Original or update

[johnsykes]

I have a wonderful collection of oldies hits from the 50's and 60's. Original recordings by original artists. I could probably run a couple of sock hops of three to four hours without repeating one hit.

I have listened to Sirius Radio now for about three weeks....fifties on five and 60's on six. I am sure that some of the pieces played are not the original hits, but re-recordings done some years later. I can understand if an original recording is remastered to make it sound better.....but I believe its a cop-out in using a recording that was not from that era....i.e. 50's or 60's. Case in point - a Paul Anka hit played from the time he was a night club star in Vegas 20 years or so later.

What say you experts?

[jon]

I've been listening to '50s on 5 on XM, which is really the Sirius channel of the same name, whenever I'm in the car for the last 4 weeks, and I've yet to hear anything but the original recording. Yes, they play the album version of "Shout" by The Isley Brothers, because the single splits it into two sides of a 45. They play a fair bit of Paul Anka -- the guy was a huge seller of records in the '50s in the U.S. -- but never a "lounge version". I certainly know what you mean. They would drive me crazy, too.

The small amount of time I've spent on the few other channels on my presets hasn't turned up anything other than the original hits. I can't be positive, but the one or two Mamas and Papas songs I've heard on '60s on 6 had, as I recall, somehow corrected the problem with the LP versions where singers were totally to the right or left, making them sound weak in mono.

Like I say, I may only be hearing less than 10% as much of them as John, so there could be stuff I'm missing.

[BossRadio]

Jon,

During Capitol Records 60-70s heyday, Beatle and Beach Boy re-issues always seemed to have a more prominent stereo separation issue,ie:The 45 versions of Help Me Rhonda, and Got To Get You Into My Life which both suffred from major vocal track dropout and botched stereo mixes Can I get a witness?

Your mention of the Mamas and Papas audio issue brought a couple of thoughts to mind. I know the MP weren't signed by the folks in the LA tower,but might not some North Amercian RCA and Capitol pressings have been remastered at the same plant,and suffered the same fate?

Also: When the MP recorded the beautifuly sung, but now overly-famiiar Cancon oldies staple "I Saw Her Again", they had no inkling that the blatant 'false start' of the song's chorus (as the boys sing "I saw her",stop abruptly,and then sing the full title) would still be getting a weekly six-pack of plays in al of it's ragged glory 40 years later.Is tit just me that's been perplexed by the story behind it for decades.I like to think of them siting in their studio,in the middle of in a happy hazeand chuckling about 'leaving it in the mix,man.' Good one,John and Denny.

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[hagopian]

If you listen to the Beach Boys "Wendy" -listen to Brian Wilson cough, just before the final chorus it is clear as a bell.
Stereo from mono was an eye and ear opener.