Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: Smokey/Miracles-"Tears Of A Clown"

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Topic: Smokey/Miracles-"Tears Of A Clown"

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jimct
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Posted: 14 March 2007 at 7:57pm \| IP Logged

My commercial copy has a listed time of (2:56), but an actual time of (3:03). It now exactly meshes with the mono database CD entries, which denote "45 version." This was the first 45 I EVER bought. If I'd only found "45s Buyers Anonymous" years ago, to break this questionable vinyl-buying habit, I'd probably been able to long ago buy my OWN tropical island instead! On second thought, I think I made the right choice after all! :)

aaronk
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Posted: 14 March 2007 at 8:49pm \| IP Logged

jimct wrote:

I think I made the right choice after all! :)

That depends, Jim. Does your tropical island have bikini-clad women serving you drinks on the shore?

jimct
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Posted: 14 March 2007 at 8:59pm \| IP Logged

Oh, man, Aaron, don't tempt me.....Well, there IS always eBay if I ever decide to "liquidate the inventory" in order to go "island shopping!"

Todd Ireland
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Posted: 18 March 2007 at 10:32am \| IP Logged

I hear ya, Jim! I shudder to think of how much money I've sunk into music purchases over the past 20 years. If I had put all the money into a tax-deferred annuity, I could probably retire at least ten years early! But retirement wouldn't be any fun without a stellar music collection to help pass the time away, now would it? ;-)

davidclark
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Posted: 12 June 2011 at 1:19am \| IP Logged

There are two distinct stereo mixes of this track. The first as I hear it on
the original 1967 LP "Make It Happen", long before it was released as a
single. My source for this is the CD "Going To A Go-Go / The Tears Of A
Clown", so I can not be 100% certain the original LP was this mix, however
it likely was. This mix can be distinguished by the lack of hi-hat on the
intro.

Then there's the stereo mix that more closely resembles the 45, with the
hi-hat at the beginning. My source for this, among many, is Rhino
"Billboard Top Rock'N'Roll Hits 1970". This mix is more punchy than the
above.

Can anyone chime in here? Anyone have the original 1967 vinyl stereo LP
"Make It Happen" and/or the original 1970 vinyl LP "The Tears Of A
Clown" (which was "Make It Happen" renamed) that can listen to both?

The song also appeared on the 1971 LP "One Dozen Roses". Anyone have
that LP to check the stereo mix?

I would also like to hear the mono mix of the track on the mono vinyl LP
"Make It Happen".

Edited by davidclark on 12 June 2011 at 1:51am

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MMathews
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Posted: 12 June 2011 at 2:09am \| IP Logged

I too heard this alternate stereo version years ago, it also turned up on one of the many Motown 80's v/a comps, i can't recall which one.
I noticed right away this other mix, as David points out, is missing the hi-hat in the intro, it's actually missing the entire 2nd drum track.
In the more common mix that is closer to the 45 mix, there are 2 distinct drum tracks, the 2nd one they added gave it much more punch, both were present in the 45 mix.

I prefer the more common mix, which is closer to the 45, but on my copy i slowed it down a little (always sounded to me like the 45 was a slower pitch than the stereo LP...) and i EQ'd it with more bass.

Note! the mono 45 mix is still unique as it contains an extra bass overdub that is not present in the stereo mix. The overdub is thru-out the song, but if i remember right you can hear it in the intro.
It's been awhile since i compared them, and i havent heard that alternate stereo mix since the vinyl copy...
-MM

KentT
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Posted: 12 June 2011 at 7:04am \| IP Logged

And also, the 45 is a little bit faster tempo. The original mix was about 1 percent slower.

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davidclark
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Posted: 12 June 2011 at 8:54am \| IP Logged

KentT: the 45 is slower than the stereo mixes.

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KentT
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Posted: 14 June 2011 at 8:56am \| IP Logged

I have a late 45 which had been sped up. I seem to remember the original pressing being slower tempo.

