Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston 35th Deluxe Box (VMP) Vs. First US Pressing
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- This is a 2nd Edition Repress of our exclusive reissue of the 35th Anniversary Deluxe edition of Whitney Houston's self-titled debut. A 2LP box with 180g opaque metallic bronze vinyl and a 40-page hardcover book including liner notes, essays, rare photos, and lyrics. This is the definitive edition of the album, packaged together with the previously Japan-only release Whitney Dancin' Special and AAA-remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound; every Whitney Houston fan needs this release.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide.[1] Houston has influenced many singers in popular music, and is known for her powerful, soulful vocals and vocal improvisation skills.[2][3] She is the only artist to have had seven consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, from "Saving All My Love for You" in 1985 to "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988. Houston enhanced her popularity upon entering the movie industry. Her recordings and films, have generated both great success and controversy. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career and posthumously, including two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and 28 Guinness World Records, as well as induction into the Grammy, Rhythm and Blues Music, and Rock and Roll halls of fame.
Houston began singing in church as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen after becoming a teen model in 1981. With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at age 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. Houston's third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), yielded two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need".
Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard (1992), which became the tenth highest-grossing film to that date despite receiving poor reviews for its screenplay and lead performances. She recorded six songs for the film's soundtrack, including "I Will Always Love You" which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling physical single by a woman in music history. The soundtrack for The Bodyguard won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. Houston went on to star and record soundtracks for Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). Houston produced the latter's soundtrack, which became the best-selling gospel album of all time. As a film producer, she produced multicultural movies including Cinderella (1997) and series including The Princess Diaries and The Cheetah Girls.
Houston's first studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love (1998), sold millions and spawned several hit singles, including "Heartbreak Hotel", "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and "My Love Is Your Love". Following the success, she renewed her contract with Arista for $100 million, one of the biggest recording deals of all time.[4] However, her personal problems began overshadowing her career. Her 2002 studio album, Just Whitney, received mixed reviews. Her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown received widespread media coverage. After a six-year break from recording, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart with her final studio album, I Look to You (2009). On February 11, 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was covered internationally.
musik
I once wore a lavender Whitney Houston t-shirt to a Gwar concert. Chaos and fun ensued.
EPIC!
Refreshingly honest review. For those who can't afford the premium prices of reissues, it's nice to know the original sounds at least as good if not better.
Whitney. Such a great talent. I don’t know anyone who has not heard any of her songs. Her voice was a gift to the world and is so missed by many.
Wow. Totally forgot about Whitney on LP. Definitely a must have.
Whitney had such a pure voice, it's a relief to hear that her record company cared about the releases' sound quality
Again, not to my taste but there is no denying Whitney's talent and immense popularity. Nice to see VMP/Sterling/RKS churning out quality re-issues and that AAA although not necessary is still viable. The OG shoot-outs add a new and engaging layer to your process, too. Well done on the variety of musical content in your reviews, Michael!
Same here
I admire the breadth of your musical taste and your passion!
Awesome unboxing & review. Box is very pricey. I wish Arista would remaster her first 4 Albums , soundtracks, etc.
watching this for the 2nd time now. just spotted the sterling in the deadwax. very clear and focused videography mike
Amazing release. Totally agree. Sounds great. Packaging 2nd to non.
First I am hearing of this release. Glad they did Whitney justice. Her voice was truly angelic. Might have to get this one. Thanks Michael!
One of the great artists 🎨 missing from my collection!
Enjoying these coming comparisons. Still really enjoy the comparisons between reissues of jazz records, don’t break the bank trying to buy original 1958 copies lol
Michael, thanks for the great video. I wasn’t even aware of the anniversary edition of this great album.
