Unreleased quad mix of Madman Across The Water

[Neb-Maat-Re]

I've stumbled across a couple of references to an unofficial Elton John release called the "The Alternate Madman Across The Water", which claims to include a quad mix of the album:

http://www.bigozine2.com/archive/ARreviews06/EJaltmadman.html

Does anyone know if there actually was an unreleased quad mix of the album?

And if there was, does anyone know if this CD set contains the quad encoding or just a fold-down?

 

[JonUrban]

I have never heard of this, and MCA never really jumped on the quad bandwagon, although we quad fans were always hoping they would. I don't even recall seeing a Billboard article mentioning any EJ LPs coming out in any 4 Channel format.

 

[rtbluray]

well at least we've got 6 (7 if you count Peachtree) EXCELLENT 5.1 SACDs from Mr John, but there's still plenty more where those came from!!

https://www.facebook.com/SurroundEltonJohn

 

[Eggplant]

While it's true that MCA never announced nor actually released a single US quad, I have it on good authority (second hand) from a record company source in the 70's that every single Elton John release up until 1975 was in fact *mixed* in quad, possibly as a hedge against an unexpected rebound in quad's fortunes. It is likely that these mixes were subsequently destroyed to wash away the stink of failure the format was then thought to have.

It is not impossible that one or more of these were copied or slipped out the back door before execution day, but I would bet against it.

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Thanks for that - that's good information.

 

[fredblue]

while a quad mix of Madman (et al..!) is (startling!) news to me, there are definitely alternate mixes and various demo's for every Madman track, which Universal has in its vaults and had prepared for a 2-CD "Deluxe Edition" re-release of the album in his 40th anniversary (2010) which ultimately got shelved.

the handling of Elton's not inconsiderable back catalogue has long baffled me. case in point - next month Audio Fidelity will release a 24Kt Gold Kevin Gray remastered CD of the Rock of The Westies album - I doubt any Elton fan, let alone 'audiophile', saw that coming..!?! @:

 

[fredblue]

it seems Quadraphonic mixes of Elton's albums were planned, according to this article, which just emerged as a feature in the new eltonjohn.com website makeover today..

http://www.eltonjohn.com/about/GusDudgeon/

specifically this paragraph references the Quad Elton:

"Gus left Rocket Records and discontinued producing Elton after the release of Blue Moves in late 1976. At around this time he purchased an abandoned watermill in Cookham, England, and turned it into one of the most modern recording studios in the world. Called The Mill, it was originally meant to be a place where Gus could re-mix Elton's albums for quadrophonic release, but that project never materialized. The Mill instead hosted sessions for various acts, most notably Lindisfarne (their UK Top Ten hit, Run For Home) and Chris Rea, for whom Gus produced the album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (which included the hit single Fool (If You Think It's Over) in 1978. The Mill, at times called Sol Studios, also was where Elton's A Single Man, Ice On Fire, and some songs on Leather Jackets were tracked. Gus also produced the 1981 Elkie Brooks album Pearls, which reached #2 on the UK charts and was for a time the biggest-selling album by a female vocalist in Britain."

my initial response = damn shame..

my next thought = '76 does seem a bit late.. no..!?

then = quadrOphonic..!!

 

[Q-Eight]

There were still some Quad releases in '76: Steve Miller, Pink Floyd were probably the two biggest names. If they could have popped those out in '76 with big fanfare and an actual marketing campaign, there might have been a re-birth of sorts. The economy had gotten better, equipment had gotten better but the releases slowed to a trickle. Some big names (Elton, Zepplin, Stones, The Who) might have gotten people interested again - especially if the mixes were GOOD.

 

[neil wilkes]

Another one late in the day was Bowie's "Stage" live set - recorded in 78, according to Tony Visconti it was set up for Quad specifically.
Everything was also arranged to be sure the right performances were acquired, and indeed during one track on the release it starts from one city, the middle section is from another & the end reverts to the first again.

 

[fredblue]

Another quote, this time from recording engineer Stuart Epps (Producer Gus Dudgeon's right-hand-man) backing up the Elton Quad story..

http://www.stuartepps.co.uk/eltontheearlyyears.htm

"Gus was roaring in his career, it had never been a better time for him.

