http://www.hip-oselect.co...A76BAB4F62

Stephanie Mills is now a beloved star with 30 years of hits. But in 1979 she was a young Broadway phenomenon with failed pop albums. When Mills signed to 20^th Century Fox Records, as her star turn in the musical The Wiz was coming to an end, she was teamed with the new production-songwriting duo James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, and together they made pop and R&B gold.

OH without a DOUBT i will be getting this.......I can't wait!

regcart said:

OH without a DOUBT i will be getting this.......I can't wait!

Looks like it is being released tomorrow.

3rd time this has been reposted since i started the original thread.

getxxxx said:

3rd time this has been reposted since i started the original thread.

I didn't see the other threads.

Thanks for the reminder.It's being released tomorrow.Gonna order it now!

"Try My Love" by Stephanie Mills (1980)---great song from the Sweet Sensation album

regcart said:

OH without a DOUBT i will be getting this.......I can't wait!

same here I'm ecstatic with all these recent remasters that we are getting.Reissue labels like Big Break Records and Funkytowngrooves are giving Old School R&B fans exactly what they want.With all the money I'm spending on these CDs,I may have to find a second job,LOL.

At this point, I'm willing to take anything I can get as long as the tracks come from the master tapes but I would have much preferred if each album would have been properly remastered as single discs.

kitbradley said:

At this point, I'm willing to take anything I can get as long as the tracks come from the master tapes but I would have much preferred if each album would have been properly remastered as single discs.

I think they did that overseas, but not here in the states.

kitbradley said:

At this point, I'm willing to take anything I can get as long as the tracks come from the master tapes but I would have much preferred if each album would have been properly remastered as single discs.

I feel the same way.

These 20th Century Collection projects are usually exceptionally well done, and nicely packaged. I look forward to this one as well.

SoulAlive said:

regcart said:

OH without a DOUBT i will be getting this.......I can't wait!

same here I'm ecstatic with all these recent remasters that we are getting.Reissue labels like Big Break Records and Funkytowngrooves are giving Old School R&B fans exactly what they want.With all the money I'm spending on these CDs,I may have to find a second job,LOL.

You are so right i may have to pull a 3rd job....LOL Soul music at its BEST.....Bravo for all the masterful re-issues being released. I could'nt have asked for a better season of record buying!

regcart said:

SoulAlive said:

same here I'm ecstatic with all these recent remasters that we are getting.Reissue labels like Big Break Records and Funkytowngrooves are giving Old School R&B fans exactly what they want.With all the money I'm spending on these CDs,I may have to find a second job,LOL.

You are so right i may have to pull a 3rd job....LOL Soul music at its BEST.....Bravo for all the masterful re-issues being released. I could'nt have asked for a better season of record buying!

daPrettyman said:

kitbradley said:

At this point, I'm willing to take anything I can get as long as the tracks come from the master tapes but I would have much preferred if each album would have been properly remastered as single discs.

I think they did that overseas, but not here in the states.

I mean PROPERLY released. Yes, all three titles were issued on single CDs in Japan but Universal dupped us by issuing "Stephanie" and "Sweet Sensation" as vinyl rips.

kitbradley said:

daPrettyman said:

I think they did that overseas, but not here in the states.

I mean PROPERLY released. Yes, all three titles were issued on single CDs in Japan but Universal dupped us by issuing "Stephanie" and "Sweet Sensation" as vinyl rips.

Oooohhh. I didn't know that! That sux. I'm glad I didn't buy those (because I came close to buying that).

daPrettyman said:

kitbradley said:

I mean PROPERLY released. Yes, all three titles were issued on single CDs in Japan but Universal dupped us by issuing "Stephanie" and "Sweet Sensation" as vinyl rips.

Oooohhh. I didn't know that! That sux. I'm glad I didn't buy those (because I came close to buying that).

Yeah, alot of people were royally PISSED!!! They did the same with Alicia Myers' "I Appreicate". And then had the nerve to price them at $50 on amazon when they were originally released!!

kitbradley said:

daPrettyman said:

Oooohhh. I didn't know that! That sux. I'm glad I didn't buy those (because I came close to buying that).

Yeah, alot of people were royally PISSED!!! They did the same with Alicia Myers' "I Appreicate". And then had the nerve to price them at $50 on amazon when they were originally released!!

They need a good pimp slap for that.