I was at a campground traveling by car and camper on a family vacation between rural Illinois and Toronto Canada for a convention my father was attending when a radio announcer said "This up and coming singer is taking the nation by storm and moving up the charts with hits. She's a new sensation we'll certainly be hearing from for years to come." A song was playing on my battery-powered portable walkman or boom box. I can't remember which, and I believe it was "Saving All My Love for You"' released in August 1985 during the time of that trip to Toronto. The singing and the song was so beautiful. Whenever I hear that song and "You Give Good Love To Me", I get that chilling situation where it takes me back to that year, especially the summer of '85 because they were playing about three singles from this album that were getting a lot of radio airplay. Thank you for the comparison. Sometimes the original is still better sounding. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe the master tape didn't have any aging or the equipment was better. Not sure.
Michael, this release really surprised me. You put it really well, the care and quality of this box might be the best outcome from vinyl me please so far. I truly loved it. The hardcover book is so well done and informative, I think it was an impressive effort. And yes, those 80s releases have something extra, especial, hard to explain but that pertains to the way things were made back then and how pleasing those things sounds to our ears. I felt the same, either one is great, but the OG feeling is hard to beat.
High School years....she was great, very smooth lp. Not exactly on my radar today..
Locating by radar can still be successful. :-)
Great episode. Whitney! What a voice with power and range. Definitely one for the buy list.
Thank you Michael. Bish
Perhaps most originals have a “hot off the press” quality to them since the tape is brand new and not decades old yet
Another interesting review. Not a Whitney fan, but I'll check it out. You do the hard work for us. I'm really enjoying your style of conversation and presentation. Killer glasses.
I have the original US press of this album, but after hearing your review I will most likely get the VMP edition as well. Whitney "The Voice" Houston is a treasure and her music never gets old for me. Her vinyl are not always easy to get now either, so maybe with VMP putting this release out, it may start a trend of getting some of her older releases back out there I hope. Great video as always!
This is a perfect pop album! Whitney’s debut is still astounding. I own 3 copies of the original with “TML” in the deadwax.
Hello Michael, awesome review. I love Whitney..... Thank you
Thanks for taking the time to show the art comprehensively. It looks absolutely amazing. I shall be ordering through your link.
Hello DMD......,
is fantastic how Michael 😋 sweetens our time with vinyl. :-)
I have watched all of your "new" videos comparing go with reissues. I think we need to give credit to the incredible mastering that happened in the 70s and 80s. TML, Sterling, Masterdisk, etc. These Albus are 40+ years old and they hold up to a new copy with the newest mastering equipment and techniques.
Absolutely agree. Those engineers knew the medium and how to squeeze out the most incredibly convincing illusion from the complete recording/masterering/pressing chain. It is only recently that the best LP domestic replay chain is getting close to recovering the recorded information transparently. Some LP's I owned for 50+ years are sounding better than ever. However it is not a cheap or simple matter but by no means requires insane financial investment.
After I learned to recognise the good production guys, it is surprising how many great new artists I discovered just by browsing and reading the recording credits and seeing the names I respected amongst the production/engineering/session musicians team. The great thing about LP replay is that it is quite open-ended. Unless we have access to the analog master tapes, we really don't know how much more can be extracted from original pressings.
Great Video, great info Michael . Thank you so much
Same experience here. When I was 15 it was not done to listen to Whitney. We preferred The Smiths and The Cure. A few years ago I bought the original German pressing. What a great album. Soon afterwards I picked up the second one as well. This is a fantastic nostalgic listening experience. I like you mentioning the ‘open mind’ when one grows older. That’s a fact. At least for me. Thanks for the nice video.
When old rockers get old. 😜
Then she will like it more and more exquisitely. :-)
The Album debuted at # 1 in the Billboard charts in 1987 which was unusual in the pre soundscan days. People remember her singing the national anthem before a super bowl more then the actual game which was a great one where The Giants stunned the double digit favorite Bills. Scott Norwood .. Wide Right.
noo omg😭 this is her debut in 85. her 2nd album Whitney debuted at 1 in 87
Yo Michael. I have the US OG, since I live here and was already getting old in ‘85 😂 Good to know my copy is so good. This isn’t a reissue purchase for me. Not in that category of my must haves. Nor am I a VMP member so I couldn’t get it if I wanted it. Sounds like I’m all good with your review. Thx again! ☮️
Great review as always, very appreciated! Back in the days I bought their CDs to listen them in my car. And the other "disco queens", too like Donna Summer, Tina Turner, ... now Vinyl rules.
