Were SS albums ever released on 1/4" tape?

[ssetta]

I know that in 1977, CTW started releasing albums on cassette tape. But I think before that, some were actually on 8-track. But I wonder if there were ever any albums released on 1/4" tape, aka 'reel-to-reel'. Many of you may not know that format. But it was open-reel tapes, not in a cassette or cartridge. But I wonder if CTW ever released any SS records on reel-to-reel. Does anyone think they did?

 

[Smy Guiley]

There's definitely a possiblity! I've had several 8tracks of SS, and I used to collect 1/4", but I've never come across one. The one that probably has the best shot is the original since it was distributed by CBS, and I had a couple of reels released by them (some S&G, etc), so I know they dabbled in it. Who was the major label affiliate once the albums just started saying "Sesame Street Records" on them? That might give a clue, since some smaller labels didn't bother with that format, and 8-track was aimed at that particular market. 1/4" was more for the (excuse the language, but I mean it nicely) "audio snob" market. (I mean that it was for high quality equipment collectors....I call expensive stuff like that "snob-stereos" meaning that I could never afford it, and those audiophiles are particularly picky!!)

Excellent question, though!

eric

 

[Zet]

There's definitely a possiblity! I've had several 8tracks of SS, and I used to collect 1/4", but I've never come across one. The one that probably has the best shot is the original since it was distributed by CBS, and I had a couple of reels released by them (some S&G, etc), so I know they dabbled in it. Who was the major label affiliate once the albums just started saying "Sesame Street Records" on them? That might give a clue, since some smaller labels didn't bother with that format, and 8-track was aimed at that particular market. 1/4" was more for the (excuse the language, but I mean it nicely) "audio snob" market. (I mean that it was for high quality equipment collectors....I call expensive stuff like that "snob-stereos" meaning that I could never afford it, and those audiophiles are particularly picky!!)

Excellent question, though!

eric

I guess a quadraphonic reel is looking unlikely then, huh?

Ah well...

-Zet

 

[ssetta]

I was gonna say the same thing, AND I don't think little kids would EVER learn how to work a reel-to-reel. They're even more complicated to get started than a record.

 

[Smy Guiley]

LOL!!!

Can't you just see some kid sitting in the middle of the room just REEFIN' on the quad-position joystick???? "Big Bird's over here!! Big Bird's over there!!! WHEEEEE!!"

I think that Quad was beyond the scope of SS, don't you? Although it's a neat fantasy. And besides, the stereo mixes were trippy enough!! Since I've never seen any quad SS 8's, I doubt highly if they made it to 1/4". SS 8-tracks (like any popular 8's) were thought of as disposable...as in "Who's going to be listening to this crap 6 months from now??"...that was apparently the corporate view at the time. You know, I have a feeling that's happening now, as they're trying to convince us that CD'S ARE OUT and MP3's (paid for) ARE IN!!! Well, what happens when your hard drive crashes....or your iPod dies in a horrible gardening accident??? You have to buy the file again....pretty sick. That was the case with the poor 8's. They were happier if they died and you bought more.

Does this mean that you guys both have 1/4" Quad equipment! Good for you! (if you do) Quite the experience. I've had Quad8 and Stereo reel myself. Great fun, and even now, it's a reasonably priced hobby, if someone leaves you the hardware, that is, the software isn't terribly expensive even on ebay!

later
eric

 

[Smy Guiley]

I just thought of something after I posted. A clue!! CBS only released Quad LP's in a format called "SQ", which could be played on regular stereo equipment, but revealed quad information when ran through a decoder. Since I've never seen "The Sesame Street Book And Record" on SQ, it's an even safer bet that there was no discrete tape mix for quad, don't you think?? I think that they usually matched them up. If there was an SQ record, then there was a discrete quad tape version. It's too bad, though, as I have ONE SQ LP in my collection (just some Beatles covers by mostly unknown bands, but mixed in SQ Quad) and I've been meaning to see what the new Dolby Pro Logic II does to an SQ recording. It should split it up with startling results, shouldn't it??? That would make the original SS LP in SQ an especially cool find.....if it was even pressed!!

