I'm mainly interested in the 70's albums. How do the Deluxe Editions compare to the earlier remasters? What's the best What's Going On? Anyone else think Hear My Dear is a damn fine album?
Chris
Marvin Gaye on CD
Many people rave about the Deluxe remaster, partially because it contains the "Detroit mix" of What's Going On. This is the first mix that Marvin sent Motown, but after negotiations between the two sides, Marvin redid the mix and approved the more polished one for release. On the Detroit mix, the strings are buried in the mix (or left out in a few cases) and the feel of the mix is more raw, less polished. Plus, the lead vocals are a bit hotter.
I only have the 1993 version as well (US), I think it sounds good. It's good enough that I haven't yet been tempted to get the $30 Deluxe Edition.
I only have the 1993 version as well (US), I think it sounds good. It's good enough that I haven't yet been tempted to get the $30 Deluxe Edition.
-
Ess Ay Cee Dee
- Posts: 1458
- Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 1:35 pm
- Contact:
If you search SH, there's a lot of bullshit about the 'Detroit' mix of "What's Going On?" For some reason, some people got it in their head that the Detroit mix was the real mix and that the released version was compromised. Absolutely no fucking evidence to back this up and a shitload that proves it wrong, but people kept posting the same unsubstantiated crap again and again.
Harry Weigner laughed at this notion, David Ritz's definitive biography makes it clear the final version was Marvin's vision, uncompromised, and he demanded that it be released as is. If your read Ritz's book, Marvin was bringing in 'pop' elements like strings on "What's Going On?" but it was MOTOWN that balked at this fusion, especially since this wasn't strings a la Frank Sinatra, etc. So whatever you do, don't listen to the bullshit about the Detroit mix being the one Marvin wanted. Even the DE's liner notes make it clear that the Detroit mix was done without Marvin's presence by a Motown staff engineer, and that Marvin heard them, rejected them, and supervised his own mixing sessions in L.A.
Back to the original question, I prefer the Lurssen remaster. The old two-fer (paired with "Let's Get It On") was a bargain but sounded like shit. The DE is good, but I still give the edge to the mid-90's remaster by Lurssen. The Detroit mix is interesting to listen to, and a few over at SH say they prefer it. I don't, but I think you should hear it a few times, and if you don't like it, stick with the mid-90's CD.
"Let's Get It On" is the same deal. If you like to collect Gaye's concerts, go with the DE, but I give the mid-90's remaster by Lurssen the edge.
I like "Here My Dear," too. The CD was done by Inglot, I think, and he did a fine job. I also like "In A Lifetime," but I only have an old cassette dub. The CD by Lurssen is OOP.
Harry Weigner laughed at this notion, David Ritz's definitive biography makes it clear the final version was Marvin's vision, uncompromised, and he demanded that it be released as is. If your read Ritz's book, Marvin was bringing in 'pop' elements like strings on "What's Going On?" but it was MOTOWN that balked at this fusion, especially since this wasn't strings a la Frank Sinatra, etc. So whatever you do, don't listen to the bullshit about the Detroit mix being the one Marvin wanted. Even the DE's liner notes make it clear that the Detroit mix was done without Marvin's presence by a Motown staff engineer, and that Marvin heard them, rejected them, and supervised his own mixing sessions in L.A.
Back to the original question, I prefer the Lurssen remaster. The old two-fer (paired with "Let's Get It On") was a bargain but sounded like shit. The DE is good, but I still give the edge to the mid-90's remaster by Lurssen. The Detroit mix is interesting to listen to, and a few over at SH say they prefer it. I don't, but I think you should hear it a few times, and if you don't like it, stick with the mid-90's CD.
"Let's Get It On" is the same deal. If you like to collect Gaye's concerts, go with the DE, but I give the mid-90's remaster by Lurssen the edge.
I like "Here My Dear," too. The CD was done by Inglot, I think, and he did a fine job. I also like "In A Lifetime," but I only have an old cassette dub. The CD by Lurssen is OOP.
"When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war." – Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Neither slave nor tyrant." - Basque motto
"Neither slave nor tyrant." - Basque motto
-
Stretcher Case
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:24 am
-
Stretcher Case
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:24 am
Could you help list all CD versions of What's Going On?
A beginning:
a) 1980s version, by John Matousek.
b) 1993 version, Motown 530-022-2, no mastering credit, no nonus tracks.
c) Gavin Lurssen remaster. From which year? Any catalogue number? Does this have bonus tracks?
d) Deluxe Edition.
e) 2002 remaster, by Kevin Reeves. 2 bonus tracks.
I only have b) and e), and they sound surprisingly similar. I would have expected different from Kevin Reeves, but there is no added treble, and there is almost no visible clipping in the waveforms. Strangely, one song was mastered differently, and that is the title track, where the percussion has a sharper, louder character, which is probably caused by some added treble. But why only for this song? The other songs sound so similar that I thought they are identical (which they are not).
