1. Time Life Guitar Rock Classics

Very Good: An item that is used but still in very good condition. No damage to the jewel case or item cover, noscuffs, scratches, cracks, or holes. The cover art and liner notes are included.

The VHS or DVD box is included. The video game instructions and box are included. The teeth of disk holder are undamaged. Minimal wear on the exterior of item. No skipping on CD/DVD. No fuzzy/snowy frames on VHS tape. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.Modified Item:NoTitle:Time Life- Classic Rock 1976 - 1977Custom Bundle:NoGenre:RockStyle:RockNon-Domestic Product:No.

Next, the versions running 3:24, or:09 longer than the 45 version. This is presumably a Bill Inglot fade; it first appeared on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits - 1976 (1991), then a digitally identical clone on HAND Vol.

18 (1993), then another digitally identical clone on Time-Life's AM Gold - 1976 (1996), then the same analog transfer used for Razor & Tie's 2-CD Super '70s (1995; mastered by our host; very end of tail shortened by about 5 seconds). Overall, much better sound on these 3:24 versions - much more detail in the highs, much more presence overall.​. Next, the versions running 3:39, or about:25 longer than the 45 version. This first appeared on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1976 (1989), with the same analog transfer used for Razor & Tie's Easy '70s (1993), Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk (1994; digitally exactly 0.6 dB louder), Time-Life's Body Talk - Just For You (1996; differently EQ'd digital clone), Razor & Tie's 2-CD Suddenly '70s (1997; mastered by our host) and Simitar's Number Ones - Classic Rock (1998; too loud and clips a bit). Overall,these 3:39 versions sound just fine, although not as glistening as the Bill Inglot 3:24 versions.​. Interesting dilemma - there are two CDs that sound better than the Rhinos, but there's enough of a difference in tonality and instrument balance that I suspect they may be remixed.

The CDs in question are Silver Eagle/MCA's Shades Of Love (1989) and Simitar's Number Ones - Lovin' Feelings (1998). They do sound spectacular, and while they don't have any compression/limiting/NR artifacts, they sound suspiciously modern for a 1976 recording. I know there's a (2:48) version out there that's a rerecording, so it wouldn't surprise me if the (3:15) version on these two CDs was a remix.​. The first version to make it to CD used a pretty high-generation tape source, first found on the poorly-EQ'd Silver Eagle's 2-CD Dancin' The Night Away (1988). Others that used the same analog transfer, usually with some EQ fixing, include Warner Special Product's Feel Good Rock (1989; diff EQ'd digital clone), Priority's Mega Hits Dance Classics Vol.

10 (1991; mastered too loud and clips), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1976 Take Two (1991; diff EQ'd digital clone), Warner Special Products' 2-CD Disco Collection (1993), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Celebration (1994; compressed a bit, too; pretty bad-sounding CD overall), and Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. None of these even comes close to HAND and its clones. There's an even goofier analog transfer on Razor & Tie's Disco Fever (1991), which sounds thin and trebly, has balance problems, and clips in the right channel around -1 dB.​. HAND sounds the best, and in this case, there aren't any other CDs that use the same analog transfer as HAND. Second-best is found on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1976 (1989), with the same analog transfer used for Rhino's Billboard Top Hits - 1976 (1991; digitally identical), Time-Life's Guitar Rock - 1976-1977 (1993; L/R channels reversed), Time-Life's AM Gold - 1976 (1996; digitally exactly 2.7 dB louder, which is too loud and clips) and Time-Life's Body Talk - Together Forever (1996; digitally exactly 0.104 dB louder).

There's another analog transfer that sounds OK but fades a few seconds early on Cema's Mellow Gold (1991). The song sounds horrifically bad on Formula 45. All of the above are for the 45 edit (2:56); the LP version (4:33) sounds OK (on par with the Time-Life CDs above) on Time-Life's Singers And Songwriters - 1976-1977 (2002).​7. Pratt And McClain / Happy Days. Lousy transfer from vinyl.

Ticks, pops, that distortion you hear on the vocals - it's all there. (Did the 45 really sound that bad?) There are two other versions, and both are different analog transfers from very muffled-sounding tape sources. Better is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - TV Themes (1996). Worse is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Late '70s (1993, L/R channels reversed; from vinyl? I hear a little vocal distortion on the last word 'dreams'.) All sound pretty terrible.​10. Starland Vocal Band / Afternoon Delight.

