Almacantar - some viewpoints

[abacab66]

I'm happy to say I was able to see them live back in '84 at the Malibu on Long Island. They opened for Modern English and were very tight and I thought they put on a better set than M E. I like them so much I bought their EP the next day and still have it.

"Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but no one has a right to be wrong about the facts. Without the facts, your opinion is of no value." —René Dahinden

[SomebodySomewhere]

[quote][i]Originally posted by MikeP[/i]
Somebody Somewhere: I'd appreciate a little less of this blatant crusade against Almacantar. Why don't you cut them some slack instead of jumping to conclusions about a future release? If you're not satisfied with any of their other releases, at least try to be polite and reasonable about it. Have you even contacted Dean over at Almacantar to discuss these issues rather than constantly complain.[/quote]

I don't know who Dean is, never mind how to contact him.

Does the label in question pay NWO's bills? According to your friend, they don't even pay his bills, so I'm at a loss trying to figure out why you care.

If people want me to be polite, be polite with me first. It's pretty simple. If you're going to be accuse me of posting something that's untrue, yeah, well, I have an email from a certain someone who a) admitted to doing a master for them, and b) admitted it was taken entirely from vinyl.

Oops.

http://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10426

Rubellan isn't the one I have the email from, by the way.

And, yes, when a corporation has proven to be devious in the past, my advice is always "wait for the reviews." If that is "unreasonable," then so be it.

Although I like finally getting acknowledgement. I was told the best way to do that was to be as "negative" as possible. They weren't kidding.

--
<u>[b]YouTube Video of the Week[/b]</u>

Lustans Lakejer - Lips Are Silent (Läppar Tiger, ögon Talar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2cf6SFhWoo

[seffe]

Glad to see that someone remembered the topic. Thanks for the info

[quote][i]Originally posted by tha_farfetch[/i]
<br>Wow, i was impressed to see this topic (The Rescue) had 29 replies. It's a lot for such obscure band ! But then i realized it had nothing to do with the band itself. What a shame.
Back to the subject, "The Rescue" (Tim McGeary - bass and vocals; Paul McGovern - guitar and vocals; Michael Gross - Guitar and Saxophone; Vincent Piazza - keyboards; Bobby Siems - drums) released only one LP "Messages", produced by former New Musik's Tony Mansfield.
I consider Tony Mansfield one of the most genious "New Wave" artists ever. He was involved in so many New Wave bands as a producer, songwriter or musician. I think i like almost everything he has produced, written or played. After the Fire, Naked Eyes, The Damned, Aztec Camera, A-ha, New Musik, The Rescue, Vicious Pink, Mecano, B52s, etc. If only the "New Wave Oscars" exist, i think he should deserve an Honorary one.
Back to "The Rescue", i was lucky to listen to the whole LP this year, after listening to "Tell Me Now" on local radio. I must tell that "Tell Me Now" is their best song, the rest sounds a bit like "The Cure". I would also recommend "When The Talking is Over".

FarFetch.
[/quote]

[AR]

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[AR]

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[SomebodySomewhere]

[quote][i]Originally posted by AR[/i]
<br>One more thing....
Do you realize that the son of Tim from the Rescue passed away about 6 months ago. He is so devastated by his loss. Tim was so excited that someone like our label even contacted him to ask about releasing his music again. It made his life feel positive again. There is more in life than the internet and all of this rude nonsense. Let that soak in for a moment. I sure hope Tim doesn't come to see what has been posted on this site.[/quote]

I don't see anyone disparaging Tim McGeary. Very sad to hear about his son.

As for the rest, I have no idea what you're on about, but it was an "interesting" read.

P.S. I have never ordered directly from AR, and I'm pretty sure my address is unlisted. My email is now, too. (Not that I ever got one from anyone at AR.)

--
<u>[b]YouTube Video of the Week[/b]</u>

Lustans Lakejer - Lips Are Silent (Läppar Tiger, ögon Talar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2cf6SFhWoo

[SomebodySomewhere]

You know something, I'm going to be the bigger person here and apologize for losing my temper in this thread. I regret that. (Now if somebody could just help me understand "AR's" post, I'll be all set.)

Still, why is "salsynth" even allowed to be here? Every other one of their posts is either blatant spam...

http://nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15878

...or a thinly-veiled threat to "meet up with someone"...

http://nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15654

Mmm, yeah, classy.

