Walter Gibbons Disco Madness

[sanfrandisco]

Hey all!

I'm not sure if anyone has already posted this info, but today I picked up the Salsoul "Disco Madness" compilation mixed by Walter Gibbons on CD!

It's released via Unidisc, catalog no. AGEK-2495. The cover and tracklisting seem to be identical to the original vinyl release. I was originally hesitant to pick it up since all the songs already appear on the "Mixed With Love" 3-CD compilation on Suss'd. However, the tracks on this CD seem to have much better sound quality than the versions that appear on the "Mixed With Love" release (to my semi-picky ears at least!)

I also ended up picking up "Disco Boogie", "Inner Life" and "Inner Life II" on CD. These all seem to be a new batch of releases that Unidisc is putting out, but I can't find any info on them. Their website is not very useful at the moment.

Cheers,

Francis // DJ San Fran
DJSanFran
www.myspace.com/djsanfrandisco

[neonlights]

Welcome to the forum!

I've been meaning to get this one, glad to know it's of good quality!.. I was also somewhat disappointed with the sound quality on those otherwise excellent Salsoul compilations by Suss'd.. Great artwork, liner notes and track selections, too bad they couldn't seem to get master tapes for a lot of it.

I recently bought a couple of those Unidisc reissues (Salsoul Orchestra - How High and Larry Levan's Greatest Mixes Vol. 2), and I've been quite happy with the sound quality as well.. I first came across a few of those reissues back in '05.. Shortly after, I was surprised to find out that they had reissued not just a few, but a whole slew of Salsoul albums! For whatever reason, it's as if they've been released in secret or something.. They seem to be more widely available now, but I remember really having to do some hunting in order to track down copies..

[Disco Funk]

Is Suss'd the label that put out the Walter Gibbons anthology? They like to put those squares on their covers? Those guys are terrible! I think they just license the tracks, and then source them from already released CDs or vinyl reissues they've acquired. The Disco Madness tracks on that compilation sounded exactly like the repressing that's been floating around.

The verdict is still out in my books if Unidisc uses master tapes exclusively or if they use both vinyl and master tape sources. Some of the releases did have a slight crackle in the recordings, which sounded like vinyl, but I wonder if old master tape doesn't have the same sound?

One thing I really like about Unidisc is that their CDs are value-added. By that, I mean, they don't just use 40 minutes on a CD that can hold 80 min worth of music by just having the album. They put on 12" mixes, 7" mixes, etc... The people who run that place really empathize with the collector, which is why I respect their work, even if it's not always master tape quality.

They still haven't released all of the Salsoul albums I've been hoping to get. That Claudja Barry remix album of Sweet Dynamite is one that hasn't been released by them. Other than that, I think they've pretty much put out every Salsoul album onto CD.

I should add that the Disco Madness reissue was of a very very good quality, but the last couple of tracks did seem to have 'choppy' moments. Nothing too glaring, but it would have been nice if the source material was perfectly clean.

Disco Funk

[neonlights]

I like that value-added aspect of the Unidisc reissues too. The fact that they're doing actual albums is a plus. No matter how nicely packaged, most of the time, I'd rather have an album reissue than a bunch of compilations.. just my preference..

Graham_Start would be the expert on this, but I remember in older discussions it was suggested that some Unidisc reissues or parts of them sounded like they were mastered from cassette. I don't know for sure obviously, but it seems to explain the somewhat muddy sound that individual tracks on some older Unidisc compilations/reissues seem to have (one that comes to mind: Jeanette 'Lady' Day's "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy" off Rare Preludes 2).

I'd love to see that Claudja Barry album on CD too.. I don't think Salsoul even owns the rights to it, or most of the European records they licensed and remixed, anymore. On one of the Salsoul/Suss'd compilations that I did buy, the Claudja Barry tracks were licensed from Jurgen Korduletch's Radikal Records. I suppose that explains why Unidisc didn't reissue it with this batch.. Still, I hope it's something Unidisc or some other label will do at some point..

[Westwood]

I'm watering at the mouth...where is the best place to find these Unidisc cds, I always thought they were really cheap, by the name, or maybe I am mistaking them for something that sounds similar.
Or am I thinking of the "collectables" series lol.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Just my 2 cents, but... Unidisc did (during the flood of SPEC series releases in the 90's) Master from original tapes, as well as from vinyl sources. It depended on whom they were licensing from. The First Choice, Moroder and Soccio stuff came from original tapes (or copies of them). Singles like "Lady Bump", "Nice And Slow", Undecided Love", etc... Came from vinyl transfers. It was always a crap-shoot, as to the source.

[Westwood]

Just my 2 cents, but... Unidisc did (during the flood of SPEC series releases in the 90's) Master from original tapes, as well as from vinyl sources. It depended on whom they were licensing from. The First Choice, Moroder and Soccio stuff came from original tapes (or copies of them). Singles like "Lady Bump", "Nice And Slow", Undecided Love", etc... Came from vinyl transfers. It was always a crap-shoot, as to the source.

Then I guess best to ask here before buying.

[DonaldCleveland]

Funny how this thread is intersecting with the Salsoul SUSS'D thread.

GET THE CURRENT WAVE OF SALSOUL RELEASES FROM UNIDISC.
They DO sound better even than previous Unidisc releases of the same titles. That ARE value-added with the additions of 12" mixes where appropriate. and not one or two...in some cases 4 or 5 mixes are added.

The Unidisc website is NOT helpful. However you can get the releases from AimMusicShop.com

GOOD LUCK.

[Disco Funk]

Funny how this thread is intersecting with the Salsoul SUSS'D thread.

GET THE CURRENT WAVE OF SALSOUL RELEASES FROM UNIDISC.
They DO sound better even than previous Unidisc releases of the same titles. That ARE value-added with the additions of 12" mixes where appropriate. and not one or two...in some cases 4 or 5 mixes are added.

The Unidisc website is NOT helpful. However you can get the releases from AimMusicShop.com

GOOD LUCK.

I love Unidisc! They essentially released every Salsoul album onto CD. I don't think they missed any, except may the Claudja Barry stuff, which was originally released on Lollipop, but remixed and released on Salsoul. And yup they totally have the best value added CDs of any company out there, including various 12" mixes along with the LP mixes. One of the Bunny Sigler CDs they did has 4 different versions of By The Way You Dance, and I think only 2 of them were ever put to vinyl!

The Unidisc hasn't been updated since the 90s, I think.

The Disco Madness CD is pretty good quality. Much better than the repress that I bought a few years ago.

Disco Funk