The current state of R&B on CD and other digital formats

[soulster]

I have to hand it to Sony for the excellent way they handled the PIR catalog on CD, for the most part. I do not miss the vinyl for the O'Jays, Billy Paul, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, or anything before 1976. Unfortunately, EMI had the catalog of material issued after 1976, and that wasn't handled so well.

The former Polygram did OK with some R&B material, but they, for some reason just wouldn't or couldn't reissue a good mastering of "Ladies Night" by Kool & The Gang on CD. A decent one is on iTunes now, but it's not on CD. I'm just glad they didn't screw with the Ohio Players. But, they shortchanged Bar-Kays and Con Funk Shun.

Rhino did a nice job on 70s Atlantic/Cotillion R&B, But why could they not get the artwork for "Love Somebody Today" and "All American Girls"? Wounded Bird fixed that. In fact, i've been mighty impressed with Wounded Bird's reissue CDs overall. No frills, they don't jack the sound, and they reproduce the original artwork.

To this day I am very pissed at how badly EMI has treated it's vintage R&B catalog. they just never cared. Same goes for the former BMG. Sony just has a bad habit of only issuing one or two albums from an artist then forgetting about them...unless it's earth, Wind & Fire.

Today, we, in the U.S., have to rely on imports from japan and Europe, and small, specialty reissue labels, and they present a mixed bag too. And, why they think they have to compress the music is shameful. It's not like the teenagers are going to buy the music.

The audiophile labels have been stepping up their reissues of certain R&B artists like Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Marvin Gaye, but unless they get huge, "crossover" artists, forget it.

Hip-O is as slow as a glacier, and they never seem to reissue anything i'm interested in anymore.

Now, iTunes, Napster, Amazon, and Rhapsody, are getting reissues online for download, but I find that many albums are of questionable sound. And, the sound isn't consistent. "S.O.S. III" on Napster sounds about right, but the iTunes version sounds like someone jacked the treble EQ all the way up. And "On The Rise" sounds like it's from a record, with clicks left in. the one on Napster sounds clean.

[timmyfunk]

I've been relying more on imports since the mid-1990's. Japan, for example, seems to put up a collective middle finger at the U.S. music market. They're like...'we're gonna reissue what we want to reissue' and that's it. They've outdone even the Europeans.

I'm not downloading anything. I'm sticking with CD's and albums.

[Kamasu_Jr]

I've been relying more on imports since the mid-1990's. Japan, for example, seems to put up a collective middle finger at the U.S. music market. They're like...'we're gonna reissue what we want to reissue' and that's it. They've outdone even the Europeans.

I'm not downloading anything. I'm sticking with CD's and albums.

The American music companies aren't interested in reissuing R&B music on compact disc anymore. All BMG-Sony and UMe issues are "best of" compialations. The record labels in Europe and elsewhere are reissuing entire albums by artists. Big Break Records is issuing discs by Pennye Ford & Yarbrough & Peoples. Universal isn't interested.
Am I the only one who sees something wrong with consumers here in the US paying three and four times for music that was made here?

[timmyfunk]

The American music companies aren't interested in reissuing R&B music on compact disc anymore. All BMG-Sony and UMe issues are "best of" compialations. The record labels in Europe and elsewhere are reissuing entire albums by artists. Big Break Records is issuing discs by Pennye Ford & Yarbrough & Peoples. Universal isn't interested.
Am I the only one who sees something wrong with consumers here in the US paying three and four times for music that was made here?

You had some action in the nineties with Polygram's Funk Essentials project and Sony's Heart and Soul [[I think that was the name of it), but for the most part all of the action was happening outside of the U.S..

[GeeTee(HPK)]

I'll go with the imported CDs. [[only if they not trying to charge a arm & a leg for it) Otherwise,it's vinyl. [[albums & 45s) :)
I can still find vinyl at a very reasonable price.

[soulster]

The American music companies aren't interested in reissuing R&B music on compact disc anymore. All BMG-Sony and UMe issues are "best of" compialations. The record labels in Europe and elsewhere are reissuing entire albums by artists. Big Break Records is issuing discs by Pennye Ford & Yarbrough & Peoples. Universal isn't interested.
Am I the only one who sees something wrong with consumers here in the US paying three and four times for music that was made here?

