Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Mazzy Star: 1993-10-26 Paris, France (FLAC_SB/Pre-FM Reportedly_1 CD)

Here's an older Mazzy Star show coming up on its 21st anniversary.  This is an excellent recording, however; I am frustrated not knowing for sure if it is what it claims to be and coming to the conclusion it isn't.  I'll try and update as I am able to confirm or deny more details.

So here goes...this is suppose to be a transfer from a rare Sangatte CD (1000 or less made) of the pre-FM recording of this show.  The Black Sessions is a French FM radio broadcast done with various artists through the years and only a few, sometimes less than 500, copies are made of the show and they're stuck in with odd purchases.  Sometimes a person may buy a recording from one artist and the recording of another artist's The Black Sessions show will be with it.  This is what I've read and heard in the past.  It seems to be that you cannot go out and find a copy if you want to buy one.  But if you do not really want one, you may wind up getting one too.  And that's the story the way I've been told and read.

Now, on to this self claimed professional copy.  This is not put together like one and it tests lossy.  This recording is not sounding whatsoever like the 2013, 20th Anniversary, professionally made copy it claims to be and sounds like an FM radio broadcast recording.  There is some hiss in the tape sound, there are cut outs between tracks as if commercials are being removed, the waveform shows some audio clipping, and it does not have a professional "feel" to it.  I'm not convinced the record label doesn't release these shows in a lossy, mpeg format though because every The Black Sessions I've heard all come back as 95% mpeg sourced.

Now, after saying all of the above, this still is an excellent sounding recording.  It's better than another FM broadcasted over French radio source I first got.  I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting this, but I do not believe it is what it claims to be lineage wise either.

LINEAGE: (not likely correct prior to my getting it)
Sangatte Records 20th Anniversary silver CD 
> sold and bought on e-Bay > downloaded from a  Mazzy Star fan forum > me > TLH > WAV (to test for lossiness) > Audacity (to view waveform, embed metadata/track titles & info, and then to re-encode) > FLAC 6 > TLH (to check for SBE's and create and verify ffp & md5 files) > you

DETAILS:
Artist: Mazzy Star
Date: October 26th, 1993
Location: Paris, France
Venue: Studio 105

Title: The Black Sessions
Label: Sangatte Records (not likely)
Source: SB/Pre-FM (not likely)
Format: FLAC (likely lossy MPEG source)
CD's: 1
Artwork: Yes
Size: 430 MB
Length: 71:41:56

SETLIST:

01. Mary Of Silence       
02. Ghost Highway       
03. She Hangs Brightly       
04. Bells Ring       
05. Halah       
06. Blue Light       
07. Ride It On       
08. Into Dust       
09. Give You My Lovin'       
10. Blue Flower
11. So Tonight That I Might See       
12. Wasted (also reported as "Hair & Skin", a Red on Green cover)
13. Rock Section


LINK:
(1) 1993-10-26 Paris (The Black Sessions)


If anyone wonders why a lot of people actually check the audio quality and add the various files we do to ensure the files are verifiable and intact, it's because you cannot always believe what you read when you find a show.  And it's not that the person sharing it is necessarily lying.  Many times they didn't check to verify what they reported in their post was correct or maybe they didn't even know or ever learn how to verify some very simple things.  I think that is the case in this example here.  Here is a copy and paste of part of the information given for this sharing of this recording:

This audio file comes from the  a 2oth anniversary special edition CD issued by Sangtatte Records. Many thanks to (removed so as to not embarrass or insult the people involved) for kindly sharing a CDR copy of his original  CD I believe he found at a not-cheap price on ebay. A lossless FLAC audio file of the CD can now be shared via the Forum boots list. The prior versions of The Black Sessions listed in the boots list were lacking in audio quality. I'd hoped a better version might turn up. Now, thanks to jamband, we can enjoy a top quality audio version of The Black Sessions.


I plan on adding some more help to my site for those interested in verifying recordings.  And I also plan of learning to do some more things I've put off after having difficulties learning them.  But I can recommend one program now that every last trader should get and it is free!  Get Trader's Little Helper!  Not only can you convert, get information, analyze, etc, etc your recordings with this program but it will help you learn more about the music your downloading and possibly sharing yourself.  It's a must have if you don't have it.

This most definitely is a better sounding copy than the previous one I'd found, and even though it is an mpeg, lossy source and falsely represented somewhere along the way copy I am sure, I'm still thankful to have it for the sound upgrade!
 
I hope you enjoy the show...

Bootradr


SPECIAL NOTICE TO ALL!!

THESE DOWNLOADS ARE FOR FREE ONLY!  NEVER BUY OR SELL ANY LEGALLY RECORDED BUT ILLEGAL TO SELL SHOWS LIKE THIS ONE.  THIS IS FOR FANS AND FUTURE FANS WHO WANT TO HEAR THE ARTIST'S MUSIC RAW & LIVE BUT NOT OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE OR RELEASED.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO SUPPORT THE ARTISTS BY BUYING THEIR OFFICIALLY RELEASED MATERIAL TOO.

KEEP IT FREE, KEEP IT AVAILABLE, AND MOST OF ALL; KEEP IT LEGAL!!!




1 comment: