"Oh, What a Night" - The Dells

The Dells hit #4 on the R&B charts in late 1956 with "Oh What A Nite". It was in mono, and ran about 2:52.

The rerecorded the song in 1969 as "Oh What A Night". The 1969 version hit #1 on the R&B charts and #10 on the Hot 100. It was in stereo, and ran about 4:03. This post provides mastering info for the 1969 version.

I believe that the 1969 version first appeared on CD on MCA's Vintage Music Vol. 14 (1987). Note that Steve Hoffman mastered the first 10 volumes of Vintage Music, and those first 10 volumes have a pretty good reputation for attention to detail. The second 10 volumes (including Vol. 14) do not share that good reputation. On this track, Vintage Music cuts off the opening bass note of the song. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Chess/MCA's Best Of Chess Vocal Groups Volume 2 (1988)
• Time-Life's Classic Rock Vol. 6 1969 (1988)
• Time-Life's Rhythm And Blues Vol. 13 1969 (1991) - swaps left and right channels, and fades about 3 beats earlier
• Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul Vol. 4 1969 (1991) - is a repackaging of Rhythm And Blues Vol. 13 1969, so also swaps left and right channels, and fades about 3 beats earlier
• Starland Music/Warner Special Products' mail-order Good Times Rock & Roll, also known as 40 Summer Fun Hits (1993) - swaps left and right channels, and fades about 3 beats earlier

Avoid all of the above for this track.

The opening bass note appears intact on Rhino's Soul Shots Vol. 2 (1988). Soul Shots seems to use the same source tape as Vintage but includes the opening note, has a boosted high end compared to Vintage, and extends out to about the same length as Vintage. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Time-Life's one-off 2-CD Tonight's The Night (1989; not part of a series)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 12 By Candlelight (1997)

There's a new analog transfer on Rhino's Billboard Top R&B Hits 1969 (1989). It sounds like it uses the same source tape as Soul Shots, but the wavefront is inverted (insignificant), and it fades to silence a little more gently that Soul Shots (also insignificant).

The yet another analog transfer on Chess/MCA's On Their Corner / The Best Of The Dells (1992). It, too, sounds like it uses the same source tape as Soul Shots, but it fades to silence a little more gently that Soul Shots (insignificant). The same analog transfer is used on:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Body And Soul Vol. 8 In The Groove (1999)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Body And Soul Battle Of The Groups The Men (2006)

I found one more analog transfer on Collectables Presents History Of Rock Collection Volume 9 (1992), which is a bit louder than the others and runs a little faster than the others.

My recommendation

In practice, there's very little difference in sound quality among Rhino's Soul Shots Vol. 2 (1988), Rhino's Billboard Top R&B Hits 1969 (1989), and Chess/MCA's On Their Corner / The Best Of The Dells (1992). All sound great, and all extend out to the same length.

I went with Soul Shots Vol. 2 myself, but only because I had it already. You'll be pleased with any of them.