Short Cuts

There is something incredibly compelling about Elemental Music and UMe’s ongoing, affordably priced, and generally well-made reissue series of classic Motown titles. For those simply seeking clean, pristine, good-sounding representation of these vintage vinyl titles with perfect-condition covers — which aren’t really that easy to find on the collectors market, truth be told, especially if you are looking for original editions — then these reissues hold a lot of potential appeal.

From an audiophile perspective, we know from my prior Short Cuts Motown reissues combo review that posted here on October 4, 2024, these albums were made from 16-bit, 44.1kHz digital sources, which many Motown enthusiasts feel are among the best-sounding transfers of these vintage recordings.

Diving into the music itself, it also helps to set one’s expectations accordingly. Do understand that many of these recordings — especially those from the 1960s, a time when frequency-limited AM radio was the primary way for many folks to hear new music — were mixed and mastered to sound their best coming out of 3in transistor radio speakers, so don’t go into this review expecting outrageous, subwoofer shakin’, window-rattlin’ bass response.

Let’s recap some of the important DNA details we learned in my prior roundup when I asked the label for more insights. At that time, we were told, “Given that we’re issuing a lot of Motown’s earlier and more obscure recordings, the original master tapes were not in suitable condition for remastering and re-cutting new lacquers. Instead, we’ve used the original digital remasters (AAD) from the ’80s — often revered as the best — to make our reissues sound as close to the original Motown LPs as possible. These were done primarily before the MCA acquisition by several engineers, including Gavin Lurssen, Bill Inglot, who did some Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye titles, and Motown legend John Matousek.”

Elemental Music employed a DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) process, cutting the production lacquers directly from hi-res digital files of the original master tapes. The entire 140g 1LP virgin vinyl series has been manufactured at GZ in the Czech Republic, reportedly using PrismSound and Orfeus 24-bit converters in tandem with Neumann VMS-82 DMM cutting systems.

Each album in Elemental Music’s Motown LP reissue series comes housed in a protective, plastic-lined audiophile-grade white inner sleeve, and also includes a recreation of a period-appropriate Motown Records paper sleeve, complete with catalog images of many of the hit albums the label was marketing at the time (as seen above). The SRP for each of these reissues is a quite reasonable $29.99, and you can click on the respective Music Direct link graphic following each individual review to order your own copy. (If any of them happen to be sold out at the time you click on the link, you can put in a reservation for as soon as the LP gets restocked.)

All pressings I’ve reviewed in this series so far have generally been quiet and well-centered, so I don’t have any problems on that front. Let’s now get down into the nitty-gritties of how each of these five reissued Motown titles sound.

THE TEMPTATIONS
SKY’S THE LIMIT
140g 1LP (Gordy/Motown/Elemental Music)
MUSIC: 10
SOUND: 8

I forgot just how truly great this Temptations album is, start to finish! Happily, April 1971’s Sky’s the Limit turns out to be one of the better-sounding albums in this reissue series so far! The music is crisp and clean and the high end isn’t harsh, and I’m not hearing disturbing artifacts of a poor digital transfer either. All things considered, this recording sounds warm and round — as one would hope from a 1971 release!

In fact, while writing this review, I was so pleased with this LP that I actually paused everything, and trundled down into my storage area to dig out my original pressing for a direct comparison. And I’m glad I did, because it confirmed my suspicion — Sky’s the Limit really is a great-sounding album to begin with, and this reissue is quite solid.

“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” (Side 1, Track 2) sounds perfect, like a balmy summer’s day, with The Temptations’ vocals taking over the soundstage backed by lovely strings and orchestral instrumentation in both channels. It should be no surprise to learn that this song was a No. 1 hit in 1971 on both Billboard’s Hot 100 and R&B charts, as well as on Cash Box’s Top 100.

The Side 1-closing, and nearly 13-minute-long opus — the original version of “Smiling Faces Sometimes” (Side 1 Track 5), which was also a No. 3 hit just a few months later for The Undisputed Truth — just builds and builds. It starts out slow and slinky, soon evolving into a sexy-trippy soul-funk groove that pre-echos the vibe of vintage Bohannon. Replete with congas and other Latin-tinged percussion and rounded out by a full orchestra, it ends up in a full-blown freak-out meltdown that might have made Frank Zappa proud. In short, this track is truly epic.

