Great Sound, Great Content, Great Mix!
This to me is the "Sly & the Family Stone" album by the Guess Who. I love listening to this one from start to finish.
Compared to the "Best of", "American Woman" and "Share the Land" albums, this one is definitely a superior mix. Drums are situated almost 95% in the rear with just a hint of bleed-through in the front. Overdubbed vocals up front with natural vocals following in the rear. For the most part, lead instruments are in the front unless they are spinning wildly around the room or battling it out front to rear.
"These Eyes" is the same one on the Best of album, though with much better seperation.
"Lightfoot" is one of my faves.... very simple mix. Nothing spinning around, emphasis on the vocals, drums x4, guitar up front. Simple & effective.
Songs that really pop out at you with GOOD mixes are "When you touch Me" with it's thickly overdubbed vocals (both front & rear) almost sound like there's four Burton's on lead. A rollicking tune with a beat you can dance to and I'm left wondering why this wasn't a bigger hit.
"I found her in a Star" for a slower moving song is really quite nice. The orchestral backing almost seems surreal but really lends itself to the song. One spinning guitar is a little distracting, but it could have been worse.
"Love and a Yellow Rose" I simply WILL NOT listen to the stereo version of this song. Stereo version used too much simulated echo on the vocals and ruined the melody of the vocalists. Quad version has lesser dubbed in the rear, more dubbed up front to create a very thick vocal atmosphere. It really is like sitting in the middle of a choir. The Sitar versus guitar battle front to rear near the middle is a nice touch. The ending of the song gets a little silly as the fuzz guitar is spinning so fast it's more of a pulsating sound than anything. The piano jumps fl/fr/bl/br on each NOTE
The stereo version has a better ending with the drums chasing the guitar left to right. I feel something more along that lines would've been a better end.
"We're Coming to Dinner" Nice blusey tune. Rather unexpected from the Guess Who but well executed. It's mixed will with the lead guitar bouncing front to back with each stanza. A nice touch.
Closing Comments: Whoever did the mix on this album had a fairly good idea of what Quad can sound like. I think the spinning instruments, while a nifty gimmick, get worn out simply for the fact that nearly EVERY song has something trying to make you dizzy. I have to point out though, that there is some logic to this mix. Bass guitar seems to eminate from all 4 speakers. The mixer must have known low frequencies are omnidirectional so he must've kept that in mind. Even with all the drawbacks, this is my favorite early Guess Who album.