Great stuff! Mabye you can do a comparison of the original "Tattoo You" RL Rob Ludwig cut vs the 2021 Remaster? Since you already have the Remaster but no Stones OG Pressing? Could be interessting, best wishes
Great Video ! Interesting Video again ! An Album not difficult to find on CD or Original. I always thought Arista Records, original pressings were nearly good but not a "Must Buy"! You have got everybody now having a second look !! 25 Million sales could have been 40 Million ?
I was never a fan of Arista pressings. The Patti Smith catalog is classic but pressings are so-so. Of course vinyl got a lot thinner in the 80s, just like the covers.
If I counted correctly you´re at 7 to ZERO in favor of first press releases 👍Love the new approach of your reviews😎
Thank you for the excellent content Michael! You have mentioned cleaning your records on more than one occasion and I’m wondering what machine you use. Sorry if you have answered this question before?!? Also if you have covered this topic on a video please direct me to it. Thank you so much.
Beautiful looking reissue ..but again the original beats it in the sound stakes ...love to see you do a Bowie shootout ..I see lots folk goin on how good the reissues are but I've always maintained the original pressings beat em handsdown ..
That's a nice collection!
Another interesting one would be the Sade box set. Great review! Not a personal fan of Houston but man could she sing!!!
Since Arista is now a subsidiary of Sony and since Sony no longer lets their master tapes out of the vailt I wonder how an AAA press was made?
Now I know why many of my orders are postponed 3-4 times even untitled Feb next year. So many important releases blocking press facilities like mc cartney box whitney box etc etc. As always a matter of taste. My recommendation to whitney afficionados: Get a vinyl copy of Material's 1982 release one down which feature's Whitney' s first ever recording Memories and other stunning cooperations with eg. nile rodgers, nona hendryx, archie shepp. Truely a great one. I especially like the cover art with a dollar note. Have a listen if you can.
I have that Material lp, too bad WH didn't follow in that direction instead of bombast diva.
@@johnryan3913 100% agreed
Another good video. One thing I think you might be forgetting about, is that the OG pressings are the original vision of the album...usually the artist is involved with the final product. .but the reissues ate usually done by a record label alone with very little input from the artist.
To me. .it's usually very rare that a reissue/remaster sounds better then the original.
Wow can't believe you are reviewing Whitney! Bravo!
FUN FACT: FIRST PRESSINGS OF THIS CONTAINS A DIFFERENT CUT OF "GREATEST LOVE OF ALL" LISTEN TO THE PIANO INTRO OF A 1ST PRESSING AND COMPARE IT TO LATER ISSUES.
A huge VMP box. Thx for this review and comparisons. GIVE US MORE. Maybe Dire Straits IG and MoFi 😜
Such a nice dancing spezial.
Three times and no digital recording.
Superb.
Whitney Houston didn't come from bad parents.
I would love to be the woman on the jacket too. :-)
Art department once again stunning.
Michael you are great.
❤️Heike
well i totally agree with you, After watching this video , i will now file you in the catagory of audiophiles who know what they are talking about and are to be trusted!!!!
Michael you make me addicted.
As was be to expected,
I became weak and ordered. :-)
Great album 👍🏽🤘🏽
I find your comments about the sharpness on the original to be almost the same thing I wrote on another RUclipsrs channel earlier in the day regarding a comparison of The Cars Shake It Up which I promised him, The OG I termed "shrill" and the Mofi had softened that shrill (or sharpness using your term) so that the Mofi was the more pleasant listen.. Some may call that duller than the OG but the shrill/sharpness can be a bit grating on the ears, especially in my late 50's :)). I realize your remastered Whitney was not Mofi but maybe Mastering Engineers like to tone it down a bit. Cheers
It sounds like they got it right both times. My wife has the CD. For me, I am not interested in a pressing. Thanks as always!
Just picked up the original from a Goodwill Thrift Shop for 50 cents.
recurring theme----originals are king.
lol. I've been saying this since his first video in this series. It's going to be earth shattering when he actually finds a reissue that trumps an OG pressing.
