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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 4, 2006 16:06:08 GMT -5
:shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: Just wanted to comment on how great this month's Web Site update looks. Many thanks to all who contributed - Rick, WiseJester7- looks really wonderful...I really enjoyed reading about the "platters" and their value...boy, I would guess if I ever did find one of these treasures, I'd likely hold on to it, no matter what the monetary value was, at the time. The Off Topic-topic is outstanding, as well. Look at Tony Bennett and the amazing people he is dueting with on his compilation of outstanding music - how fantastic is THAT, I ask you? And, the featured song, Parting of our Ways - wow - I remember getting to listen to this on the From The Top collection - and I can't honestly remember whether or not I heard it on the Karen Carpenter Story first, or on the From The Top CD's....whatever the case - it was a great treat to hear it....a super song. Thanks for all the hard work it takes to keep the website, and the forum fresh, and updated. It does not go unappreciated. Best, Tim  :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: :shinysmile: |
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Post by BethMosior on Oct 4, 2006 18:45:43 GMT -5
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Post by wisejester7 on Oct 5, 2006 7:34:46 GMT -5
I concur with YesterdayOnceMore and BethMosior. The Web site update is filled with goodies.
I didn't even know of the existence of some of the 'platters' found in the Collectible Carpenters section. Their value today is amazing...so they are probably rare finds, indeed.
Some of the other Sections I enjoy are The Carpenters Online Top Ten, A Few Good Books, and The Featured Song Of The Month.
Now for my 'duh' question of the day.....under The Carpenters Online Top Ten.....for example:
10. Horizon ( 2,1,1 )....What do the numbers 2,1,1 represent?
;-)wisejester7
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 5, 2006 9:30:43 GMT -5
 Thank you my friends for the nice comments on the web site update. I do have an all new Carpenters related interview coming and it should be ready for the November update.
To answer your question Wisejester... the numbers in the parenthesis is the position the album was at in the previous months. "Horizon" spent something like seven months on top of the Carpenters Online Top Ten. Before that "Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition" spent something like nine months. Also during the Christmas season "Christmas Collection" will generally spend a month at the top. The top ten is calculated by the amount of discs sold through any Amazon.com link on the Carpenters Online web site or forum.
On this latest update I'm real excited about the Singles Collection Box which is finally being released for the U.S. market. It's still coming as a Japanese Import - but it will be easier for for fans in the U.S. to purchase it. It has 33 seperate discs of each single released in Japan (so it will include "Jambalaya") with their original picture sleeves. I hope to buy one - though it will be pricey - over $300.00 - now that will become a Most Valuable Platter.
Speaking of Most Valuable Platters:
I do own a few on that list. I have a of the original album "Offering" - mine is not in Near Mint condition - but it is in GOOD condition as it has a few light scratches and the cover has some wear. My copy is probably worth about $15.00 as is.
I also have a copy of the Quadophonic release of "Horizon". You have to hear this one - it sounds great - you can hear things in this that you don't hear in the regular vinyl or even the CD release. My copy is in Very Good condition so is worth around $15.00
Another I have is "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" with the picture sleeve. I would love to find a copy of "The Singles 1969-1973" on red vinyl - I nver seen that one anywhere. |
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Post by wisejester7 on Oct 5, 2006 10:57:52 GMT -5
Thank you, Rick. Your penchant for research is superb! I figured the numbers had to do with album position, I just didn't know in relation to what. The information you provided is interesting. . . it shows our trends and tastes. The rare platters caught my attention. I didn't know there was a 'red' (vinyl) out there. Unfortunately, I don't own a single one of those platters on the list : (. Any one who owns even one of these is a lucky, lucky person! The Japanese Singles Collection sounds great. I hope to be able to scrape enough $$ together to get it. That might take a while. It seems there are always 'other' priorities before I finally get to the 'fun' ones. Now you peaked my interest . . . What can you hear on Quad that isn't even 'hearable' on CD? Is it an overall quality type of thing or are there vocals and/or instrumentals that are otherwise undetectable? Curious as ever, ;-)wisejester7
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 5, 2006 22:33:16 GMT -5
I just went back into my web site editor as I noticed I missed a few typos - mainly in the descriptions of the Most Valuable Platters (MVP). These are fixed if you wish to reread.
