Quicksand - Martha & Vandellas

There are a few mistakes on those box sets, so anything is possible. I seem to recall a wrong mix of a Junior Walker song being used, and for sure there was a wrong mix of "Mama's Pearl" by Jackson 5.

It seems they left no stone unturned, but given the huge scope of the box sets and massive number of songs each one covers, I don't fault the producers if a few things slipped through the cracks. It's possible the "second pressing" version was labeled as such on a tape they pulled from the vault, but did they really have ALL the original 45s, including pressing variations, to check each version against what was on the tapes?

A hit released in late 1963.

Non-hit mono mix from (supposed) first pressings of 45 (if they exist at all)

It's on Hip-O Select's Complete Motown Singles Vol. 3 1963 Disc 5 (2005), listed as "First Pressing", although I can't find any evidence that this was ever released on vinyl.

I believe that this is the full performance of the song, running out to 2:45. All the other configurations described below can be edited from this full performance, albeit with different mixes/panning/effects.

The track starts with a bass drum hit.
The clap track disappears at 0:12 for a 4-beat horn fill (not much going on in the fill).
After the horn fill, there are 48 beats of instrumental riffing before the vocals start.
At the end of the riffing, there's a horn note, followed by the word "quicksand" at 0:29.
There's a reasonable amount of reverb on the drums in the break from 2:09 to 2:15.
The song fades starting at 2:42, on the word "closer".
By 2:44, the volume is way down to about -30 dB.
The full fade ends around 2:45.

Hit mono mix from later pressings of 45

I found at least five different 45 dubs on YouTube, and all were this mix. It runs 2:37. This version is on both US and UK 45s and the mono Greatest Hits LP.

This version deletes the bass drum hit and starts with the snare and horns.
The clap track disappears at 0:11 for a 4-beat horn fill (not much going on in the fill).
After the horn fill, there are 32 beats of instrumental riffing before the vocals start. (The full take has 48 beats.)
The clap track is pushed way out in front during the riffing.
At the end of the riffing, there's a horn note, followed by the word "quicksand" at 0:24.
There's an utterly insane amount of reverb on the drums in the break from 2:03 to 2:08.
The song fades starting at 2:31, on the word "quicksand".
The full fade ends around 2:37.

The hit mono mix first appeared on CD on Motown's 2-CD Live Wire! The Singles 1962-1972 (1993), where it sounds just fine. The same analog transfer is used on Rhino's The R&B Box: Thirty Years Of Rhythm & Blues (1994).

There's a different analog transfer on Motown's Ultimate Collection (1998). It has a very different EQ than Live Wire and has a much smaller dynamic range than that disc. I think I prefer the mastering on Live Wire.

Non-hit mono mix from Motown Yesteryear 45

Luckily, a YouTube user named Mr. Vinyl 67 uploaded a dub of the Motown Yesteryear 45 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJYx4LgGTYQ

I don't know if this mix originated on that 45 (released in 1973 as Motown Y 535F), but there it is.

The track starts with the bass drum hit, but there's something over the drum sound, like a trailing note from a previous track. It's odd, and it's not on the "First Pressing" version described above.
The clap track disappears at 0:12 for a 4-beat horn fill (not much going on in the fill).
After the horn fill, there are 32 beats of instrumental riffing before the vocals start. (The full take has 48 beats.)
The end of the riffing is different than the hit version, probably because the edit is in a different place than the hit version. The first vocals are "like quicksand" at 0:24.
There's a reasonable (not an insane) amount of reverb on the drums in the break from 2:03 to 2:08.
The song fades starting at 2:27, on the word "deeper".
The fade ends around 2:35.

This mix is available on CD as the "Second Pressing" version on Hip-O Select's Complete Motown Singles Vol. 3 1963 Disc 5 (2005). So this version really did appear on a 45, just not one from 1963 or 1964. On this CD, it runs 2:35. The same analog transfer is used on Motown's 50th Anniversary : The Singles Collection 1962-1972 (2013).

There's a different analog transfer on Motown's Motown Classic Hits Vol. IV (1995). It has nice sound and a great dynamic range, but the opening drum beat is edited out and it starts with the snare and horns. You can tell from the waveform that it was edited after-the-fact; the waveform starts off relatively sharply here, unlike the gradual lead-in that you get from analog tape edit done for the hit 45 version.

1966 stereo mix from Greatest Hits LP

"Quicksand" wasn't on any album before Greatest Hits. I think this is considered to be the "hit" stereo version, even though it came out over two years after the mono 45. It runs about 2:34.

The track starts with a bass drum hit.
The clap track doesn't disappear at 0:12 for the 4-beat horn fill (not much going on in the fill).
After the horn fill, there are 32 beats of instrumental riffing before the vocals start. (The full take has 48 beats.)
The end of the riffing is different than the mono hit version, probably because the edit is in a different place than the hit version. The first vocals are "like quicksand" at 0:24.
There's a relatively small amount of reverb on the drums in the break from 2:04 to 2:09.
The song fades starting at 2:27, on the word "deeper".
The fade ends around 2:34.

This version appeared first on CD on Motown's Compact Command Performances 24 Greatest Hits (1986), where it runs 2:34 and sounds just fine. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Silver Eagle's Motown 30th Anniversary Collection (1988) -has narrowed soundstage
• Time-Life's Classic Rock Vol. 16 1964 Shakin' All Over (1989, both original release and RE-1 reissue)

There's a different analog transfer on Motown's Best Of 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection (1999), which sounds quite nice.

I think, but can't confirm, that Motown's Martha And The Vandellas Greatest Hits (1987) also has this version.

Non-hit 1966 (1964?) stereo mix from A Collection Of 16 Original Big Hits Volume 3 LP

Discogs gives two contradictory dates for this release. This is most definitely not considered to be the "hit" stereo version. It runs 2:42.

The track starts with a bass drum hit.
The clap track disappears at 0:12 for a 4-beat horn fill (not much going on in the fill).
After the horn fill, there are 48 beats of instrumental riffing before the vocals start. The clap track resumes for this 48 beats.
At the end of the riffing, there's a horn note, followed by the words "like quicksand" at 0:29.
There's a reasonable amount of reverb on the drums in the break from 2:09 to 2:15.
The song fades starting at 2:38, on the word "quicksand".
The full fade ends around 2:42.

I have this mix on Motown's A Collection Of 16 Big Hits Volume 3 (1989). The same analog transfer is used on Hip-O's Martha And The Vandellas Gold (2006).

My recommendations

The hit versions

For the hit mono 45 version, go with Motown's 2-CD Live Wire! The Singles 1962-1972 (1993).

For the 1966 stereo mix from Greatest Hits LP, go with Motown's Compact Command Performances 24 Greatest Hits (1986).

The non-hit versions

For the non-hit mono supposed first pressing of the 45 version (which may not have been released on vinyl), go with Hip-O Select's Complete Motown Singles Vol. 3 1963 Disc 5 (2005).

For the non-hit mono Motown Yesteryear 45 version, go with Hip-O Select's Complete Motown Singles Vol. 3 1963 Disc 5 (2005), which you already own from the previous recommendation.

For the non-hit 1966 (1964?) stereo mix from A Collection Of 16 Original Big Hits Volume 3 LP, go with Motown's A Collection Of 16 Big Hits Volume 3 (1989).

Edited by crapfromthepast - 15 April 2025 at 8:39pm

Thanks for sorting out all these versions of Martha & the Vandellas' "Quicksand", Ron, and referring us to the best-sounding CD sources for each. This is very helpful!