My old friend was a mastering engineer at Decca for eleven years until they packed up in north west London some years back. Loads of tales from his side, some of which (and other experiences told me by his boss who's sadly no longer with us) are confirmed in the recording and vinyl preparation paragraphs later in this piece. The old cuts pre 1970 were half speed and often heavily equalised, these settings written on the tape boxes (I was shown some). When Neumann lathes came into use in around 1970, the need for equalisation was removed and you know what, 'audiophiles' disliked these more 'accurate and truthful to the producer's wishes' cuts and early Decca cuts are often highly prized and valuable...