A Tom Moulton Mix [Vinyl]

Tom Moulton | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (April 10, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Soul Jazz
• ASIN: B000EHQ5O4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,745 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

When speaking to someone with zero to limited technical knowledge of mixing, it's almost impossible to convey exactly what Tom Moulton did to the originals he was given. One could say he made them glow, sprout wings, or -- to be less precious about it -- surpass their potential. If you were to compare the originals to his mixes, which were signified on the labels as "A Tom Moulton Mix," you might gain a better understanding, though you still wouldn't fully understand Moulton's process, let alone his instincts, intuition, and imagination -- especially when he made sure not to leave too many fingerprints. His mix might seem more expansive, more propulsive, more elegant. It might only seem longer. The good thing is that none of that really matters. Whether delivered in lavish, winding epics or succinct, radio-friendly bursts, the selections on this double-disc add up to one of the finest disco compilations, and it just so happens that it was put together to honor the work of a pioneer who played as much of a role in the development of dance music as any songwriter, producer, session musician, vocalist, or DJ. Released between the early '70s and the early '80s, the material is rather broad, even though each one of the tracks is clearly geared for the dancefloor. There's the supreme anthem, MFSB's "Love Is the Message": its radio edit is well short of three minutes, but the Moulton mix lasts nearly 12 minutes, allowing for an extended intro and lengthy breaks that seem increasingly relaxed and regal with each successive listen. A previously unreleased mix of Eddie Kendricks' "Keep on Truckin'" could have plateaued and faded out after a couple minutes, but it keeps giving, building and building in intensity until dropping into a dazzling all-percussion break. It'll be completely fresh to anyone familiar with the previously released mixes. All other edits and versions of Patti Jo's "Make Me Believe in You," originally written and recorded by Curtis Mayfield, plod when compared to the one here. Even Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More," one of the most overplayed and wrenched-of-value disco singles, seems like a pure thing of beauty in this context. Several endlessly enjoyable, successive volumes could be put together; across a few decades, Moulton has touched thousands of tracks. This set offers a mere drop in a bucket, but the drop makes a splash like a Barry White cannonball dive. [Soul Jazz issued a vinyl edition, split between two LPs, in 2006.] ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Godather of Disco, April 27, 2006

By 

Music Hunter "audio fusionist" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tom Moulton Mix (Audio CD)

If you happened to be a Disco Funk fiend during the 70's (like myself), just seeing the moniker "A Tom Moulton Mix" on a record label or LP cover would incite goose-bumps and trigger an uncontrollable urge to snatch up what ever record that the practically guaranteed stamp of quality appeared on.

To appreciate the level of involvement Tom Moulton has had with the over 4000 mixes he has executed, you must first understand that not all 'remixers' and 'remixes' are cut from the same cloth.

Over the last 30+ years since it was first employed as a marketing hook, the term 'remix' has changed meaning and context, no doubt through the creative contributions of at one time or another, A&R exec, label owner, producer, songwriter, remastering engineer, and remixer, Tom Moulton.

Most of what is currently considered a 'remix' is actually a 'reproduction' or 'additional production', (in most cases) stripping away almost all of the original elements of the song while adding one's own musical ideas to the mix (sometimes, actually for the better).

Mr. Moulton's legacy is unique in that a good number of his mixes were actually the first or only mixes released to the market (the first popular example being the huge '70s funk hit "Do It Anyway You Wanna" by soul combo People's Choice for Gamble & Huff's TSOP/ P.I.R. label).

This was not a remix done to accompany the original but THE mix that we all first heard when it was introduced to an extremely enthusiastic public during the summer of 1976.

Curiously, most did not know this was a remix since Moulton was never credited for the additional production that took it from being an almost forgettable album track and transforming it into what would become the biggest selling single for the label up to that date.

Most of Moulton's remixes, as proven with this collection, were comprised of just the original musical elements, tweeked with a louder EQ and extended in length to satiate a growing new market sparked by the Disco phenomenon and the club DJ's demand for more product, i.e. the 12" disco single. One could say without much argument that Moulton for the most part invented the disco single as well as the method of creating the content to fill those singles, i.e. the 'extended remix' or 'disco mix' which would fuel it's brief but globally influential commercial success.