Then, a new transfer from vinyl for HAND Vol. 18 (1993), which sounds really terrific - probably the best vinyl transfer to date for this song. The same analog transfer is used for Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - AM Top Twenty (1993; L/R channels reversed), Time-Life's AM Gold - 1976 (1996; digitally exactly 3.2 dB louder than AM Top Twenty and L/R channels reversed), Time-Life's Body Talk - Sweet Nothings (1997; differently EQ'd digital clone of AM Top Twenty and L/R channels reversed), Razor & Tie's 2-CD Suddenly '70s (1997; mastered by our host), and Razor & Tie's 1-CD Suddenly '70s (2001; 0, 1, 0.5 and 1.5 dB louder in discrete blocks than 2-CD version)​. Infinitely better is HAND, with a nice transfer from a good tape source. Nice, pingy ride cymbal throughout. The same analog transfer is used for Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - AM Top Twenty (1993; L/R channels reversed), Time-Life's AM Gold - 1976 (1996; digitally identical), Varese Vintage's Barry Scott Presents The Lost 45s Of The '70s & '80s (1998; digitally identical), Simitar's Love Rocks 4 - Songs Of Love (1998; differently EQ'd digital clone of HAND), and Madacy's Rock On - 1976 (differently EQ'd digital clone of AM Top Twenty; L/R channels reversed).​. As for the other three analog transfers.

First appeared on CD on Time-Life's 2-CD Heart Rock (1988; this track is fine but this CD has a boatload of early fades on it). Next was on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Always (1990), with the same analog transfer being used for Razor & Tie's 2-CD Easy '70s (1993). It appeared on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits - 1976 (1991), which has a little too much high end.​So, tallying up.' Right Back Where We Started From' sounds best on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Seventies Dance Party - 1976-1977 (1997), which is a Dennis Drake-EQ'd digital clone of HAND.' Making Our Dreams Come True' sounds best on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - TV Themes (1996), where I think it comes from a tape source.' Afternoon Delight' sounds best on Simitar's Love Rocks 4: Songs Of Love (1998), where I think it, too, comes from a tape source.The other 9 sounds best on HAND, to my ears.I hope the next few volumes have more obscure tracks; the common ones turn up on too many compilations.

The 45 length (3:19) sounds great on HAND, with the same analog transfer used for Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - More AM Nuggets (1994). The LP length (3:42) sounds best on Rock Artifacts Vol. 2 (1991) - sonically, it's comparable to HAND. The LP version on CBS's Seems Like Yesterday Vol. 2 (1989) sounds quite good, but fades a few seconds early - bad. The LP version on The Best Of Canadian Rock (1991) doesn't sound that great.

So I vote for Rock Artifacts for this track.​4. Mary MacGregor / Torn Between Two Lovers. And then HAND appeared in 1993 - sounds quite nice, with lots of dynamic range. Sounds best on HAND, and there are plenty of CDs that use the same analog transfer as HAND: Razor & Tie's Easy '70s (1993), Time-Life's Body Talk - Sealed With A Kiss (1996; differently EQ'd digital clone), Time-Life's AM Gold - 1977 (1997; digitally identical), Simitar's Love Rocks 3 - Love Time (1998) and Time-Life's Singers And Songwriters - 1975-1979 (2001; digitally exactly 0.485 dB quieter). The only CD to avoid is the first one it appeared on - Cema's 2-CD Mellow Gold (1991), which fades early and loses the high end on the fade - NR?​6. David Soul / Don't Give Up On Us.

I think the version on HAND is from vinyl. There's a little bit of distortion on the last descending guitar line at the end of the song, I think I may hear turntable rumble in the last few notes, and the fade to silence is pretty quick.

Plus, there's a dropout in the right channel about 5 seconds in. The Time-Life discs all are digital clones of HAND, including Body Talk - Sealed With A Kiss (1996; diff EQ), AM Gold - 1977 (1997; 1 dB quieter) and AM Gold - Teen Idols Of The '70s (1999; diff EQ).​. It looks like a true tape source was unearthed for Razor & Tie's 2-CD Easy '70s (1993).

The same analog transfer was used for Warner Special Products' Seventies Feelings (1995; worse EQ than Easy), Madacy's Rock On - 1977 (1996; L/R channels reversed; drastically altered EQ emphasizing midrange) and Simitar's Number Ones - Lovin' Feelings (1998; EQ'd pretty close to Rock On). I think Easy '70s may sound the best out of the bunch, but it's not audiophile quality here.

