Sweetheart Of All My Dreams

Discussion about Ruby Murray.
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Graham Bunn
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Sweetheart Of All My Dreams

Post by Graham Bunn »

This is not another quiz but have any of you noticed on Anthology Rubys version Of "Sweetheart Of All My Dreams" has been recorded differently.

I sent a copy of Anthology to a friend in Chicago and like me he also picked up on this.

On the original single Ruby has a strong male backing group,on the Anthology version they have been almost faded out.

Keep hold of that single if you have it,or if you don't try and obtain it.

Best Wishes
Graham

MARTIN FOSTER
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Post by MARTIN FOSTER »

Hi Graham and all the gang,

Yes I know what you mean about the Sweetheart Of All My Dreams track. It was the one track on the CD that I was a bit disappointed wih. It's a great number and Ruby sounds her fantastic self, but to me the sound on the just doesn't sound right. I do have the single and the sound is actually a lot better so I'll be listening to that in future.

Take care and happy listening.

Gerald Lawrence
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Location: Kenilworth, UK

Post by Gerald Lawrence »

Well spotted! I suppose we can't really expect there to be no problems when 100 songs are re-recorded. I have made a couple of checks just now, and it seems to me that the Golden Anniversary Collection is the same version, but as you point out, with the vocal backing very much in the background. I could be wrong, but this suggests to me that EMI have in fact gone back to the master tapes for digital mastering, but somebody left the fader down low for the track with the backing group on it (assuming that when the original was made, a multi-track recording was made of it).

My copy of the single is a 45 I bought on e-bay, and fortunately it has cleaned up quite well, but Ruby's voice (both of them!) is better on the CD.
Gerald

Brian Henson
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Post by Brian Henson »

Here's my theory about the 'Sweetheart Of All My Dreams' puzzle.

It was originally the B-Side to 'My Little Corner Of The World', which appears in the boxed set for the first time in stereo.

On the original 45 you will find these two tracks have consecutive master numbers:
7XCA 25229 (My Little Corner Of The World)
7XCA 25230 (Sweetheart Of All My Dreams)

This suggests that they were recorded at the same session, and as the EMI studio was set up for recording the A-Side in stereo, it seems unlikely that the engineers would have reverted to mono when taping the B-Side. What all this is leading to is that I believe we should have had a stereo version of 'Sweetheart' on the boxed set, but I believe we are listening only to the left hand channel. If you check 'My Little Corner' you will hear Ruby centre, strings left, chorus right - and this I believe is how we should be hearing 'Sweetheart' too. Assuming we are only hearing the left hand channel, the separation being so complete means that all that is coming through is Ruby and the strings.

My amplifer, being rather an ancient model, has a facility that doesn't seem to come with modern equipment - i.e. a switch which enables me to play stereo tracks as mono, but more importantly I can switch either the left or right channels into both speakers. What has now finally convinced me that the EMI set plays only left channel on 'Sweetheart' is that I've just a few minutes ago played the left channel only of 'My Little Corner' through this amplifier, and all that can be heard is Ruby and the strings and rhythm accompaniment - the vocal chorus (which are usually heard from the right hand speaker) has completely disappeared.

If you are still with me (!) this leaves us with the unfortunate situation of having a faulty track - which, unless the boxed set gets a second pressing, will be beyond correction. Unfortunately, the fault could not have been detected by either Bernie, Gerald or myself prior to release of the set as we didn't have the opportunity to hear a test run for proofing.

As Gerald has said, when you consider there are a 100 tracks - many of which are now available in much finer quality than ever before - we mustn't be too disappointed by this fault, and I hope everyone will by and large still be pleased to have this wonderful tribute that EMI have issued (at such a modest price).

Brian

Gerald Lawrence
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Post by Gerald Lawrence »

The only thing I could add to your brilliant explanation is that the end result is that the left hand channel from the master tape has appeared on both channels of the CD, because we do actually hear the music from the centre. If we only had the left hand channel from the master put onto the left hand channel of the CD, then it would all come from the left when we listen to it.
Gerald

Bernie Burgess
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Sweetheart ....