Man, this has been a fun question, though!!

eric

 

[Phillip]

This is a fun question. Nice thinking out of the box. Unfortunately though, I've never seen any Sesame/Muppet release on 1/4" tape. Don't think it ever happened. I've been collecting Henson music since the 70's and have never seen one.

On a similar note, lots of Sesame records were added to Muppet Central Radio today...

http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=12872

 

[ssetta]

Come to think of it, I don't know if ANY Children's material was released on reel-to-reel for the reason I stated above. And also, there were no such things as Sesame Street CDs until as late as 1995!

 

[Zet]

LOL!!!

Can't you just see some kid sitting in the middle of the room just REEFIN' on the quad-position joystick???? "Big Bird's over here!! Big Bird's over there!!! WHEEEEE!!"

I think kids would love it, I know I would have. When I was a kid, there were book & record sets and I loved em. In today's multimedia world, a book & CD might not go over so well...but a DVD with multichannel sound could work. Think of a story told with a surround audio environment. Or even something like a version of "where's Ernie?" (I think that's what it's called?) with his voice moving around the room...quad activities!

I think that Quad was beyond the scope of SS, don't you? Although it's a neat fantasy. And besides, the stereo mixes were trippy enough!! Since I've never seen any quad SS 8's, I doubt highly if they made it to 1/4". SS 8-tracks (like any popular 8's) were thought of as disposable...

Well as far as Sesame stuff having made it to quad back in the day, the short answer is no I'm afraid. There are collectors online who make a point of documenting anything that surfaces, and a forum ("Quadraphonic Quad"), and there has been no mention of Sesame quad.

Speaking of fantasies, I was just thinking the other day actually about how cool it would be for them to find master tapes of old sesame street songs and create multichannel mixes of them on DVD!

Does this mean that you guys both have 1/4" Quad equipment! Good for you! (if you do) Quite the experience. I've had Quad8 and Stereo reel myself. Great fun, and even now, it's a reasonably priced hobby, if someone leaves you the hardware, that is, the software isn't terribly expensive even on ebay!

later
eric

I've got a Sansui quad receiver with their famous quad synthesizer (x001 series), so it makes a "quad mix" from all stereo sources ...with mixed results
It mostly comes down to, the more lively the stereo mix, the better the quad results will be...I love it though!
I've never had reel quad (recording on four channel reel would be nice), but once I did have a quad 8-track recorder!

Re: software on Ebay...I dunno, you should check out some of the rarer auctions...definitely out of my range, anyway. And quad reels? Triple digits for the decent ones

-Zet

 

[Zet]

I just thought of something after I posted. A clue!! CBS only released Quad LP's in a format called "SQ", which could be played on regular stereo equipment, but revealed quad information when ran through a decoder. Since I've never seen "The Sesame Street Book And Record" on SQ, it's an even safer bet that there was no discrete tape mix for quad, don't you think?? I think that they usually matched them up. If there was an SQ record, then there was a discrete quad tape version. It's too bad, though, as I have ONE SQ LP in my collection (just some Beatles covers by mostly unknown bands, but mixed in SQ Quad) and I've been meaning to see what the new Dolby Pro Logic II does to an SQ recording. It should split it up with startling results, shouldn't it??? That would make the original SS LP in SQ an especially cool find.....if it was even pressed!!

Man, this has been a fun question, though!!

eric

I did read a post from a guy that was involved in the industry back then, and he said you should get results when doing the opposite - playing dolby surround stuff through a quad synthesizer - so it's worth a try. All of the formats use a form of phasing, if I'm not mistaken.

Re: vinyl and discreet tape, there were sometimes releases on just one or the other. In fact, it's a good idea to research a bit before you buy. There were even some 8-tracks that were just recordings of the decoded SQ (not really discreet).
Luckily we have digital now...the low price of DVD and players will hopefully help promote surround sound for music.
-Zet