@@jonnyringo it will be VERY rare to find such an example----almost every record is probably better on OG. I hope this helps diminish the endless reissues of records that are already available very cheap as OG pressings! Reissues are great for VERY hard to find records that are super expensive, but for ordinary stuff it is frankly comical and is toxic to vinyl collecting and manufacturing!
Another great review Michael. I’m going to try my best to pick one up. Hopefully they’re not sold out. Hey on another topic. If you ever go back to Einstein headquarters. Can you make a video about the new turntable. I would really love to hear about it.
sure
@@Michael45RPM How far you have fallen. Really? Whitney Houston?
@@juliosanchez8263
He like American Apple Pie, but she did have an amazing range, too bad she had to go pop.
I hope you guys are joking. Whitney Houston is a iKON! If you’re talking about her drug addiction. Pretty much every great artist from the 60s 70s and 80s are dead now from some type of drug related problems.🤣 Let’s focus on the music guys. Singing wise she can’t be touched.
@@Michael45RPM Ty
I passed on the VMP release (I’m a member) as I have a UK first pressing but, based on what you’ve shown us with the quality of the release, plus the extra record, I’m going to order the VMP. It’s the collector in me, just like you. By the way, Michael, half the time I watch your videos, you cost me more money! 😂
EDIT: got $25 off the order by adding another in-stock record to take the order above $100 so the Whitney box cost me only $72.50 delivered to the UK.
You paid $72.50 for a Whitney Houston album 😳
:P
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 yes, this album was released just before I met my wife for the first time. She was/is a singer and was singing one of the songs from the album in the holiday apartment above mine (I heard her before I saw her). We then met the next evening, fell in love and got married three years later. We played that same song (Saving All My Love For You) at her funeral earlier this year. The song and album have deep autobiographical and personal meaning so the value is immeasurable to me.
@@JamboLinnman
Well in that case I totally understand, thanks for sharing such a beautiful story with me. ❤✌️
Have on tape miss her.
I was waiting for you to mention the sibilance on the OG pressing. I have two tml versions and both have that issue, which for me gets in the way of the listening experience. I see the first version of this special edition, based on discogs reviews, had surface noise problems. Is this version pressed at GZ too? The last one I got from there, Al Jarreau’s Breakin’ Away, was so disappointing…my 40 year old version is a much much better, not noisy pressing.
Originals (6) - Expensive remasters (0) - keep score when considering all comparisons. The cost does not seem to justify the remasters.
Original was done well
Jeepers Michael, are you buying LPs every single day or are you getting some to review? I thought I was bad buying one LP a month, ha!
2:33 I see Japanese text on the inside of the gatefold. Is this a Japanese product? No Obi, which all the kids crave. No mention of Japanese on the VMP site.
The sharpness of the s-tones is in the 70s or 80s OGs is, in my opinion, that the Hi-Fi hardware wasn’t that great like today.
Maybe I should go get out my old copy of this album and give it a spin.
Though clearly not my style, I am curious to check the sound quality..
Time to rebrand the channel 33rpm First Pressing
Girlfriend purchased whitney houston vinyl on peach 🍑 got from her local jbhifi store
None box edition
2:47 Not bad at all. Once more, sure.
Question: Why always comparisons with US or UK OG's. Do you have something against German first pressings, or are you like many others under the misconception that US or UK OG's are better than German? or is it just due to your international audience?
Oh yes, great boxset. But since not buyable in Germany, uninteresting for me. My German OG for 3€ in near mint bought at the flea market is enough for me.
i go with the original country thats why. you think thats a mistake?
@@Michael45RPM No,No. But you live in Germany and to get German OG's is cheaper and most of them sounds very well. But to buy the country were the Artist is from, is absolutely understandable. Everyone has his own preferences. Was only pure interest, could have had other reasons.
So was that RKS remaster analog or DSD sourced? Can we trust? 😀
The Sticker suggests its all analogue .......