Wisejester, concerning Quadrophonic sound here are a few descriptions I've found in a web search:
Quadraphonic sound uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at all four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of each other.
Quadraphonic sound was one of the earliest consumer offerings in multichannel audio, introduced to the American market in the early 1970s. Quad was not one format but myriad different and largely incompatible formats on different media: quadraphonic could be obtained from vinyl records, eight tracks, and reel-to-reel. Further complicating quadraphonic was the fact that some systems were discrete, while others were matrix. There were even some experiments with radio broadcasts, for example a Cliff Richard concert by the BBC, although they were short-lived.
"Quad", in its original form, was a commercial failure, the LP formats were plagued with technical problems, most of which were solved too late to save quad. It also was more expensive, and required extra speakers, which became a decorating problem. It also suffered from lack of a standard format for LP records. However, quite a few recordings were made before its demise. It was only the rise of home theater products in the late 1980s and early 1990s that brought multi-channel recording formats back to the forefront, albeit in a completely different and perhaps unexpected form.
**Note from Rick... Quad sound was released in several different formats, though Carpenters vinyl albums were released in the Quad CD-4 format. Below is a description of this format:
Compatible Discrete 4(CD-4) or Quadradisc (not to be confused with compact disc) was introduced in 1971 as a discrete quadraphonic system created by JVC (as a subsidiary of RCA). Record companies who adopted this format include: Arista, Atlantic, Capricorn, Elektra, Fantasy, Grunt, JVC, Nonsuch, RCA, Reprise, Warner Brothers. This format was less popular than others because of incompatibility, poor longevity, and strict setup requirements. The quadraphonic music was encoded with sum and difference signals (encoded in the 18 to 30 kHz range) on the standard stereo grooves of vinyl which also had the undesirable side-effect of limiting the top end response to 15KHz at the most. To play back the record, a special high-frequency cartridge and stylus was required, in addition to a CD-4 demodulator and the usual quadraphonic receiver or amplifier. This system produced additional wear and tear, so JVC introduced "super vinyl", a very durable type of record. The cartride used had a shibata type stylus and an extended frequency response. Later, linear contact stylii were developed that improved the performance of CD-4 systems. However, this development came too late to save CD-4 from extinction. CD-4 records could be played as stereo records if care was taken to use a shibata (or linear contact) stylus to protect the subcarrier modulations.
There is not much to say about the quadraphonic sound recorded on discs. The birth of the Quadrophonic sound came about in the the early part of the 70's and great things were predicted for it's success on the market. The Quadrophonic disc had four channels, as compared to that of the Stereophonic discs which had two. The two extra channels were often used to reproduce ambient sound four rear left and right speakers. This innovation on records never really caught on with the buying public, and it was doomed to die a natural death because commercially it was a complete failure!! Though it faired slightly better on 8 track recorders that was not too successful either as the cassette tape machines introduced by Phillips Electronics eventually replaced them. However, the quadrophonic sound has made a come back in the form of surround sounds which include 5 speakers.4 channels leading into the 5th speaker. Its a new name given to the Quadrophonic sound!!
Hope this helps. |
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Post by wisejester7 on Oct 6, 2006 7:57:16 GMT -5
Wow, sounds like 'quad' is the caveman version of 'surround sound'. The idea was there, but the technology wasn't together enough to pull it off. Thanks for the information!
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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 6, 2006 9:07:52 GMT -5
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I just think it must have been an immense amount of trouble to be able to listen to something in quad, however, I would also imagine the beauty of the music being seperated into four seperate speakers. I'm sure it rocks. I'm just not clever enough to fix it all up in order to enjoy it! I'm technically challenged, as they say. Oh well....thanks for the great information. 