Your opinion on Donna Summer 'the journey' CD

I think the Casablanca/Oasis stuff sounds nice overall. I'd agree that the sound was generally better from maybe the 3rd album onward, but I think the mastering of this stuff on CD has more to do with the sound quality lacking to some. I remember when I got the pretty well regarded Anthology I thought the stuff from A Love Trilogy stood out as sounded poor (yes, too dull). I was used to the vinyl, which while maybe not perfect sounding, both early and later cuttings are far better than the way those tracks sounded on Anthology (though to be fair the songs from that album are edits on there, and a generation removed from the full length album versions). They never got Love to Love You Baby right on CD either IMO - the best sound I've heard on that album overall was on my early LP with the Sherbourne Avenue address on the label, though as you said there some distortion on "Love To Love You Baby" (the song) that isn't going away no matter how well it's mastered, but my early LP sounds quite good. There is a bit of distortion at a few points on Donna on "Could It Be Magic", but I don't find it offensive on the vinyl. What I do find lacking about the sound of that song is that the mix has too much compression - it stands out in that catalog as having too much IMO. "Rumour Has It" (from Once Upon a Time was mixed with too much compression as well IMO, and the horns on "Mac Arthur Park" are pretty smashed up. That song ("Mac Arthur Park") seems to have some issues soundwise, but I wonder if that had anything to do (at least in part) with moving onto working in (at the time) studios "new" to them and perhaps not being used to it. The Bad Girls album came after that and it sounds great, at least on vinyl.

 

I agree - if they're going to put out the 12" version of that song on its own, than they should be using the one issued on the 12" WLP that is a bit longer, not this version that was intended to have "Bad Girls" follow it. Makes no sense.

 

I don't have that 12" - I've wondered why they put those edited versions of those songs on it - I guess to make it different from the album?

 

Yeah, the royalties for that "Special One Sided Record" song that they kept issuing probably didn't set Casablanca back too much.

 

Agreed--that's how I originally bought it. Bugs me not to have those two segue into each other when I hear one or the other song on a compilation.

 

I just remembered to check my collection. The 4-cd set in question is called "Grand 12-Inches" and was compiled by Ben Liebrand. Copyright 2003 Sony Music Entertainment (Holland) B.V. (Hey, guess my memory is still holding up!) In addition to the original 12" version of "I Feel Love" it contains the 15:56 remix done by Patrick Cowley. Some of the other more difficult to find tracks on this collection are the 12" version of Gonzalez's "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet", the 12" version of Gino Soccio's "Dancer", the 12" remix version of the Jacksons' "Shake Your Body", and special dub/vocal edits of Sharon Redd's "Beat The Street", D Train's "You're The One For Me", and Yazoo's "Situation". If anyone is interested in a full track listing, let me know and I'll post it here as none of the online etailers that carry this seem to have posted a track listing.

 

It'd be great if you post those track names.

 

They were definitely spending plenty of money in other areas! The legend is that Neil Bogart was the type of record company boss that would spend $3 to make $2!!! By the time that Polygram bought the other half of Casablanca they didn't own in the early 80's, the label was over $200 million in debt.

 

Yeah, 10 and a half minutes of non-stop dancefloor magic!

 

How's the sound quality?
Has anyone compared this release to vinyl? Any other CD releases?

 

I'm looking for one CD with the best sound quality for;
"Love To Love You Baby" & "I Feel Love".
The original (long) album versions.
Thanks for the thread.

 

The album version of "I Feel Love" is not the long version (that's the 12" single), but it's not the short version either (7" single) - it's the "middle" length version and the best one IMO. The best sounding CD issue of the 12" version? I don't know for sure as I haven't heard all of them. The version on The Dance Collection sounds pretty good.

As far as a CD issue of the long version of "Love To Love You Baby" - I only have (and heard) one CD of the long version - the CD of that album.

 

Well I just bought "The Journey" and its the same tracklisting as the UK pressing thats available here in Australia. It has the 15+min Patrick Cowley mix of "I Feel Love" and I have to say that Id forgotten how great this piece is! I remember owning it on 12" years ago, back when it was still getting played in clubs as a new release I think. I seem to remember it being released in the very early 80s on the version I bought. So far I think the comp. sounds pretty good. Glad I got it... and for a bargain price too!

Steve

 

I wonder if the UK version of The Journey has different mastering from the US, or if all the tracks were done here at the same time for both versions, or some sort of combination?

 

Okay, I'm finally getting around to posting the track list of the 4-cd "Grand 12-Inches" collection, for those who are interested.

Assume that each song is the full length 12" version unless I type otherwise. (I want to cut down on the number of times I have to type or cut-and-paste that information.)

CD1

Donna Summer - I Feel Love
Giorgio Moroder - Chase
Lipps Inc. - Funkytown
Cerrone - Supernature (full length album version)
Patrick Cowley - Menergy
Gino Soccio - Dancer
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
Gonzalez - Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet
Kat Mandu - The Break

CD2

Yarbrough & Peoples - Don't Stop The Music
Chic - Good Times
Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots
Change - A Lover's Holiday (full length album version)
Oliver Cheatham - Get Down Saturday Night
Kool & The Gang - Fresh
Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant
Rick James - Super Freak
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (says "full length version"; runs 14:33)
Indeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Indeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (a cappella version)

CD3

D'Train - You're The One For Me (special dub/vocal edit)
Sharon Redd - Beat The Street (special dub/vocal edit)
Carol Jiani - Hit 'N Run Lover
Jacksons - Shake Your Body (12" remix)
Shannon - Let The Music Play
Freez - I.O.U.
Class Action - Weekend
Moses - We Just
Donna Summer - I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley remix)

CD4

Ce Ce Peniston - Finally (12" choice mix)
Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam (vocal 12" version)
Robin S - Luv 4 Luv
Robin S - Show Me Love
Snap - Rhythm Is A Dancer
Kristine W - Feel What You Want (our tribe vocal 12" mix)
2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (original New York 12" mix)
New Order - Blue Monday (complete original 12" version)
Yazoo - Situation (special dub/vocal edit)
Art of Noise - Moments in Love (liebrand mix)

 

Mine is a Mexican version based on the UK's.
Everything's the same, excepting copyright info, which is in Spanish.

In fact, most of the CDs issued in Mexico (by International artists) are based on their UK counterparts.

KISS' 'Smashes, Thrashes and Hits' has the same track listing as the british CD which includes a pair of songs of the 'Crazy Nights' LP.

 

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