Well, The independent U.S. reissue labels do reissue R&B, but it seems there are only about three of them, Wounded Bird, Iconoclastic, and Reel Music. It's funny that the majors keep saying there is no market for R&B, but it's selling. Just look at the imports.

For the most part, you can get European imports at decent prices if you look in the right places. My dealer can usually get sell them for around $12.99 - $18.99, and some are two-fers. The Japanese reissues? Pth! They can run as high as $45 a pop, and they aren't always that good. And, worse, they cut runs whenever they feel like it. So, if they offer something this week, you may never see it again if you pass it up. And, now that they have had the earthquake and tsunami, forget it! Even Toyota is considering closing up their U.S. shops!

[soulster]

You had some action in the nineties with Polygram's Funk Essentials project and Sony's Heart and Soul [[I think that was the name of it), but for the most part all of the action was happening outside of the U.S..

It was pretty heavy here in the states, but it was almost all comps! One problem is that you had a bunch of people in decision-making positions that didn't know/didn't care about R&B.

Vinyl is strange with R&B reissues. The only titles they see fit to reissue seems to be the tired old stuff we get on CD already.



Now, I will download, but it's like they think they are just giving us an old bone so we'll shut up.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Well, The independent U.S. reissue labels do reissue R&B, but it seems there are only about three of them, Wounded Bird, Iconoclastic, and Reel Music. It's funny that the majors keep saying there is no market for R&B, but it's selling. Just look at the imports.



There's also Shout or Shout Factory and isn't Soulmusic.com US based?

[soulster]

There's also Shout or Shout Factory and isn't Soulmusic.com US based?

I always for get about that one: SHOUT! Factory. It was stared by the same guys who started Rhino Records. They started the company when then Warner Music Group absorbed Rhino. Rhino held a long association with Atlantic prior to the acquisition. But, since Warner fired all the vets from Rhino, including Bill Inglot, Rhino has become nothing but a Warner reissue arm. Now, WMG is on the chopping block. But, SHOUT! Factory doesn't really put out a lot of R&B music, not even like the old Rhino did.

Varese Sarbande/Vintage is another U.S. indie, but they don't reissue much stuff these days, much less R&B.

[CliveR]

Shout! Records is based in London, UK, and is a specialist soul/R&B label. Shout Factory is US-based.
Soulmusic.com is the label run by David Nathan, who is now living back home in London.

Clive R.
Label Manager
www.shoutrecords.co.uk

[soulster]

Shout! Records is based in London, UK, and is a specialist soul/R&B label. Shout Factory is US-based.
Soulmusic.com is the label run by David Nathan, who is now living back home in London.

Clive R.
Label Manager
www.shoutrecords.co.uk

I didn't even know there was a Shout records. All I was aware of is SHOUT! Factory, based in Los Angeles, California.

I have not seen any Shout records product here in the U.S.. I'm not saying it isn't present, just that i've never seen it.

I would love to see a label reissue Joe Tex's "I Gotcha" album. A small label reissued it on CD many years ago, but it very quickly went out of print. All we ever seem to get are comps, and no one that I am aware of has reissued the correct mix of "You Said A bad Word" on CD. I had to do a needledrop of it.

[CliveR]

Shout! Records has just released "Joe Tex Singles As & Bs, vol. 3, 1969 - 1972" Shout! 73, which includes the 45 version of 'You Said a Bad Word''.
We have Vol 4 and Vol 5 of the complete singles series planned for later this year, and then we hope to release a two-fer of Joe's 'I Gotcha' and 'Spills the Beans' LPs.

Shout! CDs are available for shipping to the USA, and I saw physical CDs in stores in New Orleans and New York during visits, albeit 10 years ago.!

[soulster]

Nice!

And, to be sure, the The single version of "You Said A Bad Word" is the exact same as the LP version". Where Rhino dug up the mix they used is unknown to me.

[CliveR]

I checked with my vinyl versions of both 45 and LP [[UK releases) of 'Bad Word' during the mastering of our CD.

[soulster]

I hope the U.K. mixes were the same as the U.S. mixes.