Keep Yourself Alive - "wrong" mix pulled from release?

Saw this listing on eBay which states that initial copies (possibly demo
only) of KYA had a "wrong" mix and were pulled. It's the first I've
heard of this? True or not?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUEEN-KEEP-YOURSELF-ALIVE-MINT-UK-DEMO-WRONG-MIX-/120677880110?pt=UK_Records&hash=item1c18f6512e

I think a wrong version WAS released for Seven Seas Of Rhye at some point, never heard about a wrong mix of KYA.

I asked him about it and this is what he had to say:

"Hi,
It's not very different so that it's obvious. As I understood it, this was a final mix and then the band or producer heard parts they didn't like and mixed it again. There was no automation in those days so every mix was different.

It must have been close because they sent it for mastering and pressing before chnaging their mind and pulling it back"

Interesting point.  So when did automation become part of the common soundboard?

Sir GH wrote:

Interesting point.  So when did automation become part of the common soundboard?

<br><p>Pretty sure it was in the early 80's. I have an e-mail from Justin Shirley-Smith, dated Oct 22 2004, where he described it as such:

In the beginning of automated mixing, the fader move data was recorded on one track per pass alternately, using up two tracks of the multi-track tape. In the Queen Audio archive this only happened on Musicland tapes. Starting from The Works (recorded at The Record Plant LA), one track of the multi-track tape was used to record time-code.

This technology comes from the movie industry and is used for synchronising things together, such as music to picture and, in the audio world, facilitated the first 48 track playback by synch'ing one 24 track tape to another 24 track tape. from memory, I think the first 48 track Queen songs are Hard Life and Hammer To Fall. The time code was also used to allow a mix computer to recognise which part of the tape was playing, and therefore which fader moves to perform. The fader mix data was stored separately on computer disks of various kinds.

Automated mixing still works in the same way, by chasing time-code.

<br>

<br>

Excellent.. thanks for that.

Isn't it the result of machine-fading that we see in the Headlong video? complete with a grinning Roger. :-)

Martin

I'm guessing that it's someone on this board who's bid for it?

CRM wrote: I'm guessing that it's someone on this board who's bid for it?
 ___________________________________________________

...i'm guessing you could be the seller...and you got one of your friends to make a fake bid?   ;-)

:)

No, just wished I could afford to bid on it.