A Bit Of Liverpool - The Supremes (mini-LP CD release)

The next Oldays Motown release on mini-LP will be.......The Supremes "A Bit Of Liverpool" on June 15th from Japan. There are no bonus tracks listed with this one though. 11 tracks for around £12 UK money [[plus shipping). But try finding the US single CD release these days. It's £7 plus just to download the Liverpool album in mp3 format from Amazon.

I suspect the art work will receive a slight revision from the original album but currently that is what is pictured on ebay. It's bound to look attractive.

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This one includes both Mono & Stereo versions, two bonus tracks and tracks from their performance at the Olympia Theatre in Paris.

I didn't know Oldays was a bootleg/public domain label when I bought their reissue of Irma Thomas' Wish Someone Would Care album [with bonus tracks]. The label took the stereo album tracks and simply folded them down to mono. I'd give any of their releases a wide berth.

They have to change the artwork because I believe artwork copyright extends past the 50 year audio copyright in Japan, so their releases don't even satisfy those who like a reproduction of their favourite album artwork.

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Originally Posted by booty

This one includes both Mono & Stereo versions, two bonus tracks and tracks from their performance at the Olympia Theatre in Paris.

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Our German "friend" is capable of brilliant work on these, but they aren't cheap and cost a fortune in shipping too. He seems to run into problems with ebay regularly which is why he often has periods with nothing posted on their site. Also, they're bootlegs of course and, in this case, outside the law I think. The Japanese releases seem to be within the copyright laws in Japan - and are probably on a par with the UK Hallmark Motown series and I think the sound has been fine on the two releases I've had [[Supremes Sam Cooke album and Earl Van Dyke).

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Originally Posted by smallworld

I didn't know Oldays was a bootleg/public domain label when I bought their reissue of Irma Thomas' Wish Someone Would Care album [with bonus tracks]. The label took the stereo album tracks and simply folded them down to mono. I'd give any of their releases a wide berth.

They have to change the artwork because I believe artwork copyright extends past the 50 year audio copyright in Japan, so their releases don't even satisfy those who like a reproduction of their favourite album artwork.

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You are right about the artwork and folks would have to make their own mind up about the sound on the CDs [[which I would describe as clear stereo and load enough but not as loud as on the Hip-O Earl Van Dyke compilation for example).

However, the worst mastering I've ever experienced was on a legitimate re-release by Elemental of David Ruffin's "My Whole World Ended" album - it's truly shocking.

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Originally Posted by mysterysinger

You are right about the artwork and folks would have to make their own mind up about the sound on the CDs [[which I would describe as clear stereo and load enough but not as loud as on the Hip-O Earl Van Dyke compilation for example).

However, the worst mastering I've ever experienced was on a legitimate re-release by Elemental of David Ruffin's "My Whole World Ended" album - it's truly shocking.

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What version would you recommend?

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Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac

What version would you recommend?

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For Liverpool, the UK 2on1 release from 2000 which also includes TCB.
For Earl Van Dyke, the Hip-o set.
For "My Whole World Ended" the David Ruffin Volume 1 albums Hip-o set.

Regarding the sound quality, I agree 100% with mysterysinger.

[A quick note on Elemental releases : terrible CDs most of the times, sometimes just ok cds.
But the recent Temptations releases are surprisingly well done, although they do NOT represent the original lps, as alternates originally found on 2003’s PSYCHEDELIC SOUL systematically replace the original versions [[I Can’t get next to you, Slave, Psychedelic Shack, Take A Look Around). The rest seems to be a copy of the latest remastered versions of the albums, as made available as download only. So it’s great to have them on cd.]

Re: THE SUPREMES - WE REMEMBER SAM COOKE Oldays 2018 cd release :

Sound is excellent although we can hear it is lifted from vinyle during certain intros / fade outs.
Some tracks sound as if they were taken from the MOTD-5495 / 3746354952 cd though. Just a proof that the sound is excellent.
...and just to prove this cd is a must to avoid, “You Send Me” fades after two minutes and lasts 2’12 instead of 2’44. Shame!

Ok... we can a few bars at the end of “Wonderful World” [[« but I do know... ») that are not on any other cd. But these can be found on the iTunes official download in better sound quality.

[for the record, the album was released in Spain in 2001 as part of “Las Grandes Voces de la musica negra” 70 Motown cds series as MW046 with a regular Motown design, making this the first and only official European cd release of the album. The cover art showed the mono Tamla Motown, but the cd was a copy of the US release in stereo.

The best stereo version is the one done in 2015 for iTunes that can only be found officially as a download.

