Master Reels
 

I was going to put this in the Demo/Live Performance thread, but figured Master Reels could take on a life of their own. These have been around for a few years now so I am guessing most folks around here already have many of these and are familiar with how they came to be circulated. Since I'm just about ready to call it a night, I'm not going to go into the whole story right now (plus I'm sure Mike B. can do a much better job providing the details on the story behind the reels.)

In any event, I bought just about all of the available reels...well, not the actual reels, but CD's...from the individual(s) who purchased them and went through the costly and time consuming process of having them professionally transferred.

A few years ago, I made two compilations CD's of 25 or so of my favorite Master Reel tracks (the ones I recently posted in the Demos thread) and all of the Reel CD's went into storage. From what I understand though, the data stored on CDR's does not last forever and begins to deteriorate after only a few years. This happened to just about all of the Maureen Loftus CD's I bought and I decided it's time I uploaded all of the Master Reels to ensure I don't lose them as well. (Thanks again Dark Angel for sharing all of Maureen's CD's with us!)

So, as I upload the Masters to my Mac, I thought it was a good time to share them here. The great surprise for me has been discovering some great tracks that I never really noticed when I originally bought them. I got them at such a fast clip that I was too inundated to spend the time to really listen to them all and many of them I just scanned (especially the ones that were not tracked.)

Some of the reels are filled with gems while others have just snippets and false starts along with studio chatter that some people will love and others will find difficult to wade through. I will try to give some info to help you decide if it is worth your time to download each reel. I will try to post them in numerical order as best I can, but since I don't have all of them out of storage yet, there will be gaps in the sequencing (and I will try to post one reel a day.)

Hopefully there are some newer fans who will be hearing these for the first time or long time fans who don't have them in pristine quality (by the way, these files have never been compressed to MP3's and I am keeping them as wav files.)

Although I will be posting reels in their entirety, for this introduction post, I thought I would post one track that I heard earlier this evening that I don't recall hearing when I initially got the reels. It is a very stripped down version of the much-maligned Jane. Like most people on these boards, Jane is on my list of Least Favorites. But I actually love this version (despite the chimpanzee)...


Jane (from Master Reel 10)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0ziyhm1jtz1

oh cool a master reel thread now! thanks!
yeah...cd-r's dont last long. thats why long ago i uploaded everything to an external harddrive. :nod:

These tracks are VERY similar to the album tracks with some subtle differences. To me, it sounds like what they might sound like if Bella Donna is ever remastered. I think they have a richer and more layered sound, with a little different instrumentation and even some different vocals. I still haven't listened to all of them all the way through, so if you find anything interesting, please share.

Also, based on everything that is on this particular reel, I think this version of Julia is probably very close to what we would have gotten if it did make it onto the album.

Master Reel #2

Leather and Lace
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nyimwvldtym

Julia
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?d3cdr2jzamj

Edge of Seventeen
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?htdojvz3yzy

In The Still of the Night (love the ending)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2jfmzj0mzjh

After the Glitter Fades
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?znilccz1jtn

Sleeping Angel (different vocal?)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wwjizonkj4j

Thanks for the time you are going to take to post all these reels. I amd others really appreciate it. I've got a collection of reels but not too much. I should upload my live stuff to mediafire so I don't lose it on CDs. That would really stink, but uploading all the files will be a chore.

Can't wait to see what you post! How many reels are there? I wasn't around when the reels were just first poping up.

Thanks for putting these up! I've been meaning to make some master reel compilations but have been too lazy ;-)

Ok now I don't know all techno stuff so...maybe this is an easy question to answer....why is it that cd-r's are different from regular produced cds by record companys?? Why do they not rot as well as cd-r's do?? Is there some special process they go through or film on the actual cd itself that protects it?? If thats the case than why aren't cd-r's the same way....or is it the recording machine itself???? Can someone answer this for me. Its stupid. They should make things to last a long time(well they did along time ago)....but than I guess we could say that about everything shrug: (like cars etc)......anyway.....just wondering thats all......Thanks....:D

Reel #26

This reel is a must have. These two versions of The Highwayman are incredible. They are both complete takes and have a raw, live kind of feel with two great vocals. As my friend said last night, they are "boxed set worthy."

IYWML and KOW are also terrific, both "harpsichordy" and, like the two Highwayman takes, I don't think I've seen either of them posted here before.

The acapella MLWCYM is interesting. Don't be surprised if the reach's in "maybe love will reach your heart" make you cringe. And can anyone (Mike B, I'm talking to you) tell me why there are so many reels that have Bella Donna tracks mixed with SA tracks?

Bell Flower is the same version we've heard before (without the "is this the right tempo, Ben?") and, like all the other tracks, is as crystal clear as you can get.


Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind (acapella)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mglek5dtnwd

The Highwayman - 1
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?njyzdumnikm

The Highwayman - 2
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tnmma2t2tnm

Bell Flower
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?o00nnhfm1x2

If You Were My Love
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ynnzlojznmj

Kind of Woman
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zw5ttfz2hgz

Nicksphan... thanks so much for doing this... truly a joy to listen to! For some reason, I :rolleyes:verlooked this thread when I posted something about master reels in the demos/live request thread... I can't tell you how many times I've done something like that on forums.. lol!

LOL! And I answered you on the other thread without looking at this one!!! Sorry.

JeffB, I will help you once I move and have DSL. I will "try" to get the Reel numbers right, but, as I posted last week, my labeling system on my iMac is Easy Breezy Beautiful Cover Ghost, so mine don't say: "'Julia' Reel 11 Day Two False Start/Complete Take etc.". Mine say: "Julia 1", "Julia 2", ... "Julia 22". But I will try to match them up with my original CDs.

Also, I'm not going back and finding flubs, Stevie coughing, Stevie cussing, Stevie sending someone to get some weed, and all that cool stuff before the songs start. I edited that studio clutter off of the songs to make them able to be put on Stevie compilations. That would be way too much double work for me, after months of extricating songs.

As for the Street Angel and Bella Donna combined stuff: no clue here! Maybe whoever we bought these from had archived them somehow???

Haha... no worries. Thanks very much, though, in advance... I'm sure anyone checking out these threads will much appreciate your efforts.

I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait......... hehehe.

Jeff, since you asked for Dial The Number, here is Reel #24 with 7 different versions. I've never been a fan of the song and don't think I've ever listened to them all, but from what I have listened to, they all sound pretty similar. Let me know what you think...

Master Reel 24

Dial The Number - #1
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qnmgkzizzzy

Dial The Number - #2
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yy5qjywiniu

Dial The Number - #3
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?hdlnw3uwlnh

Dial The Number - #4
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?z2z4lyic4zt

Dial The Number - #5
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?cnkjmmilnmt

Dial The Number - #6
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ldz2zz5yydu

Dial The Number - #7
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mwjrmtq5tnm

Wow.. thank you so much! These must be OSOTM outtakes with Kenny G on the sax. All these takes are similar, but the vocals are definitely different on each one. "Dial The Number" doesn't top my favorite lists either, but I do like it. It's fun to hear the difference between this version and the earlier one... I think the sax and overall production suits it nicely. Having just quickly listened to the takes back-to-back, I think maybe take #3 might be my favorite.

It's interesting to note it sounds like a finished track, minus any of the usual lovely backing vocals by Lori & Sharon... such a shame they aren't there.

Thanks again!

Here's another great reel...

Reel 120

Smile At You (1st Vocal)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?izimj1zy3zh

Smile At You (2nd Vocal)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?km1azmnzk10

Beautiful Child
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xgl2wfzunjm

Think About It
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?gwzymzwuujm

Smile At You (Acapella)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?miwdozzuniy

Beautiful Child (Acapella)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?znxyqiym3nz

Think About It (Acapella)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mnrey5zgj3d

Here's a listing of the Master Reels how they appeared on the original listing

Reels

Oh, great! Thanks! That will be handy to organize things...

:blob2:
Wow.. that is a great one! I especially love the A Capella version of Think About It! I hadn't heard that take on Think About It before either. And Smile At You is awesome as always.... Thank you!

