(TV) Mixes of Tom Verlaine's solo debut

["Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

Hi all,

Here is handy guide for keeping track of the different mixes of Tom
Verlaine's solo debut as it has appeared on CD (and CD-R).

1. The "Clearmountain" mix. This is the mix that originally appeared
on the Elektra LP back in 1979, and later on a Japanese CD in the
early 1990s. This CD was used as the source for the UK and German CDs
in the mid-1990s (in fact, they even used the graphics from the
Japanese CD, applying black censor bars over any part of the
copyright information that mentioned Japan). 

This is also the mix available on *current* CD copies of TOM VERLAINE
manufactured and sold by Collectors' Choice Music.


2. The "Lost" mix. In 2000, Michael Carlucci of Subterranean Records
was contacted by Tom Verlaine to sell some Television-related items
on consignment. These included t-shirts from the 1992 tour and other
promotional materials, as well as test pressings of several Verlaine
solo records. While going through the LPs Verlaine provided, Carlucci
discovered that the mix on a test pressing of TOM VERLAINE differed
substantially from the mix heard on the 1979 Elektra LP and existing
CDs (as of 2000). For example, "The Grip Of Love" used a slightly
different vocal; prominent maracas are heard at the end of "Flash
Lightning"; the mixes of "Souvenir from a Dream" and "Kingdom Come"
are both considerably 'narrower' in the stereo spectrum; some guitar
parts are missing or different on several tracks. Carlucci spoke to
Verlaine and discovered that this test pressing contained a rejected
mix of the LP, before Bob Clearmountain was called in to remix the
record. Subsequently, Carlucci produced CD-Rs of this test pressing
(with Verlaine's permission) and sold them through Subterranean. 

3. The "CC Alternate" mix. In 2002, Collectors' Choice Music reissued
TOM VERLAINE, complete with new liner notes from Tom. The sound
quality was a big improvement on the previous Japanese/German/UK CD,
but as fans noticed quickly, the CD also utilized a different mix.
With the notable exception of "Flash Lightning" (which lacks the
maracas as heard here), it appeared to be the "Lost" mix. An
investigation by ICE Magazine discovered that Warner Brothers (which
owns Elektra) had delivered the wrong tapes to Collectors' Choice;
apparently, there are two different tapes of TOM VERLAINE marked
"master" in the WB vaults. One is the Clearmountain mix; one is the
"CC Alternate".

This "CC Alternate" was only sold online by Collectors' Choice Music
(starting in the fall of 2002). By the time the reissued TOM VERLAINE
was sold in retail stores (January, 2003), Collectors' Choice had
gotten the correct "Clearmountain" masters and remastered TOM
VERLAINE yet again (also a big improvement on the old
Japanese/German/UK CD).

So, in summary, the "Lost" mix and the "CC Alternate" are pretty
close, with the exception of "Flash Lightning" (as far as my ears can
tell). You can tell these two mixes apart easily, however, because
the "Lost" mix comes from a crackly test pressing (albeit slightly
cleaned-up) and the "CC Alternate" comes from a nicely remastered CD.

If you have a Collectors' Choice copy of TOM VERLAINE, the easiest
way to tell the "CC Alternate" from the "Clearmountain" mix is to
compare "The Grip of Love". On the "Clearmountain" mix, right after
the "buckle my belt" intro to the chorus, Verlaine first sings "sure
had me / in your hand" (right around 1:38). On the "CC Alternate"
(and the "Lost" mix), Verlaine sings "sure got it / in your hand" at
the same point (1:38). 

There's been a LOT of discussion about these different mixes on this
list in the past few years; if you want more information you might
try searching the list archives at
http://www.obbard.com/cgi-bin/wilma/tv/. 

For example, here are some more posts on the differences between the
"CC Alternate" and the "Clearmountain" mix (just after the CC reissue
came out):

http://www.obbard.com/tvlist-archive/0209/msg00171.html
http://www.obbard.com/tvlist-archive/0209/msg00177.html
http://www.obbard.com/tvlist-archive/0209/msg00179.html
 
--Phil
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