All Elton’s albums were going to number 1 and selling millions. He had a huge hit with Elton and Kiki’s duet Don’t go breaking my heart and he was building the best studio in the world. He also had a beautiful old Bentley and a chauffeur, and amazing house in Cobham not far from the Mill.

The studio was being built for Quadraphonic, surround sound you would call it now.

The idea was to re-mix all Elton’s albums in Quad.

The time that Gus took to mix an album that would keep us in work for the next 50 years."

 

[RSilverman]

I wonder how the 70s quad mixes would have differed from the SACD multis. I own "Madman" and "Yellow Brick" on SACD. They're great discs, and sound like they were better recorded than the typical rock ablum.

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Two years on and I'm still on the hunt for this disc.

 

[fredblue]

The Quad of Caribou seemingly slipped out the back door somehow too.. Now how to find these discs..

http://www.geocities.co.jp/MusicStar-Keyboard/5095/demo.htm#_The_Alternate_Caribou

(As for this one, often referred to as the Rock Of The Westies demos, I have my own personal story on these tracks which I won't go into here.. they're not demo's at all and its not surround or anything but they are interesting for sure)
http://www.geocities.co.jp/MusicStar-Keyboard/5095/demo.htm#_Elton_John_Plays

 

[Eggplant]

The Quad of Caribou seemingly slipped out the back door somehow too..

Highly doubt it, friend.

In all my searches on and off the internet, I have yet to find one single case of a bona-fide unreleased quad mix not already known to collectors. Not a single one.

 

[fredblue]

Highly doubt it, friend.

In all my searches on and off the internet, I have yet to find one single case of a bona-fide unreleased quad mix not already known to collectors. Not a single one.

Oh.. and yet you said earlier in this thread that you had it on good authority that Quads were mixed of all Elton's releases up til 75..

Mention of that Caribou Quad right there at that geocities fan site would back up what you yourself said in this very thread 3 years ago...
and now you're saying what you presented matter of factly is now actually not possible..?

Confused.!

 

[fredblue]

Ps. What about the Gong/Shamal SQ LP that popped up on eBay late last year... did you know about that one in advance, Eggplant?

Seems it took a fair few people by surprise at the time.. I am not being contentious or facetious, I just would like to get to the bottom of facts about all this Quad
business while I'm collating all the info and don't want to present anything erroneous in the final analysis if at all possible.

 

[GOS]

Beer!

Whoops...wrong thread.... :violin

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Now how to find these discs..

I'd be willing to take a punt and test these out if only to answer the question.

However, I'm not really a boot collector and don't really have anything to trade to get them. I do have a few radio broadcast shows and Crowded House fan club CDs but nothing of any great rarity.

It's odd how the same old boots of Led Zeppelin recorded on an Edison reel through the toilet window go around for decades but anything like this seems to disappear from general distribution.

 

[fredblue]

I'd be willing to take a punt and test these out if only to answer the question.

However, I'm not really a boot collector and don't really have anything to trade to get them. I do have a few radio broadcast shows and Crowded House fan club CDs but nothing of any great rarity.

It's odd how the same old boots of Led Zeppelin recorded on an Edison reel through the toilet window go around for decades but anything like this seems to disappear from general distribution.

Well I have some EJ boots (actually I do have a pair of his boots somewhere, Versace of course.. ).. if those Caribou or Madman discs had ever been on general distribution or even any kind of distribution back when I was hoovering up EJ boots (and mohair suits) in all probability I'd have them (I mean, EJ collector = meets = surround collector, if I'd seen either one of them whether out and about, online or thru other channels I'd have picked them up) on the basis of that review of the Madman Quad and mono mixes that one can't be vapourware at least but unless someone here comes across a copy we're unlikely to ever know what these actually are, whether mixdowns or matrix encoded, etc.. I do wonder whether being MCA they'd be QS-encoded like the Dan Hicks.. or if by equally slim chance of UK origin (PYE pressed EJ's DJM LPs in the UK) they'd be QS system too as that was Pye's matrix system of choice then too iirc.. hmm.. do these get more plausible or what..??

 

[fredblue]

Beer!

Whoops...wrong thread.... :violin

"and it's one more beer
and I don't hear you.. anymore..." :banana: