Anonymous wrote:

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From Hip-o Select

http://www.hip-oselect.com/scr.public.product.asp?product_id=8893C217-A6A5-4542-8038-206B777FF75A

This looks good but they missed some stuff...the single mixes of Born To Wander, Celebrate, Hum Along and the single edit of Big Brother. It's a start I suppose :)

Man, I really want to see Live In Chicago. 

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Darn,

I forgot to put my name on that post.

If this sells well, we might very well see Live In Chicago. It's a start John

Mike's project must have prompted this!! Hey Mike I told you if you invented that story it'd work :)))

Errors? Spotted two so far: "Ron" Richards and "I Can't Believe What Happened Last Night"

Richard wrote:

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I agree with John, Thank's Harry..........The only thing this set has to offer that none of us have is One World/Willie on CD

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You all will have it soon :)

And this set doesn't have the 45 edit/version of Big Brother either.

UK Dave wrote:

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Richard, this has to be another?

In 1973, Ma, with Norman Whitfield at the helm, was the last album to feature this Rare Earth lineup.

So what about Band Together and Grand Slam?

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Whoever writes this stuff doesn't know their ass from their elbow.
They should've let me do this set...wishful thinking.

I know what you mean John.

Folks, if this sells well enough it could very well justify a release of unreleased stuff. I emailed UMG about this and I was told:

"we may get there, we'll see how this  release goes".

Fingers crossed.

John wrote:

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Anthology was out in 1995, if that has not sold well enough by now I don't know what will.  Lets face it they are havin a joke. We are going back and not forward!  Yes and JP2 is right where is Dreams Answers.........Ma is pointless.
Universal get in touch and I will tell you where the unreleased stuff is lol.

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I know how you feel John and I agree. Unreleased is the way to go.

I'm taking a bit of a different stance on this. We've been very critical of Universal on this forum, particularly the way they keep launching the same material repeatedly under different guises. We've even talked about Hip O releasing material by less successful Motown artists.

Now, I don't know if they have a spy on this site or not, but now we have this set coming out. I think Hip O should be applauded. True, it might not go all the way towards satisfying our wishlists, but we haven't even seen it yet and we're already turning our noses up.

Like Mike, I see it as a start. If this sells really well it might pave the way for a follow-up release of live stuff. This would be the opportunity to include Live in Chicago. Maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that Rare Earth In Concert was omitted from the new release?

Personally the 35 page booklet sounds appetising. I just hope its not litered with too many errors and spelling mistakes!!

There's a couple of things I'd really like to know though:
(a) Did Peter, Gil or Ray have any prior knowledge of this release or are they just finding out like us?

(b) Is it just a co-incidence that this arrives hot on the heels of "Brand New World" or is it clever marketing by Universal?

(c) Did the anonymous person who was giving Mike such grief about the needledrop project earlier this year have anything to do with Hip O or this impending release?

The people at Hip O clearly read our postings because on the blurb posted on the David Nathan Soul site some of the errors on their original press release have been amended, the power of Rare Earth World lol.

I seem to remember Gil saying he met Harry at the Motown 50th bash and that they were going to make contact with each other, perhaps they did and this is the result?.

Yes John is right, to include MA in this set is pointless, how many times has this CD been re issued down the years, must be at least 5 times to my knowledge, in fact I don't think it has ever been out of print..... So I send a  messege to Universal/Hip O etc....HELLO, RARE EARTH FANS HAVE THIS CD............

HEY GUYS!!

WOULD HURT TO PUT THE WHOLE SONG SELECTIONS OF DREAMS/ANSWERS..SAY MAYBE ON YOU TUBE??? THIS MIGHT GIVE THE PUBLIC OF WHAT THEY ARE MISSING..I JUST WISH I HAD THE RESOURSES TO DO THAT...

MARK M

Don't worry I rate Mr Shoeshine like the planet zorg hahahha thats why I said it!  He should be working at Universal or perhaps he already is! 

Is it true that any one who posts critisim regarding this set on soulful detroit are having their postings removed?

On Sunday there was a problem with the "Fill Your Head" thread on the Soulful Detroit Forum. There were no items removed, but of the 13 items on the thread at that time, only the first four items could be scrolled down to and read. There was nothing sinister in this, and the problem has now been rectified.
My posting of four days ago can now be read there, but what I had written - with minor changes- was as follows:

Don't Hip-oSelect want to make a profit? It seems to me that it would have made strong business sense to increase sales at very little extra cost by adding a few previously-unreleased tracks. I would love to own this release, but as I have all the contents on vynyl, I can't justify the expenditure for the sake of getting everyhing on CD and for the booklet. A few extra tracks that I haven't got already would have made this collection worthwhile.

Anthology  ....1995.....13 years later............are they still testing the water?

Mike wrote "...if this sells well enough, it could pave the way for...unreleased material".

But  the inclusion of unreleased material would result in increased sales now, not at some indeterminate future time. There was absolutely nothing to lose by it, and everything to gain. This would have been a very low-risk strategy, which would have almost certainly resulted in an immediately favourable positive cash-flow.

Diehard fans are always over critical and don't realize that projects like this are more geared towards the casual fan.  If anything we should all be thrilled that "One World" & "Willie Remembers" are getting a proper release on CD.

That being said, I sure would have liked to have seen Dreams/Answers or In Concert.

Those of you hoping for Live In Chicago - I just don't see that happening.  First of all the setlist is too similar to In Concert and that would be released first.

In terms of future releases, it would be wise for everyone here to buy this set...

TCMS part 2...The Complete Motown Singles :)

Jocko,

How is the sound quality?  Especially curious about "One World".  I'm gonna order a copy this week.

-JP2

Sorry to say this but Fill Your Head With Dirt will be the last Rare Earth CD from their Motown era.

What ever has been promised by certain persons within Universal will not happen. The sales of this CD will not matter one bit. 

Those that buy it, enjoy!

The only chance of more material coming out would be through an independant source. 

John wrote:

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Sorry to say this but Fill Your Head With Dirt will be the last Rare Earth CD from their Motown era.

What ever has been promised by certain persons within Universal will not happen. The sales of this CD will not matter one bit. 

Those that buy it, enjoy!

The only chance of more material coming out would be through an independant source. 

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Hi John,

Don't get me wrong but how do you know this for sure?

I was told if this sells well enough, there could be other releases.

I do feel your pain because I, like you, desire unreleased material.

I found this Amazon review by "Bob" which is worth a read.

For over twenty-five years, Rare Earth fans have been subjected to a slew of partial CD catalog reissues, bootlegs and compilations, all featuring a wide dichotomy of mastering quality, and none delivering either a complete or satisfying picture.

Therefore, the announcement of this box set by Hip-O Select was a fortuitous portent: We, the long-suffering, would FINALLY have the five primary Motown studio albums (Get Ready, Ecology, One World, Willie Remembers & Ma, plus singles and rare tracks) in matched audio. That Hip-O has developed a reputation for decent remastering made the imminent release even more welcome.

Unfortunately, in just about every department, this set falls depressingly short.

First, and most importantly, the audio. I have always used the excellent 2001 Millennium Collection remastered compilation CD (the only one to include "Get Ready" and "Ma" in their original full-length versions) as a comparison disc. However, A/B'ing against that disc, it was immediately obvious the Hip-O versions were mastered without regard to the dynamic range of the original material.

This is glaringly apparent in long version of "Get Ready": On the Millennium CD, all the instruments are perfectly balanced, with none being dominant. Pete Rivera's kick drum also gave that version a great bottom.

On the Hip-O disc, the drums are buried, the kick is muffled, and the individual instruments have been greatly magnified in volume. Accordingly, the previously slight, studio-added artificial ambient echo (that simulated a live performance environment) is also increased, but to the point of annoyance: "Get Ready" now sounds like it was recorded in a toilet bowl.

(Although I have referred to my A/B set-up in previous Amazon reviews, I should reiterate that my comparisons are made on two Sony XA7 transports, simultaneously running into a Camelot Uther DAC via matching Acoustic Zen coax cables, and monitored thru Sennheiser 590's.)

Then there's the set itself, made entirely from cardboard and paper. The design of the package is really sub-par; the outer "box" is actually just a flimsy sleeve. The inner section containing the discs was probably better conceptually than in actuality: It's a single-piece, five-part, multi-fold affair, each section replicating the original front and rear LP artwork, but the sections don't line up straight when folded. Also, as it is accordion-like, and by nature wants to force itself open, each end is going to exert pressure on the inside of the box as the insert is removed/reinserted to access the discs. Therefore, in time, the nice glossy finish probably won't remain so, which obviously never occurred to Mr. or Ms. Set Designer.

Strangely, Hip-O chose to duplicate the exact same album front/rear art replications again in the booklet... Why? A better idea would have been three separate "mini-sleeve"-type internal disc jackets, which would have provided the necessary six print sides for the five studio album covers and the front art for this set. The remaining rear LP artwork could have been easily consigned to the booklet.

I'm all for "eco-friendly packaging", but the set just screams "CHEAP" at an exorbitant price; seventy bucks for three discs and cardboard? I'm sorry, but I own 100+ box sets, and I can't think of another set that is such a low-grade product at this price point (even both the loathsome Beatles Capitol Years boxes had a lower list price than this set, and they each had four discs... OF THE BEATLES!). You really have to hope other reissue houses aren't taking a page from Hip-O's book on this one, as it establishes a new low on the expectations scale.

Unfortunately, this will probably be the last word for Rare Earth aficionados, and it's a limited edition to boot. So, if you've ever wanted the complete primary studio repertoire, with rarities, in remastered form, this will probably be the only way you'll ever get it... You almost HAVE to buy the bloody thing.

When this set was first announced, I had moved all of my Rare Earth CD's to the "sell" shelf. I was so eager I impulsively ordered it direct from Hip-O at list price, plus shipping (which would have been free thru Amazon), rather than wait the extra two weeks for it to debut here.

However, I now inhabit the same frame of mind when remitting payment for an expensive meal I didn't enjoy: Extreme and annoyed disappointment (which is French for "ripped off"). I have since restored the various individual CD's to my collection, and the "Millennium" disc will remain my primary source CD.

Hip-O blew this one. Breaks my heart. And hopefully, not a sign of all things Hip-O to come.

Track 13 on CD 1 of the FILL YOUR HEAD collection is titled "Love Shines Down (Rivera, Monette) 4:01", but the track is nothing more than an edited version of track 1, "Magic Key (Bridges, Folick) 3:41". I'm thinking I have a screwed up pressing.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Mike

Aren't reviews all about peoples opinions?, this is "Bob's" take on Fill Your Head which he is perfectly entitled to make.

Forget the sound for a moment and deal with the packaging and price.  The packaging is a let down and the  price is ridiculous for 3cd's and I won't even be buying it, lol.

Jocko- Thanks for info on the FILL YOU HEAD collection + the tip about that other forum.  I will have to check that one out!

I am not  happy about the messed-up up track though & am waiting to hear back from Hip-O-Select.