says, the mca press is the sounds the same. I agree cant stand to listen to it.

 

Was it ever 'comped' an album/cd ??....if so, I wonder if thats any better

Tis on Soul Sensations the MCA compilation from 1999

16 hours ago, ady croasdell said:

Actually I only had one and I'll compare it to the single one day soon. I play off that not a carver

Your version is definitely much, much clearer and has a slightly different vocal track. 

My demo like all the above is muffled, I doubt it's down to the stamper being dirty as a new stamper would've been made for the MCA re-release and this has exactly the same distortion.

Clear as a bell on Kent's 'Foot Stompers' compilation from 1984.

On 15 mars 2016 at 20:04, solidsoul said:

Just played my copy again and their is nothing wrong with it, sounds fine!  

Maybe one of the first copies to come off the pressing run before the stampers got dirty?

jean carter.mp3 This is a full one take direct good quality recording on my descent home turntable and amp and it sounds like this out of my good speakers as well. As everyone one here said I believe. I'd be very curious to hear both your sides as well. Can we have such a graceful opportunity ? 

1 hour ago, tlscapital said:

jean carter.mp3 This is a full one take direct good quality recording on my descent home turntable and amp and it sounds like this out of my good speakers as well. As everyone one here said I believe. I'd be very curious to hear both your sides as well. Can we have such a graceful opportunity ? 

Just tried playing mine in stereo instead of mono for a change.  It sounds clearer than your clip, but I suppose it's not the best fidelity I have heard!

32 minutes ago, solidsoul said:

Just tried playing mine in stereo instead of mono for a change.  It sounds clearer than your clip, but I suppose it's not the best fidelity I have heard!

Mine does sound indeed particularly bad ! Now, my pick-up (cartridge and needle is one and the same) is a mono reader. And on my amp I can't play with the trebles , mids and basses. So I get what I get. I can't and don't want to change that yet. On this peculiar 45, my system seems to bring all the default of the pressing out instead of "hiding" them. I don't remember it playing so bad on my previous system. That's why I brought up this topic quest. Cheers to all.