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By ScoJo
#134415
COMPARISON CORNER #11:
by Skødjö
-------------

THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE
(aka LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE)
Music Composed by Giuliano Sorgini

A comparison between the two vinyl editions of the score (TAM and DEATH WALTZ RECS) with an A/B of the title track using both LP versions against the film version (from the 2009 Blue Underground bluray), and some scattered notes on the different track listings.

1. TAM (1974, YX-8032)
33rpm

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Tracklist:
A1 Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (Main Theme) 3:27
A2 George Meets Edna 3:53
A3 Drowned Guthrie 6:11
A4 Manchester M2 6LD 2:24
A5 Cry Of The Living Dead 3:02
B1 The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue 6:53
B2 The Torment Of The Dead 2:18
B3 Edna's Theme 3:32
B4 South Gate Hospital 6:10
B5 George's Theme 2:02


First thing's first - and something you really need to know before throwing down decent coin for this Japanese release - is that this version is comprised of at least 50-60% dialogue and sound fx! Sometimes on it's own, and sometimes mixed with the score cues. Very few of the score cues appear unmolested here, so what we're really looking at is a sort of 'image' album which tells the story of the film mixed with some of the score. Yikes! Not quite what I was expecting when I finally caved and bought this version.

The main theme sounds good and punchy here, with ringing bongo hits and thumping kick/bass. It sounds great, and comparing directly with the Bluray I'm pretty sure it's the same performance as the movie track which IMDB states was originally in '4 track stereo' but sounds fairly flat to me - since I'm watching on my computer/hifi setup, and based on the DVD Beaver review, there is some rear channel separation which I guess I'm not experiencing.

The LP version certainly sounds fuller and more dynamic, though it also has a rather clumsy edit at around the 2min plus mark, which extends the theme for another minute or so (just looping in a piece of the track from previously - so effectively, there are two 'bongo breaks' rather than one!.) The next three tracks are either dialogue or dialogue with fx, until we get a shorter reprise of the theme, and then finally a solo music score cue of eerie theremin-type sounds for 'Cry of the Living Dead'.

Side 2 begins with a really long chunk of movie dialogue (sigh) before we get two score cues, then another large chunk of dialogue mixed with music and sfx, and finishing with a final cue that is a spare, spacy bongo n' strings version of the main theme.

Total running time is just shy of 40mins.

All in all, I'm a bit disappointed on first couple of listens as I wasn't expecting the dialogue tbh. It's particularly heavy on reverby screams and maniacal laughter/growling, which makes it a very anti social listen for the most part!


2. DEATH WALTZ RECORDING CO (2017, DW-005R)
33rpm


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Tracklist:
A1 John Dalton Street 2:21
A2 Urreal 2:29
A3 Trance 1:44
A4 Strait Jacket 2:22
A5 The Risen Dead 3:12
A6 Aggression 1:17
A7 The Death Of The Dead 2:32
B1 The Torment Of The Dead 2:19
B2 Mysterious Country 1:31
B3 Southgate Hospital 1:40
B4 The Living Dead 2:22
B5 Drawned Guthrie 2:15
B6 Edna 1:17
B7 George 2:01
B8 Manchester M2 6LD 2:22


This comparison is using the DW 2nd pressing of their reissue from 2017, with expanded gatefold full face artwork by Luke Insect. Mine is the black vinyl pressing. I've searched long and hard online for any info regarding the source of both DW pressings, and can find nothing to say whether this was from master tapes or even whether it is remastered - but the license info mentions Beat Records, and this is effectively a reissue of the material from Beat's very sought after/pricey original 1974 Italian release. How this compares with the Beat, I cannot say as there isn't even a digital rip of the Beat that I can find on Youtubes to do a little basic comparison.

One other thing to mention before getting into the audio - once again, DW manage to blow the proofreading stage of their releases! A2 and B5 are both mis-pelled on this reissue (although they were correct on their first pressing). Gotta say guys - how hard can it be? I mean, there aren't even sleeve notes on this one to check, there's about thirty words total on the whole release! Daft.

So in A/Bing the version of the title track here (known as 'John Dalton Street' ) with the TAM version, a number of things are clear: this version is very slightly faster/almost a semi tone higher? You really have to compare side by side to spot it, but it's there.
The DW is also slightly less bright and punchy, the TAM has more kick overall and the brass/bongo hits are more present.
But the main difference is that the DW has the stereo image reversed! The panned horns and bongos are hard right in the TAM mix, and over to the left in the DW. It's hard to say whether it's the same mix with stereo image reversed, or a different mix entirely - I'd love to hear a Beat original to see how that compares with both!
This mix is also slightly quieter overall, and the pressing I have is a little noisy - most present in quiet atmospheric tracks like A2. Not terrible, but it feels like I really need to give it a thorough clean.

