⭐ Official Review [Album]: "PASSAGE" (SP-4703)

[tomswift2002]

With my Remastered Classics CD also sounds like Karen's vocal is damaged on B'Wana. Could be from the compression, but it sounds damaged.

Also, considering just how few times B'Wana has appeared on a compilation album, Richard really has not had a chance to do any remixes like he did in 1989 for Occupants.

 

[Harry]

(also the LP version does playback as stereo on my equipment---but it plays back the same as a mono LP or 45 on a stereo turntable)

I'm having another dense moment as, to me, this sentence in parentheses doesn't quite make sense. The first part says that your LP sounds like stereo on your "equipment", but the second half seem to negate the first half. Maybe after some coffee...

 

[Carpe diem]

Revisiting the Yesterday Once More Commercial compelled me to
re-visit many of the Videos,
and, I must say, not only is
All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
a great song, the video is simply one of the best of Karen and Richard.
How often did they both look as if they were having fun ?
A great song and a great video for the song.

Agree GaryAlan; They looked like they just "cut loose" for this video and were really enjoying themselves. Karen is "radiant" and fun to watch! I really think they had a great time working on the "Passage" album as evidenced from the song selection and vocal performances. Love this particular song, it has a great summer like feel to it.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

So I got my single 45 of B'wana She No Home today.
I cleaned it up really nice twice on my record doctor and this is what I would say is a mint 45.

Harry, I know you mentioned having this 45, have you listened to this lately or were you just writing based on what you could remember the 45 sounded like? I ask because something is different on this stereo 45 version that I am not hearing on the original A&M CD. This will be somewhat hard to explain but I am hearing reverb or echo but not in the same way we hear when Richard has added echo or reverb. This is much different. Karen's vocal is pretty centered but her vocal up front is echoed/reverb sounding. It's more like your in a studio but you hear all the instruments reverb-ing down the hall, I am hearing some reverb in the vocals but I think it's doubling Karen's and I'm hearing the reverb in some of the backing vocals. I will say you were absolutely right in that this 45 is much airier and brighter and I would say it's even a bit more brighter sounding than the original A&M CD. The highs and the reverb/echo I'm hearing are not bad it's just immediately noticeable.

So after first play I went directly to my original A&M Passage CD and there is no reverb or echo at all and I could tell Karen's vocals are not quite as bright not muddy like the remastered classic but the highs sound higher on the 45 vinyl. I'm in the process now of ripping this into an mp3.

Can someone that has this 45 single take a listen with headphones and tell me what your hearing comparing it to the CD?

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I just realized that the reverb/echo that I am hearing on this 45 single is the same exact sound from the original LP. I had not pulled my LP out for a while and forgot how it sounded since I've been so use to hearing this song from CD. I can't believe how much different the 45 and LP of this song sound compared to all CD versions. I think some of the sonics of this song were really lost when it got transferred to CD, especially the remastered classics CD.

 

[Harry]

B'WANA, SHE CONFUSING!

Well I'm glad you found this too, I thought I was hearing things. When I went to the 45 of "B'wana She No Home" yesterday, I put it on quickly and noticed the brightness that I mentioned above and then did a quick compare with the vinyl PASSAGE album. With your note above, I've done some more detailed listening to four different versions:
- 45 single, flip of "I Believe You"
- version from the PASSAGE LP
- version from the A&M CD
- version from the Remastered Classics CD

Yes, Rick, I'm hearing exactly what you mentioned. There's a prevalent echo that trails off to the right on the 45 and the LP version. It's easiest to hear on Karen's vocals on the early parts before the track gets real dense, but it's there all the way.

The A&M CD is almost as bright, just a bit duller and there's no echo - or not much of one if it's there. And finally the Remastered CD mires itself in dullness.

