"Get Together" - The Youngbloods: TWO quad mixes???

[JonUrban]

I had an afternoon to work on some conversions. I've been trying (for years) to put together a DVD-A of non-SACD/DVD-A surround tracks to play in the car, and I came to this track. In the past, I had done one of these types of discs in DTS, and I remembered that this particular song had absolutely no vocals in the rears, but it was almost a complete instrumental track in the rears, one you could sing along to and not miss anything.

Anywho, for that old disc, I had used a Q8 "Best of the Youngbloods". For my new HiRez creation, I was working from a 24/96 Quad Reel rip of "The Youngbloods, their first album". When I got it in Sound Forge, I was freaked because the lead vocal was in all 4 channels!! What's up with that.

I went through the entire reel rip as a 4 channel wave (.w64) file to "see" and hear if it was in fact a quad reel, and although there were some obvious spots, the surround mix was seriously lacking, and no where near as discrete as the "Best of" Q8 that I (unfortunately) no longer have (although I had the raw 16/44.1 wav files of this tune stored away).

Has anyone else ever noticed this? I would imagine with tunes as old as this one, there is not going to be a "wild" surround mix, and I would guess that the guy who mastered the Q8 just left the lead vocal off of the rears to create a "surround" mix, but the difference between the same song on two releases is interesting, maybe even, dare I say it.....stunning!!! @:

 

[Larry Geller]

Any other differences on 1st LP tracks? What about Grizzly Bear? Just curious. I've never heard quad Youngbloods, as I was only a quad LP guy, no tapes, and there was never a CD-4 Youngbloods (at least in the US, I'd bet there was one in Japan!).

 

[vinylguy4]

I do agree, some of the Q4 of Youngbloods - Get Together is lacking. The big hit Get Together was not a good mix (dual stereo?) and was especially disappointing.
First song Grizzly Bear did have 2 different voices, one in front, one in rear, decent mix. Spotty quad mixes overall.
The LP came out in 1969 so these should have all had good multitrack masters still available for quad remixing.
I will need to unseal the Q8 of Greatest Hits to compare.

vinylguy4

 

[Q-Eight]

Greatest Hits Q8 is actually a really good listen. One of my faves on it is "Darkness, Darkness" with the split voices front to rear. On this tape, "Get Together" is stereo instruments front and rear with vocals in the front only. I'd have to listen again, but I swear there's a little seperation between instruments going on front to rear. Then again, it could just be some creative mixing. I do recall the instruments being mixed louder to the rear than the fronts.

Would be interesting to know the status of the multi. The Q8 was mixed in '70 as one of the first round of Q8 releases. The stereo LP had been mixed in '69.... but the actual song "Get Together" was recorded and originally released two years prior in 1967. When it debuted, it didn't crack the top 40. It wasn't until 1969 when the National Council of Christians and Jews used the song as their theme song on television and radio commercials (according to Wikipedia)

One could theorize that since the song originally went nowhere, those at RCA created a stereo master and recycled the multi-track.

But then that makes me wonder.... how'd they make the vocals so clean in the fronts only? Could they have filled up the 8 track multi with the band track.... bounced down the mix then added the vocals later?

Finally, I find it ironic that a song that nowadays is considered the pinnacle of 60's culture.... barely went anywhere in its day.


****Edit 7:10pm****

Playing the Best of Q8 while I type this and there is very definitely some separation going on. Quick rundown on "Get Together":

Front Left: Drums, Lead Vocals, Background Vocals
Front Right: Drums, Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Guitar Bleed (from neighboring tracks?)

Rear Left: Drums, Lead Guitar, Heavy Bass Guitar (definitely some EQ manipulation going on with the Bass)
Rear Right: Drums, Second Guitar, Bass Guitar (somewhat subdued bass)


This would not be the first time I've encountered more than one Quad mix. The Grass Roots Q8 comes to mind.

"Grizzly Bear" is a nifty mix. Simple, but it works. Reminds me of some CD-4 mixes. Quick rundown:

Front Left and Front Right: Drums, Bass, Vocals, Backing Vocals
Rear Left: Lead Guitar
Rear Right: Second Guitar

Rear channels are interesting to listen to with just the guitar parts. When the guitars stop playing, they didn't mute the channel, so you can hear what's going on in the studio through the guitar pickups.

 

[humprof]

Jazz Journalist Marc Myers, who has a regular gig at the Wall Street Journal (as Bugs Bunny used to say: "Eh--It's a living!"), covered "Get Together" last week in his "Anatomy of a Song" column.

Unfortunately the column itself, like everything else at WSJ, is behind a paywall. Because the Murdoch family doesn't have enough money already, and they just can't afford to give anything away for free. But Myers offers a few extras on his Jazz Wax blog.

By the way: go vote in the poll for the album so that it will show up on the charts! (It needs at least 10 votes.)

 

[bracelis]

Same thing on Sony 360 RA:
The vocals are in the front only on "The Best Of" album.
But they're on the front and rears on "The Youngbloods" album.