Post by Bernie Burgess »

Gerald,

I am by no means technical when it comes to electronics but with my non technical mind might I suggest something that Gerald might just simply shoot down. In the studio, each section of the orchestra is individually miked up, as are the vocals, whether they be single vocals or group vocals. In which case if a fader is left down on the mixing desk on any one single miked up section wouldn't that give the effect that we are experiencing with 'Sweetheart'?

Before the firing starts, I'm going now. Bernie.

Brian Henson
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Location: Ilford, Essex, UK

Post by Brian Henson »

I'll hold my fire, Bernie, because you know more about the goings-on inside recording studios than any of us - but I still think on this occasion the answer is simply a error at the re-mastering for CD stage. Had that fader been down at the time of the original recording, that balance between Ruby, the strings, and the chorus would never have even made it to the original single. As I mentioned in my previous message, since Graham drew our attention to the fault, I experimented with a track from the same session, 'My Little Corner Of The World' (which does appear in full stereo in the boxed set). By feeding the left hand channel of that track into both my left and right speakers, the chorus disappears - exactly as has happened with 'Sweetheart Of All My Dreams'.

Incidentally, if anyone else has this facility on their amplifier - do try the same exercise with tracks 9 and 10 on Disc 4. These two tracks are recorded, not in stereo, but in what I believe is termed binaural. If you listen with the normal stereo setting on your player you will be aware that the orchestra and chorus are heard entirely from the left speaker, while Ruby appears to sing only from the right-hand speaker (this is particularly noticable if you listen through headphones). I suspect that Ruby must have been isolated in a booth during the recording session, listening to the backing on headphones herself, because the separation is so remarkable, that if you listen only to the right-hand channel you will hear Ruby singing to you almost unaccompanied (the sound of the orchestra and chorus is so distant). Equally, if you listen only to what is fed from the left-hand channel you hear just the orchestra and chorus with only a very distant sound of Ruby's voice. Actually they would make ideal backing tracks if you want to perform your own Karaoke version of these two songs.

All this is not going to mean very much if your amp doesn't have a switch facility between left and right channels, but you can get an idea of what I'm describing if you have a balance control knob on your system. Play the tracks as you would normally, but then try turning the balance knob completely to the left, then completely right, and you will hear first the orchestra disappear, then Ruby.

These binaural recordings were standard procedure at EMI for a short time. Even some early Beatles recordings were made that way (guitars left, voices right). The late Kenny Everett, used to have endless fun on his BBC Radio 2 shows by fooling around with the sounds and putting his own multi-tracked voices over the Beatles instrumental tracks.

Brian

Bernie Burgess
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The Flaws.

Post by Bernie Burgess »

Brian,

You see, I said I wasn't technical. I will add a couple of things though. On my sound system, if I add a stinch coombers gangling iron and adjust the sidewinders girdling pin I get perfect reproduction, but only when there an 'R' in the month. - Bye.

Adios Amigo. Bernie.

Gerald Lawrence
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Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2005 2:48 am
Location: Kenilworth, UK

Re: The Flaws.

Post by Gerald Lawrence »

I think Bernie has picked up on the thought process I was going down originally - if the session was multi-miked, and all tracks were recorded on a multi-track recorder, then the original mono release could have been produced correctly. Then when EMI came to digitally re-master it, they could have gone back to the original multi-track recording and left one fader down in error.

But I like Brian's explanation better than mine!
Bernie Burgess wrote:Brian,

You see, I said I wasn't technical. I will add a couple of things though. On my sound system, if I add a stinch coombers gangling iron and adjust the sidewinders girdling pin I get perfect reproduction, but only when there an 'R' in the month. - Bye.

Adios Amigo. Bernie.
If I were you I would get in touch with Matron immediately, just in case you may have missed a dose of your tablets!!
Gerald

Bernie Burgess
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Location: Sutton Coldfield

The Flaws

Post by Bernie Burgess »

Brian (and Gerald),

What my simple mind was trying to say is summed up in the last sentence of Gerald's remarks. That is, - When the remake was in the making - that is when the fader must have been inadvertantly left down. not on the original recording. When they go back to a master take they have the same control over all of the individual mike tracks as they do during the session.

I frighten myself sometimes. Adios Amigos. Bernie

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