BLUE CHEER Japan Mini-LP CD reissues

[Rick]

After having picked up the JAPAN import "Mini-LP" CD reissue box-set of the Philips-era BLUE CHEER catalog, I've been searching the web for any information anyone might have regarding this reissue series -- especially about the following defects in mastering:
1. On "Gypsy Ball" (from "Outsideinside"), the tape is not "up to speed" at the beginning of the track, resulting in an upward rise in tone.
2. The same problem with tape speed occurs on the beginning of "Good Times Are So Hard To Find" (from "The Original Human Being")-- though the rise in speed is more gradual (over about 7 seconds).

In general, I'm quite happy with the set ("Oh! Pleasant Hope" kicks the old German Line CD to the floor!), but if anyone is aware of any "exchange" offer for corrected CDs, I'd love to know about it!

[featheredfish]

And who do you suppose authorised this new Japan release? I bet it wasn`t Blue Cheer.

[eric albronda]

For permission to rerelease ----Universal. Rainman records, and Blue Cheer should have all given permission.

[Festooned Piglips]

eric said:

For permission to rerelease ----Universal. Rainman records, and Blue Cheer should have all given permission.

Uhhhh, was permission sought after for the Randy Holden tracks on `New! Improved!`?
I seriously doubt it, which means things are about to get ugly.

[kain]

There`s only one thing wrong with this message board. We have a PIG in the poke!

[Festooned Piglips]

Sorry if you don`t like things like justice and honor, but proper permission MUST be sought from the author and creator of these songs.
It`s no different if you were a farmer and someone stole your food or crops.
You would be pissed, so why should musicians, Gods even, be treated any differently?

[kain]

Why? Did someone clip Randy`s wings without him knowing?

[rowenafaire]

you mean blue cheer have some choice in what universal rereleases? i thought they just bought up the rights to people's back catalogs and did as they saw fit...?

[mr maltese]

Unfortunately when the artist does not own the rights to their
publishing or catalog whatever it may be the record labels can do what they wish with the catalogs,...BC do not stand alone in this
unfortunate reality of the music industry,...
even The Beatles do not own the rights to their own songs same goes for John Fogarty ,......this is sometimes why you hear a lot of these old classic rock songs on commercial advertisements fon TV being played in the background I bet you 9 out of 10 most of the artists who wrote those songs didn't even get permission to use them because in all probability they don't own the rights to those songs.

[Eric Albronda]

rowenafaire,
Universal would in this case need an agreement with Rainman Records as to what %'s were involved. there are two types of Royalties involved as the license's would be granted to Rainman to use the masters that they own of BC. There are artist royalties and publishing royalties depending on who owns the publishing and again what % by contract. Also again Blue Cheer would need an agreement with Rainman records. That is the legal and proper way to go however I would guess not more than 35% of these contracts are not broken in some way---especially now.
FP since you quoted me I will answer ---I have no idea what happened on the third Blue Cheer Album. I was in England. I left the band partly because I thought it a huge mistake to replace Leigh with Randy. It killed all momentum and cut short the potential future success of Blue Cheer in a big way.

[rowenafaire]

i would guess you were right and maybe even a little optimistic, there, eric. the rerelease scam is basically highway robbery the way i see it...but if they get something from it better than nothing i suppose...artistic control does seem even further out the window than with original recording contracts though

[FeedbackLourde]

I'm confused. Why would Rainman Records have the rights to any BC album other than the new one? AND if they had them, why not reissue the old albums on their own label? Does anyone even know who has the master tapes!? It would be nice to hear these tunes remastered properly....

[gypsyball]

mr said:

Unfortunately when the artist does not own the rights to their
publishing or catalog whatever it may be the record labels can do what they wish with the catalogs,...BC do not stand alone in this
unfortunate reality of the music industry,...
even The Beatles do not own the rights to their own songs same goes for John Fogarty ,......this is sometimes why you hear a lot of these old classic rock songs on commercial advertisements fon TV being played in the background I bet you 9 out of 10 most of the artists who wrote those songs didn't even get permission to use them because in all probability they don't own the rights to those songs.

Michael Jackson bought the rights to the Beatles songs years ago, but does he still "own" the rights to the Beatles songs, or did he have to sell them because of his "money problems"?

[Rick]

Thank you, Mr. Albronda, for participating in this thread! As a newcomer (and still a "guest"), it's quite an honor to have your "outsideinside" input on the matter at hand. Thanks are overdue for your participation in both the group's genesis and for your perceptive guidance in the "post-Holden" era. "Sandwich"!

In any and all instances, I love *all* the BC albums; and, though I do agree with Mr. Albronda that Randy Holden's participation (though brief) was perhaps an ill-advised career move for the band, this calculated risk benefited the band by bringing forth a newfound appreciation of dynamics and coloration. If Randy had *anything* to do with making "I'm The Light" an eventual musical possibility for BC, then I "tip me hat" accordingly and with great respect.

Now, if I may wax utopian most briefly, imagine BC with both Randy *and* Leigh in a side-long dual guitar interweave on some lost unreleased tape...

...and then I woke up! ;D

[Eric Albronda]

FBL, it is yes confusing mostly because everything is negotiable and not always obvious.
For example, Ian Grant from Track Records obtained the licenses from Universal who bought the rights from Polygram who bought the rights from Mercury Records to release BC 1 and 2 Package. Ian Grant at the time was able to get Akarma Records to stop releasing all the other albums except for #3, I believe. Akarma thought all they needed to release was the OK from Leigh for his Stuff and Dickie and Bruce Stephens ( Improperly I might add) for the Blue Cheer catalog. I do not know the publishing arrangements between Dickie and Duck and Rainman. It could be the publishing rights are owned 50- 50. Th disadvantage of owning your own publishing is that you need to administer it properly all the way from Copy Write to issuing the licenses because the royalties are paid to the address and holder of the licenses. Also a great trick of the record company's is to say----Well, we could not pay you because we could not find you and in Dickie's case he moved around so much and just was not able to properly administer a publishing company. I believe the legalese put forth is something like " the record company shall make a reasonable search to find the holder of the licenses" and if not found the money goes into a slush fund of the record company or the publishing company.
Physically the master 16 track tapes lets say rarely leave the studio where they were recorded because they were heavy and awkward and safe keeping was with the studios.
Technically whoever paid for the tape owns the tape. Now the 1/4 inch master tape
from which the albums were cut usually remains in the mastering lab where the master was cut. So its not so much the actual tape itself as it is the actual performance on a particular tape which is owned as seen by various people at various times. For instance I doubt it if Mercury Records kept copying the 16 track so that deterioration did not ruin the original tracking thus the ability to remix the material again ----it should be able to be remastered digitally with some sound manipulation I am sure .

Thanks Rick for the comments

Eric