Production vs. mastering (was: Re: Couldn't wait...)

[Paul Mather]

On Mon, 7 Dec 1998, Patrick Cordiner wrote:

=> Paul Mather wrote:-
=> > Date: Sunday, December 06, 1998 3:52 AM
=> > I'm not quite sure here, but are you saying the Hawkwind EMI >remasters
=> blow chunks?  (They are the first Hawkwind albums.)  >They sound pretty
=> spiffy to me.
=>
=> No, I think the remastered albums have totally managed to perfect the
=> Hawkwind sound and translate it especially well for high performance
=> stereos, it was just I was recently comparing the sound of the CD
=> unmastered and remastered versions of `In Search of Space' and found that
=> the original could have been better produced for its day

I think from your postings you are perhaps confusing the terms
"production" and "mastering."  The production on _In Search of Space_
has remained the same since the album was released, in all formats.  The
mastering may have changed, however.

=> Not at all!! Just that it seems as if D.P. put a lot more effort into
=> tweaking the technology of the studio than Hawkwind, and personally I think
=> Hawkwind put more effort into their actual song construction outside of the
=> studio (pre-Levitation era of course) but then failed to translate this
=> onto vinyl as cleverly as D.P. and Black Sabbath managed to.

I can't really comment on Deep Purple since I only have _Machine Head_
and _Made in Japan_.  Folks have commented how Martin Birch was involved
in the DP albums, but on those two I have, he's listed only as the
engineer (maybe he moved into production later?).  That being the case,
I feel compelled to point out that the early Hawkwind albums were
recorded under the auspices of the EMI/UA label, and so had the benefit
of the considerable engineering talent possessed by that organisation.
Indeed, _In Search of Space_, which you mention specifically, was
engineered/co-produced by none other than the legendary George Chkiantz.

As for putting "a lot more effort into tweaking the technology of the
studio," I suggest you listen to "Smoke on the Water" on _Machine Head_
about that... ;-)

It seems that the DP albums I have are fairly straighforward, albeit
nicely-done recordings, and don't seem to me to contain the tons of
overdubs and studio trickery your average, say, Led Zeppelin album has.
Maybe the other DP albums are more fancy in that respect?

Cheers,

Paul.

obLP: Frank Zappa, _Swiss Cheese/Fire!_ :-)

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"I didn't mean to take up all your sweet time"
        --- James Marshall Hendrix