Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    I also purchased the latter two of the CD's and was disappointed
    by the sound quality. But there is some hope! There is a "16 Greatest
    Hits" collection (slightly different selection of songs from the
    LP of the same name) that claims to use the original masters. And
    I believe it! This CD truly brings new life to these masterpieces.
    One of my very favorite CD's.
    

    
    
    After a 2nd look, there seems to be something terribly wierd happening
    here. The M&P's recorded all their original stuff for DUNHILL, which
    was a subsidiary of ABC. Why the hell does MCA now own the rights
    to it. DUNHILL/ABC has gone off on it's own with a budget line called
    "Compact Classics" of which the Ray Charles 2 disc set (along with
    reissues of ALL his ABC lp's) & some "various artists" collections
    (2 of them "reviewed" by me under the oldies note), are a part.
    
    Why then is MCA releasing what should rightfully belong to ABC/Dunhill
    & not going through remastering by the master - Steve Hoffman ??
    Hmmmm !  Something rotten in L.A., methinks. Maybe a call to
    either/both will elicit comments on who owns who & why. More to
    come on MCA/ABC CD reissue mystery theatre, later.
    
    				The Cruiser
    
    

    MCA bought the ABC label years ago, along with ABC's subsidiary labels.
    So it seems they're releasing some stuff on MCA and some under the
    Dunhill label.  I don't see anything rotten about the choice of labels. 
    The sound quality or lack of it would be a different matter.

    I have only heard the '16 Greatest' disc, and it sounded clean and
    modern to me.  Compared to many other 20+ year old recordings, the
    disc is brilliant.  I had no idea that the group only produced 3
    albums, and sixties albums tended to be short too!  The M&P's deserve
    a good digital transfer, as their music still sounds fresh today.
    At least there is one good disc out of four for the public to buy.
    Most people will automatically opt for the hits disc anyway, no
    doubt.
    
    Shawn

    
    
    To correct myself even again, the M&P's had 5 commercially available
    lp's, however the 1st 3 were the only of any consequence. In '69
    they recorded one called 'THE PAPAS & THE MAMAS' which only had
    one hit - "For The Love Of Ivy" (from the Sidney Poitier film of
    the same name), and again in '71 they released an lp whose title
    escapes me, but it was nothing like the "original" 3. By then, of
    course, Cass had gone solo and was doing well with an lp of her
    own.
    
    Even tho' most people will by the "16 Greatest Hits" CD, it irks
    me that those songs that weren't hits, but deserved to be, from
    those 3 landmark lps were treated so shabbily. As for MCA owning
    ABC/Dunhill, I'm not real sure. Steve Hoffman "left" MCA to go to
    DUNHILL to get greater freedom as a mastering engineer. I suppose
    that as seperate entitys, one could exist and release crap, while
    the other issues quality stuff, under the same 'BANNER'. I still
    don't understand it, tho' and plan to look into it. Details to follow.
    
    				The Cruiser
    
    

    I've been thinking of buying the M&Ps "Greatest Hits", but in the
    UK I've got a choice of two versions - one is MCA, the other is
    a newer issue, slight difference in tracks but NOT MCA.
    
    Which do I buy ?
    
    I.K.  

    
    Re: .5
    
    The 1971 release was called "People Like Us"; the title track is
    on 16 Greatest Hits (or was in its LP version).
    
    MCA definitely bought ABC records in its entirety (Dunhill, Bluesway,
    Impulse, Probe, etc.) and I have been curious as to what this *new*
    Dunhill label is. 
    
    Until I saw the Ray Charles stuff I figured they were a ripoff label
    like K-tel.

    
    
    re .6 What is the other label ??  Is it English or Scot owned ??
    I'd recommend, for authenticity's sake to go with the MCA one. I've
    bought what I thought were reissues on Canadian labels, and they've
    turned out to be re-recordings, so, since copyright laws differ
    from country to country, usually buying on the "home" label or it's
    parent is the safest to insure integitry (not necessarily the best
    sound reproduction, tho').
    
    				The Cruiser
    
    

    Re .2

    There is something here that no one in the file seems to understand
    (including me).  If you go to lechmere and look at the oldies, you will
    see multiple labels with the same material on them, and all using
    "MASTERS". 

    The latest that I've seen is the RINO Roy Orison, and another label
    released at the same time.  There must be some deal going on Public
    Domain music that lets any label rent the original tapes.
    

    I suspect (without having the resources here to check) that the
    "other" M&P hits compilation is likely to be from Castle Commun-
    ications. There're an English outfit that has issued what they
    call their "Collector's Series" of compilations for a number and
    variety of bands, usually with the title of "The <band> Collection".
    I have a handful of their discs, and the quality is quite good.
    
    As for M&P, I have the first two of the three, plus the 16 GREATEST
    HITS. I haven't really paid that much attention to the quality of
    the former, since 99% of the time I end up playing the latter.
    
    ("Twelve Thirty" is one of those songs I could listen to over and
    over and over again and never get tired of it...)
    
    --- jerry

    Just to further confuse.
    
    The two G.Hits versions I wrote of earlier had 20 tracks per, and
    the previous notes refer to a 16 track CD.
    
    A third CD, issued by Pickwick, with 16 tracks is also a G.Hits. 
    
    Where does Pickwick fit in ? 
    
    I.K.

	The Pickwick discussion (.11-.17) has been moved to note
	#1434.

					Your Moderator.