Diana Ross-"Ain’t No Mountain High..."
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Topic: Diana Ross-"Ain’t No Mountain High..."
Posted By: jimct
Subject: Diana Ross-"Ain’t No Mountain High..."
Date Posted: 14 March 2007 at 7:24pm
| Pat, my promo 45 for this, mono on both sides, has a "short version" on one side of it. This side appears to exactly correlate with your existing time notation for the commercial 45 (listed time 3:15; actual time 3:28). However, on the other side of my promo 45 is a "long version", with a listed time of (6:10), but an actual time of (6:18). |
Replies:
Posted By: BillCahill
Date Posted: 17 March 2007 at 4:50pm
| Jim, does the mono 6:18 match the stereo version or does it contain the "one more time" section right after the instrumental break, that is only on the mono 45 version? If it does that would make it a unique version. |
Posted By: jimct
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 3:45pm
| Bill, sorry for the delay. I went back and listened to both the long version of this song, found on her "All The Great Hits" CD, as well as the "long version" on my promo 45, after the instrumental break, as you referenced. I do not EVER hear Diana utter the phrase "one more time", on EITHER of these two sources; (there are many "say it again" references, however.) When you refer to the "one more time, mono 45 version", Bill, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying there was a commercial 45 which featured a similar "long version" to the promo 45 I've detailed? Because, as I currently understand it, ALL commercial 45s featured the edited version. I thought the mono "long version", found on my promo 45, was the ONLY source for a 6:00+ 45 version for this (unless a 2nd promo 45 for it was issued, back in 1970.) I know some Motown "Extended Hit Version Rarities" packages have popped up on CD in recent years; could this be where your "one more time" mix appears? |
Posted By: Todd Ireland
Date Posted: 23 January 2009 at 10:18am
| I'm bumping this thread back up again because I too am wondering if the 6:18 long mono DJ 45 version of Diana Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" matches the stereo LP version? Also, I notice all commercial 45 version CD appearances in the database are in mono. Does anyone know if a stereo commercial 45 version can be extracted from the LP version, or is there unique audio on the 45 that prevents this from being possible? |
Posted By: jimct
Date Posted: 23 January 2009 at 11:04am
| Todd, I have just shot you out the long, mono DJ 45 version, to compare against your stereo CD version. Please let us know the results of your analysis! |
Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 23 January 2009 at 1:05pm
|
No, Todd, the commercial 45 version has unique ad-libs over the chorus that are present in no other version. Some of those ad-libs are present on the Motown Original Artist Karaoke CD with this song. I did a pretty close approximation of the a stereo single version a while back... because of the way the song is mixed on the karaoke CD, it doesn't have the "punch" of the original stereo album mix.
In answer to Bill's question: no, neither the long promo or short promo mono version feature the "one more time" line. Both are identical to the LP version. |
Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 23 January 2009 at 1:07pm
The "one more time" line is on the commercial 45 version, Jim. The long promo version does not match the 45 in that part of the song. |
jimct wrote:Posted By: Todd Ireland
Date Posted: 07 February 2009 at 11:07pm
| Thanks to Jim for forwarding me a copy of the 6:18 mono long DJ version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"... I've finally gotten around to comparing it to the stereo LP version and have concluded that the two versions are the same, except of course for the inherent channel and panning differences between the mono and stereo mixes. And as is usually the case with Motown singles, the mono mix packs a lot more "punch" than its stereo counterpart. |
Posted By: Underground Dub
Date Posted: 08 February 2009 at 2:28am
|
There is a fantastic new stereo version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on Diana Ross' Definitive Collection CD, "one more time" ad-lib included. It runs 4:09, and I believe two simple edits and an early fade leave you with a stereo mix of the single version arrangement.
New mixes of Diana's solo stuff has been slowly leaking out on various releases. "Love Hangover" (single version arrangement) and "Remember Me" also appear in fresh stereo mixes on the Definitive Collection release. Oddly, none of these are indicated in the liner notes. The single version of "Surrender" (complete with the loud crashing noise at the end of the first chorus) appears as a new stereo mix on the recent reissue of the Surrender CD. They mixer let the fade run longer and then end cold, but if you fade early you can simulate a stereo single version. :) It is amazing how good they can make these songs sound by going back and remixing them. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 31 August 2020 at 8:07pm
|
Well, here goes...
