Soda – Britpop Band Collectible Westside Mastering Tape – Excellent w/ Vocal Mix Variants & Outtakes

Condition Details: Please check all photos of the item carefully, as they form part of the description of the condition of the item. This professionally labeled mastering tape from Westside Studios is in excellent condition, with intact reels and a detailed handwritten track sheet. Dated during the Mercury-era sessions, the tape documents multiple vocal mix variants, outtakes, and mastering decisions across key tracks. It has been professionally stored and remains fully playable for archival or reference use.

What's Included: This listing includes the Original Studio Tape housed in a Westside box, featuring:

• Track Breakdown:

  1. Inside – Old Mix

  2. Inside – More L Vox (Old Mix)

  3. One Sweet Lie – More L Vox

  4. Inside – Remix (Louder L Vox, Single Master)

  5. Inside – Remix (Less L Vox)

  6. When Will My Brain – Vox Up

  7. Dragging You Into My Dreams – Outtake

  8. Dragging You Into My Dreams – Vox Up

  9. Prettiest Souls – L Vox Up

• Technical Specs:

  • Mode: 2 Track

  • Speed: 15 IPS

  • Curve: NAB

  • Dolby: SR

  • Level: 320

  • Master: ✓

  • Studio: 2

  • Producer: Lesley Ann Winstanley

  • Engineer: Alan Winstanley

  • Client: Mercury

  • Artist: Soda

This reel captures the nuanced vocal mix decisions made during final mastering, including alternate balances, remix passes, and outtake preservation. The presence of both stereo mastering and Dolby SR noise reduction confirms its use in high-fidelity production prep.

About the Item: Soda were a Britpop band from Hull, England, formed in 1994. They emerged during the height of the mid-1990s Britpop boom, blending melodic guitar pop with touches of punk and new wave. The group consisted of Ocean Reid (vocals), Liam Maloy (bass/vocals), Mike Milner (guitar), Chris Charlton (guitar), and Carl Lonsdale (drums).

Signed to Mercury/Fontana Records between 1995 and 1997, Soda released a few singles including The Young Own The Town (1995) and Inside (1996). Their debut album, Artificial Flavour, was recorded during this period but was shelved by their label and only officially released twenty years later in 2016.

Their music captured the bright, energetic sound of the Britpop era, with catchy choruses and jangly guitars comparable to acts like Ash, Sleeper, and Echobelly. Critics have described their songs as “a perfect time capsule of mid-90s guitar pop.” Despite strong material, Soda’s career was cut short by label setbacks and bad timing.

Today, the band enjoys cult status among Britpop enthusiasts, with their rediscovered debut gaining positive retrospective attention. Artificial Flavour stands as a snapshot of a band that could have been much bigger had things gone differently.