Sparks "Sports" Question

[Fred Taghon]

When I bought the Sparks and Jane Wiedlin "Cool Places" 7" back in 1983, I listened to the B-side as often as the A-side. I have heard the "Shortcuts" CD and "Sports" definitely sounds like it was sourced from vinyl there. The only other place "Sports" has ever appeared on CD is the 2009 Japan SHM reissue of "In Outer Space". Can someone who has that confirm if "Sports" is a crisp clean master tape transfer or a vinyl rip???

https://www.discogs.com/Sparks-In-Outer ... se/2489300

[Uvox]

SPORTS in a CD format also appeared on:

- Repertoire 2013 re-issue of In Outer Space
https://www.discogs.com/Sparks-In-Outer ... se/4930438
- French (?) bootleg French Pineapple in 2000


Both tracks are enclosed here for your expert comparison:

https://mega.nz/folder/AMlkBBzZ#dl4ynbiDD8d827oRkIocvA

[Fred Taghon]

Thanks for taking the time to share those! Unfortunately I'm 99% sure both of those are also from vinyl. The tell tale signs are the "S's" and hi-hats get more and more muddled as the song plays (as the stylus of a turntable follows the record grooves more toward the center - especially on 7" vinyl - the fidelity worsens), and the fade out is usually overly processed with noise reduction to hide crackles and pops as the volume of the audio decreases.

The 2013 "In Outer Space" is on the same label as the "Shortcuts" CD so they likely used the same audio file for both.

Japan releases have a pretty good reputation for not cutting corners, which is why I was wondering if "Sports" from the 2009 Japan reissue of "In Outer Space" was from a master tape.

Thanks again, though, I do appreciate it!!!!

[Uvox]

If you find this Japanese release, please do not hesitate to share a link.

People who hear all these grooves and frequencies and fidelities and crackles are like gods to me.

Do you play with those DSD files and all things Hi-Res??

[Fred Taghon]

If you find this Japanese release, please do not hesitate to share a link.

People who hear all these grooves and frequencies and fidelities and crackles are like gods to me.

Do you play with those DSD files and all things Hi-Res??

I will certainly share!

No, I haven't gotten into DSD and all that Hi-Resolution stuff. I'm pretty content with the classic 16-bit CD quality audio. But I spent a good 10yrs doing my own vinyl transfers and have pretty acute hearing when it comes to distinguishing between a vinyl transfer and a master tape source. This is not to say there aren't some AMAZING quality vinyl transfers out there, but for the most part, it seems most companies don't invest much time or money in well done vinyl transfers.

It all starts with good source material - which in this case means a clean, flat, centered record. If you don't have that to start with, it's an uphill battle from there to get a good quality transfer. The less digital editing and processing required to end up with a clean recording, the better.

[fictionfactory1984]

Here you have the 2009 Remaster of Sports

I think it's again a vinyl sourced remaster, but sounds better to my ears.

https://mega.nz/file/7IkkxBzK#G55QFBJPG ... 781ec2p_T8

[Fred Taghon]

Here you have the 2009 Remaster of Sports

I think it's again a vinyl sourced remaster, but sounds better to my ears.

https://mega.nz/file/7IkkxBzK#G55QFBJPG ... 781ec2p_T8

I think you may be right about it still being sourced from vinyl, but I have to admit I had to listen closely a few times. It's definitely the best quality I've heard, so this will do nicely. Thank you very much for sharing! I really appreciate both of you taking the time to help me out with this track!

[eddie]

Recorded their Glastonbury set - superb stuff.