Stereo LP version (6:16) Appeared first on CD on Motown's Compact Command Performance 14 Greatest Hits (1984). It also appears on a few Motown label compilations and Motown Diana Ross compilations, and Motown Diana Ross single-artist CDs. If it's over 6 minutes and in stereo, it's the LP version. Mono long promo 45 version (6:18) Appears only on Hip-O Select's The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 10 1970. Mono short promo 45 version (4:05) The mono version also appears only on Hip-O Select's The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 10 1970. There are three discs out there that have this version in stereo; I'm guessing that the stereo version was re-edited from the LP version, but can't confirm. Mono commercial 45 version (3:28) Appeared first on CD on Motown's 4-CD Hitsville USA The Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1992). This is a dedicated mix that can't be edited down from the LP version, with different ad-libs from the LP version, like the "one more time" line that's on the commercial 45 and nowhere else. I think the Diana Ross Ultimate Collection has the proper 45 version, but it seems to be re-edited. I can hear a stereo splice at 0:08 (a stereo burst at the edit, then quickly settles back into mono). Non-hit 3:29 edit It's edited down from the LP version, and sorta matches the structure of the 45 version, but it's missing 16 beats from 2:44 to 2:54 of the 45. This edit appeared on CD on a few of the early Motown various-artist compilations, including:
Non-hit 3:56 edit It, too, is edited down from the LP version, and sorta matches the structure of the 45 version, but it includes an extra 8 beats from 0:11 to 0:16. This edit first appeared on Rhino's Billboard Top R&B Hits 1970 (1990). The same analog transfer is used on:
This remix sorta matches the structure of the non-hit 3:56 edit, but it a fresh new mix from the multitracks. Listen for the harp in the left channel on the intro, and how the tamborine that follows is also in the left channel. Compare to the other stereo versions, where the harp is in the left, and the tamborine is in the right channel. I only have this remix on Motown's Motown Year By Year 1970 (1995). I don't know if it was done especially for this CD, or appeared earlier somewhere else. My recommendations I'll always recommend Motown's 4-CD Hitsville USA The Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1992) to anyone who will listen. That will get you the mono commercial 45, which is the hit version. As for the other versions, if you really must own them, then go for the oldest CDs with those edits. I listed those above. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 31 August 2020 at 10:16pm
|
Was it common practice for Motown to make so many non-hit versions, edits or remixes of the same song? Seems like a lot of them made it to compilations that are not the 45 or LP version.. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 7:14am
|
Pretty unusual, actually.
For the first batch of CDs, before Hitsville in 1992, the emphasis was on stereo at all costs. The problem with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is that the only stereo version released in 1970 was over six minutes long. That was too long for compilation producers back then, so the producers at Motown and Rhino made their own edits to a more reasonable length. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 9:13am
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In my opinion, Motown MONO is the only way to go. ------------- John Gallagher Erie, PA https://www.johngallagher.com" rel="nofollow - John Gallagher Wedding & Special Event Entertainment / Snapblast Photo Booth |
Posted By: AutumnAarilyn
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 4:49pm
|
Hey Ron:
Isn't the commercial mono single the version found on the Complete Motown singles put out by Hipo-select or did they mess it up? Thanks for shipping several cds I ordered from you on Discogs. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 6:14pm
|
You're welcome!
And yes, the Complete Motown Singles does indeed include the correct commercial 45 version. That series is astounding. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: AaronsAmazing
Date Posted: 29 April 2024 at 8:02pm
|
I've observed that the CD soundtrack for Chicken Little (2005)
contains the original mono single mix of this song. Does it line up with the version used in that film? |
Posted By: LunarLaugh
Date Posted: 09 May 2024 at 12:42pm
Sometimes, for me. It depends on the song. While mono is usually the go-to for me because it's the 'hit', sometimes the stereo mix is an improvement. "Ain't That Peculiar" by Marvin Gaye has a rather odd mono mix, for instance, (and that's the one that gets airplay on SXM 60s Gold... go figure!) and the stereo mix has a much better balance of voices and instruments. ------------- https://thelunarlaugh.bandcamp.com/ - Listen to The Lunar Laugh! |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 11 May 2024 at 6:47am
Which is why no stereo matches the mono 45.... ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 11 May 2024 at 6:48am
Many of us "stereo" geeks would disagree with that :) ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: AaronsAmazing
Date Posted: 10 July 2024 at 4:14pm
Just rewatched that film, and the song's fade ends a few beats later than the 45 mix during a transition to the credits. I think Disney actually licensed this edit and chopped it up to fit the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y4NHeNINJ8 |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 11 July 2024 at 2:50pm
I'm as much of a stereo fan as anyone, but I'm with John on this. The stereo mixes from Motown's 60s heyday were vastly inferior to the mono hit 45 mixes. Maybe not important to someone who didn't live thru that era, but for those of us who grew up with these songs the mono versions rule. |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 11 July 2024 at 5:56pm
|
Not saying all mono is bad, but as you make your way through the later 60's and early 70's the mono is not as good as the 1960-1964 period in mastering.
I agree the Beatles mono is way better than the stereo. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |