James Brown remasters?

I enjoy those 2 CD sets from 1996-98 (Foundations of Funk, Make It Funky, etc.), but though I bought the Dead on the Heavy Funk: 1975-83 set used a couple years back (before the price apparently skyrocketed), I didn't attempt to give it a spin till last week and it sounds HORRIBLE compared to the sets that preceded it. The other sets were mastered by Gary N. Mayo, but according to the liner notes he apparently died while compiling Dead on the Heavy Funk, and sonic-slayer Kevin Reeves wound up finishing it - which I imagine meant adding his usual copious amounts of EQ and compression where it wasn't needed or necessary.

My copy also seems to have a pressing problem on Disc 2 - the disc looks clean, but there is horrible digital distortion and mis-tracking that occurs throughout the first 5 or 6 tracks. And now I can't replace it for cheap. Anyone else have that same issue? Can anyone also recommend any EQ moves I could apply to make that set more palatable?

 

I got this press release 2 days ago:

MORE THAN A HANDFUL OF SOUL…


JAMES BROWN CLASSICS NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE FOR DIGITAL PURCHASE AND STREAMING


Digital Debuts for 17 Remastered James Brown Albums and ‘James Brown Live At The Apollo Vols. 1-IV’ Digital Box Set Featuring Unreleased ‘Vol. IV’


‘Mr. Dynamite The Rise of James Brown’ Music Playlist Launches Exclusively on Spotify Ahead of Documentary Film’s October 27 Premiere on HBO



Los Angeles – October 21, 2014 – Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) has fans of the Godfather of Soul covered for digital audio immersion. Seventeen remastered James Brown albums and a digital box set, James Brown Live At The Apollo, Vols. I-IV, featuring the previously unreleased fourth volume,are now available for the first time for digital download purchase from all major digital service providers worldwide. In addition, aplaylist of James Brown songs featured in ‘Mr. Dynamite The Rise of James Brown,’ a new documentary about the soul superstar directed by Oscar® winner Alex Gibney, has launched exclusively on Spotify ahead of the film’s October 27 premiere on HBO.


The previously out-of-print James Brown titles, including rare, influential instrumental albums long sought after by fans, have never before been available for download purchase and streaming. These vaulted treasures from Soul Brother No. 1 include the 1962 timepiece Good, Good Twistin' with James Brown (later re-released as Shout and Shimmy); his 1964 releases for Smash Records, Showtime and Grits and Soul, experiments in big-band and soul-jazz sounds that James Brown favored; additional rare Smash albums Handful of Soul and James Brown Plays James Brown Today and Yesterday;and the 1960s King setsMighty Instrumentals,Plays Nothing But Soul, the tribute album Thinking About Little Willie John and A Few Nice Thingsand the sample-friendlySho Is Funky Down Here. James Brown’s latter-day albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s are also now available digitally, including Hot, Everybody’s Doin’ The Hustleand Dead on the Double Bump, Take A Look At Those Cakes, The Original Disco Man, Jam 1980s, People and Nonstop!


Also available is a digital box set, James Brown Live At The Apollo Vols. 1-IV. The newly-compiled digital set features Brown’s three best-selling live albums – Live At The Apollo 1962, Live At The Apollo Vol. II,Revolution Of The Mind: Live At The Apollo Vol. III – as well as a previously unreleased fourth Apollo recording, Get Down With James Brown Live at the Apollo Vol. IV, featuring two performances from Brown plus unreleased tracks by his band The J.B.’s and Revue members Lyn Collins and Bobby Byrd. Vol. IV makesits worldwide debut within the set.


UMe has also released several James Brown albums on vinyl: GET ON UP: The James Brown Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring songs heard in the Universal Pictures feature film, including two previously unreleased, scorching live performances, and the best-seller 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!,each making their vinyl debuts as newly mastered 2-LP sets. The Payback, a classic double-LP from 1974 featuring the No. 1 hit title song; In The Jungle Groove, the original 2-LP compilation from 1986 featuring extended versions of the foundations of hip-hop, including “Soul Power,” “Talkin’ Loud And Sayin’ Nothing,” “Funky Drummer” and more; and Motherlode, a 1988 collection of rarities and unreleased sides, have been newly reissued on vinyl.


www.jamesbrown.com


* * *

 

Thanks for the feedback on that: I saw it listed on several websites, but with no mastering info, I was hesitant. Will put on the must buy list!

 

I have the Bearsville Startime (CD) box set. It sounds pretty good to me: what is this thread's opinion of its sound?