I've noticed over the years the technique of adding a bit of reverb to one channel of something and having it sound like the echo trails off in that direction. It's common on old mono soundtracks of TV show music when they put onto stereo albums or CDs, giving the sound just a bit of spaciousness. I'm not sure if that's what was done here - and why - or not. But the fact is the original PASSAGE album version of "B'wana..." was always this way - and when it was chosen as a single b-side, whoever mastered the 45 notched up the highs just a little bit. That's pretty common in the industry too as 45s often got boosted a little bit to sound good on radio.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I'm glad I'm not hearing things ha...Like I mentioned I'm so use to hearing the CD versions that I really had not pulled out my LP in a very long time but did so tonight after hearing the 45 I just got. I have a Promo LP of Passage that sounds very nice and knew the moment I heard B'Wana that what I was hearing was exactly the reverb as the 45 single.

I can understand how Tomswift2002 thinks this is a mono recording, especially when one listening with headphones to the LP or this 45 version. It sounds like the song is playing between my head. There are no real definite/prominent vocals or instruments coming in strong to the right or left like we hear on a lot of stereo recordings. It's like you or someone mentioned it's a very narrow stereo sound.

I personally think this track sounds the best sonically to my hears on this 45 and on the LP. I mean apart from Karen's vocal sounding brighter and better even the sax and Richard's piano and even when you hear Richard on backing vocals come in they are so much more prominent on the 45 and LP like your there in the studio....a lot of this gets washed away when it got transferred to CD. Is it possible Richard wanted to get rid of this echo/reverb when it got mastered to CD or could it be something else. All I know is this recording is like night and day comparing the 45/LP to any of the CD versions.

 

[Harry]

Well, there is the fact that Richard didn't play the piano on this track. That job fell to Pete Jolly. But it certainly sounds better - more open - more defined on the LP and 45.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Well, there is the fact that Richard didn't play the piano on this track. That job fell to Pete Jolly. But it certainly sounds better - more open - more defined on the LP and 45.

Ahh thanks for the correction, my bad.
I think this is a very good example of how CDs might sound great on some recordings but others like B'wana is just better on the original format at least to my ears. I'd love to hear Richard's thoughts on this reverb or echo that is so present on the 45 and LP for this song but somehow was removed when it got mastered to CD. It's very apparent especiallly with headphones.

 

[Harry]

This is somewhat akin to that "Flat Baroque" single mix that had a different stereo soundstage than the album version. It too was a b-side, but it differed from its LP album version. In this case the 45 and the LP agree, but the mastering to CD mostly dropped the reverb.

 

[Murray]

With your note above, I've done some more detailed listening to four different versions:
- 45 single, flip of "I Believe You"
- version from the PASSAGE LP
- version from the A&M CD
- version from the Remastered Classics CD

Yes, Rick, I'm hearing exactly what you mentioned. There's a prevalent echo that trails off to the right on the 45 and the LP version. It's easiest to hear on Karen's vocals on the early parts before the track gets real dense, but it's there all the way.

The A&M CD is almost as bright, just a bit duller and there's no echo - or not much of one if it's there. And finally the Remastered CD mires itself in dullness.

How does the version of B'Wana on the PBS Complete Singles compare to the other sources? Does it sound like the 45, the original Passage CD, or the remastered CD?

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

B'WANA, SHE CONFUSING!

Well I'm glad you found this too, I thought I was hearing things. When I went to the 45 of "B'wana Shew No Home" yesterday, I put it on quickly and noticed the brightness that I mentioned above and then did a quick compare with the vinyl PASSAGE album. With your note above, I've done some more detailed listening to four different versions:
- 45 single, flip of "I Believe You"
- version from the PASSAGE LP
- version from the A&M CD
- version from the Remastered Classics CD

Yes, Rick, I'm hearing exactly what you mentioned. There's a prevalent echo that trails off to the right on the 45 and the LP version. It's easiest to hear on Karen's vocals on the early parts before the track gets real dense, but it's there all the way.

The A&M CD is almost as bright, just a bit duller and there's no echo - or not much of one if it's there. And finally the Remastered CD mires itself in dullness.

I've noticed over the years the technique of adding a bit of reverb to one channel of something and having it sound like the echo trails off in that direction. It's common on old mono soundtracks of TV show music when they put onto stereo albums or CDs, giving the sound just a bit of spaciousness. I'm not sure if that's what was done here - and why - or not. But the fact is the original PASSAGE album version of "B'wana..." was always this way - and when it was chosen as a single b-side, whoever mastered the 45 notched up the highs just a little bit. That's pretty common in the industry too as 45s often got boosted a little bit to sound good on radio.

