GRAND 12" , Vol. 3-Updated: Vol.4 Released!

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

BTW, I've spoken with Ben Last week and he's following all of your comments on this board.

He's very satisfied with the feedback so keep 'em coming.

The irony of this passed me by originally. The one guy who's lambasted the latest compilation gets to talk to the compiler.

Still, he can always email me at &%#$**£$"@aol.com

[Videoskooter]

Sun-Tzu.
Art Of War.

"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer"

[Videoskooter]

OMG, quick another reply, the counter of this thread was on 666! I guess i saved the world again!

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

OMG, quick another reply, the counter of this thread was on 666! I guess i saved the world again!

I told you to stop playing with that witchcraft

[Videoskooter]

Originally Posted by Bernie

I told you to stop playing with that witchcraft

Witchcraft is so cool!

[euroflash]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Liebrand is pretty down to earth really, has great first-hand knowledge including the re-mixing and production of BIG disco hits and therefore his output is commercially more astute. He doesn't live his life up his own ass!!!

I would like to echo QUINNY's comments and also add that Ben Liebrand has a great attention to detail, (and also understanding how dance tracks should sound), when mastering tracks for his releases . I have quite a few tracks from his Grand series in original 12", and they don't sound nearly as great as on this CD compilation. i think it is a very good value, and high quality production.

[Videoskooter]

BTW, Ben is still looking for masters of vintage classics and will put online a new request form in the near future.

Professional contact:
liebrand@euronet.nl

http://www.discomusic.com/people-more/6570_0_11_0_C77/

[QUINNY]

I'm bumping this to the top 'cos.....tah dah!!!!.....

Grand 12-inches Vol. 4 is out in a couple of week's time.

No full track list yet, but I do know that War's Galaxy is one of the tracks, so I'll be buying it just for that. Let's hope there are some other sought after tracks too (the Quick, Nick Straker maybe?) and it keeps up the excellent record so far of this series.

Videoskooter edit: Quinny, I updated the original thread title, otherwise people won't know that the 4th edition is coming up! Thx for mentioning this new great Liebrand release!

[euroflash]

This is a full tracklisting for the Volume 4 and track background info (I find it useful):

Amazon-U.S. | Amazon-U.K.

12 INCHES 4

CD 1 (The Funky Grooves)

1 Michael Jackson - BillyJean 6:25 (original 12" version)
2 War - Galaxy 8:11
3 A Taste Of Honey-Boogie Oogie Oogie 5:34 (original 12" version)
4 Heatwave - Grooveline 7:29 (original 12" version)
5 Chic - Le Freak 5:33 (original 12" version)
6 Jimmy BoHorne - Spank 6:59 (original 12" version)
7 Peter Brown - They Only Come Out At Night 6:24 (original 12" version)
8 Sister Sledge - He's The Greatest Dancer 6:05 (original 12" version)
9 Billy Ocean - Stay The Night 6:15 (original 12" version)
10 Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can't Turn Around Suite 17:14 (Special Ben Liebrand Edit)

CD 2 (From relaxed to energetic)

1 Grace Jones - La vie en rose 7:28 (original 12" version)
2 Change - You Are My Melody 6:24 (original 12" version)
3 World Premiere - Share The Night 7:26 (original 12" version)
4 BB&Q Band - Genie 6:00 (original 12" version)
5 Aretha Franklin - Who Zoomin Who 8:36 (original 12" version)
6 Deodato - Fire in thge sky 6:48 (original 12" version)
7 Peter Jacques Band - Going dancing down the steet 5:51 (original 12" version)
8 Earth, Wind & Fire - System Of Survival 7:41 (original 12" version)
9 Jacksons - Walk Right Now 7:39 (original 12" version)
10 The 3 Degrees - The Runner 7:40
(rare funky long version)

[b]CD 3 (My Sequencer based roots)1 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Produced by Bobby Orlando) 7:51 (original 12" version)
2 Bobby "O" - She Has A Way 5:50 (original 12" version)
3 The Mike Theodore Orchestra - High On Mad Mountain 8:14 (Full Length Version)
4 Divine - Native Love (Step By Step) 5:07 (original 12" version)
5 Bobby "O" - ImSoHotForYou 5:11 (original 12" version)
6 Azoto - San Salvador 6:55 (original 12" version)
7 Easy Going - Fear 7:52 (Full Length Album Version)
8 Midway - Set It Out 6:39 (original 12" version)
9 Flirts - Passion 9:02 (original 12" version)
10 Hot.R.S. - House of The Rising Sun 14:40 (Full length version)

[b]CD 4 (Alternative and Pop)

1 Georg Kranz - Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa) 6:19 (original 12" version)
2 Roy Ayers feat. Ubiquity - Running Away 6:56 (original 12" version)
3 Level 42 - Love Games 7:26 (original 12" version)
4 MaiTai - History 7:19 (original 12" version by Rutger Kroese)
5 Mantronix - Got To Have Your Love 8:24
6 Pointer Sisters - Automatic 6:08 (original 12" version)
7 Quincy Jones - Ai No Corrida (I-No-Ko-ree-da) 6:16 (original 12" version)
8 GQ - Disco Nights 5:15 (original 12" version)
9 Laid Back - White Horse 5:45 (original 12" version)
10 Jam & Spoon-Follow Me 12:29 (original 12" version)
11 George Kranz - Din Daa Daa (Acappella / Dub-Version) 3:06

Amazon-U.S. | Amazon-U.K.

Some background info

1 Michael Jackson - BillyJean 6:25 (original 12" version)
Taken from the original analog production tape as originally issued. No pumped processing on this true master.
2 War - Galaxy 8:11
"To A Nuclear Blast And A Super Sonic Sound" It just doesn't get any better than this.
3 A Taste Of Honey-Boogie Oogie Oogie 5:34 (original 12" version)
Great Funky Bassline, Superb Funkyness from a time where you didn't just listen to music, you really experienced it!
4 Heatwave - Grooveline 7:29 (original 12" version)
The moment I heard that sequencer bass come in, I was hooked to it.
5 Chic - Le Freak 5:33 (original 12" version)
Rodgers & Edwards dressed to a T, ready to meet Grace Jones at the New Years Eve Party at Studio 54. They never made it as the doorman wouldn't let them in. Can you imagine that? Slushing back through the snow, good shoes ruined, they arrive back and instantly decide on writing their frustrations away. All the rage bundled in 2 words, "F*ck Off" followed a funky riff. Lucky for us that they changed it to "Freak Out" after all.
6 Jimmy BoHorne - Spank 6:59 (original 12" version)
Solid Pumpin' Disco. Wild edits and truly spankin' percussion. Hearing this is enough to remeber the exact pattern of the dancefloor under your feet at the time.
7 Peter Brown - They Only Come Out At Night 6:24 (original 12" version)
Linn-drum pumpin' along. Great syncopated break, but hell to mix out of...
8 Sister Sledge - He's The Greatest Dancer 6:05 (original 12" version)
A Rodgers & Edwards master piece which along with "We are family" restarted the early career of Sister Sledge. This track was also sampled in Will Smiths' "Gettin Jiggy Wit it".
9 Billy Ocean - Stay The Night 6:15 (original 12" version)
Even before Billy ocean became famous with a wide audience in the mid 80's he already showed what it took to get there with this solid piece of dance music.
10 Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can't Turn Around Suite 17:14 (Special Ben Liebrand Edit)
Adding the Club and the Dub mix, get ready for more than 17 minutes of Love Ca't Turn Around in supreme master quality.
CD 2 (Form relaxed to energetic)

1 Grace Jones - La vie en rose 7:28 (original 12" version)
Miss Jones gathered a huge gay following right from the start. La Vie En Rose became an instant classic in the scene. just after a high energy section in the evening i'd play this and mix it to Jean Michel Jarre's Magnetic Fields keeping a packed dancefloor all the time. Talking about eclectic....
2 Change - You Are My Melody 6:24 (original 12" version)
Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Change had one of it's last succeses in 1984. Jam & Lewis went on but unfortunately the Jaques Fred petrus Empire finally crumbled.
3 World Premiere - Share The Night 7:26 (original 12" version)
1983 saw this great funky laid-back dance track with great break and solos.
4 BB&Q Band - Genie 6:00 (original 12" version)
Change along with the BB and Q band originated from Jacques Fred Petrus, who was also responsible for the Peter Jaques Band. As it turns out . This beauty appeared in the last years of his reign. Although Jacques Fred Petrus was credited for production it actually was Mauro Malavasi who took care of that the most.
5 Aretha Franklin - Who Zoomin Who 8:36 (original 12" version)
A nice clean production with great vocals by miss Franklin
6 Deodato - Fire in the sky 6:48 (original 12" version)
A must in any collection featuring tight production and great vocals.
7 Peter Jacques Band - Going dancing down the steet 5:51 (original 12" version)
And a 3rd track from the Jaques Fred Petrus stable. The Peter Jacques Band was a studio project from day one. Subsequent albums used different musicians.
8 Earth, Wind & Fire - System Of Survival 7:41 (original 12" version)
This is E,W & F in the mid 80's. Tight production and great sounds. Samples, Vocoders and everything that dominated the dance floors at that time.
9 Jacksons - Walk Right Now 7:39 (original 12" version)
Frantic energetic and uplifting. tight sounding drums and synth sounds ahead of their time. Sirenes in the break and great stabs. 10 The 3 Degrees - The Runner 7:40
(rare funky long version)
The 8:13 Moroder sound version was still not to be found but I did come across this extended funky bass version which I had not heard before. Couldn't find any reference to it on the web, but it is cool!
CD 3 (My Sequencer based roots)

