The Definitive Stereo Singles Part 1 (1956--1962)

Who knows why they mixed those songs like that? We're talking about a label that would remix a song 20 times or more until they felt they got it right. And end up releasing any number of those mixes at various times(i.e. The Four Tops "It's The Same Old Song" which had different mixes distributed to radio DJ's and commercially). With the Cooley High Soundtrack, it is pretty obvious that they went back to the original multitrack tapes to make more modern sounding mixes than the original hard left, hard right, vocals in the center mixes that Motown did when they first began putting out albums in stereo.

 

Exactly. Which is why, if My Girl WAS an 8-track recording, they wouldn't have mixed it the way they did. The entire rhythm track is STILL lumped together, it's just left-center instead of hard left. The entire "overdub" track is STILL lumped together, hard right. If this was an 8-track recording, don't you think they would have done stuff like center the bass and spread the tracks out?

Baby Love is the same way - the mix is just like My Girl on the CH soundtrack. Seems pretty hard to believe that would have been 8-track either.

 

As soon as we hear from someone who worked on the tapes, we will know for sure, but I say "My Girl" was at most an eight-track recording. It is possible that they did the basic tracks on a four track, then bounced or copied it to an eight track.

Again, and JeffH. agrees, it wasn't no three-track recording by a long shot!!!

 

Of course it was at most an 8-track recording - they didn't have anything better at the time!

Once again - why do you say this? There were TWO INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS - NO MORE. Take a listen to the mixes again to see for yourself. If there was one vocal track it means it's a 3-track recording, plain and simple. Were there separate tracks for lead and backing vocals? It's possible, but not necessarily the case. At most it's 4-track. It's certainly very possible that it was only 3-track, though.

 

It's possible - I'm waiting to hear back from my friend who's done some work at Motown. Does this picture help at all:

http://www.recordingeq.com/motown/motown.htm

I see 4 VU meters on the "3-track" machine, but who knows...

 

The evidence is slowly mounting against your assertion...

 

Well, the question is, just how different is the vocal balance?

 

I see the four VU meters and eight faders. Where's the three track machine? Are you shure there isn't a four track next to it not pictured?

Again, I have the acapella version with all vocals in equal level. You can hear the backing track faintly in background from tape bleeding.

 

WHAT evidence?

I've already established that there are only two instrumental tracks. Do you understand that?

The only evidence that the vocals are on more than one track is you saying the balance between the lead and backing vocals is different on the vocals only mix of the song. How much different? Could it simply be an EQ difference?

If the vocals were all cut on one track, we've got a 3-track recording. This would certainly not be outside the norm of the time.

If the vocals were cut on two tracks, we've got a 4-track recording.

 

Luke, if I had a high-speed connnection I would shoot the track to you. YOU have NOT proven, to anyone that there are only two instrumental tracks. The vocal track? Who knows?

Why do you want so hard for this to be a three-track recording? If it is a four-track, so what?

 

Have you missed everything I've written?

Why do you want so hard for this to be a four-track recording?

 

My Girl

Friends,

Last night I pulled no less than 14 versions of My Girl from my collection. I listened to them all. Each version has distinctive sound qualties. I attribute this largely to mastering. I have narrowed my "choice" selections down to the following in descending order (the best of 14):

1) Hitsville USA Box version (Mono): mastered by Bill Inglot reportedly using Tube mastering equipment. This version sounds the best to my ears. It is tight, well-balanced, has just the right amount of wetness, has very good impact, the low-end is warm. Grant is correct, in that, the Mono single version has the chorus and strings placed at all the right historical levels in the mix.

2) Rock & Roll's Greatest Love Songs (A Dick Bartley's Collector's Essentials disc) (Mono): Mastered by Dan Hersch. Mastering supervised by Bill Inglot. Same characteristcs as the version on the Hitsville USA box, only not quite as smooth. Still is very well-balanced with very good impact.

3) Motown Classic Years (Stereo): mastered by Suha Gur. The best of the Stereo versions. Not as wet as several other Stereo versions and not as excessively bright either. Good impact and low-end. Nicely balanced. No edginess to the sound.

4) Temptations Greatest Hits, Vol 1 (a 24/96k import from Japan) (Stereo): mastered by Kevin Reeves. Wins the low-end and dynamic range award but, too much air has been added during mastering. Smooth deep low-end. Very wet. Sounds like My Girl on steroids.

5) Motown 40th Anniversary (a 20 bit re-master) (Stereo): earlier re-master by Kevin Reeves. Close to the previous listing without the great low-end and impact. Wet. Highs are bright.

6) Cooley High Soundtrack (Stereo): mastered by Suha Gur. Obviously a unique version. The amount of wetness is a close match to the Mono single version (dryer than other Stereo versions), low-end is not was warm but is still smooth. The drum distortion in the Stereo mix becomes a distraction in the version otherwise, I would have rated it higher. The highs are not excessively bright.

Bob

 

Steve,

Yes, I have that acapella version of My Girl. Vocals with fingersnaps with just a "bleed" of the musical track in the far background just above the level of the tape hiss. The vocals are very wet on the acapella version.

Bob

 

I have an update on the multitrack master for The Tempts "My Girl". I got this straight from one of the mastering engineers at Universal. It turns out the original multitrack is indeed a 4-track tape!!! The vault has several different live recordings of the song on 8-track but the original recording was made on a 4-track machine. According to the few surviving engineers that worked at Hitsville, the 8-track machine wasn't put into service until March of 1965, four months after "My Girl" was recorded. Hope this clears up any questions about this.

 

Kudos!

Jeff,

Good detective work!

Bob

 

That makes sense, then. Lead and backing vocals must be on different tracks.

It seems the use of 4-track at Motown is not well documented. I've never seen any mention of it - even my friend who's done stuff at Motown said they went straight from 3-track to 8-track. I wonder why its use is not well documented.

 

One other thing I did forget to mention in my last post. The Universal vault does have one other tape of the original studio version of "My Girl" that is on 8-track. It's a tape-to-tape transfer of the 4-track original. Possibly done after the fact as a backup safety.

 

Jeff,

Did your source indicate if a mix has ever been completed from that 8 track safety copy? Perhaps, that would be a definitive question considering the discussion between Luke and Grant.

Bob

 

Well...not really. The original is clearly only 4-track, so the 8-track would have at most 4 tracks used on it. It's not as if they suddenly had more tracks to mix from once they dubbed it up to 8-track (after all the recording was done)!

 

Luke,

Could they have completed another mix doubling up on some tracks? Just a question. I firmly believe that "the mix" is a four track as chronicled here but, I ask the question from a "what if" point of view.

Your thoughts?

Bob

 

Bob,

No, actually my source did not indicate if a mix had been made from the 8-track safety. It wouldn't make any difference since the 8-track has no additional overdubs on it's other four open tracks. The transfer was probably done to 8-track since the 4-track was no longer being used regularly. So the position of the vocal and instrumental tracks would be the same.

Jeff

 

Jeff,

Thanks. I was just kinda thinking about the possibilities. We certainly have My Girl well analyzed! Thanks for your digging around for important information. The resources in this Forum can be truly be amazing!

Bob

 

As I stated before, there was a flurry of activity at Motown during those years. I'm sure it's very hard for people to recall exact details. Since there was so much going on then they probably didn't have time to document those things. They probably didn't think it mattered.

Documentation ain't everything...