While you may be inclined to play Side 1 endlessly, don’t forget to flip the disc so you can also hear the genuinely ripping hard-rocking guitar intro to "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)” (Side 2, Track 3), another Top 40 hit from this amazing album. This is The Funk Brothers at perhaps their badass finest, I’ll tell ya.

If I have one nit to pick here, it is simply that the Elemental team didn’t recreate the album’s original Gordy Records label design. Instead, the reissue sports the classic Motown label — but other than that, this reissue of Sky’s the Limit is a pure winner.

Side 1
1. Gonna Keep on Tryin’ Till I Win Your Love
2. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
3. I’m The Exception To The Rule
4. Smiling Faces Sometimes

Side 2
1. Man
2. Throw A Farewell Kiss
3. Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite The World)
4. Love Can Be Anything (Can’t Nothing Be Love But Love)

DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES
REFLECTIONS
140g 1LP (Motown/Elemental Music)
MUSIC: 7
SOUND: 6.5

This March 1968 album was the first to feature Diana Ross as the main star separate from the group, ultimately setting the stage for her ascension to solo superstardom. Reflections is one of the more interesting later-period Supremes records, released amidst the psychedelic revolution. So, expect to hear some then-fresh production aesthetics going on here at points — such as some eerie, “I Am the Walrus”-like slow-burning cellos, harpsichord, and double-tracked choruses!

Of course, the essential title song “Reflections” (Side 1, Track 1) is a groovy bit of neo-psychedelic soul. It was a smash hit when it was released as a single in 1967, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 5 in the UK. Meanwhile, “In and Out of Love” (Side 1, Track 5) reportedly rode the No. 1 spot for four weeks on TV tastemaker Dick Clark’s American Bandstand’s own chart (and it also hit No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100).

Reflections is an interesting, if inconsistent album. Somehow, its charms grow on me with each listen, despite unnecessary filler covers of The Fifth Dimension’s Jimmy Webb-penned mega-hit “Up, Up and Away” (Side 2, Track 2) and the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic “What the World Needs Now Is Love” (Side 2, Track 1), the latter of which was a huge, No. 7 hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1965. I’m also not sure if they really needed to cover Bobbie Gentry’s 1967 hit “Ode to Billie Joe” (Side 2, Track 6) either, the original of which kept “Reflections” from reaching the No. 1 spot on the singles charts — but, hey, that’s how some albums were filled out back in those days.

As far as how this new pressing of Reflections compares to my original, well, here is the rub — the OG Motown recording was pretty bright, and fairly compressed sounding. Compared to modern productions, it is sonically pretty thin. Thus, the digital transfer here just makes an already crisp production sound a bit more tinny. (AP editor Mike Mettler tells me his copy of Reflections happened to have two labels partially overlapping each other to form a more oval-like appearance on Side 2, but it remained well-centered and thankfully didn’t affect the playback of his LP.)

That said, if you need a clean copy of Reflections and just want to hear the music coming from a decent vinyl source, this new reissue edition LP will probably serve you just fine.

Side 1
1. Reflections
2. I’m Gonna Make It (I Will Wait For You)
3. Forever Came Today
4. I Can’t Make It Alone
5. In And Out Of Love
6. Bah-Bah-Bah

Side 2
1. What The World Needs Now Is Love
2. Up, Up And Away
3. Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)
4. Then
5. Misery Makes Its Home In My Heart
6. Ode To Billie Joe

SMOKEY ROBINSON
PURE SMOKEY
140g 1LP (Tamla/Elemental Music)
MUSIC: 8
SOUND: 7

Smokey Robinson’s March 1974 second post-Miracles solo album on Tamla, Pure Smokey, is a “grower,” as they say. Despite it yielding several Top 20 R&B chart hits (such as “Virgin Man”), as a full-album listen, it doesn’t have the sort of immediacy one might initially desire. But don’t let that throw you, as there are many riches here to be found — and, eventually, after several listens, you get the idea that this is more about the whole-album listening experience, conveying an overall mood and vibe to deliver the sentiments that would be hard to summarize in one song.

Smokey was no doubt fine-tuning his stylistic direction here, with smooth, lush, night-time grooves — a marked contrast to his earlier Miracles-era hits, so don’t look for another “Tears of a Clown” here. I have to think this was a conscious effort. George Harrison certainly noticed it too, as he included an homage to the man with “Pure Smokey,” which appears on Side 2 of his November 1976 Dark Horse release, Thirty Three & 1/3, written by Harrison and produced very much in Robinson’s chill mid-’70s style.