There are also version on Disky's The Beat Goes On Vol. 4 (1997; too loud and clips a bit) and Disky's Wow That Was The '70s Disc 5 (1999; WAY too loud).​7.

David Dundas / Jeans On. From vinyl on HAND? I hear a tick/pop in the word 'have' at 0:50, I hear a little crackling on the fade, and it fades to silence with no hiss. On HAND, it runs 2:34 and it's true mono.

According to Pat Downey's site, that's the 45 length, but the 45 was in in extremely narrow stereo. It's not an early fade of the LP version either - there's one edit at 2:26 inside the fade that loops an earlier vocal line for the fade, plus the 45 just slightly shortens the pause at 1:13. (The LP version keeps the beat, the 45 shortens it to less than a beat.)​. MUCH better are any of the LP versions that appear on foreign compilations. The best is probably on EMI Australia's 5-CD Seventies Complete Vol.

2 (1997), where it has a nice dynamic range and has a reasonably centered soundstage. Plus, it doesn't sound like it's underwater, like HAND. The best indication that it's in true stereo is a brief synth part, panned just left of center from 0:53-0:55. Not nearly as good as the Australian collection are Disky's The Beat Goes On Vol. 9 (1997; brassy EQ, everything panned left, slightly compressed), Disky's 8-CD Wow That Was The 70's (1999; VERY brassy EQ, everything panned left, VERY compressed), and Disky's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '70s (2000; better EQ, soundstage centered, VERY compressed).​8. Andrew Gold / Lonely Boy.

Sounds best on HAND, with the same analog transfer used for Time-Life's AM Gold - 1977 (1997; digitally exactly 2 dB quieter), and Simitar's Number Ones - Lovin' Feelings (1998). Next best is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1977 (1990), with a digital clone on Time-Life's Singers And Songwriters - The Late '70s (2000; 1.621 dB quieter). Down one more peg is the promo CD PGD Presents Great Sounds Vol. One more rung down is Silver Eagle/Capitol's Formula 45 (1988), which also fades a few seconds early. And at the bottom is Simitar's Number Ones - Super '70s (1998), which is far too loud and clips severely.​10. Climax Blues Band / Couldn't Get It Right.

I gotta have more cowbell! Sounds great on HAND, and it's actually an identical digital clone of Rhino's Billboard Top Hits - 1977 (1991). The same analog transfer is used for Time-Life's Guitar Rock - 1976-1977 (1993), Time-Life's AM Gold - 1977 (1997; digitally exactly 1 dB quieter), and Madacy's Rock On 1977 Dance Dance Dance (1998).

Almost as good is Disky's 8-CD Wow That Was The 70's (1999), which has just a hint of extra compression. And one to avoid is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1977 (1991), which chops off a tiny bit of the opening note and fades about 10 seconds early.

Alan O'Day / Undercover Angel. Two different analog transfers for this track, both probably from the same tape, both faded to approximately the 45 length. First appeared on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits - 1977 (1991), where it sounded pretty good, to my ears.

It even has a digitally identical clone on Time-Life's AM Gold - 1977 (1997). If I had to guess, I'd say that the 'defect' is a tiny click way down in the fade at 3:25, in the word 'prayer'.

Regardless, Rhino did a new analog transfer for HAND Vol. 19 in 1993, and ended the fade before that click point.

The same analog transfer as HAND is used on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Late '70s (1993) and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Pop Nuggets Late '70s (1995; digital clone with different EQ and added compression - AVOID THIS CD). Overall, sounds best on HAND.​12. Bill Conti / Gonna Fly Now. A very compressed-sounding track to begin with.

Sounds so-so on HAND, with the same analog transfer used for Razor & Tie's 2-CD Suddenly '70s (1997; mastered by our host) and Time-Life's AM Gold - #1 Hits Of The '70s '75-'79 (2000; digitally exactly 2.024 dB quieter than HAND).​Tallying up.For 'Stand Tall', I chose the LP length (3:42) on Rock Artifacts Vol. 2 (1991).For 'Don't Give Up On Us', I voted for Razor & Tie's 2-CD Easy '70s (1993).For 'Jeans On', I chose the LP version on EMI Australia's 5-CD Seventies Complete Vol. 2 (1997).And for the other 9, I think they sound best on HAND.Happy Easter/Passover/whatever you celebrate or don't-celebrate, and I'm off to Vol. Another excellent volume!A few words:8. Andrew Gold / Lonely BoyI prefer the album version. The one presented on HAND is the 45 edit.9.

10CC / The Things We Do For LoveSounds like the 45.10. Climax Blues Band / Couldn't Get It RightThe version presented here on HAND is a shorter version. The 45 ran quite a bit longer.11. Alan O'Day / Undercover AngelUnless i'm mistaken, this is the same version as the 45.12. Bill Conti / Gonna Fly NowThis was a low-budget recording made in a relatively small studio. That accounts for the dense, cluttered sound. Still The One (Orleans)-This was a good song at the time but it's memory for me will be attached to the ABC network who used it for their sales pitch for a TV season.3.

Stand Tall (Burton Cummings)-I always liked the Guess Who so I was more accepting of this great song.4.Torn Between Two Lovers (Mary MacGregor)- I was working a lot at my family's sandwich shop / store when this song came out so for the most part it was background music & I think that is why it never wore thin with me. A nice song.6. Don't Give Up On Us (David Soul)-A nice ballad with great backing music.9.

The Things We Do For Love (Ten CC)-I thought this was a nice departure from the 'I'm Not In Love' type song & that's why I like it. I liked 'I'm Not In Love' for different reasons though.11. Undercover Angel (Alan O'Day)-The first time I heard this song was on the 'K-tel Super Star Collection' double LP set. A catchy bubblegum pop melody.12. Gonna Fly Now (Bill Conti)-I always thought this song was OK until I saw the Rocky movies (6 movie marathon) & now I like it more & I love the movies!

Click to expand.' Afternoon Delight' was on John Denver's label Windsong, not Private Stock. Private Stock was Larry Uttal's company, the same guy who started Bell Records before Clive Davis turned it into Arista Records.For the Rhino series 'History of Funk: In Yo Face!'

, Bill Inglot explained in the Both Sides Now newsletter from long ago, that he almost had to use a needle drop of Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers 'Bustin' Loose' from 1979. He explained that he was approaching a deadline, and literally started doing a needledrop, when all of a sudden a lawyer walked in with the master tape. He also explained that sometimes, a master tape exists for a song, but he just can't get to it for legal reasons, even if he knows where it is.

He said that sometimes tapes are in someone's closet! Bill also mentioned that as you get into the 70s and 80s, those compilation CDs don't get easier, they actually get harder to do.

I would also add that as you get into later years, you have more copies floating around, and there are more and more takes and mixes for any given song, especially dance/disco/rap music. Finding a 45 version means that the tape may not be where it's supposed to be. In the CD age, one label may have been able to issue the correct 45 version in 1989, but the tape didn't wind up back in the right hands, so future licensees had to follow the trail, or couldn't locate it at all. And, of course, tapes get damaged, and some have deteriorated. In any of those cases, the 45 RPM record and turntable are your friend. It's just like when I do a CD-R comp, if no CD source is available to me, I do a disc dub.So, there may be many reasons he had to resort to doing a needledrop for a title. He didn't always have the luxury of waiting around for a tape.

And, most mastering engineers keep a turntable in the studio just in case. Then, there is a simple matter of no one ever bothering to use the correct tape, or the wrong tape being in a box, or a tape being mis-marked. Catalog numbers notwithstanding, someone may see two tapes, one marked 'mono', and one marked 'stereo' Which one do you think would get pulled?Sometimes the correct 45 version is found spliced onto the end of a reel of outtakes, or something, or on album reel.

Sometimes, you get CD reissue producers or engineers who weren't alive when a song was popular, and don't know what the 45 sounded like. Then, some are just lazy and don't research.Because of this, guys like Bob Irwin, Bill Inglot, Dennis Drake, and many others, have helped correct these problems. For example, Motown's vaults were in shambles in the 80s, but Bill Inglot, most notably, helped get tapes back together.Many times, a studio would have possession of a master recording. Then, when a studio, or even a pressing plant, changes hands, or is closed, tapes come up missing.Good news is when all the tapes are there, and in good condition. These days, mastering guys and/or producers have all tapes pulled so they can go over each one to find the correct one. That is different than a tape librarian just making a CD-R of a tape for a licencee.

There are some weird clicks in this one, and they're on so many different CDs that I'd assume it's on the master tape - listen around 2:15 on the right channel. Clicks aside, it sounds best on HAND. Second place goes to Time-Life's 2-CD Echoes Of Love (1991), which cleans up the clicks; same analog transfer is used for Time-Life's AM Gold - 1972 (1991; L/R channels reversed) and Time-Life's Singers And Songwriters - 1969-1972 (2001; digitally identical to AM Gold so has L/R channels reversed as well). Third place goes to CBS/K-Tel's Seems Like Yesterday Vol. 1 (1989), which sounds OK but runs a few seconds short.