There is no dialogue/fx on this version, aside from a little maniacal laughter on track 3. And without doing a full side by side tracklist comparison, it's fairly obvious that there is more of the score represented in this version - both cues that appear on both but without dialogue here, or cues that are unique to this edition.

Overall the DW sounds good, and you get more of those spare, eerie suspense cues (and a couple different treatments of the main theme) for your buck.

Total running time is just under 32mins

In summation - I'm almost sorry to report that these releases are different enough that they both warrant a place on the shelf! Unless you're totally against dialogue on your horror scores (like, if you hated the first Mondo Halloween release for instance, or the reworked versions of Midnight or Children Shouldn't Play...) then you may well convince yourself that you need them both. If it's just the score you're after, then unless you can spring for the BEAT original (which I haven't heard so can't speak for) then the DW seems very much the way to go, both for amount of music represented and price/availability.
I wish I had the time to tell you exactly what's missing/added musically on both of the above LPs, but my instinct as stated above is that the Beat/DW has more music, with no dialogue and fx, and the TAM has some score though with lots of dialogue and fx, a few isolated cues, but is likely also missing some of the cues from the Beat/DW in any form.

For me, I think that the TAM set will grow on me, and could well become a very handy part of my Halloween playlist - what with all that screaming and growling !

*UPDATE*


So I've had a chance to compare the DW reissue of the BEAT LP with the BEAT CD release from 1995, and it seems that the stereo image is the same. This means that the BEAT stereo mix (which DW used for their reissues) is distinctly different from the TAM one.

Also: though it doesn't really change anything aboutmy above observations, I was a bit concerned about my deck speed, and having done a bit of testing today I can hear that my TT (belt drive Lenco) is running slightly slow. I need to look into what could be causing this (beyond worn belt, though I only changed in a new one a few months ago...) Fingers crossed it's not something 'serious' :(
Last edited by ScoJo on Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:24 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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By Bezulsqy
#134417
Thanks for this @ScoJo.
A lot of the Japanese releases appear to contain dialogue and sound effects. Halloween has it and ChrisMcQueen told me that Big Guns has it as well. I believe I have some more but can’t remember now.
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By CrossedPete
#134503
Great info @Scojo it’s weird Japanese releases seem to run the gambit I only have two (Halloween + The Burning) Halloween seems similar to this release with the dialog included, at least it sounds completely different than the VS release. The Burning on the other hand is just the score but I’ve always felt it sounded a little sped up. Also the track listing is slightly different than the VS release but is the same as the OWS reissue. I wonder if they do their own mixes in Japan?
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By ScoJo
#134594
deafmetal wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 5:46 pm @ScoJo - If you would like a rip of the Beat pressing I could provide one. Thank you for the write up.
Thanks bud - see the footnote on my original comparison posting :)

*EDIT* Oh wait, do you mean a rip of the LP rather than CD? Oh that would be cool thanks, and I'd happily throw in some additional comparison comments between the BEAT and DW versions ;) Cheers man, can send to my usual email ta!
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By inksb
#136034
Gentlemen, I have a question of the utmost importance. VS copies of Prince of Darkness are a little high right now (really kicking myself for not buying the $50ish sitting on ebay recently) but I've found a pressing from Colosseum, looks like a German label. I assume they just used the VS masters but if any of you have any info on this I would appreciate whether it's worth dropping $40-$50 on a copy.
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By ScoJo
#136035
inksb wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:44 pm Gentlemen, I have a question of the utmost importance. VS copies of Prince of Darkness are a little high right now (really kicking myself for not buying the $50ish sitting on ebay recently) but I've found a pressing from Colosseum, looks like a German label. I assume they just used the VS masters but if any of you have any info on this I would appreciate whether it's worth dropping $40-$50 on a copy.
Hey inks, I can do a quick comparison on these later tonight. As far as I know though, Coliseum pressings are def comparable to VS on the whole - certainly, the Fog release sounds great to me.

