"Love Machine (Part 1)" - The Miracles

The actual commercial 45 run time of the Miracles' "Love Machine (Part 1)" is 2:54. (Timing info courtesy of Jim. The printed record label time is 2:55.) Currently, database CD appearances of this song containing a "45 version" comment range from 2:50-2:59.

Mark - The sad thing for me is that Dancin' The Night Away was my only CD source for this song for many, many years. I'd just assumed it was mixed liked crud to begin with. When I finally got to hear it on a proper Motown collection, it was a revelation.

So I listened as carefully as I could, and I'd say that the version on Dancin' The Night Away is the result of some really horrendous processing, and is not a dedicated mix. I mean, REALLY horrendous processing. I hear some kind of echo effect on everything, including the vocals. And I do mean echo, not reverb. And an ugly, severe EQ that completely eliminates the low end - precisely what NOT to do for a disco hit. (Compare this with the tremendous, fat-sounding version on the 4-CD Hitsville set.) Plus, it cuts off one of the four quick drum hits that begin the song - this version only has three.

Sadly, the same analog transfer is used for Priority's Mega-Hits Dance Classics Vol. 5 (1989), which is about 6 dB louder, and seems to have additional noise reduction. A sonic disaster.

If you weed out the above two CDs, the rest are much better. Chronological release order didn't make much sense here, so I'll list them in order of sound quality, worst-to-best.

Silver Eagle's 3-CD Motown Anniversary (1983?) sounds like garbage, with an early fade and a high-generation tape source, but it's orders of magnitude better than Dancin'.

Motown's Motown Year By Year 1975 (1995) sounds a little lifeless, but it's a little better than Anniversary.

Motown's Twelve #1 Hits From The 70's (copyright 1982) sounds comparable to Year By Year, but with a significantly longer fade.

All of the above seem to be different analog transfers. Avoid all of them, if you have access to any of the following CDs. Everything listed below sounds better than everything listed above.

I found three analog transfers that I can endorse, all done by Bill Inglot (not surprising).

Rhino's Disco Years Vol. 3 (1992) is very good. There's a differently-EQ'd digital clone on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 44 '70s Dance Party 1975-1976 (1997).

Even better is Motown's 4-CD Hitsville USA Vol. 2 (1993). There's a digitally identical clone on Motown's 4-CD 35th Anniversary Collection (1994). The same analog transfer is also used on Time-Life's 2-CD Motown Collection Vol. 5 (2008). Compared to Disco Years, I hear a little more presence at the very end of the opening drum fill - it could be the ringing of the snare when the last tom-tom is hit. It sounds a little muffled on Disco Years, almost like the effects of noise reduction (even though I doubt that there's NR on that disc). And Disco Years is infinitely better than all of the discs I listed above it; the opening drum fill is just a lifeless thud on those discs.

The best of all is Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1976 (1991). There's a differently EQ'd digital clone on Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul Vol. 11 1976 (1996). This sounds just as full-of-life as Hitsville, but with a little more midrangy EQ, and a longer fade.

My recommendation for the 45 version: Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1976 (1991)

As for the nearly 7-minute-long LP version, there are significantly fewer choices.

The version on Motown Year By Year 1975 (1995) lists it as "Extended promotional 12 inch single version", but to my ears, it sounds like the LP version. Sounds very nice here. (Please post difference between LP and 12" versions, if you know of any.)

The version on Motown's Compact Command Performances Vol. 2 22 Greatest Hits (1986) sounds OK, but it's EQ'd better on Year By Year.

Finally, avoid at all costs the version on Madacy's 2004 rerelease of Rock On 1976, where it replaces "Let Your Love Flow" from the original 1996 release. Here's, it's severely compressed/limited. Avoid, if I haven't already made that clear.

My recommendation for the LP version, from my admittedly small sample of discs: Motown Year By Year 1975 (1995)

Edited by crapfromthepast