Dealing with then-still-newly-common/public themes of divorce, relationship troubles, and sadness, Pure Smokey reminds me at points of some of Marvin Gaye’s early ’70s releases — as well as some of the other reissues that appear elsewhere in this combo review.

I enjoyed the new Pure Smokey reissue in part because my original pressing sounds a bit muted — or, dare I say, “muddy”? So, the extra brightness here adds a nice bit of sparkle, without detracting from the original LP’s feel.

Side One
1. It’s Her Turn To Live
2. The Love Between Me And My Kids
3. Asleep On My Love
4. I Am I Am
5. Just Passing Through

Side Two
1. Virgin Man
2. She’s Only A Baby Herself
3. Fulfill Your Need
4. A Tattoo

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS
NEITHER ONE OF US
140g 1LP (Soul/Motown/Elemental Music)
MUSIC: 9
SOUND: 7.5

If you need a place to start exploring the legendary vocal group Gladys Knight & The Pips as fronted by amazing singer Gladys Knight, their March 1973 smash hit LP Neither One of Us is probably it. Their biggest-charting album, it reached No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and the title track crossed over to reach the No. 2 slot on the singles charts as well as No. 1 on the R&B charts. And “Daddy Could Swear, I Declare” was also a Top 20 pop hit.

A rich and sultry blend of ballads and chill grooves, Neither One of Us is a fine album from start to finish. As Smokey Robinson did on the above-reviewed Pure Smokey , Gladys Knight & The Pips tackle social/familial issues along the way here on deep tracks like “This Child Needs Its Father” (Side 1, Track 4) and the angry funky groove of “Who Is She (and What Is She to You)” (Side 1, Track 5). These are not throwaway filler tracks, mind you, and Knight’s vocal performances are exemplary throughout.

Knight even takes ownership of Stevie Wonder’s hit “For Once in My Life” (Side 1, Track 3) in a powerful, ballad-like epic arrangement that still manages to be bluesy without being schmaltzy (as often happened with covers of this tune in particular). “Daddy Could Swear, I Declare” (Side 2, Track 2) is a kicker of a track, with a hip-shakin’ acoustic-guitar-driven country-funk groove reminiscent of later-released songs like Stealer’s Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” (and Sheryl Crow’s 1990s hit, “All I Wanna Do”).

As far as how the sound of Neither One of Us fares on this reissue, the overall feel is a bit brighter than the rich, round-sounding original — and I am fortunate to have an elusive white label promo copy of it (which took me ages to find!) to compare this one to. I do wish they had been able to recreate the original, Motown-subsidiary Soul Records label here instead of the classic Motown one for it, however. That said, this new reissue is not bad at all, and it made for a relatively comfortable listen. If you can’t find a clean, minty original copy, this new Neither One of Us reissue will serve you just fine. Either way, you should get this album. Classic, classic stuff.

Side 1
1. Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)
2. It’s Gotta Be That Way
3. For Once In My Life
4. This Child Needs Its Father
5. Who Is She (And What Is She To You)

Side 2
1. And This Is Love
2. Daddy Could Swear, I Declare
3. Can’t Give It Up No More
4. Don’t It Make You Feel Guilty

EDDIE KENDRICKS
PEOPLE . . . HOLD ON
140g 1LP (Tamla/Elemental Music)
MUSIC: 8
SOUND: 6

The May 1972 second solo album by Eddie Kendricks, then a former co-lead singer of The Temptations, People . . . Hold On is a solid urban contemporary soul recording with broader funk-leaning grooves and societal themes. And, of course, the almost eight-minute-long dance floor epic “Girl You Need a Change of Mind” (Side 1, Track 4) has been sampled by a multitude of modern artists.

That said, if you are looking to grab some beats and make a good sample, this reissue probably isn’t the version you want to get for that. Don’t get me wrong — it sounds ok, but there are a number of digital artifacts going on here, notably around the edges of Kendricks’ vocals. It’s not terrible — but it also made the music at times a little harsher to my ears, and thus a much less enjoyable listen than I would have liked. And then there’s “Someday We’ll Have a Better World” (Side 1, Track 5), which sounds a bit distorted to the point where I wonder if it might have been taken originally from a vinyl source.

Side 1
1. If You Let Me
2. Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart
3. Day By Day
4. Girl You Need A Change Of Mind
5. Someday We’ll Have A Better World

Side 2
1. My People . . . Hold On
2. Date With The Rain
3. Eddie’s Love
4. I’m On The Sideline
5. Just Memories

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.