Search - Beau Brummels :: Magic Hollow

Fascinating, but ulitmately disappointing

Gordon Pfannenstiel | Russell, KS United States | 06/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I spent the big bucks to purchase this long overdue box set of Beau Brummels recordings done between late '64 and mid-'68. Any self-respecting fan has the 5 LPs they originally released in the 60s, and probably also has the Rhino Greatest Hits and the 3 CD box, San Fran Sessions, that Sundazed released in the 90s. That box covered a slew of previously unreleased songs they recorded while with Autumn ('64 to early '66).



If you have all the above-mentioned releases, this box will be both a pleasure and a pain. A pleasure because you will get another slew of previously unreleased material, and the mono versions of many songs you already have the stereo versions of; a pain because you will find the mono versions to be sonically inferior to their stereo counterparts.



Personally, I find this box a real disappointment for several reasons. First, for a box as pricey as any Bear Family release, this box does not touch the quality of the Bear Family releases, in either sound or packaging. I was disappointed in the small box format, particularly as it applies to the booklet. A 5"X5" format is pretty limiting, and while the actual infomation and pictures are great, they seem crammed and small, detracting from the enjoyment of the booklet. Compare, for instance, the hard-covered, 12"X12" book that comes with the Bear Family Roy Orbison box. This release pales by comparison.



As for the music, no one can fault the actual selections. I was particularly pleased with all the unreleased material from their Warners years, which has been woefully overlooked until now. However, the problems begin when comparing previously released material from this period to same material on the Rhino Best of (released at the dawn of the digital age incidently), and the Collecter's Choice releases of Triangle and Bradley's Barn. Almost all this material is released in mono on this box set. OK, theoretically it could be justified, as the mono single releases are a different mix (of course) from their stereo counterparts that appear on the Rhino and Collector's choice releases, but ALL the cuts from Triangle and Bradley's Barn that appear on this box are mono, and while I've heard many mono mixes that are more dynamic than their stereo counterparts, such is not the case here...far from it. All the subtly of the complex arrangements are lost in these claustrophobic mono mixes. In 1987, for their best of collection, Rhino decided to go back to the orginal multitracks to present the B.B. material at its best. The results, for that time, were astonishing, and still hold up today. We can only imagine what these songs would sound like had the same process been used on the recordings presented here using today's technology. By the time of Triangle, Elliot was using complex layers of instrumentation that would have benefitted greatly from a new multi-track mix. But, alas, we'll never know how great this material could sound, and get intead these very sonically disappointing mono versions.



The earlier Autumn previously released material is largely represented by disappointing mono mixes as well; if you have already have this material in their previous releases, you at least have the stereo versions and can compare the differences. If you do, it will greatly enhance your appreciation for the stereo versions, I guarantee you. I think it's interesting that some of the bare bones demos are released in sonically impressive stereo (from the original multi-tracks, I'd bet), but the final versions are bland mono.



In summary, I cannot fault the actual selection of tracks, the wealth of previously unreleased material, or the actual content of the booklet. The fault lies in the remastering and the small-box format of the booklet.



Just not nearly as impressive as it could have been, and certainly should have been, considering how pricey it is."

Why mono mixes ??

A. Cushman | DARIEN, CT USA | 06/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This could have been a superlative box -- the music is wonderful. I am mystified at the seemingly random way that Rhino chose mono vs stereo mixes for songs -- in cases where 6 songs are identified as coming from one LP, half are in mono and half are in stereo !?!? and nowhere is it even mentioned which songs are in mono vs stereo. To me at least, the stereo clearly sounds better .. why the random selection? Of 113 songs in this set, I count 26 in stereo and an additional 39 which could have been in stereo but are not (I have the CDs identified as being the sources for these songs, and on the versions I've got, these 39 songs are in stereo). I would love to hear the rationale behind the decisions."

Boy am I glad

Jim Z | 10/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Purchased this when it first came out. Track after track of undiscovered gems. Come to think of it, did the Brummels ever release anything other than quality ? Get this before the price goes even higher !"