(The two CDs are also indexed quite differently. The "intros" to God Is Love and Holy Holy are part of of the preceeding songs on Reeves'.)
The Gavin Lurssen remaster apparently does not exist in Germany. We went straight from the 1993 version to the Reeves' remaster (and the DE). How am I supposed to identify the Lurssen remaster, say on amazon?
The few What's Going On songs on the Master box set (mastered by Lurssen) do sound better (clearer, fuller) than either the 1993 version or the Reeves' remaster, but they do expose some clipped waveforms.
Do d) and e) share the same mastering?
Does there exist a single mix of Inner City Blues? And if so, was it ever released on CD? (The Master box set contains the album versions of the What's Going On songs.)
A beginning:
a) 1980s version, by John Matousek.
b) 1993 version, Motown 530-022-2, no mastering credit, no nonus tracks.
c) Gavin Lurssen remaster. From which year? Any catalogue number? Does this have bonus tracks?
d) Deluxe Edition.
e) 2002 remaster, by Kevin Reeves. 2 bonus tracks.
I only have b) and e), and they sound surprisingly similar. I would have expected different from Kevin Reeves, but there is no added treble, and there is almost no visible clipping in the waveforms. Strangely, one song was mastered differently, and that is the title track, where the percussion has a sharper, louder character, which is probably caused by some added treble. But why only for this song? The other songs sound so similar that I thought they are identical (which they are not).
(The two CDs are also indexed quite differently. The "intros" to God Is Love and Holy Holy are part of of the preceeding songs on Reeves'.)
The Gavin Lurssen remaster apparently does not exist in Germany. We went straight from the 1993 version to the Reeves' remaster (and the DE). How am I supposed to identify the Lurssen remaster, say on amazon?
The few What's Going On songs on the Master box set (mastered by Lurssen) do sound better (clearer, fuller) than either the 1993 version or the Reeves' remaster, but they do expose some clipped waveforms.
Do d) and e) share the same mastering?
Does there exist a single mix of Inner City Blues? And if so, was it ever released on CD? (The Master box set contains the album versions of the What's Going On songs.)
Are any of those the two-fer with "Let's Get It On"? That was a shitty sounding CD, but it's out there.
d and e are the same.
The Lurssen master makes some mention of 20-bit mastering, not to mention a credit inside the booklet. Don't know if they'd take it out on an 'international' version...
d and e are the same.
The Lurssen master makes some mention of 20-bit mastering, not to mention a credit inside the booklet. Don't know if they'd take it out on an 'international' version...
"When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war." – Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Neither slave nor tyrant." - Basque motto
"Neither slave nor tyrant." - Basque motto
MK wrote:Are any of those the two-fer with "Let's Get It On"? That was a shitty sounding CD, but it's out there.
Was that mastered by John Matousek? And were there also individual discs pre 1993? Is there only one mastering before 1993?
I also read about a version mastered by Bill Inglot...does that exist?
Questions, questions...
-
David R. Modny
- Posts: 333
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 8:58 am
- Location: Parma, OH
Andreas wrote:Does there exist a single mix of Inner City Blues? And if so, was it ever released on CD? (The Master box set contains the album versions of the What's Going On songs.)
Yes, there is a single mix. It was released on CD on the original 80's 2-CD "Anthology" set - the one with the purple/pink cover and a picture of Marvin. The 2-LP vinyl set had it too. I actually prefer this edit over the album version.
Put me down for the Lurssen version Of WGO as well. The easiest way to identify the US version of his mastering was that it was originally issued in a black slip cover. Though, I believe it was eventually issued without it as well...no?
Oh...and the Detroit Mix on DE does nothing for me...
But the concert is awesome, IMHO. So nice to have something live from that era.
David R. Modny wrote:[
Yes, there is a single mix. It was released on CD on the original 80's 2-CD "Anthology" set - the one with the purple/pink cover and a picture of Marvin. The 2-LP vinyl set had it too. I actually prefer this edit over the album version.
Can I conlude from that, that it is a mere edit, and not a dedicated mix? Stereo? And are you sure that this is the single mix?
You have to remember that some Motown CDs use stereo edits made from the album version instead of the correct single mixes. (Ain't No Mountain High (Diana Ross), Papa Was A Rolling Stone, come to mind.)
).-
David R. Modny
- Posts: 333
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 8:58 am
- Location: Parma, OH
Andreas wrote:Can I conlude from that, that it is a mere edit, and not a dedicated mix? Stereo? And are you sure that this is the single mix?
It is just an edit. I always assumed that it was a single version but, now that you mention it, may not be. It's in stereo too. I just always liked the way this one flowed in its truncated form.