1 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Produced by Bobby Orlando) 7:51 (original 12" version)
Proud to finally be able to present several of Bobby "O"s finest productions, here is the first.
A year before the Pet Shop Boys came to fame with West End Girls, there already had been a version out produced by the legendary Bobby Orlando. That version is presented here. This is a vinyl transfer as nowhere a true master could be found. And believe me I tried, I harrased the Japanese, bugged 2 German companies and even consulted the source, mister Orlando's Management in the states but unfortunately no real master.
Also other releases on CD turned out to be taken from vinyl. So this pretty much is the best there is.
2 Bobby "O" - She Has A Way 5:50 (original 12" version)
Korg Drum Machines, PPounding sequencer's , pumping compressor limiters, Bobby Orlando at his best!
3 The Mike Theodore Orchestra - High On Mad Mountain 8:14 (Full Length Version)
Orchestarl Disco in it's finest form, Great Strings and Horns, A four to the flour beat and great choir vocals made this track to one of my favorites in one of my favorite era's when people simply came to dance and live the music.
4 Divine - Native Love (Step By Step) 5:07 (original 12" version)
Yet another great Bobby "O " production launching Divine into a short but memorable period of stardom.
5 Bobby "O" - ImSoHotForYou 5:11 (original 12" version)
Whilst we are at it the next Bobby O track with those thumping Korg drumcomputer sounds.
6 Azoto - San Salvador 6:55 (original 12" version)
Latin sounds straight from Italy. It was the loudest sounding 12" at the time.
7 Easy Going - Fear 7:52 (Full Length Album Version)
Vinyl transfer by Frans van de Kamp as not even de original Italien company had anything resembling a master.
8 Midway - Set It Out 6:39 (original 12" version)
Taken from a true master DAT recording the best version you'll ever hear.
9 Flirts - Passion 9:02 (original 12" version)
As fresh as ever and in superb quality. 2 well placed edits make the build up logical again in clear sections of 8 bars making iit much easier to mix in. A legendary dance track and a true must-have..
10 Hot.R.S. - House of The Rising Sun 14:40 (Full length version)
A classic for the true collector. Here presented it it's full length. Electronic Disco from South Africa. For the Grandmix fans', the sounds that start the "classicsmix" intro are from the track "Slowblow" on the B-side.

CD 4 (Alternative and Pop)

