Gordon's Master Recordings
 

Articles on how Universal Music Group covered up destruction of irreplaceable master tapes in 2008 fire.

I hope Gord's Master Recordings are somewhere safe and sound.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/u...sultPosition=1

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/m...ge&section=The New York Times Magazine

Re: Gordon's Master Recordings
 

I recall Chicago lost the master tapes to its album "Hot Streets" in a fire. They must have used some other source for the remastered version that was issued on the Rhino label.

Re: Gordon's Master Recordings
 

If master tapes have been used to produce digital files the quality is identical to the master.
In the case of the Beatles’ remastering the digital files have been used for production of
some of the remastered LPs, I understand.
It’s very sad to lose the original master tapes, but at least high quality copies can be made from the digital masters.

Re: Gordon's Master Recordings
 

I haven't read anything about Gord losing master tapes. I did read that Neil Diamond was among those who lost something, just what I don't know. It's odd, I know that Neil owns all his masters, so why he didn't move them to a place of his own choosing is beyond me. Unless that site was of his own choosing.

Re: Gordon's Master Recordings
 

I did a little searching and it appears the Warner Reprise material is all safe. It was not part of the destruction at Universal that claimed the Masters of so many giants across many genres of music.
What isn't clear is whether or not Warners Reprise have archived their original session tapes. Apart from some sessions near the start of their career, The Beatles session tapes, remarkably survive and have been preserved. Old Masters and Session tapes can fall victim to sticky tape syndrome...some of the Beatles tapes suffered from this but were preserved (by baking them) and then digitally transferred in the highest sonic resolution. I'm not sure how common a practice this is...the saving of session tapes...James Taylor's Warners catalog was recently released without a single bonus track...or alternate take. Similarly, Gordon's CD's do not contain outtakes or alternates (though there are added gems in the CD set Songbook). I often wondered, if HIS session tapes survive? I'd love to hear a stripped down, all acoustic version of the Don Quixote Album. The production value is beautiful on the record; but, so much of the acoustic playing is buried...I'd love to hear more of the band!