'Move Back!' Nothing Songs release

[Mark]

Just noticed Olivier has added some info on Nothing Songs' new version of the Columbus '66 show. This actually looks promising. I was suspecting that it would be a direct clone of the original CD ("from the original 4 track reel tape?" Er, the tapers have been directly quoted as saying it was recorded in mono, guys), but the track timings are different, suggesting some kind of work has been done:

Original version
CD 1: 1. Melody Laughter (28:26) / 2. Femme Fatale (3:43) / 3. Venus In Furs (4:53) / 4. The Black Angel's Death Song (5:28) / 5. Lou says (0:39) / 6. All Tomorrow's Parties (6:46).

CD 2: 7. I'm Waiting For The Man (4:32) / 8. Heroin (8:57) / 9. Run Run Run (8:51) / 10. The Nothing Song (32:00).

New version
Disc 1: 1. Melody Laughter (29:25) / 2. Femme Fatale (3:01) / 3. Venus In Furs (6:04) / 4. The Black Angel's Death Song (4:00) / 5. Lou says (1:18) / 6. All Tomorrow's Parties (6:19)

Disc 2: 7. I'm Waiting For The Man (6:11) / 8. Heroin (7:15) / 9. Run Run Run (10:22) / 10. The Nothing Song (30:21).

However...

Some early copies have THE VELVET UNDERGROUND mispelled as THE VELVET UNDERGRPUND on the spine.

[tarbaby2]

From looking at the timing comparisons you provided, it looks like more than a little "something" went on!!!

In some places the differences are almost two full minutes!!! I would say that that's a HUGE difference.

But we won't know what it's like until someone gets it and listens to it and lets us know.

[Guest]

I need some clarification--is this new release supposed to be a completely different recording or what?

[olandem]

As far as I can tell, both editions are based on the same source. Track timings are different, due to different track splitting. As you know, there are long parts between the songs on this recordings (which were often edited out of the bootlegs before Move Back!). On the original edition, the tracks begin when the previous song ends. On the new remastered edition, tracks begin when the songs begin, hence the differences in track timings.

Original = 104:20
Disc 1: 49:58
Disc 2: 54:22

2006 Remaster = 104:19
Disc 1: 50:09
Disc 2: 54:10

I don't know exactly what kind of treatment was applied to the 2006 edition, but the audio analysis are different. Anyway, volume was probably boosted (i.e. Venus In Furs, Average RMS power is -21.13 dB on the on the original edition, and -16.74 dB on the remastered one)

And yes, this is straight mono.

[GroovyMusic]

What about the After Hours realease?

After Hours Tape # 21

EPI LIVE 4 NOV 1966
Dreams come true here, with the complete concert EQ'd and speed corrected for the first time! It's all here - The VU & Nico, their only live recording together - the 7 songs, and the long instrumentals they called "Melody Laughter". You know how screwly the speed was on the songs - even the new CD boots are wrong. Hear it the right way. Sound : VG.

http://home.aol.com/olandem3/afterhou.html

It claims to be the best version with speed correction--is that the case? Is it even better than 'Move Back!'?

[Mark]

I always assumed that was a straight dub of the Move Back CD. Don't forget the Afterhours tapes date back to (at the very latest) the mid '90s.

[deckarep]

Check the torrent thread...

http://www.velvetforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... &start=120

Deck

[LFSDoc]

I don't know exactly what kind of treatment was applied to the 2006 edition, but the audio analysis are different. Anyway, volume was probably boosted (i.e. Venus In Furs, Average RMS power is -21.13 dB on the on the original edition, and -16.74 dB on the remastered one)

And yes, this is straight mono.

listening to the new remaster, I don't think they (Nothing Songs) have had access to a different tape: it sounds more like they applied heavy noise reduction and EQ to the original Move Back CDs, which to my ears sound more natural.
I've read that another remaster has been circulating, which might be a copy of the full tape as rewoked for the Peel Slowly box set. is this true?

cheers
Doc

[MJG196]

I am really wary of these "Officially Released" bootlegs. More and more of them are appearing (often "out of Japan") and upon listening to them they are nothing more than the stuff we've had for years run through a noise-filtering program. Gee-whiz, I just love when the high frequencies are removed from my recordings!

The worst case so far has been the MP4-sourced Rosie Lee tapes issued by some Japanese company.

A few extra (or less) seconds (allegedly) of music is not worth a single cent to me. It is very likely that if any "Officially Released" editions are just a few seconds longer/shorter than the stuff that has been in circulation, it is because someone was making pitch-adjustments, and over the span of the CD it changes the time insignificantly.

Just a thought, y'all.

[Mark]

I don't think this release has been subject to any noise reduction - the levels of hiss seem about the same to me.

To my ears it sounds like a slight improvement over the original Move Back. As mentioned before it's louder, and the EQ is different, with the bass coming over more strongly (a good thing in my book). It's also better in that the annoying 'chirping' artefacts during the last minute or so of Heroin have been significantly reduced (although not removed altogether).

As to whether it's genuinely a remaster from the original tape or simply a judicious CoolEdit job based on a stock copy of Move Back, I wouldn't like to say. It could be either. Or neither. I do think it's an improvement though.