Going to a Go-Go/Away We Go-Go: US or UK twofer?

[carlo]

I'm trying to furnish my Smokey Robinson & the Miracles music collection. I would like to buy the "Going to a Go-Go/Away We Go-Go" twofer. It was issued in 2001 in the UK and then in 2002 in the US. Which version is better? I know the UK twofers are pretty much a bare bones package...so I'm leaning towards the US issue, but I just want to hear opinions regarding sound quality, etc. Was it remastered by Kevin Reeves?

[carlo]

Also...now that Hip-O Select released, "The Early Albums"...is it safe to assume that a volume 2 will be coming in the future (which will contain the "Go-Go albums")?

[sophisticated_soul]

Hey Carlo, I don't have the 2001 version to compare, but based on the quality of that series as a whole I think the 2002 (which I do have) is the better bet. The booklet is 15 pages long and has the picture of "Going" on the cover and "Away" on the back cover (so you can rotate between covers). Also features three bonus tracks: "It's Fantastic" (Stereo), "Goin' Out Of My Head" (previously unreleased) and "A Fork In The Road" (live and previously unreleased). Sound is great:-)

[sophisticated_soul]

PS: Yes it was Kevin.

[carlo]

Thank you!! :) Can't wait to get this one! Thank goodness it's not yet out of print.

Kevin always does a great job with the remastering.

[honest man]

anymore bonus tracks on motown2 on1 cds i missed that one bought uk,short response still trying to send longer threads ,

[762rob]

Carlo,

These are two of the very best Lps from the era and you will enjoy the historical liner notes as well.

[jbpintus]

For the liner notes and sound quality, not even counting the outtakes, prefer the US version for the Miracles Gogo albums.

Don't make the mistake to be too hard with the UK 2fers though, they are all remastered albums, and most of them contain bonus tracks. Only exceptions are the Supremes, Temptations and J5 releases, even though we get some improvements on previous cd releases here and there - albums are less edited, TCB and Temptations Live at the Copa come to mind, and the Temptations and J5 2fers contain the remastered albums if they had been in 1998, ie about 2/3 of them

But... Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (5 cds), Edwin Starr (2), Isley Brothers (1), Four Tops (4), Jr Walker and the All Stars (2), Marvin Gaye (6) (minus Here My Dear / In Our Lifetime and the Gaye / Terrell 2fer, albeit there's an alternate mix of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" not found elsewhere) and the 2 other Smokey Robinson and the Miracles have the best mastering and sound quality for these albums ever, and these are the cds to get.

JB

[uptight]

Overall, I prefer the quality of the UK 2-fers.

[carlo]

But... Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (5 cds), Edwin Starr (2), Isley Brothers (1), Four Tops (4), Jr Walker and the All Stars (2), Marvin Gaye (6) (minus Here My Dear / In Our Lifetime and the Gaye / Terrell 2fer, albeit there's an alternate mix of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" not found elsewhere) and the 2 other Smokey Robinson and the Miracles have the best mastering and sound quality for these albums ever, and these are the cds to get.


I have the Vandellas twofers and they're great. The sound quality for The Supremes' twofers are not as good...since they are basically direct transfers of the 80's releases.

Thanks for the review! I am going to pick up the Four Tops and Miracles twofers very soon...