Master Reels - Page 2

jeffd8382 · #16 04-14-2010, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicksphan

Here's another great reel...

Reel 120

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!

nicksphan · #17 04-15-2010, 08:54 PM

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

jeffd8382 · #18 04-15-2010, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicksphan

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 :-(

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!

Dark Angel · #19 04-16-2010, 02:06 PM

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicksphan

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

SapphireSister · #20 04-16-2010, 02:27 PM

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?

Grinnygog · #21 04-16-2010, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicksphan

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

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.

KarmaContestant · #22 04-16-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

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?

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.

SapphireSister · #23 04-16-2010, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

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

KarmaContestant · #24 04-16-2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

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?

nicksphan · #25 04-16-2010, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

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.

SapphireSister · #26 04-16-2010, 09:42 PM

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?

KarmaContestant · #27 04-16-2010, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

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.

SuiteShangriLa · #28 04-17-2010, 01:19 AM

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

jeffd8382 · #29 04-18-2010, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Angel

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

Here you go!

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

KarmaContestant · #30 04-18-2010, 12:39 AM

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