--
<u>[b]YouTube Video of the Week[/b]</u>

Lustans Lakejer - Lips Are Silent (Läppar Tiger, ögon Talar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2cf6SFhWoo

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>I don't see anyone disparaging Tim McGeary. Very sad to hear about his son.
[/quote]
Indeed. Almost as sad as someone using it as a pathetic guilt trip vehicle. [V]
[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>As for the rest, I have no idea what you're on about, but it was an "interesting" read.
[/quote]
Maybe he thinks you're Rubellan? [}:)]

Like I've said before, I don't mind a thing about these glitches. Maybe it's what's to expect for the convenience of getting rare releases on CD. My bigger question is why does Almacantar choose the titles that it does? They never made money back in the day, so what's the business model of releasing most of these particular tracks today? If it's for the love of it, that's fine and admirable. If there's a commercial tack here, I would think there's a set of b-list semi-hits that [i]could[/i] make money, but almost nothing in the AR stable (if that really is your name) would seem to have a prayer. IMHO of course. But maybe that's the catch-22...the b-list stuff is still owned by majors or mid-majors and it's not worth it for them to re-release while the only indie-releaseable stuff resides in the very obscure realm that realistically isn't going to sell.

[SomebodySomewhere]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>
Indeed. Almost as sad as someone using it as a pathetic guilt trip vehicle. [V][/quote]

I hear those are good for business.

Hopefully, this won't be taken as spam, but everybody should check out Wonderful Johnson's website -- www.wonderfuljohnson.com/ . Some really good stuff there. The contact us link is probably a better venue to air your condolences.

[quote]Maybe he thinks you're Rubellan? [}:)][/quote]

Maybe Rubellan will find out in Kangaroo Court.

[quote]Like I've said before, I don't mind a thing about these glitches. Maybe it's what's to expect for the convenience of getting rare releases on CD. My bigger question is why does Almacantar choose the titles that it does? They never made money back in the day, so what's the business model of releasing most of these particular tracks today? If it's for the love of it, that's fine and admirable. If there's a commercial tack here, I would think there's a set of b-list semi-hits that [i]could[/i] make money, but almost nothing in the AR stable (if that really is your name) would seem to have a prayer. IMHO of course. But maybe that's the catch-22...the b-list stuff is still owned by majors or mid-majors and it's not worth it for them to re-release while the only indie-releaseable stuff resides in the very obscure realm that realistically isn't going to sell.[/quote]

They snagged one of the Flock of Seagulls albums from Sony/BMG. Not that I know or care how the mastering turned out, but I figure that had to have been a big seller for them.

Besides, you have to assume that the internet witchhunt would be more damaging than putting out albums nobody's ever heard of. Do they really want to be known as a label whose (apparent) employees make threats to track down people in the real world? What's up with that?

--
<u>[b]YouTube Video of the Week[/b]</u>

Lustans Lakejer - Lips Are Silent (Läppar Tiger, ögon Talar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2cf6SFhWoo

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by AR[/i]


Hello, Somebodywhere be a man and answer your email from me. Stop hiding behind your mom. Not to mention using her credit card. This has gone too far now. Be a man and respond to me directly. You have ordered from me and I pinned your name and address. Your name is not Tim and now you changed to where you live on here. Nice. You're the deceiving one. Do you even know where Oxford, WI is? Go ahead and poke fun at this, but I will prove everything in a court of law. Not everything that I do comes from LP. I have never disclosed that anything has come from master tapes at all.[b] The issue with Pseudo Echo was a mistake and I admitted to it! Brian Canham sent me what he wanted me to use. I did not realise that he sourced it form LP. I don't try to decieve or trick anyone.[/b] If you owned any of my other releases you would see what I have put in the notes. More than the majority of buyers are extremely estatic about that release! Contact me directly so that this can be handled off of the internet and in a courtroom. Stop hiding behind the nwoutpost. Everyone feel free to jump on this because everything posted will be used in the hearing.


[/quote]

So somebody sends you material they insist on using for a release, and from what I gather, it was of substandard quality. Fine.

Did you even listen to it??? If you did, I find it highly unlikely that you couldn't tell it was vinyl sourced...more likely you listened and just decided to forge ahead with what you had.

Oh, and why delete the posts? I guess it must be that time again here at NWO. A good round of deletions is good for the soul.

Forgot to add: Welcome to SS, NWO's newest bully.

Still haven't seen an actual answer to my original question, which was "What was so damning about SS cautionary approach in his first post here"?

Don't expect to see one either, because there was nothing wrong with it.


<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/eight.gif"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/number6.gif">

I was smellin' alright, and lookin' alright.

[SomebodySomewhere]

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]
<br>So somebody sends you material they insist on using for a release, and from what I gather, it was of substandard quality. Fine.

Did you even listen to it??? If you did, I find it highly unlikely that you couldn't tell it was vinyl sourced...more likely you listened and just decided to forge ahead with what you had.[/quote]

Be very careful what you write, eight6. It could be used against you in a court of law!

[quote]Oh, and why delete the posts? I guess it must be that time again here at NWO. A good round of deletions is good for the soul.[/quote]

Maybe my "mom" had something to do with it.

--
<u>[b]YouTube Video of the Week[/b]</u>

Lustans Lakejer - Lips Are Silent (Läppar Tiger, ögon Talar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2cf6SFhWoo

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]
<br>So somebody sends you material they insist on using for a release, and from what I gather, it was of substandard quality. Fine.