This is a beautiful version of Bella Donna and three different takes of what I feel is one of her most under-appreciated songs, Think About It.

Not saying much about Castaway because I'm not a big fan of that one :-(

Reel 88

Castaway (complete)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wmgmwnjzmij

Castaway (incomplete)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wty55c4zwz2

Bella Donna (vocal/piano only)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mdmvzlgynjz

Think About It (take 6)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?w2z2nkdjmem

Think About It (take 4)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dztt31lymnj

Think About It (take 3)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zlmgkezjjz5

I agree about Think About It.... Bella Donna was the second Stevie solo album I bought on CD around 1997 (OSOTM was the first). Think About It was an early favorite, and remains so to this day in all its versions. Can't wait to hear these.. thanks!

Could someone please post #6 from this again? For some reason the link isn't working. Thanks! :)

I already asked this question I think but can somebody please explain what a master reel is? How is it different from other outtakes/demos?

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I wasn't in the loop when these Master Reels were being sold and I have wanted copies ever since I found out about them. So many of the songs are circulating online and they have all been compressed. So, you are an answer to my prayers! I can now get the reels in their original lossless quality!

I will be looking forward to your posts with great anticipation. I haven't heard very much of these, so I'm really excited. Thanks again for sharing these rare treasures.

Kevin D.

It's a reel-to-reel tape that was produced in the studio. A 'master' copy if you will, from which other copies would be made. Some masters are complete mixes, while other masters contain the components of mixes, like the vocal, or the drum tracks.

The poor-quality demos that we hear today were often sourced from masters, but the quality degraded over time from copies being made of copies.

In 2003ish, a stash of reel-to-reels was 'discovered' (this is up for debate - the guy selling them was named Chris) and sold on eBay to a single individual, who personally incurred the expense of storing them and converting them to digital CDs. They were made available via purchase to a network of fans, who traded them amongst each other.

Thanks for the info, Karma! That was very informative. So does that mean these masters are the best quality since they are not copies? Any idea how much they went for on eBay back in 03'? I wonder how much money he/she made selling them to fans. Hmmm

The tracks on the masters reels should in most cases be the best copies available; there are a few reels that were recopied to capture better sound quality that the first digital transfer - For example, Reel #3 (The Dealer 2/17/81 & Sleeping Angel) was recopied as Reel #149, and #149 has better sound quality.

I used to have an e-mail from the seller with the details of the purchase, but it was deleted from my inbox 3 computers ago.

If nicksphan doesn't mind, maybe I'll upload some lossless copies as well?

Not only wouldn't I mind, I would greatly appreciate it. This is a pretty big undertaking and if we make it a group effort, it will be that much easier. :thumbsup:

So is this statement correct? If you have the master reals for all the demos, everything else that's floating around that's being called a demo or outtake is a lesser quality which basically means you don't need anything but the master reals. Of course I'm sure there are some out there we don't have the masters for in which case the demos/outtakes are fine.
What I'm getting at is can I replace all my demos with the master reels for the best quality?

Unfortunately, not all of the demos in circulation have surfaced on a reel - it's mostly just stuff from the Tusk/Bella Donna era, with a couple RAL and Street Angel outtakes.

There are, for example, 29+ different takes of After The Glitter Fades on circulating reels, but no versions of Running Through The Garden or She Loves Him Still...so you'd want to keep the demos you have in some cases.

ok...so, some demos have master reels, some dont...but do some songs have demos and masters? (meaning there are master reel copies and there are also other "takes" or copies of a song that are different from master reels but arent of that quality...right???

because i have alot of stuff on cd that is labeled as master reel copies and i also have demos of the same songs ... i have master reel takes, and also other takes that are different but aren't master reel quality.

ie: Lady From The Mountain
I have master reel cds that are earlier demos
and I have demos of lower quality that are labeled RAL demos

Here you go!

http://www.multiupload.com/32QCZASREE

Here is one of my favorites, with layers of Stevie vocals over a drum machine track. This single-track reel begins with a false start, and when the song has faded out at the end, there is another false start. Total running time is 7:41

167) 24 Karat Gold 2/11 Vocals ¼ Inch Reel
1…24 Karat Gold – Drum Machine Demo w/backing vocal
http://www.mediafire.com/?gn23dfqkmzn

Star Shine was always one of my favorite demos, so I was happy to find the version I was familiar with on the last track of this reel. Much of this is Stevie and the boys rehearsing the arrangement of the song and tuning instruments while chatting and seemingly just killing time (Stevie admits that she hates Florida, but wrote this song there). If you are a completist, you'll want the whole thing - otherwise, just save yourself the time and download session #4 only.

