In another thread I made the statement that this Grass Roots quad(s) wasn't very good. So here is my "dissertation" as to why feel this way using several of the tracks as examples. The CD I'm comparing it to is this one shown below. It's an import, and I always listen to it in faux surround sound. Granted, none of the extant Grass Roots CD's or these quads are going to get Audiophile Award Of The Year, but hear goes:
1.
Sooner Or Later:
C-Tape: OK
H-Tape: Background vocals are buried in the rear channels way too low in volume.
2.
Where Were You When I Needed You:
C-Tape: Tonal balance is off as it is on the CD, but not bad overall.
H-Tape: Tonal balance is worse than on the C-Tape or CD due to excessively hot high end.
3.
Heaven Knows:
C-Tape: OK
H-Tape: Lead vocal is way too loud
4.
Let's Live For Today:
C-Tape: OK
H-Tape: Suffers from excessively hot high end
5.
Temptation Eyes:
C-Tape: OK
H-Tape: Tonal balance is off
The handling of the next two tracks is what really disappointed me and highly influenced my statement that these quads weren't very good. They are two of my favorite Grass Roots songs, especially Midnight Confessions (along with Let's Live For Today) and I am unhappy with how the quads were came out.
6.
The River Is Wide:
C-Tape: OK but a bit muddy. Not as dynamic as the stereo CD.
H-Tape: Some elements are mixed way off...buried in mix. Too hot of a high end.
7.
Midnight Confessions:
C-Tape: Immediacy of the CD version is missing. Organ is buried in the mix and not as dynamic as the CD version. Horns are not as dynamic as CD version. Grill's lead vocal has too much reverb, although Entner's lead on the middle 8 sounds about right. Bass guitar is nicely presented, however.
H-Tape: Some key elements are buried in the mix. High end is too hot.
9.
Wait A Million Years:
C-Tape: Dead sounding mix compared to the CD.
H-Tape: Blah
I would give the C-Tape an 8 based on the bulk of the songs, but my very high expectations for
The River Is Wide and
Midnight Confessions makes this only a 6 for me. I'd rate the CD in faux surround a 7, so not much difference.