Second Disc on Culture Factory reissues of Motown

[zani57]

http://theseconddisc.com/2013/03/25/culture-factory-reveals-supreme-slate-with-motown-james-taylor-robert-palmer-and-more/

Previously I had started a thread about Culture Factory putting out "An Evening With Diana Ross" on CD after I saw it listed in the upcoming releases on Amazon.
Yesterday, The Second Disc blog -- at the above URL -- listed quite a number of albums being released, including a number of titles by The Supremes, Diana Ross and The Supremes, and Diana Ross.
Here is that paragraph:

" Last but certainly not least, Culture Factory launches a series dedicated to Diana Ross, with and without The Supremes. Between April and May, seven classic Motown reissues will arrive. Though there are no bona fide rarities [[like a CD reissue of Diana Ross and the Supremes Sing and Perform ‘Funny Girl’!) a number of the titles are returning to print in the U.S. for the first time in many years. 1966’s I Hear a Symphony and Supremes a-Go Go are the earliest titles reissued; the former was released in 2012 as an expanded collector’s edition from Hip-o Select [[now selling for over 200 bucks at Amazon!) while the latter has been available in import editions from Europe and Japan. 1967’s Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland, 1968’s Join the Temptations and Love Child, and 1969’s Cream of the Crop complete this [[initial?) Supremes program. From Diana Ross’ solo catalogue, Culture Factory has plucked 1979’s Ashford and Simpson-helmed The Boss and a considerably rarer title, 1977’s live double album An Evening with Diana Ross. The two solo Ross titles hit stores on April 30, and the Supremes albums follow on May 28! "
What is interesting to me is that in the comments section, numerous posters are decrying the terrible audio quality of Culture Factory releases. Beware.

[theboyfromxtown]

http://www.amazon.fr/Evening-Diana-Ross-Sleeve-Replica/dp/B00BQBD0FE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1364334596&sr=1-1Released in France on 27 May 2013

[zani57]

http://www.amazon.fr/Evening-Diana-Ross-Sleeve-Replica/dp/B00BQBD0FE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1364334596&sr=1-1Released in France on 27 May 2013

Hi, boy from motown --
I had already started a thread about the release of "An Evening With Diana Ross" --

http://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?8367-Evening-With-Diana-Ross-CD-Due-April-30
It had the track listing and the Amazon link.
I am referring to the nine [[9!) and counting comments on The Second Disc about how poor the audio quality is on releases from The Culture Factory.
Am going to pass on this and then hope that in 20XX, Hip-O/Motown Select/UMG will release expanded editions.

[Kamasu_Jr]

For me this is not a loyalty to one company over another issue. And Amazon.com has changed the American release dates of many of these reissues until July. Maybe the company has heard all of the negatives and might be trying to resolve any issues? I've bought some of the releases from Culture Factory and they sounded fine.

[theboyfromxtown]

Hi, boy from motown --
I had already started a thread about the release of "An Evening With Diana Ross" --

http://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?8367-Evening-With-Diana-Ross-CD-Due-April-30
It had the track listing and the Amazon link.
I am referring to the nine [[9!) and counting comments on The Second Disc about how poor the audio quality is on releases from The Culture Factory.
Am going to pass on this and then hope that in 20XX, Hip-O/Motown Select/UMG will release expanded editions.

Sorry zani57. I dont tend to read specific Diana Ross threads. My bad, My apologies.

[Kamasu_Jr]

I listened to Love Child, one of the LPs in Culture Factory's Legends of Soul series. The disc is a replica of the vinyl Lp with a paper sleeve including the original front and back covers. There's even an inside "Motown Sound" sleeve from 1966. As far as sound quality, it sounds much louder than the UK version of this album. In fact, it's so loud I detected some noise from the vinyl album used as a source. There's some distortion on Love Child, which had a lot going on anyway. But frankly, it's a minor thing to me. I like the way the bass and drums kick and thunder throughout. I play my Motown loud enough to rattle the windows. My wife told me she could hear what I was lisstening to out in the driveway. But How Long As That Evening Train Been Gone should boom. I also thought I heard a male voice in the background of How Long, the disc is re-mastered loud. Supremes fans on the forum who love to debate about who's on the records will love these discs. I hear Supremes A Go' Go is LOUD Too. I don't doubt some will complain about the sound especially the noise on the discs, but I'd rather play these over the 2 On One Motown Classics from the UK. I would like to see Culture Factory do something with some other Motown albums. The discs released on Gladys Knight and the Pips could use this treatment.

[mysterysinger]

So these are needle drops? How can they get away with that?

[Kamasu_Jr]

I'm not certain how they were done, but they say "High Definition" Remasters. I did hear some noise that sounded as if it might have come from vinyl. But these discs sound much better than the 2 On One Motown Classics, which I suspect were came from vinyl sources and those discs produced by Hallmark.

[soulster]

"Much louder"? "Surface noise"? "Needledrops"?

These are all major red flags, and I would not waste my money on these.

[Kamasu_Jr]

OK , I'm not an audiophile. I just want to hear the music, really hear it. I'm hearing nuances in the music I never noticed before. Hopefully, someone else will get these and comment. But a lot of you bought those Motown CDs reissued in the late 1980s and those 2 On One Motown Classics on CD from the UK and they sounded terrible.