HA! I need to pull out my "Passage" LP and take a listen to it. It's been forever since I've heard it. Otherwise, I've been mired in Remastered Classics CD. I ordered an original "Passage" CD but it arrived in very bad shape so I sent it back for a refund. Since we've discovered that the LP version is better, I'll just stick with my LP.

Ed

 

[Harry]

How does the version of B'Wana on the PBS Complete Singles compare to the other sources? Does it sound like the 45, the original Passage CD, or the remastered CD?

Well, this is another case where THE COMPLETE SINGLES has gotten a track's version wrong. As I mentioned above, we discovered that "Flat Baroque" is different on the 45, yet THE COMPLETE SINGLES used the album version. Same here. The 45 has this brighter EQ and reverb trailing to the right, yet THE COMPLETE SINGLES used the duller CD version.

Both of these "infractions" are minor and I can hardly fault the creators of the CD for making the mistake. It's only us obsessive purists who would ever notice such a thing.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

That's why I can't say that The Complete Singles CD collection is a "true purists" singles set. B'Wana that appears on this set was not taken from the actual single because it is the duller version. It does not represent the same sound from the single that would have been played on the air at the time. I'm a stickler when it comes to stuff like this if it's going to claim to be a Singles Collection, I want it to sound like the singles I know or that anyone of today can purchase and compare the 2.

 

[CraigGA]

I would think that it is not a perfect formula for analog to digital then back again. The complaint about Compact Disks were that they were just copies of albums and once transferred it was pretty much guaranteed that all mistakes went with it, and the sound was also "harsher" taking warmth out of it and making a distorted high treble sound. Plus, it sometimes feels there is an empty vacuum where the sound quality of the old product is not taking up the fidelity of the new, if that makes any sense. The Remastered Classics went back to the original tape and went through the process again, giving the sound as close as possible to the original adding back in the warmth and removing the accented, distorted treble, while adding audio quality the vinyl was not able to caputure. In vinyl, there is all kinds of stylus/cartridge stuff going on, not the mention its weight against the pulling of the turntable. I would think we link the nuances the process might create, and sometimes not. I am happy for the new stuff that did the best possible of bringing to us a "Singles" collection and a "Remastered" Collection, and especially grateful for the SACD. Even when I don't like the remixes, they bring another fresh view of listening. For whatever reason, Bwana She No Home makes none of us happy about its narrow stereo and dry mix. However, we can take the "cleanest" mix with the highest fidelity and quality we have and add "tools" that our equipment comes with for a more pleasing sound. On the iTunes player , for example, you can make these edits per song. Richard once said that they were always experimenting with sound and recording sound, but somehow this album lacks some magic touches. But then again, it was 40 years ago and the Remasterd Classics were made 20 years ago. With the original tapes being burned in the fire, this is probably the best we can get.
As an example, I once played A Kind Of Hush on a turntable that went a tad slower, and it added a richness to the sound for some reason that just playing a digital copy slower lacks. I am sure there is a scientific and mathematical reason for it all, but its not because someone did not do their best to give us the best possible original classic. Who knows, maybe those who assembled these projects knew of all of our issues, but simply did the best with what was available. I know that Richard was aware of surface noise, and tried to eliminate all noise and said that singles were made of the worst material and that LP's from England had higher pressing quality controls, as I have been reading Randy's book Yesterday Once More. So, as they make these new products, they can eliminate the damage from the tape being so old, and eliminate noise and other issues, and yet bring us a "truest" respect to the original possible.
I know that these new products play a whole lot better than they did with what I had in 1977. Our frustration is with the mix and I hope that with all of these obstacles that even those seeking a pure sound, quality and yet duplicate as possible product would be happy. (If mine is off center giving the right or left side of one song a small percentage increase it does not shake me, for what I had in 1972 played out of phase for sure. And, who knows if that was a mistake that was corrected?). A clean, high quality mix of original material presented to us to in fidelity we never thought possible is what excites me. All I am saying is let's celebrate!