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 01 September 2020 at 8:23pm \| IP Logged

Mono 45 version

Appeared first on Motown's 4-CD Hitsville USA The Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1992). It sounds fantastic here. There's a digitally identical clone on Motown's Smokey Robinson And The Miracles 35th Anniversary Collection (1994).

The mono 45 version appears on plenty of other collections that I don't own.

Stereo LP version

The stereo LP version appeared first on CD on Motown's Smokey Robinson And The Miracles Compact Command Performances 18 Greatest Hits (1983). The same analog transfer is used on:

Motown's #1 Hits From The 70's (copyright 1982) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
Motown's 25 #1 Hits From 25 Years Vol. 1 (1985) - digitally exactly 4.18 dB louder
Motown's Endless Love 15 Of Motown's Greatest Love Songs (1986) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
Motown's Motown's Biggest Pop Hits (1986) - digitally exactly 1 dB quieter than 25 #1 Hits From 25 Years Vol. 1
Motown's An Introduction To The Motown 9000 Series (1987) - digitally exactly 0.2 dB quieter than 25 #1 Hits From 25 Years Vol. 1
Motown's 3-CD Motown 30th Anniversary (1988) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
Rhino's Billboard Top R&R Hits 1970 (1989) - digitally identical to Motown 9000 Series
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 1 1970 (1989) - digitally identical to Motown 9000 Series
Session/Warner Special Products' 2-CD Sixties Frat Rock (1990) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
Time-Life's Superhits Vol. 16 The Early '70s (1992) - truncated fade
Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 13 The Early '70s (1992) - this whole disc is identical to Superhits Vol. 16 The Early '70s, so this also has a truncated fade
Sony's 2-CD 35 Years Of Rock And Roll (1992) - fades a second or two earlier than others
Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul Vol. 5 1970 (1996) - differently-EQ'd digital clone of Superhits, so has truncated fade
Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul #1 Love Songs Of The '70s (2000) - digitally exactly 0.09 dB louder than Solid Gold Soul Vol. 5 1970, so has truncated fade
Time-Life's Legends Of Soul Vol. 8 Smokey Robinson (2001) - differently-EQ'd digital clone of Solid Gold Soul Vol. 5 1970, so has truncated fade

Crazy, right? Every CD I have with the stereo LP version is based on just one analog transfer. In the hundreds of songs I've picked apart here, this has only happened one other time ("What I Like About You" by the Romantics).

My recommendations

For the mono 45 version, go with Motown's 4-CD Hitsville USA The Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1992), just because it's the gold standard for box set label compilations.

For the stereo LP version, they all sound basically the same! If you're shopping for compilations, I recommend Rhino's Billboard Top R&R Hits 1970 (1989) or Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 1 1970 (1989). If you avoid the later Time-Life discs, which have truncated fades, just about all the other collections will sound great for this song. I personally will use Motown's Smokey Robinson And The Miracles Compact Command Performances 18 Greatest Hits (1983), but only because I already have it.

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MMathews
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Posted: 01 September 2020 at 8:44pm \| IP Logged

Ron, you list "LP version" only once so I assume you mean
the common one that was remixed in 1970 and is on most
CDs.
I assume you have no CD with the other mix that David
correctly surmises was the 1967 stereo mix?

MM

crapfromthepast
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Posted: 01 September 2020 at 8:50pm \| IP Logged

That's correct, Mark.

Is it fair to call the other mix a "non-hit 1967 stereo LP version"? I don't have that mix at all.

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LunarLaugh
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Posted: 01 September 2020 at 11:56pm \| IP Logged

crapfromthepast wrote:

Mono 45 version

Appeared first on Motown's 4-CD Hitsville USA The
Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1992). It sounds
fantastic here. There's a digitally identical clone on
Motown's Smokey Robinson And The Miracles 35th
Anniversary Collection (1994).

The mono 45 version appears on plenty of other
collections that I don't own.

