Hard to Find Jukebox Classics 1960-64 30 Amazing Stereo Hits

This is an excellent CD of superior sound quality. I already have virtually all of these tracks on other compilations or albums from quality labels and low-budget labels with a mix of excellent quality releases along with others that are muffled, sourced from vinyl or tapes with dropouts. The sound quality of this release from Hit Parade is excellent across the board and worth the re-purchase. All of the songs on the CD sound as good as, or in most cases are better than what I already have. 19 of these tracks are true stereo mixes. The remaining 11 of these tracks are mono reprocessed into stereo. The liner notes are very clear about this fact. I don’t understand the handful of bad reviews with comments like “doesn’t sound like stereo”. These poor reviews seem to hate the entire CD saying it is all reprocessed stereo that should have been left mono, which is not the case. I have the other releases with some of these true stereo recordings and they are the same as they exist here, such as Ray Charles and Roy Orbison. There is no reason to call these poor quality fake stereo as most are *true* stereo. Looking first at the true stereo mixes, a handful of them aren’t hard to find, like Roy Orbison or Wayne Newton. However, as the title states, the majority of them are hard to find. Some were stereo mixes that just aren’t common and have been dug out of the archives. Some tracks are new stereo mixes from multi-tracks, attempting to recreate the sound of the original single but in stereo. The liner notes are pretty extensive on each track. Some audiophiles may only want original mono mixes, that’s fine. However, an important point is that mono mixes were often mixed down on older mono master machines which didn’t have the audio fidelity of the “new” multi-track machines of the time that had much better fidelity. Going back to these true stereo mixes gives a better fidelity because the machines simply could reproduce better fidelity. An excellent example of this that I have seen elsewhere are with several releases of the original 2 track recordings of Elvis from the 50s that were mixed to mono for release and the two track sound quality has a night and day difference in sound quality although it is the exact same recording. That audio quality difference shows in the recordings in this CD release as well. If you love these songs, these stereo versions are worth adding to your collection simply for the improved fidelity…. And most of these tracks are true stereo. Looking at the reprocessed stereo tracks, called Digitally Extracted Stereo (DES). If you are not aware, in the 60s there was a push to move to stereo so many companies took older mono recordings and reprocessed them to simulated stereo. There were various techniques like more bass in one channel and treble in the other, or adding reverb or echo in one channel in an attempt to spread the sound. These changes also changed the sound of the music or made it muddy. Over the years, companies learned that people preferred the original mono and the process was eventually stopped. With today’s technology, specific sounds can be extracted and mixed as if it was a multi-track recording. This is a very targeted remixing that is night and day compared to the process from the 1960s. As mentioned in the liner notes, not all songs work well with this process and, to do it well, it takes skill and time. It is obvious that the people mastering this CD care about the music and did their best to create new stereo mixes that preserve the original sound. It sounds like they started with an excellent master of the original mono, which is necessary and adds to the fidelity of the audio. Overall, they did an excellent job. Louie, Louie is one fine example. I have never heard a clearer version of this song. The vocal on Locomotion has a bit of a hollow sound to me. If Louie, Louie was 5 out 5 stars in quality, I would give Locomotion 4 out of 5. Yes, I understand the desire to keep to the original mono recordings. Even if that is your preference, I would not condemn all 30 tracks because 11 of them are reprocessed into stereo. It gives a new perspective on these recordings. The mono versions can be found in other places, but watch out for poor quality compilations.

The good folks at Hit Parade records have outdone themselves this time. They are going where the major record companies have (apparently) refused to go by utilizing their DES process to take the original mono recordings and producing stereo versions that are, by and large, amazing! The majors appear to have stopped with their 60 year old "rechanneled for stereo" technical abomination. Not all DES attempts are equally successful. In this set, I find Little Eva's Locomotion, for example, to be less successful than The Kingsmen's Louie Louie. I have purchased many mono masterings of Louie without much success. This one absolutely shines. Same for California Sun, You Really Got Me and Little Children. All excellent. Other DES treatments are no less than very good, so there's nothing to lose. Other tracks, presented in true stereo, are also very well done. Some I have in stereo already, and these versions either match or top them in quality of production. In terms of the music, Hit Parade is mining gold here. Many of these songs are #1 hits; many are classics from their times. Even the tracks that were less successful (like As Tears Go By and When You Walk Into The Room) are jewels. This collection covers (as others have pointed out) many of the genres that were common in the early 60s - a time of mind boggling (compared to today) diversity. That would include girl groups, the British Invasion, samba, folk, garage, pop, wall-of-sound and soul. In summary, this collection gets my strongest recommendation!

Hard to Find Jukebox Classics 60 thru 64 is not a bad disc. I don't feel that WAYNE NEWTON is an amazing artist in mono or stereo. The DES tracks are really good...but don't think that ALL the tracks are amazing. THE LOCO MOTION with LITTLE EVA sounds phasey and not good. Nice try, but no reward. Now then, LITTLE CHILDREN, CALIFORNIA SUN, AS TEARS GOES BY, HAVE I THE RIGHT and others sound like true stereo! And you also get the original SHE'S NOT THERE in STEREO, but the correct high hat drumming is included and sound wonderful. None of this...drumming redo..from the 2000's and he'll match it to the original track. No way, Horace!!! This is the mono mix in true stereo!!! Mark Mathews knows how to create stereo from mono using spectal creations. DES is the best way to create a stereo track from mono and Mark is THE expert. So, save your pennies and save your dimes...because giddiup we have some new STEREO to listen to. STEREO is the Greek word for SOLID. And this disc is SOLID.

I like it okay but some of the some I don't care for.

These songs will take you back to those heady days of the early 60s when radio was king, when romance and dancing fanned the flames of adolescence desire and pre-pubescent fantasies. The Ronettes, the Chiffons, the Dixie Cups, Little Eva, the Kingsmen, the Kinks, Marianne Faithful, Ray Charles, the Honeycombs, the Four Seasons, the Ramrods, Rick Nelson, Jackie DeShannon, Same Cooke, Roy Orbison. Some were a flash in the pan, others were major stars for decades, but all these songs are timeless. AND, they are recorded so well, it really makes this CD special. Great stereo sound, a vast improvement over the usual tinny flat dynamics of songs from this era.

The hits keep flowing as our generation had hit after hit as shown by their playing at these times. Very few of the present hits will have the same duration as those of the 50's and 60's

Esta colección siempre da en el clavo. Son temas de éxito contrastado claramente mejorados en su versión remasterizada y en perfecto stereo. Una vez más la serie "Hard to find" trabaja para el aficionado y ello es digno de agradecer. Todas las canciones aquí incluídas resultan irresistibles. Más que recomendable... casi imprescindible.

This is a super cd Mostly hits from the early sixties B U T all in beautiful wide stereo These are the best versions I've ever heard and allthough there are many wellknown songs from the Ronnettes, Ray Charles, Honeycombs, Kinks, Georgie Fame and Marianne Faithfull they all sound like they've been recorded yesterday. A clear and bright stereo-landscape, b e a u t i f u l

One of the best compilations ever of 60s music. Every song, except one, is a real gem. Some of these are definitely hard to find. Again, Eric Records has done a brilliant job in compiling these awesome songs in one CD. If you're in to 60s classics, this is the one to have. You definitely won't be disappointed.

Nice music