 

[Don Malcolm]

Here's a very interesting artifact from PASSAGE that, if my ears are working properly, will give us a little sense of what Harry and Rick are talking about...it's a promo disk called A FOREPLAY SPECIAL which features seven of the eight tracks from PASSAGE (apologies if the link image doesn't appear here...but it should at least take you to the YouTube page).

At around 4:11 they segue to B'WANA and I think you will hear some of the difference in the original mix as they play most of the first verse. Now what I hear that has not really been commented on is that the mix in the first verse (the first 1:02 of the song) just seems a bit off, which is then significantly corrected or improved when the strings enter on the second verse, and from this point forward the arrangement seems to come together. As the "jam" aspect of the song becomes more prominent, the tune does transcend its narrowed stereo mix and the instrumental interplay all seems to get reconciled into a solid set of spatial relationships.

I would love it if Harry or Rick could find a way to put the single mix up on YouTube (though I know that digitizing it may well serve to obscure some of the differences).

The FOREPLAY SPECIAL disk was the subject of a brief thread that Rick initiated back in 2003, and the ensuing discussion solved the mystery as to why only seven of the eight PASSAGE tracks appear on it (missing is ALL YOU GET FROM LOVE IS A LOVE SONG)...that track had been released ahead of the LP by several months and to include it would have been, as they say, an anachronism.

 

[GaryAlan]

Thanks for reminding me of that promo-foreplay-special , Don !
Again, I truly believe this album to be a great album....the more I listen, the more I love !

 

[Jamesj75]

And I thought we had to keep hands off any "foreplay" discussion...

 

[Harry]

I would love it if Harry or Rick could find a way to put the single mix up on YouTube (though I know that digitizing it may well serve to obscure some of the differences).

You read my mind. Here is the audio from the flip side of "I Believe You".



Listen carefully with headphones if you can. You'll hear echo audio, particularly from Karen's vocal track, that trails off to the right side of the stereo soundstage. Focus on the loud parts of the vocal.

 

[Mark-T]

Sounds great, Harry!

 

[Chris May]

There are definitely differences here. This sounds like it's mastered a bit more brightly to me. Also on the album mix, there is some stereo separation in the BGVs, and on this single not so much. You'll also notice that Tom's sax solo has some slight stereo separation with the delay effect on it here in this mix that isn't present on the album mix.

And yes @Harry the reverb tail does sound like it is predominantly panned right with regard to the majority of the mix (being heard mostly on the lead). I know a lot of Karen's leads throughout the album have a monaural reverb send, centered/no pan. I'm almost wondering if their looping for this was mono to begin with, and they threw it out of center to widen the mix. Very strange, but again they were attempting to be progressive with this whole endeavor which would probably explain a lot.

 

[Harry]

Good spot! I hear what your saying. Listen at around 3:54 for the "aa-aa-ah" background vocals. In the 45, those vocals seem to be largely mono-ed, whereas on the stereo album, they have a bit of separation. And conversely, Tom Scotts sax solo gets reverb on the 45 and not on the album.

That would indicate that the album and single versions of the track were done separately somehow. Perhaps the instructions for EQ, balance, etc., on the tape box went missing or was never updated.

One thing is for sure - I've listened to "B'wana She No Home" more times this week than in the last ten years!

 

[Chris May]

That would indicate that the album and single versions of the track were done separately somehow. Perhaps the instructions for EQ, balance, etc., on the tape box went missing or was never updated.

Honestly I doubt it was a mistake, and more than likely a rush job on the mix down for radio. Perhaps a final determination hadn't been made as to how they wanted to feature it on the album, so this was sufficient for the 45. Not uncommon

 

[Harry]

Well, I'm just thinking of the timing. PASSAGE was out long before "I Believe You" was a single, right? So the album mix would have come first, right? I can understand that perhaps for a 45 they might want to approach it a bit differently.

 

[Chris May]

Well, I'm just thinking of the timing. PASSAGE was out long before "I Believe You" was a single, right? So the album mix would have come first, right? I can understand that perhaps for a 45 they might want to approach it a bit differently.

Good point and I should have done my homework first. Do we know that the single mix wasn't created beforehand and sat on the shelf prior to release date?