Shame we are separated by the Atlantic, I would probably let you have my own copy for less than the going rate but the shipping would annihilate the benefit sorry :(
User avatar
By inksb
#136036
ScoJo wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:59 pm
inksb wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:44 pm Gentlemen, I have a question of the utmost importance. VS copies of Prince of Darkness are a little high right now (really kicking myself for not buying the $50ish sitting on ebay recently) but I've found a pressing from Colosseum, looks like a German label. I assume they just used the VS masters but if any of you have any info on this I would appreciate whether it's worth dropping $40-$50 on a copy.
Hey inks, I can do a quick comparison on these later tonight. As far as I know though, Coliseum pressings are def comparable to VS on the whole - certainly, the Fog release sounds great to me.

Shame we are separated by the Atlantic, I would probably let you have my own copy for less than the going rate but the shipping would annihilate the benefit sorry :(
If you didn't mind doing a small comparison for me I'd appreciate it. There is a US seller of Prince that I'm going to put an offer in with and see if they'll bite. If it's not comparable I'll just hold my money until I find a VS copy
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By texasvinyl
#136044
I just got the new Sonor reissue of Alessandro Alessandroni e il suo complesso in the mail today. This record was first issued in 1968. Deja Vu Records reissued it in 2005, and Sonor has now done another reissue.

I thought it might be fun to do a blind audio comparison, so in random order I recorded the first 70 seconds of the track "Intimita" from each of the three records -- it is my favorite track on the record, and it is also the last track on the A-side and can demonstrate some possible differences in cutting technique.

So which sample do you think goes with which pressing? And which one do you think sounds the best?

Here is the link to the .wav sample:

https://we.tl/t-GLIvbkRWg6
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By ScoJo
#137546
COMPARISON CORNER #12:
by Skødjö
-------------

REANIMATOR
Music Composed by Richard Band
(...with a little help from Bernard Herrmann...)

I'll be comparing the Main Title track on both releases, and then saying a little about the rest of the album. The tracklistings are completely different between the Varese original pressing and the Waxwork release - is this just a case of shuffled cues, or are there any differences to be found? Follow me down to the basement, I have something to show you...

1. Varese Sarabande (1985, STV 81261)

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This first release of the score sounds fantastic, with each side clocking in at a comfortable 17mins approx per side so there is no groove squeeze here. Aside from the odd bit of pop n crackle on my NM 35year old copy, the music leaps out of the speakers with an ungodly power, Band squeezing every ounce of life out of his 30+ strong ensemble. There's a fairly strong natural studio reverb across the recording that adds a specificity and texture to the music, and puts you right there amongst the sawing strings, whirling woodwinds and thumping synth drums. Listening carefully for this comparison on phones, because of the reverb I actually did notice quite a lot of the audio editing this time, but it didn't detract from getting maximum feels from the music. This is an 'essential' Varese album, and in among their top horror/fantasy score releases. It starts with a low booming synth drone, then the maniacal, frenetic 'Prologue', before the 'Main Title' comes in and the Psycho reference is just as brazen, shocking and whimsical as it was the first time I heard it.

2. Waxwork Records (2013, WW001)
Green Marbled Vinyl

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For their first reissue, taken directly from the master tapes, WW pressed copies on both randomly inserted 'Glow in the Dark' and standard 'Green Marbled' vinyl. I've no idea what the GiD version sounds like, but I can take a guess ;0) The green wax sounds really good, with minimal surface noise. Comparing with the VS, it is quieter and quite a bit less punchy, with an overall more muted sound that borders on a little muddy in fact. It doesn't sound bad at all, but up against an OG copy, it is lacking substantially in volume, clarity and general 'oomph'! It sounds more polite and restrained than the Varese pressing/mastering, which gives lots of room to those signature drum pads. The lead oboe has far more rasp and clarity in the VS version for example. Also, the WW mastering sets the drums right back, with the horns and strings more prominent. Considered stand alone, the WW sounds balanced and quite dynamic, but a bit... restrained. In terms of the track differences, the WW chooses to run Prologue/Main Title pretty much directly into one another, without the track break/pause of the VS.

As soon as we get to Track 2, 'Cat Dead, Details Later/The Cellar' things get interesting - I'm pretty sure that this cue isn't on the Varese album. I presume it's on the 2003 La-La-Land 'Definitive' CD release, though with a different name. It looks like the WW clocks in at almost 45mins, a full 10mins longer than the Varese original! The WW then has 'Cat Experiment' (paired with 'Searching for Bodies in the Morgue') as Track 3, while the VS has this cue much later in their programme, opening Side B.

Without doing an exhaustive comparison and unpicking what WW have done with their version, it would appear that the Varese LP consists of a carefully edited selection of the score - which is pretty much what they used to do as standard with their single-LP soundtrack albums. Whereas the WW, having gone back to the master tapes, have accessed more of the score and chosen to programme it quite differently, as well as adding about 10 minutes of music (unless, and this is also possible, there are some pieces on the VS that are unique to that record...)

