[78-L] Speeds and Reissues No. 1

[David Lewis]

I have been finding in preparing radio programs that I'm having to repitch an awful lot of the reissued material that I play, even from CD. None of Lennick's, of course, happy to say, but -- other ones. I do think Mr. Lennick will agree with me that a slight variance in speed can turn a good performance into a mediocre, or even bad, one, and at the very least, it's misleading.

 

The source for the mp3 linked below came from a CD reissue devoted to Ivy Smith and Cow Cow Davenport. There is a little of Cow Cow talking in the opening: Cow Cow was a talkative guy, and I'm a big fan and know what his speaking voice sounds like. On first hearing I noticed a slightly chipmunky quality to Cow Cow's spoken interjection in this track, so I simply backed the track down to where his voice sounded like its usual self -- it really isn't very much of a difference in terms of pitch.

 

However, from an aesthetic point of view it was the difference between a "just ok" train blues and something exquisite and timeless:

 

http://www.box.net/shared/or2cj7lfdz

 

I would add the first 30 or so seconds of the source as illustration, but it's late, I'm tired, my wife is back in the hospital, etc. Some of you may have the same CD this comes from, anyway, so you can compare. 

 

I am very, very grateful for the broad variety of obscure material like this available on CD. I also don't mind putting myself in the producer's seat once in awhile in such matters and invite the challenge. However, I can't beg off the feeling that there is a little disingenuousness on the part of the re-issuer. My feeling is that the speed should be researched before such re-release fully by the CD producer and not to do so is sloppy, careless work that borders on defective. I am as much grateful for the software I own that I can fix the speed with as I am for the CD that I bought!

 

Anyone out there with me on this? 

Uncle Dave Lewis uncledavelewis at hotmail.com



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