Hot Wax/Invictus redux

[theboyfromxtown]

I'd be very surprised if another company decides to do another complete collection of the Invictus/Hot Wax/Music Merchant singles. The Demon/Harmless label [[that did the most recent box set) is a specialist label but I think they cut some corners in trying to keep the purchase price of the set down.

Demon did not gain access to the original masters so fans were asked to loan them their vinyl and acetates. Some of us were simply not prepared to do that.

It is my view that the majority of buyers wouldn't even know if that set contained the 45 or album version unless somebody told them.

There is still a lot of stuff in those original vaults. From time to time, Rodney Brown [[NYPA) lets loose a little bit of information.

[soulster]

[QUOTE=theboyfromxtown;350658]

Demon did not gain access to the original masters so fans were asked to loan them their vinyl and acetates. Some of us were simply not prepared to do that.

That's very unfortunate. I have no doubt that if it were a rock music project, collectors would be volunteering everything they could.

It is my view that the majority of buyers wouldn't even know if that set contained the 45 or album version unless somebody told them.

Many of the people who buy these collections know the technical details of the material. You can't fool them.

[Sotosound]

Many of the people who buy these collections know the technical details of the material. You can't fool them.

Agreed. They are the main kind of people who would seek out such a collection. People who just want to hear the songs would probably just purchase a hits collection and they'd either sing along or talk over the top rather than actually listen

The issue that I can see is that Hot Wax / Invictus wasn't Motown. It had a smaller roster and was less successful for a much shorter period of time.

Moreover, many of my contemporaries would probably place the music under the generic heading of "Motown", which for many in the UK is a catch-all term for soul music from the late 60s and early 70s which encompasses everything from Diana Ross and Jimmy Ruffin to the Chi Lites and The Stylistics.

Sad but true. [[Also frustrating but true.)

[soulster]

Moreover, many of my contemporaries would probably place the music under the generic heading of "Motown", which for many in the UK is a catch-all term for soul music from the late 60s and early 70s which encompasses everything from Diana Ross and Jimmy Ruffin to the Chi Lites and The Stylistics.

Sad but true. [[Also frustrating but true.)

Ahhhh...so that's why we get people calling all 60s music "Motown". They just don't know any better. But, they don't call any of the Stax/Volt music "Motown". Strange.

I wish I could make our U.K. friends understand that Motown wasn't the end-all, be-all of soul music. Motown went through a humongous period of success 1964-1966, but by 1967, other forms of soul music took over. Motown just became part of the landscape at that point.

[splanky]

I wish I could make our U.K. friends understand that Motown wasn't the end-all, be-all of soul music. Motown just became part of the landscape at that point.

Unfortunately there are also plenty of Americans who also think of Motown
in those terms. I don't believe in "end-all, be-all" anythings but a lot of folks
do. P-funk was not the be all of funk, BB King not the be all of blues, and even
as big he became, Bob Marley was not the be-all, end all of Reggae music,
though probably 80-90 0/0 of rockers here in this country would tell you
he was. The rest would say Peter Tosh and they'd still be wrong......
Anyway, my own personal favorite artist ever signed to HDH's labels was
the severely underated Laura Lee. I don't know how her stuff was recorded
but I would killed to be in a group playing behind her in the studio or live
onstage...

[Motown Eddie]

Demon did not gain access to the original masters so fans were asked to loan them their vinyl and acetates. Some of us were simply not prepared to do that.

It is my view that the majority of buyers wouldn't even know if that set contained the 45 or album version unless somebody told them.

There is still a lot of stuff in those original vaults. From time to time, Rodney Brown [[NYPA) lets loose a little bit of information.

That's very disappointing. It also brings up another issue; if HDH were to strike up a deal with another company to do another 'complete singles' collection, would we want to spend the money to buy it after seeing what happened with the Demon/Harmless set? Speaking for me, I wouldn't want to.

[soulster]

That's very disappointing. It also brings up another issue; if HDH were to strike up a deal with another company to do another 'complete singles' collection, would we want to spend the money to buy it after seeing what happened with the Demon/Harmless set? Speaking for me, I wouldn't want to.

The only way I would buy it is if they worked with oldies specialists in the industry. I've already got a few names in mind like Aaron Kannowski, and Bill Inglot [[who helped get Motown's vaults in order back in the late 80s).

[theboyfromxtown]

The only way I would buy it is if they worked with oldies specialists in the industry. I've already got a few names in mind like Aaron Kannowski, and Bill Inglot [[who helped get Motown's vaults in order back in the late 80s).

When was the last time America issued anything from the HDH stable?

[Motown Eddie]

When was the last time America issued anything from the HDH stable?

The most recent release of anything from the Invictus/Hot Wax labels in the US was the "Heaven Must Have Sent You: The Holland Dozier Holland Story" comp on Hip-O Select in 2005. The collection features the big hits from Motown, some of the Invictus/Hot Wax hits, the hits from their return to Motown in the mid '70s, and some of the notable cover versions of their songs. But it's true that the bulk of the reissues of the HDH catalog have come from England.

[theboyfromxtown]

The most recent release of anything from the Invictus/Hot Wax labels in the US was the "Heaven Must Have Sent You: The Holland Dozier Holland Story" comp on Hip-O Select in 2005. The collection features the big hits from Motown, some of the Invictus/Hot Wax hits, the hits from their return to Motown in the mid '70s, and some of the notable cover versions of their songs. But it's true that the bulk of the reissues of the HDH catalog have come from England.

and Japan...

[soulster]

The most recent release of anything from the Invictus/Hot Wax labels in the US was the "Heaven Must Have Sent You: The Holland Dozier Holland Story" comp on Hip-O Select in 2005. The collection features the big hits from Motown, some of the Invictus/Hot Wax hits, the hits from their return to Motown in the mid '70s, and some of the notable cover versions of their songs. But it's true that the bulk of the reissues of the HDH catalog have come from England.

This, I did not know.

But, again, I want the hit single mixes/edits.

[soulster]

When was the last time America issued anything from the HDH stable?

The Rhino, and Buddah labels, but that was back in the 90s.