The complete mono version of the album, along with the extended mono mix of “Cupid” can only be found on cd on the one that was produced in Germany in 2017 - some mono tracks from WE REMEMBER SAM COOKE have made it on Readers Digest’s Ultimate Motown cd series]

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Originally Posted by jbpintus

Re: THE SUPREMES - WE REMEMBER SAM COOKE Oldays 2018 cd release :

Sound is excellent although we can hear it is lifted from vinyle during certain intros / fade outs.
Some tracks sound as if they were taken from the MOTD-5495 / 3746354952 cd though. Just a proof that the sound is excellent.
...and just to prove this cd is a must to avoid, “You Send Me” fades after two minutes and lasts 2’12 instead of 2’44. Shame!

Ok... we can a few bars at the end of “Wonderful World” [[« but I do know... ») that are not on any other cd. But these can be found on the iTunes official download in better sound quality.

[for the record, the album was released in Spain in 2001 as part of “Las Grandes Voces de la musica negra” 70 Motown cds series as MW046 with a regular Motown design, making this the first and only official European cd release of the album. The cover art showed the mono Tamla Motown, but the cd was a copy of the US release in stereo.

The best stereo version is the one done in 2015 for iTunes that can only be found officially as a download.

The complete mono version of the album, along with the extended mono mix of “Cupid” can only be found on cd on the one that was produced in Germany in 2017 - some mono tracks from WE REMEMBER SAM COOKE have made it on Readers Digest’s Ultimate Motown cd series]

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"We Remember Sam Cooke" [[Stereo Version) was also released in the UK during the mid 1980's on Tamla Motown WL72445.

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Well the Japanese card sleeve CD arrived today and as expected there have been some changes to the art work. Nevertheless it is still an attractive cover. If you've got one, what do you think of the CD?

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Originally Posted by mysterysinger

Our German "friend" is capable of brilliant work on these, but they aren't cheap and cost a fortune in shipping too. He seems to run into problems with ebay regularly which is why he often has periods with nothing posted on their site. Also, they're bootlegs of course and, in this case, outside the law I think. The Japanese releases seem to be within the copyright laws in Japan - and are probably on a par with the UK Hallmark Motown series and I think the sound has been fine on the two releases I've had [[Supremes Sam Cooke album and Earl Van Dyke).

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I haven't found his shipping expensive. Usually about $10 I think, from Germany to California. I don't think that's too bad for international shipping.

I love his "Liverpool" set. Really enjoy it. Much improved sound over the USA 2-fer. The channeling [[on the stereo tracks) is still that irritating voices in one speaker, instrumentation in the other, but that's to be expected I guess as that is how the original was mastered. I used to really dislike this album but I've gotten to like it especially "House of the Rising Sun," "World Without Love" and "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" [[which was the Supremes imitating the Beatles imitating the Miracles!).

A BIT OF LIVERPOOL was issued first on cd as a 2fer with TCB in 1987, and then as a stand alone cd as MOTD-5429 - with a way too pale art and artist wrongly given as DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES with THE TEMPTATIONS on the back insert.
Motown 3746354292 was also issued with a better quality of the front cover.
The original 2fer was released again in the UK in 2001 with a new design and a less edited TCB album - although still incomplete.

The mastering for all of those 4 releases is the same : excellent stereo.

A BIT OF LIVERPOOL was made available as a download and was remastered then.

The Oldays cd is probably a copy of the download version. It sounds better than ever. ThereÂ’s no way it could be a vinyl drop.

As for the artwork, this is the one that has the best colors and that is most faithful to the original lp color wise.
Supremes picture and letterings are reversed though, probably because of the OBI on the left - see picture a couple of posts above.

As for the German cd, it also includes the mono mix plus the vaulted tracks issued on LOST AND FOUND in 2008. Too bad the Supremes 1965 version of “Eight Days A Week” on tv wasn’t included, along with studio versions of “Yesterday”, “Michelle”, “Hey Jude” plus “Eleanor Rigby” from TCB.
The Paris show included is out of place on the expanded A BIT OF LIVERPOOL imho.
Nevertheless, because of the mono mix and the fabulous package, the German cd is a must have too.

JB

I would agree that the sound on the new CD is great with nice stereo separation and a good bass sound and is louder than any official CD release so far [[and sounds very much like the German expanded bootleg in that regard).

@jbpintus and @mysterysinger, what experts you guys are! Very impressive!

Thank you Kenneth. jbpintus has the much better ear and very extensive recall. For my part, it's not hard to be enthusiastic about something you love so much. There's still so much to look forward to as well, even after all these years [[well. since 1970 at any rate).