Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Pretty self-explanatory
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The Gentleman
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Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by The Gentleman »

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/maga ... dings.html

A heartbreaking look at the Universal vault fire, which destroyed countless hours of session tapes from artists famous and obscure alike. Is there any reason to fear EC's work with Universal was stored there?

In any case, the cultural loss is incalculable. The loss of Buddy Holly & Chuck Berry's masters alone would be enough to make this a catastrophe, as it turns out it's just the tip of the iceberg-- and we'll never know the full scale of the losses as the tapes were incompletely inventoried (if it all).
Dr. Luther
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by Dr. Luther »

Yikes.
Awful news.
MOJO
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by MOJO »

This happened in 2008? Why are we flashing back to this story when the whole world is ready to go up in flames with the various bozos we have leading/running our countries. The question that really should be asked here: How much was the insurance payout related to this fire?
sulky lad
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by sulky lad »

Nojo wrote :
This happened in 2008? Why are we flashing back to this story when the whole world is ready to go up in flames with the various bozos we have leading/running our countries
You're lucky, Mojo - we haven't had anyone leading the U.K. for decades ! :shock:
erey
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by erey »

MOJO wrote:This happened in 2008? Why are we flashing back to this story when the whole world is ready to go up in flames with the various bozos we have leading/running our countries.
Because Universal lied about it for years and the recent NYT article is the first widely published, comprehensive account.
MOJO
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by MOJO »

I see the recent news on this now. Hot story. Should I care or be surprised? No, not at all. PEACE.
The Gentleman
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by The Gentleman »

The NYT published a follow up piece that lists hundreds of artists who had some or all of their tape archive destroyed. It’s NOT conclusive but for now EC isn’t on the list. Sadly, T-Bone Burnett Is on it (though I imagine it’s only a slim portion of his work that was kept there).

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/maga ... t-umg.html
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by And No Coffee Table »

The Gentleman wrote:It’s NOT conclusive but for now EC isn’t on the list.
No, it isn't conclusive, but it seems like a good sign.

I'd also point out that that EC ended up on Universal through an initial deal with PolyGram, and the first New York Times article says most of the PolyGram tapes were in New Jersey: "Seagram purchased PolyGram Records in December 1998 and soon merged it with UMG, adding several hundred thousand masters to the company’s archives. Most PolyGram masters — including material released on such sublabels as Mercury, Island and Motown — were housed in a rented warehouse in Edison, N.J."
millaa
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Re: Universal vault fire: Were any EC tapes lost?

Post by millaa »

And No Coffee Table wrote:
The Gentleman wrote:It’s NOT conclusive but for now EC isn’t on the list.
No, it isn't conclusive, but it seems like a good sign.

I'd also point out that that EC ended up on Universal through an initial deal with PolyGram, and the first New York Times article says most of the PolyGram tapes were in New Jersey: "Seagram purchased PolyGram Records in December 1998 and soon merged it with UMG, adding several hundred thousand masters to the company’s archives. Most PolyGram masters — including material released on such sublabels as Mercury, Island and Motown — were housed in a rented warehouse in Edison, N.J."
Yes, but all the early masters up to 1986 that Universal now have are licensed from EC. He would have his own archive somewhere. Maybe in the UK where most of the recordings were made? As for post Warner recordings, I'd say EC was savvy enough to only hand over a finished mastered release and kept all other recordings in his own archive.
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