135) Star Shine Silver 4/4/80 “In The Studio” ¼ Inch Reel
1….Star Shine Session #1, Lots of chatting and some instrumental play (2:17)
2….Star Shine Session #2, complete take with extended chatting & instrumental play (7:12)
3….Star Shine Session #3, complete take with extended chatting & instrumental play (15:18)
4….Star Shine Session #4, complete - the circulated demo of Star Shine with some chatter at the end (4:55)

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=7...68e6b61562c48c

Thank you very much for sharing... but I just wanted to give you a heads up that this doesn't appear to be truly lossless. I always try and check the spectrum of files (for rare stuff anyways) and the graph shows a high frequency drop off that's indicative of an MP3 that was saved as a WAV file. Nicksphan posted (I believe it's the same recording, just trimmed) this over in the demo/live request thread as well... interestingly, I checked that too and it showed the same drop off in the upper frequency range as this one. All of the other lossless files Nicksphan has posted have checked out and appear to be truly lossless... so maybe it's an anomaly with this particular recording. But just thought I should let you know, in case you didn't already....

But thanks again for taking the time to share, and it is a great recording... lots of fun vocal overdubs!

Thanks Jeff - I was wondering if anyone out there were checking demos for loss and such. Glad to hear your comment on 24 Karat Gold - keep us updated on any other ones you find that have been compressed somewhere down the line!!!

Anyone out there have another source for this demo - to see if we can get a higher frequency copy? How about other Master Reels of "24 Karat Gold" - I LOVE IT!?

Good to know; many of the reels I bought directly from the seller but many others were traded from other fans years ago. I'm using PowerISO to burn .bin files directly from the CD, so unfortunately if it was sourced from MP3 I'm stuck with it.

Sure, no problem.. I'm glad to do it.. I know some people probably won't care, but I can't tell you how disappointed I was to find a number of stuff I had downloaded in the past turned out to be lossy, but just saved as lossless. I almost wish I never checked.. LOL.. almost. Two disappointing examples: the alternate version of Bombay Sapphires (which I LOVE); and My Heart... both were sourced from looks like HQ mp3s... but still lossy.

BTW... I checked the first Starshine file you just posted, and that IS lossless.. so maybe it probably is just an anomaly with the 24 Karat Gold reel...

Yes.. I second this.. LOL! And I'm sure Nicksphan would too, since the copy he posted in the other thread looks to be the same (likely) lossy source.

Dial The Number #6
 

This new link is not working either!! What is UP with this take of my song!?!? It does NOT want to be downloaded! :shrug: Nicksphan, can you check your original upload and see what the issue is with it - this is the only link that hasn't worked. And I can't get Jeff's link to work either.

And speaking of my song, how come all the files are .aiff instead of .wav? I'd never seen that type of file before. So far, only "Dial The Number" have not been .wav.

Those two particular songs, I'm not surprised by. There was a CDR that surfaced in Germany which seemed to be an early version of TISL where these tracks came from.

If I recall, the girl who had the disc wasn't interested in trading copies at the time, but uploaded some tracks for download as MP3s; likely these were just burned to CD and re-traded by other fans.

That's really strange.... it works for me. There are multiple mirrors on that site as well... here are a couple more you can try:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WVCSKUXA

http://depositfiles.com/en/files/is2bizmja

http://rapidshare.com/files/37716639...er__6.aif.html

Hope one of those work for you!

Oh OK... that's good to know and makes sense. What a shame she wouldn't share though...