1 Georg Kranz - Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa) 6:19 (original 12" version)
Finally a master recording of this track so you don't have to listen o that nasty vinyl transfer that has spread over the world on some CD's
As a bonus, the Acappeela / Dub version is also included as track 11.
2 Roy Ayers feat. Ubiquity - Running Away 6:56 (original 12" version)
Excellent track which would fit any relaxed house set. Nice continuous groove and vocals that sound totally as if they were meant to work on the dancefloor right now. Great fender rhodes chords sounding totally retro up-to-date. Good stuff!
3 Level 42 - Love Games 7:26 (original 12" version)
Mark King playing the bass like a god. Slap that bass! Saw them perfrom in Cartouche back then. The stage was only a foot and a half high and people where so close to the band members that you could touch the strings of his bass without even having to reach.
4 MaiTai - History 7:19 (original 12" version by Rutger Kroese)
Dutch production by Eric van Tijn and Jochem Fluitsma. This 12 version was made by Rutger Kroese.
Rutger, always going his own dourse kind of dissappeared without trace.
If you know where he is....
5 Mantronix - Got To Have Your Love 8:24 (Club mix with bonus beats)
Lightyears ahead of the competition this track still sounds as if it were completed today.
6 Pointer Sisters - Automatic 6:08 (original 12" version)
Although you do encounter this track now and then, it hardly ever is the 12" version. So here it is!
7 Quincy Jones - Ai No Corrida (I-No-Ko-ree-da) 6:16 (original 12" version)
Chas Jankel's original is also great, but here is master-producer Quincy Jones' remake from 1981
8 GQ - Disco Nights 5:15 (original 12" version)
This track appears in many forms and lengths, this one however sounded the most un-processed, un-remixed and authentic.
9 Laid Back - White Horse 5:45 (original 12" version)
The A-side being a sugar sweet reggea track called Sunshine Reggea, it was this B-side why everyone jumped on Laid Back.
Totally wacked, crazy out of your skull electronic Disco. A bit noisy it does sound, but perhaps that is one of the nice we-don't-give-a-rat's-derriere things about it
10 Jam & Spoon-Follow Me 12:29 (original 12" version)
By now you should know that this series is not a regular dance classics series. It is the stuff Ben Liebrand is made of and being a DJ for almost 30 years I come across many styles and inflluences, not only very old ones but also some more recent stuff. This is an example of such a track that simply is true inspiration to even the most experienced and wordly DJ's. No conventions here, no standard build-up, no rules, no limits, no boundaries, no worn out sounds, no more-of-the-same, no let's-please-the-A&R-guy, no let's-stick-to-this tempo, no need for continuing drums, with propably "the mother of open trance breaks without drums".
Respect!
11 George Kranz - Din Daa Daa (Acappella / Dub-Version) 3:06
As promised, the acappella/dub mix just as rare as the original and here presented in the best quality that was to be found (including contacting Georg himself) Special thanks to Stefan Trapp :)


Amazon-U.S. | Amazon-U.K.

[paul]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

I'm bumping this to the top 'cos.....tah dah!!!!.....

Grand 12-inches Vol. 4 is out in a couple of week's time.

No full track list yet, but I do know that War's Galaxy is one of the tracks, so I'll be buying it just for that. Let's hope there are some other sought after tracks too (the Quick, Nick Straker maybe?) and it keeps up the excellent record so far of this series.

Gee Quinny, I would have thought you had 3 copies of Galaxy.
Thanks for posting the list euroflash. Looking at the listing, I'll pass on this collection. Everything in this collection that I like I already have, some with longer versions.

[euroflash]

Originally Posted by paul

Looking at the listing, I'll pass on this collection. Everything in this collection that I like I already have, some with longer versions.

You are most welcome, Paul. I am in the same boat as you are, well, almost I wish I could reduce this 4-CD set to a double CD with the tracks that I'd love to have. One thing about these CDs from Liebrand: his claims to sound quality are very credible. It is likely the best sound one can get on CDs from those classic tracks. His sound mastering skills are only exceeded by his mixing skills, IMHO.

[Videoskooter]

Originally Posted by euroflash

I wish I could reduce this 4-CD set to a double CD with the tracks that I'd love to have.

Yes and no! I usually get that feeling too when the new tracklist is announced but I never regret buying this series coz' there's always stuff I don't have and like you state, the sound quality is superb!

So I'll sure get a copy and I hope Ben will continue this excellent compilation concept!

Amazon-U.S. | Amazon-U.K.

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by paul

Gee Quinny, I would have thought you had 3 copies of Galaxy.
Thanks for posting the list euroflash. Looking at the listing, I'll pass on this collection. Everything in this collection that I like I already have, some with longer versions.

Paul: I have the 12" of course and I have part of it on a CD (I think on one of the Choice series, which was mixed), but haven't seen it anywhere else on CD (not sure whether or not War's greatest hits was the 12" version ...so didn't buy it).
Hell, I've got most of the tracks on this CD in 12" or CD form or both, but I'm still gonna buy it for (a) sound quality and (b) the fact that sooo many good tracks are on one CD set. It'll make things easier for me when I'm looking for something good to play, in the dark of a club setting and with only 30 secs or less of the current track, to go.:icon _biggrin:

[paul]

Well, I do agree that the sound quality is superb and perhaps that reason enough to buy it

[mrkick20000]

Hi, I appreciate the information. I had bought all the 3 boxes, and found them very nice because they include some rare tunes with, of course, high sound quality. In case of Vol.4, such 12'' tracks as ''Walk Right Now,'' ''The Runner,'' ''Easy Going'' and ''House Of The Rising Sun'' are not on any CD, I believe. I also already have almost all the other tunes, and the 4-CD set is too much for me.... But I decided to buy it due to the rarity.