Sounds like what they did for Atlantic Starr's Radiant cd issue. I was pissed when I got that one also. My homemade copy looked and sounded better than that crap!!

This is the perfect compilation. A set that has my FAVE 3 albums by her in prestine quality, I def can't ask for me.

daPrettyman said:

kitbradley said:

Yeah, alot of people were royally PISSED!!! They did the same with Alicia Myers' "I Appreicate". And then had the nerve to price them at $50 on amazon when they were originally released!!

They need a good pimp slap for that.

Sounds like what they did for Atlantic Starr's Radiant cd issue. I was pissed when I got that one also. My homemade copy looked and sounded better than that crap!!

Unless it's titled What's Going On, record companies generally don't bother much with old R&B albums. It's doubtful that much money or time is spent on them. They're not going to get The Beatles style remastering treatment.

MickyDolenz said:

daPrettyman said:

They need a good pimp slap for that.

Sounds like what they did for Atlantic Starr's Radiant cd issue. I was pissed when I got that one also. My homemade copy looked and sounded better than that crap!!

Unless it's titled What's Going On, record companies generally don't bother much with old R&B albums. It's doubtful that much money or time is spent on them. They're not going to get The Beatles style remastering treatment.

What? That's not necessarilly true. You say that about most acts that didn't cross over. The fact is that most of the top 20 r&b albums over the last 30 or so years has appeared on cd and mastered from the orignal tapes. Many of them were available as Japanese imports. Some were issued in the States, but went out of print.

The fact is that many of these albums have material that has been sampled heavily and the record companies manage to cash in on the reissues. Sure, someone like Stephanie Mills doesn't/didn't sell as much as Atlantic Starr, but Stephanie's late 80s catalog on MCA sold really well.

I never understood why most of the 20th Century catalog was not issued (not just Stephanie). I'm not sure if there were some contractual issues with the masters when Universal acquired them or what. I'm thinking that may have been why we don't see any of Stephanie's 20th Century catalog was never pressed on cd. There are many 20th Century cds I'd like to see on cd from artists like Leon Haywood and Carl Carlton. I know some of them are available as imports, but I would love 2 c them available in the States.

Sure, we REAL r&b fans would love to have special treatment to certain artists back catalog, but we know that won't happen. However, a properly pressed cd from the original master recordings would be nice for many r&b artists.

I'm so ready for them to reissue the A&M Atlantic Starr catalog. I have the Japanese pressings of Brilliance and Yours Forever, but would love to see Radiant given the respect it deserves.

daPrettyman said:

kitbradley said:

Yeah, alot of people were royally PISSED!!! They did the same with Alicia Myers' "I Appreicate". And then had the nerve to price them at $50 on amazon when they were originally released!!

They need a good pimp slap for that.

Sounds like what they did for Atlantic Starr's Radiant cd issue. I was pissed when I got that one also. My homemade copy looked and sounded better than that crap!!

"Radiant" was reissued by Vinyl Masterpieces, who are still using vinyl rips on the majority of their releases. The thing about the Stephanie and Alicia Myers reissues is that these were Japanese imports from Universal, who owned the masters to these albums. Therefore, no one in their right minds would expect Universal to reissue CDs that were ripped from vinyl. Now, I have heard some pretty good vinyl rips and I understand in certain cases, vinyl is the only source available. But, if you are going to do that, at least get a well seasoned Engineer to make it sound professional.

kitbradley said:

daPrettyman said:

They need a good pimp slap for that.

Sounds like what they did for Atlantic Starr's Radiant cd issue. I was pissed when I got that one also. My homemade copy looked and sounded better than that crap!!

"Radiant" was reissued by Vinyl Masterpieces, who are still using vinyl rips on the majority of their releases. The thing about the Stephanie and Alicia Myers reissues is that these were Japanese imports from Universal, who owned the masters to these albums. Therefore, no one in their right minds would expect Universal to reissue CDs that were ripped from vinyl. Now, I have heard some pretty good vinyl rips and I understand in certain cases, vinyl is the only source available. But, if you are going to do that, at least get a well seasoned Engineer to make it sound professional.

I was pissed when I found out that Radiant was a vinyl rip (which is when I bought it). It really pissed me off.

I never would expect Universal to do that, but I guess they were just trying to save a few bucks and make a few bucks. SMH

daPrettyman said:

Some were issued in the States, but went out of print.