To fully do justice to this as a comparison, it should really include listening to the material from the LLL Definitive CD and unpicking just what, from that set, appears or doesn't appear on both vinyl versions. But I am not that solider I'm afraid.

My basic takeaway from this comparison is (and, damnit, I hate to say this as it seems I often do...) you probably need both releases. Because they sound quite different, and it might come down to personal preference here, I prefer the Varese edition for it's punchier, louder mastering and more clarity. But with that additional music represented on the Waxwork, I guess I need that one too! (In all honesty, I know which one I reach for when I want to listen to this, for many reasons, but this comparison has also shown me that I like the way it sounds quite a bit more...)
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By Mateo Sanboval
#137549
Great write-up as always, my dear boy. I always thought the WWR version sounded damn fine, but I never had an OG to compare it to so it's nice to have that suspicion confirmed. Sadly, I moved on from my Waxwork ReAnimator when I was offered a princely some for it by an enterprising young lad many years ago (Inks, don't ask me how much) and while I haven't actively missed it that badly, just seeing the glorious cover image on your VS edition makes the money hairs on the back of my neck go woo, woo, woo.
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By havershaw
#137552
thanks ScoJo!

I admit, while I didn’t have a VS to compare to, I did have it as a kid, and when I first got the WW, my immediate thought was “these drums aren’t as punchy as they should be”. In fact, your assessment of it being subdued, muted, and borderline muddy is *exactly* how I felt about it, but since I had nothing to compare to other than my own memories, I kind of shrugged and assumed it was my memory that was faulty.

As a complete coincidence, remember that VS copy that on discogs that everyone submitted offers on and either got denied or no answer?
For some reason they just accepted my offer from last week, so I guess I have a VS Re-Animator headed my way.

Only bummer is that it’s VG+. I had come to terms with the fact that I was going to have to shell out some cash for a NM in the next week or two. Haha. Oh well. Hopefully this one will clean up well (and I did get it for a good price).
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By ScoJo
#137554
havershaw wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:25 pm thanks ScoJo!

I admit, while I didn’t have a VS to compare to, I did have it as a kid, and when I first got the WW, my immediate thought was “these drums aren’t as punchy as they should be”. In fact, your assessment of it being subdued, muted, and borderline muddy is *exactly* how I felt about it, but since I had nothing to compare to other than my own memories, I kind of shrugged and assumed it was my memory that was faulty.

As a complete coincidence, remember that VS copy that on discogs that everyone submitted offers on and either got denied or no answer?
For some reason they just accepted my offer from last week, so I guess I have a VS Re-Animator headed my way.

Only bummer is that it’s VG+. I had come to terms with the fact that I was going to have to shell out some cash for a NM in the next week or two. Haha. Oh well. Hopefully this one will clean up well (and I did get it for a good price).
You're welcome, @H. And, always trust your childhood memories/instincts ;)

Congrats on your OG acquisition, here's hoping it's an under-graded copy :)
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By Hatter313
#137556
Mateo Sanboval wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 9:48 pm Great write-up as always, my dear boy. I always thought the WWR version sounded damn fine, but I never had an OG to compare it to so it's nice to have that suspicion confirmed. Sadly, I moved on from my Waxwork ReAnimator when I was offered a princely some for it by an enterprising young lad many years ago (Inks, don't ask me how much) and while I haven't actively missed it that badly, just seeing the glorious cover image on your VS edition makes the money hairs on the back of my neck go woo, woo, woo.
Drops a Congo quote like it’s nothing
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By Bezulsqy
#137808
ScoJo wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:15 pm
Bezulsqy wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:13 pm Thanks @ScoJo for doing this for the team. I have to GID WW version and I like it :-)
It sounds bueno, Bez?
To be honest I have in general no memory for sounds, tastes, smells and feelings so I should put this one on the table again. I don't believe I had any issue with it.
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By Bezulsqy
#138034
ScoJo wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:15 pm
Bezulsqy wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:13 pm Thanks @ScoJo for doing this for the team. I have to GID WW version and I like it :-)
It sounds bueno, Bez?
What should one normal hear regarding the GID material? To me this one sounds really good. I can believe a black wax version would sound better but I am not hearing anything that gives me the feeling that I need another Waxwork version to get a better listening experience. That said I don't listen on headphones. I do hear some surface noise in between some tracks and that has to have an impact as well on louder parts.

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