 

Wow-anxious to hear about the sound on the new reissues- this is a great example of why I think the download era is fantastic for music fans- I can't imagine they would ever release these in a physical format because of the costs- but here are all these LPs that were never put out as CDs, finally available again.

 

1) What does OG mean?

2) I have the mid-90s U.S. CDs of "There It Is" and "Say It Loud," and they both sound good -- no harsh EQ or serious compression. I haven't compared them to any other version (e.g., Japanese reissues), but I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with them. Good sounding US CDs of Sex Machine and Hot Pants were released around the same time.

 

I have an LP compilation that includes a version of "The Big Payback" with a voice-over saying, "This is for Atlanta!" and other cities. Anyone know where that came from and where it might be found on CD?

 

That's the single version. I have it on Rhino's Can You Dig It? box set, long OOP, alas. But I'm sure it's on one of those recent JB single collections.

 

I still want these on CD! Especially Hot.

 

Exactly, leshafunk!
Every James Brown related project from 1956-1983 should be available on compact disc!

On a related note...
Does anyone know accurate recording dates/years for the Nonstop! LP? As in something more specific than 1980 or 1981?
Also, does anyone know if there is a James Brown recording sessions book or website available and/or online?
I am interested in (as I am sure many others still are) accurate recording session dates, especially from 1956-1984.
Thanks for your time and help.

 

It's on The Singles Vol.9

I second these motions! It's ridiculous that all those albums mentioned earlier are being released digitally but not on CD. For those of us who are serious James Brown collectors and/or proponents of physical media, this news is completely moot. If they're not getting a CD release, then it's like they're not being reissued at all, as far as I'm concerned. What a joke.

 

Just received 5 of the Japanese re-issues from September 2014.
They declare that The Payback and There It Is are newly made remasters, but Hot Pants uses old U.S. mastering from 1993.
Ain't It Funky and Super Bad are Japanese remasers from 2007, originally released as limited mini-LPs.

 

I'm listening to the new 2xLP reissue of In A Jungle Groove right now, and it sounds excellent. Decent pressings, mastered by Ray Janos at Sterling Sound. A bit of non-fill distortion at the end of side 2, but it's a minor issue. I also ordered the new 20 Greatest Hits on vinyl, but it hasn't shown up yet. They are a bit expensive for what they are, but I'm happy with the sound.

 

As an aside I have had the fascinating pleasure of opening sealed original King lps. The vinyl was crap to begin with in the late 60's. Canadian Regency, Capitol record club and import versions tend to be noticeable better. I love remasters for his stuff.

 

I have now received and listened to the following James Brown Polydor/UMe re-issues on LP:
The Payback
In a Jungle Groove
They both sound excellent (they don't sound like CD-masters: high resolution at the least) and the vinyl - while not perfect - was excellent: centered and flat. Make sure you confirm that these are the 2014 re-issues: they will have Polydor and UMe logos on the back and a production credit for the re-issues on the labels.

I have also ordered 20 Greatest Hits, but it's on back order as is Sundazed JB 3LP live album Love Power Peace.

 

The problem with disc 2 was reported after the set's release in 1998 . Producer Harry Weinger offered replacements to buyers who returned the disc. I emailed him instead and was able to keep the bad disc, which I still have. He sent a corrected one with a copy of 20 Greatest Hits and a nice personal note about our mutual interest in JB.

This problem probably can't be rectified without replacing disc 2. The disc matrix #'s of the original and corrected discs are identical so that's no help in identifying the second pressing. I don't know how many faulty discs are in circulation, how many were replaced, nor how many corrected discs were pressed.

 

Well that's just great to find out about 16 years later! Same matrixes too...damn. But thanks for the news anyhow.

 

BTW, the streams of albums like I Got You and It's A Man's Man's Man's World copy the 1966 stereo pressings and are a mix of true stereo and Duophonic.

 

Does anyone know out there in JB land know what the best version of Revolution of The Mind on vinyl would be. There is a new one available also original UK / US polydor pressings.

Thanks

 

Just had the bad news that Sundazed only have the rights to vinyl release on the Paris '71 recordings they just released a triple lp version of. Was hoping there might be a cd version due.
Well at least I do have the older cd version but could do with an upgrade.

 

Yikes! How did I miss this announcement? Downloading the Apollo box from iTunes now...

 

Is this on uk iTunes

 

I have a regular current pressing of Live at the Apollo but I was wondering if there was an audiophile remaster of this record?

 

No only US in MFiT now that really sucks

 

Is this the LP that says 'previously only available on CD'? Does anyone know if the double vinyl is actually an analogue mastering, or has it been made from the CD files, as according to discogs there were 5 CD editions before it was pressed to vinyl in 2014.