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The Vinyl Guide

If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related. Nate is a 40+ year vinyl collector, owns some of the most highly desired titles and enjoys them thoroughly. The Vinyl Guide is his journey through the history of music to speak with the artists and technicians who made music history and get the stories behind the records.

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  2. Ep517: Preserving the Westbound Sound

Ep517: Preserving the Westbound Sound

Sep 29, 2025

Mastering Engineer Dave Gardner & Audio Archivist Catherine Vericolli discuss the preservation of the Westbound Records audio catalogue, including the masters of legendary recordings by Funkadelic, The Counts, Ohio Players & more.

Topics Include:

  • Dave Gardner (mastering engineer) and Catherine Vericoli (archivist) introduce their specialized roles
  • Mastering serves as link between creative process and manufacturing standards
  • Catherine transfers analog tapes to highest possible digital quality preservation
  • Physical restoration work includes extensive mold and splice remediation tasks
  • Much archival work involves "audio archaeology" detective work with clues
  • Working backwards from incomplete information when documentation is missing completely
  • Common assumption that old records were always done "the right way"
  • Reality reveals beloved records often weren't made using proper methods
  • Got rare access to examine entire Westbound Records collection together
  • Westbound Records started late 1960s by distributor Armin Bolodian in Detroit
  • Detroit-based independent label achieved regional success with multiple hit records
  • Funkadelic, Ohio Players, Detroit Emeralds were among their major successful acts
  • Complete catalog reissue approach rather than cherry-picking just popular hits
  • Assets moved between multiple locations over decades, not everything returned
  • Found various generations and copies of tapes for each release
  • Maggot Brain original masters were believed to be permanently missing
  • Discovery of missing masters hidden in completely unmarked white archive boxes
  • Original tape playback speeds rarely match speeds of vinyl releases
  • Spent entire week meticulously fine-tuning correct playback speeds for accuracy
  • Academic ethnomusicologist confirmed musical key was wrong on commercial releases
  • Many recent European reissues contain fundamentally inaccurate speed and sound
  • Double 45 RPM format avoids sonic compromises required for long sides
  • 27-minute album sides on 33 RPM required major audio quality sacrifices
  • All-analog cutting process preserves original sound character without digital conversion
  • Unreleased material exists primarily in unprocessed multitrack tape format only
  • Dennis Coffey played guitar on many more Funkadelic recordings than known
  • Analog tape degradation accelerating rapidly, especially problematic for digital formats
  • Cultural preservation mission drives their passionate collaborative archival restoration work
  • Asset paranoia and trust issues affect access to important historical recordings
  • Primary motivation remains saving irreplaceable music for all future generations

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide