Search - Gladys Knight & The Pips :: Gold

Another great album destroyed by the "loudness war"

Pedro Corbett | Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL | 07/01/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"And they did it again... It seems that Sony/BMG/Universal Music, through their many labels (like Hip-O, under which this album was released), are becoming the leaders of the infamous "loudness war" (Google the expression for more info). Basically, that means mastering the CD with the audio normalized beyond the CD format dynamic range limits. That way, on many of the songs, louder parts are simply clipped, that is, those audio frequencies are simply not present anymore, because the audio was mastered so loud that the audio was clipped (cut off) when it reached the limit the CD format allows, and those frequencies are irreparably lost in the process. The idea is to deceive the average consumer into thinking that he is getting a better sounding recording, when it's the exact opposite - it's just louder, and worse - with parts of the audio actually missing.



I've just received the CD set and ran a full audio analysis of the "On And On" track. There are at least 446 clipped samples on the left channel and at least 264 on the right channel. To see the sound carnage for yourself, just extract the track and open it with an audio editor like Cool Edit, zoom in on the clipped sections, and see the poor sound wave cut off into a flat line, with the sound it was meant to reproduce completely LOST."

And for once, all the right versions!!

Jonathan W. Schult | Mass. Park, NY | 06/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Universal/Hip-O Records continues its sublime reissue series "Gold" with the first 2-cd career-spanning collection by Gladys Knight and the Pips, and it is a winner through and through. Unlike Motown's previous "Anthology" issues, which contained re-recorded versions of their early hits, this one is the real deal. It includes the original Huntom/Vee Jay version of "Every Beat of My Heart", as well as the Fury/Maxx versions of "Letter Full of Tears" and "Giving Up", before going through the major Motown hits, the Buddah years, their Columbia rennaisance, their graceful bow-out at MCA, and onto Gladys' solo years. My only beef is that it is missing the sublime "Operator" and the 80s CBS sleeper "When You're Far Away", but gives over the spotlight to such under appreciated gems as "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" and the transcendent "So Sad the Song" from Gladys' acting debut "Pipe Dreams". All in all, probably my favorite "Gold" cd, and a worthwhile addition to anyone's collection, whether as an introduction or as (Finally!!) an addition to one's music collection."

The Ultimate Gladys Knight & The Pips

John L. Hughes, Jr. | Nashville, TN | 05/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The excellent Universal Music Group GOLD series continues with this great collection of classic cuts by Gladys Knight & The Pips. What makes this compilation so special is that it contains all but three of the group's top-20 r&b hits (the three not on this collection are 1968's "Didn't You Know You Have To Cry Sometime" and "I Wish It Would Rain", and 1978's "It's A Better Than Good Time"). With improved sound and always great liner notes, GOLD is definitely the perfect introduction to this legendary group."