Quad LP/Tape Poll Streisand, Barbra: Stoney End [SQ/Q8]

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Rate "Stoney End"


  • Total voters
    9

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
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The Top 40 Radio of My Mind
Her 1971 Lp, top ten for both album and title single.

Side 1:

1. I Don't Know Where I Stand
2. Hands Off The Man(Flim Flam Man)
3. If You Could Read My Mind
4. Just A Little Lovin'
5. Let Me Go
6. Stoney End

Side 2:

1. No Easy Way Down
2. Time And Love
3. Maybe
4. Free The People
5. I'll Be Home


ED :)
 
Compared to the regular stereo issue, the Quad version is abysmal. Mastered at low volume even though the source material was pretty compressed, dull Quad mix, and a very high noise floor. One of Streisand's better Top 40 moves, but still.

Even though, better in all respects than the abysmal Butter Fly.
 
If there is some inconsistency to the recording, it's worth noting there were four engineers credited, including Val Valentin, so that might be part of the issue...and with Richard Perry's production also a factor, no surprise the end result is probably a tad too glossy(true of his work for Carly Simon, to say the least!)and conventional.

Streisand's work didn't translate to Quad as well as it might have, but I think that's true for a lot of pop music/easy listening titles in general. But IMO this one works better than most, not least because it's more lively and(for the time)trendy than most of those, too, with decent song selection and, of course, the title track. Not a dynamic sound or mix, but reasonable enough; a '7' here.

ED :)
 
The stoney end song has a hum in it when she starts singing "I was born from love and poor mother worked the lines hummmmm" Only the SQ complation does that, I always ever since I was 7 years old wonder why? Was it a bad quad track or just the record pressed because I know it was not my system. I played the record on mono, stereo, and quad SQ.
 
I wish someone would put the q8 of this onto DTS cd. This is one of Babs best albums; the quad mix is very different than the stereo on some of the songs. I have the SQ lp, which is just "eh".
 
I found the SQ mix of the Stoney End album pretty good. The title track sounds great with the guitar solo, flute and brass section, But what really tickled me about the title song was towards the end with the surprise saxophone solo as the song fades. Other tracks that stand out for me are "Free The People", "Time and Love" and "I Don't Know Where I Stand". One little gripe, though, it seems that Barbra's vocal is in the rear rather than the from but maybe it's just me.
 
I'm finally getting a round tuit voting and commenting on this record.

The production does seem a little uneven with Barbra's vocals receded on some of the tracks.

Quite a bit if reverb and, although I like reverby types of recordings, they may have overdone it just a tad.

I don't hear any hum during "Stoney End" although this is one of the tracks with Barbra's vocals burried in the mix.

Although I don't like most of Barbra's current politics, I just can't deny the feminine beauty of her voice back then. Really quite moving.

EDIT: OK, I discovered today that I had my decoder set to QS yesterday when I listened to this record (along with about 8-9 other SQ discs) to refresh my memory so my comments above might be a little out of phase but I listened again today with the decoder correctly set and my impressions generally stand.

Particularly "Stoney End". She's there at the start but then, shortly, she's way down in the mix.

Doug
 
Last edited:
I agree that the "Stoney End" LP is awful sounding just as it is.... I did upload the SQ LP mix of the song "Stoney End" on YouTube, but I did de-click and de-hum, de-rumble, and EQ it....The real draw of the quad mix of this song are the horn and string parts not heard in the stereo version.

[video=youtube;lIC7Acx8lqM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIC7Acx8lqM[/video]
 
8 Voted long ago. Didn't post.

The second Quad LP I bought. Bought Santana III same day. I owned 2 SQ, Q8 & CD. Q8 is my most played.

Mix: 6 OK, nothing special
Fidelity: 7 not great, though far from awful, a bit too much reverb, often muddy
Music: 11 One of my most fave Babs albums and most played.

Complete on Babs on CD, Bought all her Quads and DualDiscs. Also complete on Nyro, Mitchell, Nilsson & Delaney & Bonnie.

Stoney End 45 was a big hit on WLS. Rightly so. Streisand does many of these songs justice. Stoney End and No Easy Way are my faves.

Early 70's pop/rock wall to wall. Great covers.
 
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