It depends, before I got my house it was slated to be used as training for the Fire Dept. As in they were gonna burn it down.It needed complete electrical, plumbing most of the windows were broken or missing. The whole thing was really painful to see. I don't know how much it cost, but probably more than it could possibly be sold for. When is a piano beyond repair lyrics. Anyway, that house was 'beyond repair' by every possible way of measurement, yet it was saved, so I guess technically nothing is literally beyond repair.

Time Life Guitar Rock Classics

Last is Razor & Tie's Those Fabulous '70s (1990), which runs even shorter. David Geddes / The Last Game Of The Season (A Blind Man In The Bleachers). Sounds best on HAND, with a digitally identical clone on Time-Life's AM Gold - 1976 (1996) and a differently EQ'd digital clone on Time-Life's Body Talk - Sealed With A Kiss (1996). Also pretty good is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1976 (1989), and digitally identical clone on Time-Life's Singers And Songwriters - 1976-1977 (2000), which sounds like a higher-generation tape source with a slightly smiley-face EQ. Not so great is the first appearance on CD, Warner Special Products' 3-CD Secret Love (1987), with the same analog transfer being used for Warner Special Products' Seventies Feelings (1995), Warner Special Products' Touched By Love (1997), and a promo CD from Century 21 (later TM Century) called Gold Disc 3 (1989), which touted the virtues of NoNoise!​4.

Cliff Richard / Devil Woman. A clear standout here, if you can find it - Razor & Tie's The Cliff Richard Collection 1970-1994. I have a digital clone of the song on Razor & Tie Sample No. Incredible presence and detail! Remarkably clean source tapes!

I can see why this goes for $$$$. Second place goes to Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Seventies Top Forty (1992). For some reason, the version on HAND is more compressed than the others, and sounds a little pinched - the hit-hat sounds lifeless. A real disappointment here.​5.

Boomer Castleman / Judy Mae. 1977 must have been a brutal year to listen to the radio! Sounds best on Razor & Tie's Easy '70s (1993), by a hair. This is the only CD that has a nice dynamic range for the track.

All the others are based on the analog transfer for HAND, which clips a lot: Warner Special Products' Seventies Feelings (1995), Time-Life's Body Talk - Magic Moments (1996; differently EQ'd digital clone), and Time-Life's AM Gold - Mellow Hits Of The '70s (2000; differently EQ'd digital clone). There's also a compressed version on Disky's 8-CD Wow That Was The 70's (1999).​11. Dean Friedman / Ariel. Can a song be Hall-And-Oates-esque? This track, the Cliff Richard and the Seals & Crofts redeem this collection.

Sounds great on HAND. Must be a different source tape used for Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1977 Take Two (1991), with an identical digital clone on Madacy's Rock On - 1977 (1996), because the dynamic range is quite a bit smaller. Sounds quite nice on all three.​Tallying up.For 'Devil Woman', hunt down Razor & Tie's The Cliff Richard Collection 1970-1994. If you don't feel like shelling out $$$$, try Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - Seventies Top Forty (1992).For 'After The Lovin', try Razor & Tie's 2-CD Easy '70s (1993).For the other 10, I prefer the sound on HAND.Off to Vol.

The Last Game Of The Season (David Geddes)-I have a special place in my heart for children & handicapped people so this song connected with me emotionally. Towards the end when David Geddes sings 'It's the first time my father seen me play' I get tears in my eyes. I love this song!Living Next Door To Alice (Smokie)-This song is ear candy for me.

I love the 'carved our innitials' verse. The blend of vocals, backing vocals & music are nicely done (my opinion). A great song I can listen to multiple times.Ariel (Dean Friedman)-Ever since I heard this song, I always thought of it as a funny 'Budget Billy Joel' song. Like something you'd find on a Rhino novelty collection. I agree that this is one of the weakest volumes, though it still has a few tracks I like a lot. Since it's been a while since I played this cd, I actually don't remember about 1/3 of the tracks - my main beef with this volume.

These were 'super hits'? Not where I lived.Alright, I'm not ashamed to admit that I loved Mac Davis' Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me back then and I still enjoy hearing it today. Love the percussion on that song as well as the over-the-top drama of the arrangement and vocal performance.

This is my favorite track on this volume. I also like Disco Duck, Angel In Your Arms, and Get Closer a lot.