Piano Man Q8

[Q-Eight]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300707122302?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I really hope somebody here might snag this one - it's passed my price range already. But I would love to hear a discrete version of this album!

 

[kap'n krunch]

Holy crap!!!!!!
$265???????
Where's the crisis??????

Just makes me mad!!!!!


...btw, thanks for posting this

 

[Q-Eight]

I think there's some people battling for this one. I seem to recall the last one only going for $125 or so..... and this one was at 0 bids for 4 days before the seller added "track" to the listing and that seemed to get it going. Here I was hoping I could snag it for opening bid!

 

[Quad Linda]

An arm and a leg. I have a mint SQ of this.

Does anyone know the story as to why Billy was on Ampex on tape, but on Columbia on LP at this point. Was this a holdover from his Gulf & Western contract, which Cold Spring Harbor was released under? Also, why weren't his subsuquent Quads out on Q8?

 

[quadtrade]

Oh my, maybe we can find files for it somewhere! We can get this on a list.

 

[Q-Eight]

An arm and a leg. I have a mint SQ of this.

Does anyone know the story as to why Billy was on Ampex on tape, but on Columbia on LP at this point. Was this a holdover from his Gulf & Western contract, which Cold Spring Harbor was released under? Also, why weren't his subsuquent Quads out on Q8?

We had a discussion on this a while back. As I recall, we came to the conclusion that it must've all come down to internals politics and rights holders. It may have been an oversight in his Columbia contract or G&W wanted to keep the rights to the Quad version. It's very much like the situation with Mountain's Best Of album. The SQ LP was on Columbia, but the Q8 was on GRT.

 

[Bob Squires Jr]

I too, have a mint copy of this (and Streetlife & Turnstiles) on LP.
The cart is up to $300.00 now! WOW...

 

[Quad Linda]

With all due respect, these things are about contracts, negotiations and loopholes. It was either a compromise, or the tape contract was written seperately and not something they could get out of. Both Billy and Mountain (Billy the Mountain?) were on custom labels that switched to Columbia. Just my speculation.

Ethel was a tree growing off of his shoulder.

We had a discussion on this a while back. As I recall, we came to the conclusion that it must've all come down to internals politics and rights holders. It may have been an oversight in his Columbia contract or G&W wanted to keep the rights to the Quad version. It's very much like the situation with Mountain's Best Of album. The SQ LP was on Columbia, but the Q8 was on GRT.

 

[JonUrban]

Here's the deal.

Remember that Billy Joel was under contract to Family Productions for 10 albums, the horrible contract he signed with Artie Ripp (or something like that). When the 1st album he put out an Family tanked (Cold Spring Harbor), mostly because it was pressed with the master tape running fast, Billy was pissed. Along the way, he did the live concert on FM Radio that got the tune "Captain Jack" played on FM radio all over the East Coast and got him noticed. Columbia was interested and wanted to sign him but he had that horrible contract with Family. Walter Yetnikoff went to Family and made a deal. Part of the deal was that the LP's would come out on Columbia with a Family logo on the Columbia label, and the tapes would come out on Family exclusively. Thus, the 8 tracks, cassettes and Q8's were released on Family, which used Ampex, and the LPs came out on Columbia. Eventually, Walter Yetnikoff went to Family and made them a forceful offer to buy out the original Billy Joel contract. He then handed the rights back to Billy, as a gift!! What a guy!

This is also why 'Turnstiles' never came out on Q8. By then, Family Productions was pretty much moot.

The Q8 is far more discrete than the SQ, even decoded with the best decoders or scripts. It's almost "too discrete", as it hits you over the head with directionality. The orchestra on the grand tunes is isolated in the rears, and blasts out of silence when the time is right. It's quite a listen.

 

[Quad Linda]

Thanks for the detailed explanation, Jon. I still have my original "fast" Family Productions Cold Spring Harbor. I've always thought it difficult to listen to, even though Piano Man was the only other BJ album available when I bought it. Since it's a collectible, I kept it, although I also have a Columbia, which was remastered by Doug Sax.

 

[Franklin]

On the internet somewhere I posted the speed corrections to match the original CSH to the remix. I think I kept a print out of them, so can post here somewhere if anyone's interested.