Future Mythologies

A Textual Journey with Maxwell Von Bismarck

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

 
Listening to Dancing on the Street reminds me of the ambivalence I've had with Motown for the past 2 years, ever since getting the Hitsville 1959-1971box set. Songs that sound fantastic on the radio, cassette, or mp3 don't seem to excite me nearly as much on this set. Is it the sound of the CDs themselves or the lame packaging. Black and white, one-page booklets printing only the names of the songs and the track numbers. The mono mixes as opposed to the stereo versions available elsewhere? It's a similar case with Spector's Back to Mono box set, which he supposedly oversaw the transfer of himself. In this case, though, I had only been impressed by a few of the big Spector classics, and it was a more tempered (adulterated?) love. I've heard that they sound best on the original 45's, and it's true that they do, but I don't think it's good enough to support his legendary producer-god status. I am thus much indebted to Marcello Carlin's article (link will be posted when I can find it). In terms of influence, he's amazing, but for pure quality he cannot live up to his name. The Spector vs. Wilson argument is practically undefendable. I'll go into it some other time, but rest assured, "Sonny" Wilson wipes the floor with him. And while Brian still holds some wonder, Spector has been pretty well dissected. There are plenty of Spector-inspired songs that stand up to Spector originals. I'd name some, but I'm (sigh) nowhere near my stereo.

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