This is why I said they don't get the same quality of mastering as say the Beatles or someone who crossed over like Bob Marley or Jimi Hendrix. If the record companies made money from them, they wouldn't go out of print. The Beatles are guaranteed sellers. So of course, they're not going to get a vinyl rip, except maybe on a few of the Anthology tracks of stuff that was recorded when they were teens. The 2009 remasters took years to do and I'm sure no expense was spared. The same with the Genesis box sets from a few years ago.

MickyDolenz said:

daPrettyman said:

Some were issued in the States, but went out of print.

This is why I said they don't get the same quality of mastering as say the Beatles or someone who crossed over like Bob Marley or Jimi Hendrix. If the record companies made money from them, they wouldn't go out of print. The Beatles are guaranteed sellers. So of course, they're not going to get a vinyl rip, except maybe on a few of the Anthology tracks of stuff that was recorded when they were teens. The 2009 remasters took years to do and I'm sure no expense was spared. The same with the Genesis box sets from a few years ago.

From what I'm reading on other sites, remasters are a different ballgame. You keep referring to The Beatles and Hendrix. The Beatles and Hendrix are in a totally different category as someone like Stephanie Mills. Do I expect a huge anthology box set of Stephanie Mills' albums? No. Do I want to see a properly pressed cd? Yes.

Stephanie Mills' back catalog has been neglected more than any other soul artist from the 70s and 80s. Hell, even the Jone Girls albums were properly issued on cd in the UK (which were affordable and easy to find). That is what it's about is having a proper copy of the music issued. Not about box sets and fancy packaging.

I have a feeling that a lot of this has to do with the deal between 20th Century records and Polygram/Geffen Records. 20th Century had a LOT of artists (not just r&b artists) that their projects were not issued on cd. Barry White is the only one the comes off of the top of my head that had most of his 20th Century albums issued on cd. Therefore, it would make sense 30 years later, that they are finally issuing the 20th Century albums.

In the 90s, Polygram was issuing a LOT of their r&b catalog. Artists like Cameo, Con Funk Shun, Kool and the Gang, etc. all had their albums issued on cd. All we got from Stephanie was a Funk Essentials greatest hits. It makes you wonder what was really going on for them to ignore her. Especially considering that she had so many HUGE hits with Mtume and Reggie Lucas and those albums sold several hundred thousand copies (and I think a couple went Gold).

According to the RIAA, all 3 of these albums went gold. She also had one gold single for "Never Knew Love Like This."

More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	WHAT CHA' GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN'?	December 31, 1969	August 21, 1979	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	SWEET SENSATION	December 31, 1969	July 20, 1980	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	STEPHANIE	December 31, 1969	September 15, 1981	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE	December 31, 1969	January 16, 1981	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	SINGLE	SOLO

Harlepolis said:

This is the perfect compilation. A set that has my FAVE 3 albums by her in prestine quality, I def can't ask for me.

Same here!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I get this for my birthday this weekend.

daPrettyman said:

According to the RIAA, all 3 of these albums went gold. She also had one gold single for "Never Knew Love Like This."

e	MILLS, STEPHANIE	WHAT CHA' GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN'?	December 31, 1969	August 21, 1979	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	SWEET SENSATION	December 31, 1969	July 20, 1980	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	STEPHANIE	December 31, 1969	September 15, 1981	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
ore	MILLS, STEPHANIE	NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE	December 31, 1969	January 16, 1981	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	SINGLE	SOLO

^^^What something sold 30 years ago is irrelevant. The companies are trying to make money now. Remastering costs a lot of money, if it is to be done right. Who has the original tapes? I watched a documentary about the Wattstax DVD reissue a few years ago. The original film reels were found by accident in an unlabeled box in an office or warehouse. Beforehand, no one knew where they were, and the movie was considered lost.

