Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through Grapevine
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Topic: Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through Grapevine
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Subject: Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through Grapevine
Date Posted: 26 June 2021 at 9:34pm
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Dave Marsh, in his book The Heart Of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, ranks Marvin Gaye's version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" at #1. It's hard to argue with his choice. It's that good.
Stereo version The first appearance of the stereo version on CD is on one of Motown's very first batch of CDs, the Marvin Gaye collection Compact Command Performances 15 Greatest Hits (1983). It sounds surprisingly good here, with a great dynamic range, nice EQ, no evidence of noise reduction, and seemingly very low-generation source tapes. The Compact Command Performances can vary wildly in quality from disc to disc, and even track to track, but this one is sturdy. The same analog transfer is used on:
There's a new analog transfer on Rhino's Billboard Top R&R Hits 1968 (1988 pressing only; this song was replaced with "Tighten Up" on the 1993 rerelease of this disc). To my ears, it sounds like a new transfer of the same source tape used for Compact Command Performances. The sound quality is basically the same as Compact Command Performances, too, also with a great dynamic range, nice EQ, no evidence of noise reduction, and seemingly very low-generation source tapes. The same analog transfer is used on:
The 45 was in mono. If given a choice, go with mono for this song. The mono version first appeared on CD on Motown's superb 4-CD Hitsville USA Vol. 1 (1992). Although this set is pretty much flawless in every way, this song does have a 60 Hz hum throughout, which is noticeable on the fade. I suspect that's just how it is on the mono mixdown tape of the song. There's a new analog transfer, with the hum muffled somewhat, on Motown's 2-CD Anthology (1995) and 4-CD The Master 1961-1984 (1995). These two collections are digitally identical, and I'm not sure which came first. The reduction in hum is a minor improvement over Hitsville; it's not night-and-day by any means. There are digital clones on:
My recommendations Go for mono. Any of the Motown or Time-Life discs I mentioned above will serve you well. If you want 45 versions of some of the later hits, go with Anthology (1995). If you prefer LP versions of some of the later hits, go with The Master 1961-1984 (1995). For stereo, I actually recommend Motown's Compact Command Performances 15 Greatest Hits (1983). Motown nailed it the first time around (for this one song). If you have the Rhino disc, rest assured that it sounds about as good as the old Motown disc. If given a choice, avoid the Time-Life discs that fade early. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Replies:
Posted By: AutumnAarilyn
Date Posted: 27 June 2021 at 1:12am
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Didn't know about the extended mix on the Big Chill. Not
really essential but I'll make sure I pick it up for that elongated version. Motown did something similar for various tracks on 2005's Motown box which was all in stereo. I love comparative analysis especially with the older cds that were issued in the 80's when I was still in elementary school. With Discogs, many can be acquired rather cheaply. |
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 27 June 2021 at 5:40am
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To AutumnAarilyn:
As I seem to recall, the extended "Grapevine" is simply an edited repeat of the last(?) verse, therefore it can be recreated with an even better mastering if you can't find it cheaply. Promo and first-pressing 'Big Chill' vinyl LPs had the standard stereo version; later vinyl pressings contained the elongated version probably due to the song's undocumented resurgence in popularity. Andy |
Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 27 June 2021 at 1:10pm
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I love those old Motown "Compact Command Performances"
CDs. I think they sound terrific. |
Posted By: AutumnAarilyn
Date Posted: 27 June 2021 at 2:26pm
You actually get a repeat of the second verse, instrumental bridge, and third verse. I'm the Silver Surfer and not a huge fan of files. |
AndrewChouffi wrote:Posted By: LunarLaugh
Date Posted: 27 June 2021 at 3:16pm
The edit was made for the song to fit over the entirety of the movie's ending credits. I guess whomever the music supervisor or soundtrack producer was so impressed with the edit work that they decided to carry it over to the actual soundtrack album. ------------- https://thelunarlaugh.bandcamp.com/ - Listen to The Lunar Laugh! |
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 28 June 2021 at 6:56am
Thanks. Makes sense! Andy |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 28 June 2021 at 9:47am
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It's worth noting that Gladys Knight & The Pips did I Heard It Through The Grapevine the previous year and could not get to #1.
The California Raisins commercials in the 80's brought the song to a new generation. There's a history of artists covering songs of the day during that late 60's period (Light My Fire, A Fool On The Hill etc) but Marvin managed to make it all his own. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: LunarLaugh
Date Posted: 28 June 2021 at 10:26am
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Marvin's version was actually recorded before Gladys
Knight's version was (in 1967) but it lingered on the shelf until after Gladys' version had finished its run. I believe the first group to ever record the song was actually The Miracles. Their version slipped out later on their "Special Occasion" LP. Just some further history: The time of "Grapevine's" chart success ushered in a bit of a strange period for Marvin Gaye as he would have to deal with the personal loss of his close friend and duet partner Tammi Terrell which sent him in to a very deep depression when he was, at the same time, having his biggest success to date (with follow-ups like "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and "That's The Way Love Is" reaching the top 10). This wave of success, and his production work for Motown group The Originals, meant that eventually Motown could no longer deny him the creative freedom he was craving and he would record and release the "What's Going On" album soon afterwards. ------------- https://thelunarlaugh.bandcamp.com/ - Listen to The Lunar Laugh! |
Posted By: Bounder's Bay
Date Posted: 20 July 2021 at 8:29am
It's been pointed out over on the Steve Hoffman and Soulful Detroit boards that the DM ("duplicate master") number N-S-U-462S13 indicates the mono 'mix' is actually a fold-down from stereo (although I have also seen it debated/speculated as to whether it is a fold of the common stereo mix, or perhaps possibly an otherwise unreleased mix). [edited to correct a typo where I highlighted the first S in the DM number, which actually signifies the recording engineer Ken Sands, rather than the second one, which indicates the master is stereo, and to add explanatory link] https://www.soul-source.co.uk/articles/soul- articles/motown-45-numbering-aint-that-the-truth- r4334/ - Motown 45 Numbering |