Don Rendell Quintet – Space Walk

Reissue coming out in July 2021 on Decca, see below:

https://shop.decca.com/British-Jazz-Explosion/*/Spacewalk/704K00001K8

I don’t understand how it would be possible *not* to hear that the reissue has sound problems. It is exactly like Cratermass pointed out: on Side 1 only one channel of the stereo-inage has been used for both channels, so effectively one channel is missing. I think it is unlistenable, and I’m happy I found an original pressing.

Sorry - my previous comment was of course in reference to the reissue, also posted there.

Both mjazzg and eremidunno are absolutely correct - there is a problem with the sound of this record, hence the impression of a ‘recessed' sound to the sax. The reason for this is apparently an error in the mastering stage.

I own a copy of both the original pressing and the reissue. I cued them up on 2 decks and did an A/B comparison.

When listening to ‘On The Way’ (Side 1, Track 1) from the original stereo record the sax that solos first after the head (Stan Robinson) is heard on the right channel with added reverb on the left channel. The second sax (Don Rendell) is then heard on the left channel (after the vibes solo) with added reverb on the right channel. Drums and bass are placed centrally, with the vibes having quite a wide spread (low-to-high notes spread left-to-right channel).

The problem with the reissue - on Side 1 - is only one side of the stereo image (the left channel of the original recording) has been pressed on to both channels of the record. The result is that when the first saxophone solos on the reissue (right channel of the original issue) you are actually only hearing the reverb of this instrument, hence the ‘recessed sound’. When the second sax solos on the reissue the signal is much stronger (albeit ‘drier’ than in the original, without reverb) as you are hearing the channel to which it was originally panned.

This problem only affects Side 1 of the reissue - Side 2 has the correct stereo image.

Its difficult to understand how such a glaring mistake can get through a professional mastering stage, and then not be picked up on by a record label before manufacturing - surely listening to a test pressing would have made it obvious that there had been a mistake?

I wonder if maybe the original master tape for Side 1 of the album is damaged, and so a decision was made to go ahead and press using only one channel, but if that’s true then I think it should have been declared that this is not an ‘exact repro’. Plus the labels of the reissue wrongly state that the record is ‘Stereo’ - the A side is in fact mono, as it is only one channel of the original stereo recording.

If the master tapes are damaged then maybe a mint copy of the original vinyl could have been sourced and Side 1 of this reissue could have been cut from that?