Invictus/Hotwax -- Not So Hot
Eugene Bentley | Des Moines, Iowa United States | 07/16/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"About 20 years ago I found the Hot Wax portion on LP vinyl in a budget I was then thrilled when I saw it released on cd coupled with the Invictus companion album WITH bonus tracks. The Invictus portion was pretty good although they used the mono versions on some of the hits like 8th Day's 'She's Not Just Another Woman'. Freda Payne's are all in stereo as well as Chairmen Of the Board's. I didn't own the Invictus L.P. so I can't judge whether those are the exact versions used.
However, the Hot Wax portion was deeply disappointing. The original LP was entirely in stereo and the cd version is not. While the Honeycone tracks were intact and in stereo they used the mono single edit of 100 Proof Aged In Soul's 'Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed' which cuts it a couple of minutes short. The original Hot Wax album used the expanded stereo version. They also used the mono version of Silent Majority's 'Frightened Girl' (which was a pleasant obscurity I came to love on the original LP).
The bonus tracks are moderate to good but do not make up for the previous transgressions. I was ready to shell out money for more of the Invictus and Hot wax reissues, but since Edsel did the shoddy work herein I'm not so sure. They may have used the single versions even on the "complete" albums."