Would You Buy An SACD of Switched On Bach With A Quad Mix?

John Svensson said:

"I like classical music but the synthesizer is really irritating and ruins it for me." You have to listen to it with your ears set to 1968.....a revelation at the time, and the start of the whole "Moog Music"
record craze! And as Adam says, the quad mix is very well done. John

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Viewing this as a novelty record which started the "Moog Music" craze is damning it with faint praise. Not that there isn't an element of truth in the comment - Carlos took painstaking care in developing timbre and voicing. The results are astonishing considering that polyphonic synths were not yet available. Of course the record label's approach was the ridiculous but now iconic cover of the foppish Bach. I would say look further than the cover and listen carefully keeping in mind the technical limitations of the day - stunning really!

willothewisp said:

It's long over due, but would she allow it?

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Yes, that's the starting point. Without artist and record label OK, a reissue won't occur.

elmer said:

Viewing this as a novelty record which started the "Moog Music" craze is damning it with faint praise. Not that there isn't an element of truth in the comment - Carlos took painstaking care in developing timbre and voicing. The results are astonishing considering that polyphonic synths were not yet available.

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Absolutely. Most of the Moog LPs that followed were novelty knock-offs and not in the same league. And as a testament to her interpretations you need not look further than this quote from Glenn Gould:

"Carlos's realization of the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto is, to put it bluntly, the finest performance of any of the Brandenburgs—live, canned, or intuited—I've ever heard." (From the Well-Tempered Synthesizer liner notes)

elmer said:

Of course the record label's approach was the ridiculous but now iconic cover of the foppish Bach.

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Yes, and the original cover (below) was even sillier. Carlos and her producer were dismayed at facing a "campy-dismissive attitude" towards the project from many fronts and felt that CBS's cover did not help. They did succeed in getting the cover changed on subsequent pressings to the more familiar one which they felt was slightly more dignified.

blue.monk said:

Yes, and the original cover (below) was even sillier. Carlos and her producer were dismayed at facing a "campy-dismissive attitude" towards the project from many fronts and felt that CBS's cover did not help. They did succeed in getting the cover changed on subsequent pressings to the more familiar one which they felt was slightly more dignified.


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That's terrible...looks like a Monty Python production cover...geeze...what were they thinking

I have several other recordings of the complete Brandenburgs, including the 2 SQ LP Newman. IMHO, Carlos' are the best of both the 3rd & 4th.

Thanks, Blue Monk, for the original cover. I was just about to post that when I saw you had done so already.

Oh, and I've been listening to a much earlier moog album over the last couple days, The Out Sound from Way In 3 CD compilation of the complete Vanguard recordings of Perrey & Kingley. The first album covered in this compilation, whose title is a play on their The In Sound from Way Out album predates SOB by two years.

blue.monk said:

Absolutely. Most of the Moog LPs that followed were novelty knock-offs and not in the same league. And as a testament to her interpretations you need not look further than this quote from Glenn Gould:

"Carlos's realization of the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto is, to put it bluntly, the finest performance of any of the Brandenburgs—live, canned, or intuited—I've ever heard." (From the Well-Tempered Synthesizer liner notes)

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Quad Linda said:

Oh, and I've been listening to a much earlier moog album over the last couple days, The Out Sound from Way In 3 CD compilation of the complete Vanguard recordings of Perrey & Kingley. The first album covered in this compilation, whose title is a play on their The In Sound from Way Out album predates SOB by two years.

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I'm quite fond of that collection as well. Very whimsical stuff, expertly crafted. They were very clever in their creation and use of tape loops as well.

Have you heard The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds? It also pre-dates Switched-On Bach. It features Paul Beaver on the Moog along with the Wrecking Crew's Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye. Very dated stuff but a charming relic nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koMydPxwmcE

blue.monk said:

Yes, and the original cover (below) was even sillier. Carlos and her producer were dismayed at facing a "campy-dismissive attitude" towards the project from many fronts and felt that CBS's cover did not help. They did succeed in getting the cover changed on subsequent pressings to the more familiar one which they felt was slightly more dignified.

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I never knew that! STOP FORCING ME TO LEARN NEW THINGS!

A VERY strong "yes"!

A "Ja" from me too Switched on Bach was one of my first quad albums.

Yes. I'd like Well-Tempered Synthesizer, and perhaps a complete set of Brandenburgs as well. I'd personally prefer DVD-A/V or BR-Audio, but I'd take SACD.

I SWEAR I commented on this...well here it goes again...
She NEVER liked the original SQ mix...but I do!!!
A definite "Mais oui!" from me...

kap'n krunch said:

I SWEAR I commented on this...well here it goes again...
She NEVER liked the original SQ mix...but I do!!!
A definite "Mais oui!" from me...

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Her issue with the SQ edition was she felt so much was lost in the conversion from the discrete Quad mix to SQ. When you compare the Discrete Q8 Tape to the SQ Vinyl, even with a top decoder like the Tate or Surround Master, I have to agree. The Q8 tape blows away the SQ no matter how good the decoding is. Not even close.

I'd agree with Ms. Carlos and Mr. Moura's comments. I own both SQ and Q8. Against either my Sony SQD-2020 or Marantz SQA-2B, both full-logic wave matching decoders, the Q8 shows off the mix properly. In an either/or rather than and (Q4's separation and fidelity), I'd rather listen to the SQ with its' decoding/separation anomalies than the limited frequency range of the Q8. Hopefully, with an advanced resolution digital format, it will be presented for the FIRST time in ALL its' glory. Bring it on!!

Quad Linda said:

I'd agree with Ms. Carlos and Mr. Moura's comments. I own both SQ and Q8. Against either my Sony SQD-2020 or Marantz SQA-2B, both full-logic wave matching decoders, the Q8 shows off the mix properly. In an either/or rather than and (Q4's separation and fidelity), I'd rather listen to the SQ with its' decoding/separation anomalies than the limited frequency range of the Q8. Hopefully, with an advanced resolution digital format, it will be presented for the FIRST time in ALL its' glory. Bring it on!!

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You certainly lose fidelity with Q8. But with Switched On Bach, so much is lost in the SQ mix I had to stop listening to that version. It's just too compromised and falls way short of the mix.

When and where do I send my credit card number?

surroundophile said:

When and where do I send my credit card number?

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There will need to be a green light from Wendy Carlos and the record company first. Hang on to the credit card for now.

I'd buy it on BluRay Audio

Hell yes from me. I would buy this in a heartbeat! Such an important album deserves the very, very best.

Wendy's enthusiasm for surround is well documented in the article that Elmer posted. If I recall correctly, she states in there that she's mixed nearly all of her projects over the years into surround and the tapes are just sitting around waiting to be transferred. That read to me as a plea to take the project on, to be honest. I'd imagine she'll sign off and even offer to take an active role.

My very first two Q8 tapes in June 1972 were Switched On Bach and The Best Of The Guess Who. Since the latter was issued on quad SACD a few weeks ago, it only seems right to me that the former be issued on quad SACD as well and soon!