In another example, one of the most famous and enduring remixes (MFSB's "Love Is The Message" included in this collection in it's finest re-mastering to date) Moulton was the first remixer to go in the studio to add additional music (most of which was recorded during the original sessions but never used in the final album mix), editing and extending the length of the song considerably, then, utilizing the same method for several other hit songs for the label coupiling them as a greatest hits package with a twist for the then already red hot Philadelphia International Records, created and helmed by R&B songwriting and production legends Gamble & Huff.

The results comprise what I believe is the first commercially released full length album containing remixes by a single producer, the must have "Philadelphia Classics" (ASIN: B000066C12) which ironically, Moulton was never prominently credited for. It's latest incarnation, recently remastered (to Moulton's distaste I might add) also includes the above mentioned "Do It Anyway You Wanna" remix.
At least he was finally credited for it.

Since Mr. Moulton was primarily a producer (see Grace Jones first 3 albums, People's Choice second and third LPs, First Choice, CJ & Co. and many others), his qualification as a 'remixer' was well earned.

Choosing favorites from this collection was a difficult task,
however for the sake of inspiring sales, undeniable highlights of "A Tom Moulton Mix" include the rolling funk of Eddie Kendrick's number one 70's classic "Keep On Trucking'" which has been fleshed out to over 11 minutes to reveal more of the brass and rhythmic interplay only hinted at in the original LP version, the latin schtick / romantic drama of Grace Jone's interpretation of the classic "La Vien Rose" (which Moulton also produced) and the ultimate Disco anthem and touchstone blueprint for what is now called 'house music', MFSB's essential classic "Love Is The Message" mentioned earlier here.

To coin a classic term, Mr. Moulton is a true 'record man' i.e. someone who seems to instinctively know that a song will or should be a hit because it's good, and not the reverse.

It's rare that someone who was critical to the commercial success of the Disco / Dance genre and as deserving of a showcase featuring their body of work (see Larry Levan's "West End Remixes" collection ASIN: B00005QFLA and "Salsoul Greatest Mixes Vol 2 ASIN: B0001ZW69M) gets the quality treatment that the reputable UK based Soul Jazz Records has bestowed upon this prolific producer.

I'm hoping this collection is just a first of a many volumed series that will be compiled by Mr. Moulton since arguably, there is more than enough material in his distinguished discography that could / should be reintroduced to a public with a growing thirst for quality dance music.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This will change your mind about remixes!, April 22, 2006

By 

MC_5 (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tom Moulton Mix (Audio CD)

I am generally not a huge fan of remixes. Generally, I find that if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Songs like "Keep On Truckin'" and "More, More, More" are already musical *masterpieces*, so why tinker with them? Would someone walk up to the Mona Lisa and change the color of her hair? When most people think of remixes, they think of the typical lazy club mix, with a song being layered with a bunch of incongruous beats, lasting for 12 minutes, repeating the same thing over and over. But not Tom Moulton. His approach to mixing songs is to understand WHY the original song was worth mixing again, pick out the elements of the song that make them so beloved by people, and to manipulate the song so that it is both familiar, retaining its original charm, but different, and worth listening to closely. His approach is very respectful of the originals, and I am actually preferring some of his mixes over the originals, which is really saying quite a lot!

This CD is pretty expensive (for a CD), but if you know and like any of the original songs on this compilation, I am sure that you will adore this. And even if you are totally unfamiliar with the songs on this album, you will undoubtedly find some gems on here that will makes buying this album a gamble that will pay off in spades.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good compilation, January 6, 2007

By 

Rogelio Zafra "[e-mail]" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tom Moulton Mix (Audio CD)

If you are a Disco collector and also like rare soul 12" disco music, I strongly recommend this product. I bought because of Al Downing "I'll be holding on". I had it already, but I would like an extended version. Unfortunately, it is like "Rock the boat" by Hues Corporation, no extented version. However, you will find increadible rare tracks in extended versions like, Keep on Truckin (11:14), You've got the power (7:44), Moonboots (9:31) e much more.