Jackson 5 - I Want You Back

Pat's database says The Jacksons Story (2004), a Hip-O release, contains the LP version of "I Want You Back", but it's actually a unique(?) version. It's a dry mix, and has the backing vocals panned to
the right channel instead of the left. Also, it has no content, just noise, below 60 Hz and above 18 kHz.

The Jacksons Story: Number 1's (2007) is apparently the same CD with different cover art, so I assume it also has this version.

Likewise, I have to wonder if '70s Pop Number 1's, another Hip-O release, has the same version.

Something to keep an ear out for.



Edited by mjb50

There's something I've read from time to time on this forum... Can you explain what a "Dry" mix is essentially?

My first guess would be that it has no reverb incorporated in the recording. AM and FM pop stations here were always heavy on the reverb. So much,
that they even added more to the whole day's broadcast. News and everything.

Dry/wet is more generally in reference to any effects added at the mixing stage aside from simple panning and EQ. So it's not just reverb (echo), although that's definitely the main
category of effects people are usually talking about. A dry mix has little to no effects, a wet mix is drenched in them.

To get more specific:

Indeed the intro to the dry mix of "I Want You Back" has no reverb on the opening guitar. Also, the handclaps are panned center instead of left. This center-panning of the claps
makes it very easy to hear them throughout the song, whereas in the standard mix, they're often drowned out by the other instruments on the left.

The panning of the backing vocals affects all of them throughout the song, not just at 0:53. For example, at 0:25 there's the "uh-huh-huh"/"ooo-hoo" chorus as Michael's just getting
warmed up.

Likewise, the reverb issue affects more of the song than just the intro. For example, the dry mix is missing that 'verb at 1:17, at the end of the "na-na-na-na" vocal.

In the breakdown at 2:02 you can plainly hear Michael's "a-boo-buh-bum-bum" is panned left and wet on the standard version, and panned right and dry on the dry version.

I updated my original post to also mention that in the dry mix, there's no content below 60 Hz either. So every time the bassist plays the lowest couple of notes throughout the song,
you're only hearing the harmonics.

Edited by mjb50

Yeah. What seems to be happening on various reissues is that there will be multiple master tapes or already digitized
recordings to choose from, and they're not very well labeled as to what they actually are. Someone probably listened to the
dry mix and thought it sounded a lot "clearer" and didn't realize it was actually a rough mix, not just a better copy of
the final version. Then it got marked as the best copy to use for future projects.

Edited by mjb50

Aaron correctly noted that the alternate mix appeared on Motown's Motown Year By Year 1969 (1995).

I'm willing to bet that this alternate mix first appeared on that disc.

If I remember correctly, one of the producers of that Motown series intentionally tried to use alternate versions whenever possible, just to get the versions out there and give the consumers something cool and different. You'll find a lot of previously unreleased stuff first appearing on the Motown Year By Year discs.

Edited by crapfromthepast