Geoff Emerick tape

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Oleg Vostyakov
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by Oleg Vostyakov »

There is always dirt when we a re talking about record companies! What is the problem to pass it all by inheritance? Why do Universal do that?
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Lord Reith
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by Lord Reith »

It's a hopeless cause whichever way you look at it. What chance has an ordinary family got against a gigantic multinational corporation with unlimited funds and lawyers? They just have to wait for the Emerick's to run out of money and it's game over. Same old story.
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paul62
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by paul62 »

i think it's possible that Geoff returned the tape when doing either "Sessions" or "Anthology 1" - it would be funny if he'd placed the tape (or a 1:1 copy of it) into an EMITAPE box and written the name of another not-so-popular artist on the box (so it can be found in fifty years time (or something quirky like that)). His relatives may not know anything about what he got up to. If the image of the tape box that held the tape in dispute is genuine, then why is that floating around the Internet? It's easy enough for a zealous fan to make a fake of something like that and pass it off as the real thing. Maybe the image has come from the court documents that have been uploaded, 'cause I don't think Geoff (or his relatives) would have shared the image if he / they had the only copy of the tape.

It's interesting to hear that the notes for preparing Anthology 1 have come out. Twelve Decca session tracks were planned to be issued. The tape was "baked" before the transfer was done, Geoff Emerick, Allan Rouse et cetera thought that the tape sounded too fast and Paul McCartney got involved. Paul used a piano in Abbey Road to help get the tape sounding in tune.
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by Bazilnerk »

Don't know why the Decca tape was baked, unless it was a 70's dupe. 1960's tape does NOT need baking!

You'd think Emerick might have mentioned he had the tape during Anthology considering that they used a couple of tracks from George Martin's acetates.

Wonder where Besame Mucho came from then. We know that a tape copy of the song was found and EMI had it by the time they made Sessions. Perhaps that came via Emerick all along.
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by sunnylew »

Bazilnerk wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 11:33 am As explained to me by the Abbey Road Librarian, Cary Anning, what happened back then was that they had limited archive space. If room was getting tight, they would pick a shelf. Go through and keep all the masters but remove and dump session reels, particularly 1inch 4 track, but often 1/4" too. Audition tapes would have been junked as they were not considered for issue.
I wonder if it's possible to find these - and if so, what state they would be in?

I've forgotten the name of it now, but I saw a documentary about some people who tracked down the whereabouts of a mythical ATARI game that had been shelved before release - the entire production run having been dumped at the tip.

They narrowed it down to the correct section of the tip that was being used that month in the 80s and set up an excavation that found the lot.

No doubt the tip has been built over by now, but perhaps there is a trove of priceless tapes sitting deep below the ground, waiting to be discovered with a bit of patience and sleuth work?

They've been disposed of by EMI, so I suppose it would be finders keepers.
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by zaval80 »

Bazilnerk wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:30 pm Don't know why the Decca tape was baked, unless it was a 70's dupe. 1960's tape does NOT need baking!
Depends on the brand and conditions.
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by zaval80 »

sunnylew wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:59 pm perhaps there is a trove of priceless tapes sitting deep below the ground, waiting to be discovered with a bit of patience and sleuth work?
Hopelessly ruined by chemical reactions since then.
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paul62
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by paul62 »

zaval80 wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:16 am
Bazilnerk wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:30 pm Don't know why the Decca tape was baked, unless it was a 70's dupe. 1960's tape does NOT need baking!
Depends on the brand and conditions.
The Epstein tape/s were probably transferred in the '70s (if not a bit earlier). One reel was auctioned a couple of years ago. The Epsteins could have had their tape/s transferred at some place other than Abbey Road, for all we know.

Ampex tape from the '70s is one of the varieties that benefit from baking. I have an Ampex Grand Master I cassette and soon after I'd bought it, I'd taped an LP ("Their Satanic Majesties Request", as it turns out) and it started to shed a lot of white stuff each time I played the cassette. Freaky to see. The actual cassette mechanism was smooth. Here's one, for sale on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/39298067479 ... gJLGPD_BwE
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by Bazilnerk »

paul62 wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:32 am
zaval80 wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:16 am
Bazilnerk wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:30 pm Don't know why the Decca tape was baked, unless it was a 70's dupe. 1960's tape does NOT need baking!
Depends on the brand and conditions.
The Epstein tape/s were probably transferred in the '70s (if not a bit earlier). One reel was auctioned a couple of years ago. The Epsteins could have had their tape/s transferred at some place other than Abbey Road, for all we know.

Ampex tape from the '70s is one of the varieties that benefit from baking. I have an Ampex Grand Master I cassette and soon after I'd bought it, I'd taped an LP ("Their Satanic Majesties Request", as it turns out) and it started to shed a lot of white stuff each time I played the cassette. Freaky to see. The actual cassette mechanism was smooth. Here's one, for sale on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/39298067479 ... gJLGPD_BwE
Yes, well aware of Sticky Shed Syndrome. I do pro transfers and bake tapes regularly. 60's tape doesn't need baking. Although, it might have other problems (too boring to go into here). It was only when synthetic oil started being used as a lubricant that tapes started to pull in moisture and start to flake off oxide. This was around 1972/3. I can only guess that what Apple have is a 70s' dupe.
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paul62
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Re: Geoff Emerick tape

Post by paul62 »

Yes, I think the old formulations used whale oil, which kept them working well (and I'm happy that the whales are left to thrive in the sea rather than be used to make tapes and things nowadays!!).
"Dedicated Downloader Of Beatlegs"...!!! (Raymond Douglas Davies, Paul Sixtytwo)

And when he does
His little rounds
'Round the forums
We have around
Eagerly pursuing
All the latest vids and discs
'Cause he's a dedicated downloader of Beatlegs!
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