Fair comment, the Hot stamper broadened out to a conversation on Quality.
First so-called ‘loud cut’ version of Rubber Soul: “Shortly into the production run, EMI decided that Moss had cut the album too loud and ceased production. After Moss re-cut mono lacquers on November 19, new metal parts were made, and Hayes resumed pressing the album. The albums pressed with stampers generated from the initial lacquers were not destroyed and can be identified by the “-1” following the XEX 579 (Side 1) and XEX 580 (Side 2) matrix numbers…” [Bruce Spizer, 'Beatles For Sale On Parlophone, p. 204]
Absolutely, and widely acknowledged as the best recordings ever made (In terms of classical and Jazz). The skills, equipment and abilities at this time were really at their prime.
“It was a completely different process recording orchestral and acoustic jazz compared to studio recordings of pop/rock bands using amplified instruments”.
Certainly there are differences, however if you can correctly mic and mix a kettle drum / pipe organ / gongs, anvils and cannon etc an electric guitar isn’t really rocket science.
I was fortunate to purchase the private collection of John Culshaw (Manager / producer of Decca Classical at it’s conception) The stories of how to record a cannon blast and anvil for the Wagner ring cycle were hilarious.
As noted above, Pop music was not lavished with anything like the attention premium priced Classical recordings were. They were subject to merciless limiters (Loud is best), spot check QC only and in many cases heavy time constraints. When you hear a band say: ‘We went into the studio and produced an LP in two days,’ musically this is magical but it also hints to corners cut when it comes to the matter of quality.
I didn’t say they were destroyed, I also have a copy. Harry Moss cut two more lacquers but they were rejected and Hazel Yarwood was asked to re-cut it. Her first cut was -4 then she cut a -5 there are pressings with Harry Moss’ A-1 cut on side one and Hazel Yarwood’s -4 cut on side two bit there are no pressings with -2 or -3 matrix numbers which would have been the Harry Moss re cuts.
I was noting that the -1 is known as the ‘Loud cut’ eluding to a difference in stampers.
Going back to your point ““It was a completely different process recording orchestral and acoustic jazz compared to studio recordings of pop/rock bands using amplified instruments”.”
"The ‘Pop’ equaliser, as used on The Beatles’ sessions, behaved as a peak-boost EQ centred around 5kHz, and a shelving-cut EQ at 10kHz on the ’ REDD.51’ This equalization is one of the reasons for limited dynamics. My hypothetical ‘imagine if the Doors / Zep et al were recorded and processed to Classical standards’. ie. Not with Pop Equalization is simply that hypothetical (They may have sounded dull???) but the marketeers demanded ‘Loud’ indeed the Beatles lobbied Parlophone for heavier vinyl for the purpose of ‘bigger bass’ (Source: Southall: 2006, online).
Fair point, I was mainly saying the stamper was not special the loud label was down to how the cut was mixed.
Again, fair point but what I was trying to point out in saying recording The Doors in the way classical music is recorded was about how Classical is recorded with live performing musicians with ‘in air’ mics emulating a perfect listening position within the venue where rock music in the studio was recorded differently using close mics and different tracks for individual instruments and vocals, often being mixed on to a single tape track due to 4 track limitations. Difficult to get good bass and drums when they are mixed on to one track as was often the case.
If you can record an orchestra with deeper bass and dozens of players for classical and get great results, The closed Mic / Separate track style of pop recording is part of what I was eluding to in the hypothetical notion.
They are not recorded separately and mixed together though they are playing together carefully spaced, in harmony and recorded as one. Also, I think that difference in sound quality is not just down to the recording quality. A live orchestra in a good venue always sounds more balanced and superior to an amplified rock concert no matter how good the PA and sound engineer are. To my ears/brain anyway.
There were lots of live recordings that were actually done ‘in studio’. Kloots Kleek for example was next door to the Decca Studios, They ran a long cable from the venue to the studio! - This is worth a read