Many of the people that would be interested in Stephanie Mills albums, probably still have the original records. There's not really a potential new audience for her and old R&B acts in general. At least not in the US where it is not really promoted (and usually is only found in hits compilations). R&B acts are not stocked the same as rock in the record stores either. Charlie Wilson made a comment about one of his recent albums and said he went to a record store and the album wasn't even stocked and he felt that this affected his chart position. It might be taken more seriously in other places such as Japan, where even some obscure acts albums can be found on CD. That's why "proper CD's" as you put it are not released in the US. It's not about fancy packaging. The record company is a business, like any other company. The things that are not as likely to sell are not going to get the same attention. It's not just the record companies fault. Old R&B and funk acts are not written about in the media the same as the average classic rock act. I can go to the library and find dozens of books on Elvis Presley, the Stones, and many other rock performers, but hardly any about a soul act, and most of them are just about the music in general or a particular label (ie Motown, Chess, Stax, etc.) and not about any individual soul/R&B/funk act. It's not played as much on the radio on oldies stations. If the music is out of print, and it's not played or written about, how can it build a new audience? If you read comments on some of the songs on Youtube, many younger people often say they heard an old song on a commercial or movie or it was in Grand Theft Auto, so decided to look for the song. The problem with this, is that it's just background music to a video game, like Muzak. Most don't care about the acts or buying their music. I also see comments asking where a particular song can be found, as they can't find a download source.

I hope that Casablanca/Polygram decides to do something with the two or three albums that Stephanie recorded for them,beginning with 1982's 'Tantalizingly Hot'.

MickyDolenz said:

daPrettyman said:

According to the RIAA, all 3 of these albums went gold. She also had one gold single for "Never Knew Love Like This."

e	MILLS, STEPHANIE	WHAT CHA' GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN'?	December 31, 1969	August 21, 1979	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	SWEET SENSATION	December 31, 1969	July 20, 1980	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
More	MILLS, STEPHANIE	STEPHANIE	December 31, 1969	September 15, 1981	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	ALBUM	SOLO
ore	MILLS, STEPHANIE	NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE	December 31, 1969	January 16, 1981	20TH CENTURY	GOLD	SINGLE	SOLO

^^^What something sold 30 years ago is irrelevant. The companies are trying to make money now. Remastering costs a lot of money, if it is to be done right. Who has the original tapes? I watched a documentary about the Wattstax DVD reissue a few years ago. The original film reels were found by accident in an unlabeled box in an office or warehouse. Beforehand, no one knew where they were, and the movie was considered lost.

Many of the people that would be interested in Stephanie Mills albums, probably still have the original records. There's not really a potential new audience for her and old R&B acts in general. At least not in the US where it is not really promoted (and usually is only found in hits compilations). R&B acts are not stocked the same as rock in the record stores either. Charlie Wilson made a comment about one of his recent albums and said he went to a record store and the album wasn't even stocked and he felt that this affected his chart position. It might be taken more seriously in other places such as Japan, where even some obscure acts albums can be found on CD. That's why "proper CD's" as you put it are not released in the US. It's not about fancy packaging. The record company is a business, like any other company. The things that are not as likely to sell are not going to get the same attention. It's not just the record companies fault. Old R&B and funk acts are not written about in the media the same as the average classic rock act. I can go to the library and find dozens of books on Elvis Presley, the Stones, and many other rock performers, but hardly any about a soul act, and most of them are just about the music in general or a particular label (ie Motown, Chess, Stax, etc.) and not about any individual soul/R&B/funk act. It's not played as much on the radio on oldies stations. If the music is out of print, and it's not played or written about, how can it build a new audience? If you read comments on some of the songs on Youtube, many younger people often say they heard an old song on a commercial or movie or it was in Grand Theft Auto, so decided to look for the song. The problem with this, is that it's just background music to a video game, like Muzak. Most don't care about the acts or buying their music. I also see comments asking where a particular song can be found, as they can't find a download source.

Unless it's Michael Jackson or Sade, as a whole, the old school R&B audience do not support their artists like Pop/Rock fans support their old school artists as far as spending bread on their CDs when they are reissued. That's why old school R&B reissues are usually issued in very limited quantities because the labels know that it really is such a small nitche market. With artists like the Beatles or Elvis or Fleetwood Mac, the labels know their reissues are going to sell well so they press them in larger quantities and, as someone stated previously, take greater care in the remastering process and packaging. And like you said, a big problem with the R&B reissues is promotion. That's why whenever I find out about a lot of these reissues from BBR and especially FTG, I always come here and to other boards to let everyone know because the average person who would be interested in these titles dont even know they are being reissued due to very limited promotion!

Has anyone here ever gone to an actual record store and found any of the reissues from FTG or Big Break in stock? I haven't. And trust me, I always look. Back in the day, I used to be able to go to certain record stores and find Japan Imports of old-school R&B CDs but I can't anymore. But, I can always find plenty of reissues for Rock artists in stock.

[Edited 8/23/11 17:05pm]