Stereo LP version

The stereo LP version appeared first on CD on Motown's
Smokey Robinson And The Miracles Compact Command
Performances 18 Greatest Hits (1983). The same
analog transfer is used on:

Motown's #1
Hits From The 70's (copyright 1982) - differently-
EQ'd digital clone
Motown's 25 #1 Hits From
25 Years Vol. 1 (1985) - digitally exactly 4.18 dB
louder
Motown's Endless Love 15 Of Motown's
Greatest Love Songs (1986) - differently-EQ'd
digital clone
Motown's Motown's Biggest Pop
Hits (1986) - digitally exactly 1 dB quieter than
25 #1 Hits From 25 Years Vol. 1
Motown's
An Introduction To The Motown 9000 Series (1987)
- digitally exactly 0.2 dB quieter than 25 #1 Hits
From 25 Years Vol. 1
Motown's 3-CD
Motown 30th Anniversary (1988) - differently-
EQ'd digital clone
Rhino's Billboard Top R&R
Hits 1970 (1989) - digitally identical to Motown
9000 Series
Time-Life's Sounds Of The
Seventies Vol. 1 1970 (1989) - digitally identical
to Motown 9000 Series
Session/Warner
Special Products' 2-CD Sixties Frat Rock (1990)
- differently-EQ'd digital clone
Time-Life's
Superhits Vol. 16 The Early '70s (1992) -
truncated fade
Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 13
The Early '70s (1992) - this whole disc is
identical to Superhits Vol. 16 The Early '70s,
so this also has a truncated fade
Sony's 2-CD
35 Years Of Rock And Roll (1992) - fades a
second or two earlier than others
Time-Life's
Solid Gold Soul Vol. 5 1970 (1996) -
differently-EQ'd digital clone of Superhits, so
has truncated fade
Time-Life's Solid Gold
Soul #1 Love Songs Of The '70s (2000) - digitally
exactly 0.09 dB louder than Solid Gold Soul Vol. 5
1970, so has truncated fade
Time-Life's
Legends Of Soul Vol. 8 Smokey Robinson (2001) -
differently-EQ'd digital clone of Solid Gold Soul
Vol. 5 1970, so has truncated fade

Crazy, right? Every CD I have with the stereo
LP version is based on just one analog transfer. In
the hundreds of songs I've picked apart here, this has
only happened one other time ("What I Like About You"
by the Romantics).

My recommendations

For the mono 45 version, go with Motown's 4-CD
Hitsville USA The Singles Collection 1959-1971
(1992), just because it's the gold standard for box
set label compilations.

For the stereo LP version, they all sound basically the
same! If you're shopping for compilations, I recommend
Rhino's Billboard Top R&R Hits 1970 (1989)
or Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol.
1 1970 (1989). If you avoid the later Time-
Life discs, which have truncated fades, just about all
the other collections will sound great for this song.
I personally will use Motown's Smokey Robinson And The
Miracles Compact Command Performances 18 Greatest
Hits (1983), but only because I already have it.

When Universal bought Polygram and all its associated
properties (including Motown), there was a new batch of
transfers done for the purposes of updating Motown's
digital library. Dropouts were fixed, tape damage was
repaired in the DAW, and tape alignment issues were
addressed and dealt with. Some first-time remixes were
even accomplished.

The first appearance of these newer transfers was on
the 1999 series of Motown 20th Century Masters discs.
While the results vary drastically track-by-track and
disc-by-disc, I still grabbed up several of them
because they were worth having for some of the updates.
I have a lot of the Compact Digital Classics discs
along with both Hitsville USA boxes and many Rhino
compilations featuring these songs over and over. After
a lot of A/B comparison, I can say the 20th Century
Masters discs are far from garbage.

In the case of "Tears of A Clown", 20th Century Masters
is a little on the brighter side but the levels are not
awful (slight compression/limiting but no drastic
clipping at hard zero). The fade out also lasts just a
smidgen of a second longer than other CD appearances
(such as the Rhino and Compact Classics set mentioned).
So you get shiny new transfers, but the mastering is
sometimes lacking. Universal/Motown has been using
these as the go-to sources for nearly all their
compilation releases since then.