I’m no longer certain AAA implies all analogue, because we now know it can be misused. Analogue Master = A. Analogue mastering, another A. Analogue pressing, final A. Tada! AAA. Great. But, hold on, where do we list the DSD transfer of the analogue master that we made? Meh, let’s just not mention that step. And we now know that digital delay lines were often used in pressings that would have been accepted as AAA, but because of that process are actually digital even though the master tape being used was analogue. Given everything that has been said about MoFi not being able to borrow master tapes, why should VMP be treated any differently? So what exactly is their process?? Until we have 100% transparency, all labels claiming to use master tapes are now under suspicion?
@@Michael45RPM
Michael first l belive you and then the sticker. :-)
@@mark.harding As far as I know, the tapes exclusivity was largely due to one's lost in the warehouse fire 12 years ago and Columbia records tapes....this is Arista/Bertlesmann Music Group (BMG) who originally owned the masters which are ONLY 40 years old.....so, these tapes are easier to get.
Look at that doggo in the back!
thats Friedrich
@@Michael45RPM nice. Good name. We are a cat family but love a nice chill doggo too! Cheers Freidrich
Hi Michael, just out of curiosity. Did you ever find that you are forced in a way to like an album just because it gets high fidelity treatment and because you bought it? Thanks.
hmmmm. no not forced
$95? No thanks … ridiculous. I can’t imagine it being better than the original Arista. That thing makes my bass thump…
The original inner sleeve was a blue static free Arista bag
Now the quality of the box has its own individual value.
And its price. :-)
❤️Heike
Sorry to do this (WH sounds great). But just read an interview with Jim Davis of MOFI….. first I have seen beyond the issued statement. He just doesn’t seem to get it. He talks at length about the DSD process and its virtues, but at no point does he address the point that he is only talking about it now because they have been found out. He doesn’t apologize for or even concede that they lied. He just says DSD produces great quality records. Its like if I order an expensive steak of wagyu beef only to discover it wasn’t wagyu but prime rib. I paid $125 for wagyu, I complain and they just shrug and answer “but it was a great steak wasn’t it. What’s your problem?”
what a shitshow!
@@Michael45RPM No kidding. I know you are in the communications business as was I for 40 years. I suspect the lawyers are telling him not to admit anything with pending class action suit
then the lawyers will ruin him one way or the other :-)
@@Michael45RPM yep. Sometimes a CEO needs to overrule the lawyers. I heard Richard Branson speak about lawyers telling him not to comment about a Virgin Rail train accident in which some people died. He said he ignored them and went to speak with the families because it was the right thing to do and in the end it made no difference from a liability perspective….. anyway, keep up the good work
exactly
Hey man…I believe children are the future.
I always liked her debut, but could never get over the disappointment that followed when I heard her overly commercial follow up, which imho is pretty dreadful - the exception on that LP being the song Sam Dees wrote, ' Just the Lonely Talking Again', which is exceptional. Anyhow, great video .
Where can I get it?
At Vinyl me please
I'm not buying that either or ither but mostly neither
Too bad the royalties from her catalogue will mostly go to the wrong people and whoever exploited her.
Who the hell listens to Whitney Houston let alone pays that sort of $ for an album 😳
I'd change stations if one of songs came on the radio.
She could sing like no tomorrow I'll give her that, but I don't want to hear it.
Adele can sing too but I'm not interested in listening to her either
If you’ll be kind enough to give us all a list of artists that it’s acceptable for us all to like and listen to, that would be much appreciated. It’s clear that you’re the sole judge and arbiter of what, until now, I thought was a subjective and personal choice. Many thanks in advance for spending your time on this, which is clearly way more valuable than anyone else’s.
While we have in common that we are about the same age and spent our youth in the eighties and their musical environment, one thing is different: I could not stand the mainstream music of the time back then and I still cannot stand it today. 😃 Be it Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson or all the other big names from the era. Of course I recognize their talent but still do not buy their LPs as I know I would not listen to them anyway.
I'm with you on the big names, though I did like some Prince albums (NOT Purple Rain ☔) he was hardly on par with Sly, the Stones, etc)