Re-recording Caruso

[operabass78s]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoseRUnNfOI[/youtube]

[Wolfe]

"Dramatic and intensity and fervor." Based on the re-recordings I've heard, they didn't really succeed at enhancing that, the one in the video isn't even playing at the right speed!

Fascinating video though, as with the Vitaphone opera clips, another great YouTube find from operabass78's.

[richardh]

Facainating film. I have a number of these re-records that I bought unwittingly all at the same time. I remember I was puzzled by it wondering if I was listening to an electical or acoustic recording as the music sounded electical but the voice acoustic! I posted that recording on another board for an opinion. One of the comments made about it summed these re-records up perfectly. They are fine if you like to listen to an orchestra with vocal accompanyment. I have yet to hear one where the vocal isn't swamped by the orchestra.

Interstingly, the radio gram used in the demonstration is virtually identical to my HMV 1931 model - except mine doesn't have the autochanger.

Thanks for posting this Tim, I hadn't seen this film before.

RJ

[Lenoirstreetguy]

They always seemed to be disappointing to me. They're still doing this too and it STILL sounds about the same as 1932 The Caruso 2000 and Italian Songs CD's with the Vienna Radio Symphony under Gottfried Rabl are disappointing. The voice loses all its punch and richness. When I listened to these it was " deja vu all over again" Here's the Canadian version of the Curtains label that some of the 78 re recordings had. They didn't all have this label...or at least up here in Canada but the first ones did.

[Wolfe]

Caruso 2000 and Italian Songs didn't do anything for me either. Much hyped, but those CD's had to take a hike.

The 1930's records would be my choice if forced to choose between either project, the lower fidelity mono orchestral sound, and lack of artificial reverberation on Caruso's voice make for a better blend that's easier to take, as long as the timing wasn't too messy.

[richardh]

Glad I have never sampled the "delight" of acoustic Caruso with modern orchestra in digital stereo! It must sound weird! The 30's re-records sound bad enough, but with the clarity of a CD........

His voice needs to be heard in the right context. His recordings were acoustic and for the most part with simple accopanyment. Trying to tart them up with a full modern orchestra is (in my opinion) a bad idea.

I have to say I recently bought a CD collection of Ella Fitzgerald recordings. THey sound really great on a CD as many are sourced from the original session tapes and sound FAB. But, and I am afraid there is a but, they have remixed some of the songs and added new accompnayment to a few of them. By the style of them I would guess it must have been done in the mid 90's. Ella with a hip hop dance track is truly horrid! Belive me!

RJ

[Viva-Tonal]

It's a shame no-one ever thought to produce a reissue collection in the mid-to-late 1940s (or at least anytime after electric recording and reproduction reached the point where one disc dub generation down still sounded decent) in which a number of Caruso's records were carefully dubbed, with the speeds corrected, so that the new records, when played at, say, 78.26, gave you what the originals did played at anywhere from 67 ½ to 76 rpm--or whatever speeds they were originally recorded at.

I understand there is at least one early LP reissue of some of Caruso's early sides where they are all reproduced at speeds far from correct. I don't have any of those albums, but I'm of the impression that what was done was an engineer was given pressings of the selected original records, and played them all back at 78 rpm, and recorded to tape whatever he got by doing so, and the LPs were mastered from those tapes as-is. Hence they were often too high in pitch, playing way too fast.

[richardh]

I think my list of re-issue pet hates are (in assending order!)

• artificial reverb
• inappropriate re-hashed backing track
• incorrect transfer speed.

All are crimes against decent reissues - and are all unfortunately quite common!

RJ

[Wolfe]

It's a shame no-one ever thought to produce a reissue collection in the mid-to-late 1940s (or at least anytime after electric recording and reproduction reached the point where one disc dub generation down still sounded decent) in which a number of Caruso's records were carefully dubbed, with the speeds corrected, so that the new records, when played at, say, 78.26, gave you what the originals did played at anywhere from 67 ½ to 76 rpm--or whatever speeds they were originally recorded at.

I understand there is at least one early LP reissue of some of Caruso's early sides where they are all reproduced at speeds far from correct. I don't have any of those albums, but I'm of the impression that what was done was an engineer was given pressings of the selected original records, and played them all back at 78 rpm, and recorded to tape whatever he got by doing so, and the LPs were mastered from those tapes as-is. Hence they were often too high in pitch, playing way too fast.

Wandering a bit off topic, but speaking of LP reissues, some of the most egregious LP transfers were done by RCA in the 1950's. There's one pretty common 2 LP RCA set out there called "The Best Of Caruso" which has a drawing of his face on the cover.

The speeds (as I recall) were more or less on target, the transfers on the other hand were some of the rattiest, harsh and tinny sounding things I've ever heard on a Caruso reissue, they used them on some 45 rpm issues as well. I can't figure just what they could have been doing to make them sound so bad.

[Viva-Tonal]

Probably going OTT with EQ and lots of compression and limiting. RCA were bad to do that even without drenching the result in reverb.

One hilarious thing to listen for is what happens at the end of 'I'll be a friend (with pleasure)' by Bix Beiderbecke and his orchestra, as included in the album THE BIX BEIDERBECKE LEGEND (RCA Victor LPM 2323, 1961). There was a 'pop' that lasted over several of the last turns of the groove on the 78 they used for the transfer, and on the last chord, you can hear the 'pop....pop....pop....pop....', reverbed up nicely, as the chord dies away!

On the other hand, there are some surprisingly good early LP reissues of 78 items. One well worth searching out is BUNNY BERIGAN PLAYS AGAIN (RCA Victor LPT 1003, from c. 1951) which collects eight of his best sides (including the famous 'I can't get started'), includes all recording dates on the labels, and all the titles sound just the way the 78s do, without the noise artifacts! No added reverb or screwy EQ, absolutely no compression or limiting either. Strangely enough, this is a 12" album, for all its brevity.