For my own music library, I actually used this as my
source and just adjusted the EQ more to my liking using
my studio software.

Edited by LunarLaugh on 01 September 2020 at 11:57pm

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boxmaster
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Posted: 02 September 2020 at 9:42am \| IP Logged

There is also the original Make It Happen Mono LP version which contains a unique Smokey vocal not on any other version. As far as I know it's never been on CD.

C J Brown
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Posted: 02 September 2020 at 4:09pm \| IP Logged

Anyone have a list for the 1999 updated Motown transfers
that may have repairs and any of the remixes mentioned
above?

Santi Paradoa
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Posted: 02 September 2020 at 5:25pm \| IP Logged

boxmaster wrote:

There is also the original Make It Happen Mono LP version which contains a unique Smokey vocal not on any other version. As far as I know it's never been on CD.

Someone posted that unique mono version with the alternate lead
vocal on YouTube. I also would like to see it get released on CD (but the chances are fewer and far between these days). The tape with that mono version must still be deep in the vault somewhere.

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LunarLaugh
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Posted: 03 September 2020 at 12:02am \| IP Logged

C J Brown wrote:

Anyone have a list for the 1999
updated Motown transfers
that may have repairs and any of the remixes mentioned
above?

This would probably take up about 40+ pages. lol!

As stated the 20th Century Masters Motown sets contain
these transfers but the mastering itself can be a mixed
bag. On some tracks that were mono only, it sounds like
they used a variety of sources ranging from the
Hitsville Box to the late 90s Ultimate Collections (and
possibly the older 80s transfers on a handful of
others).

But practically ANYTHING Motown/Universal has compiled
and released in the past 20 years has made use of these
newer transfers in some capacity. Just like the older
Motown discs mostly just re-recycled the same transfers
over and over, so do the newer Motown discs.

As far as remixes go, a number of the "Gold" series of
releases as well as the post-Y2k Motown "Anthology"
discs have contained remixes of varying degrees of
quality alongside the original mixes.

The artist catalog that benefited the most from having
newer transfers of the stereo mixes was The Supremes.
Tape noise (not tape hiss) from misaligned tapes and
severe dropouts marred a lot of their early hits and
Universal did a very commendable job of restoring them
without adversely affecting the overall sound quality.
If you get their box set, their 20th Century Masters
and Rhino's Top R&B Hits 1964-1970, you'll have the
best sources for their songs in stereo (the 80s Motown
discs are still okay, too but those are just a little
better). As for mono Surpremes, the Bill Inglot
produced 1995 Anthology is the only way to go.

Edited by LunarLaugh on 03 September 2020 at 12:03am

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C J Brown
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Posted: 03 September 2020 at 4:23pm \| IP Logged

I do have a 1999 Supremes comp "The Millenium
Collection" a two disc set. It has been so long I am
not certain but I think a few tracks here are improved
- not sure. I will need to review this set.

The same for a 1999 Marvin Gaye comp but once again I
will have to review to see which tracks are improved.

The Rhino Billboard R&B 1966 has a great sounding
version of "You Keep Me Hanging On" by the Supremes. Do
the various Supremes tracks on the other 64 - 70 Rhino
RB titles all have Supremes nuggets like that?

crapfromthepast
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Posted: 03 September 2020 at 4:55pm \| IP Logged

In general, Rhino's Billboard discs sound superb. For the Motown tracks that appear on these discs, I've found them to be the best-sounding stereo versions of those songs.

That's an important distinction, because many (including myself) consider the mono mixes of the Motown hits (pre-1972) to be far superior to the stereo mixes.

Here's a detailed posts that discusses collecting Motown in mono.

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garye
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Posted: 03 September 2020 at 6:22pm \| IP Logged

The Complete Motown Number #1's CD 3 is stereo and runs
2:59.
It also says it is the U.S. version.
The Complete Motown singles version is mono and times in
a 3:05 and is slower than the stereo version.
Go figure!

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