Did you even listen to it??? If you did, I find it highly unlikely that you couldn't tell it was vinyl sourced...more likely you listened and just decided to forge ahead with what you had.[/quote]

Be very careful what you write, eight6. It could be used against you in a court of law!


[/quote]

I'll clear some time on my calender, just in case. I'd be interested in hearing how my hypothesis is in error.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/eight.gif"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dbince/number6.gif">

I was smellin' alright, and lookin' alright.

[Spaz]

Very interesting conversation....

I am not here to get involved in the argument, just to state a few comments:

First off, Almacantar has never said that things are not mastered from vinyl. Not all of their releases are from vinyl, but they won't deny the ones that are. This argument all goes back to the 'he should state it on his website if it's from vinyl'. I agree and disagree with that argument. Basically, very few (if any) labels state that info on their site. Should Almacantar state it? Maybe or maybe not. That is really up to them.

In regards to titles that I have worked on for them, I always request that he lists it as 'digital transfer by' with no mention of 'remaster', digital or otherwise. This info is printed on the back of most of the CDs I've worked on for him. The Machinations release even states the source configurations!

Why don't I want it to say 'remaster'? Because it is not a remaster. It is a transfer from vinyl that is cleaned up to the best of someone's ability, be it mine or anyone elses. My feeling is that it should be called a remaster only if it's from the original tapes. But that is just my opinion.

The whole vinyl transfer issue has been blown out of proportion by many people here. I understand and agree that a terrible vinyl transfer will make for a disappointing purchase. Apart from some opinions stated here in the past, I have never done a terrible remaster. I've been doing this for years and have done releases for other labels as well and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

In the end, it is not a competition. There are other people here who do great vinyl transfers as well (Rubellan and Romoboy, who I don't want to drag into this...just using as examples). No one is denying that they do good work. If they think that they can do it better than me, then fine. It's their opinion. Others here may agree or disagree with them...but that's also the case with my transfers. I respect their work and dedication to the cause and only hope that they do the same towards me. Almacantar thinks that their transfers are great as well. But are my transfers better than theirs? As I said, this is not a competition. It's just music fans trying to make a difference. More power to any of us who work hard at it. I will always buy an official release if Rubellan or Romoboy do it. I have no qualms about their work at all.

As for all the negative talk about Almacantar's transfers, it's all in the ear of the beholder. I've heard many transfers from other labels that I thought I could have done better and I've heard many that I was very happy with. My wife, who listens to a lot of music with me, sometimes can't tell if something is from vinyl. Her ears aren't trained for that. She just digs the music Same with many of my friends. Those of us who really listen closely to distinguish master tapes from vinyl transfers are a minority.


If somebodysomewhere is not happy with a transfer then he does have a right to be unhappy about it. But for every one person that is not happy, there are 10 who are. Unfortunately, those people don't get up here and speak up because of the negative responses that they may or may not receive. Or they may not even come to NWO at all.



What people should understand is that Almacantar relies on communities like this to get the word out about their releases. When someone becomes vicious about it, it hurts sales. Perhaps being a bit more tactful in stating one's opinion can make all the difference in the world. Leave it to the listener to decide. It's not wrong to state an opinion. Just remember when stating it (and to those reading it) that it is an opinion and not a fact.

This is not a money-making business for Almacantar as of yet. All proceeds go back into the next release...or repressings of older releases. They choose their releases because they love the music. One day, a release may put them over the top in terms of sales and then they can be in a better position to bargain for master tapes with major labels, but until then, they are doing it cuz they want the music to be heard...whether it's a vinyl transfer or a master tape.

I also understand where salsynth is coming from. He's a loyal Almacantar fan (and there are many more like him here). Like me, he supports the label's efforts to bring the music to a wider audience and it is hurtful to see someone state negative opinions about someone he knows and respects. Since nobody else was up here defending the label, he wanted to make sure that the statements about the label here were not one-sided. Of course, it got out of hand like it usually does. I would've spoken up sooner, but many of the folks here seem to have it in for me!!!!

I am not here to extend this argument. Hopefully, it will die a pitiful death and we can all go about our usual business.

Just remember, share your opinions. Just try not to be too harsh. If you don't like someone, or something, take it to them off the board. If you are unhappy with an Almacantar release, tell them directly. You can reach them via their website.

www.almacantarrecords.com

P.S. I had to edit this response to add the almacantar URL. Nothing more. Except this P.S.!


Happy holidays!

SPAZ
Born of innocence. Free of ignorance.

[salsynth]

Somebody Somewhere still babbling away spinning things to make yourself look better. I am sorry you are not as tough as you think you are. I am very consistent, unlike you. I don't back down from bullies who go nuts when someone shares a different opinion than mine. There are ways of talking things out. You, like Grunge at the time made it personal. Grunge actually has moved on and stopped doing it. That is fine with me and I hold no grudges. I thought you were done with this?

[Spaz]

And in regards to AR removing their comments from the site, it was done at my suggestion so blame me.

SPAZ
Born of innocence. Free of ignorance.