Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Keep on Truckin [A Tom Moulton Mix][#] - Eddie Kendricks
2. I'll Be Holding On [A Tom Moulton Mix][#] - Al Downing
3. Peace Pipe [A Tom Moulton Mix] - B.T. Express
4. Dreamworld [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Don Downing
5. Make Me Believe in You [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Patti Jo
6. Needing You [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Clara Lewis
7. Free Man [A Tom Moulton Mix][#] - South Shore Commission
8. You've Got the Power [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Camouflage

Disc 2:

1. More More More, Pt. 1 [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Andrea True
2. Feel the Need in Me [A Tom Moulton Mix] - The Detroit Emeralds
3. Moonboots [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Orlando Riva Sound
4. Love Is the Message [A Tom Moulton Mix] - MFSB
5. Won't You Try [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Udell
6. Vie en Rose [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Grace Jones
7. Moonlight Loving (Menage a Trois) [A Tom Moulton Mix] - Isaac Hayes
8. Lip Service [A Tom Moulton Mix]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141649 in Music
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .34 pounds

Album Description
Tom Moulton ''A Tom Moulton Mix'' is released today on Soul Jazz Records. This is the first album to bring together some of the classic and rare tracks that have been blessed with the phrase "A Tom Moulton Mix" on the record label. Tom Moulton is one of the most important people in the history of dance music. From inventing the first ever 12" single to remixer to the stars, the trademark "A Tom Moulton Mix" is a mark of quality given to only the finest records -From Grace Jones' seminal "La Vie En Rose" to the million-selling MFSB disco anthem "Love Is The Message", to over 4000 remixes in an incredible career that has now lasted over 30 years.

Customer Reviews

The Godather of Disco
If you happened to be a Disco Funk fiend during the 70's (like myself), just seeing the moniker "A Tom Moulton Mix" on a record label or LP cover would incite goose-bumps and trigger an uncontrollable urge to snatch up what ever record that the practically guaranteed stamp of quality appeared on.

To appreciate the level of involvement Tom Moulton has had with the over 4000 mixes he has executed, you must first understand that not all 'remixers' and 'remixes' are cut from the same cloth.

Over the last 30+ years since it was first employed as a marketing hook, the term 'remix' has changed meaning and context, no doubt through the creative contributions of at one time or another, A&R exec, label owner, producer, songwriter, remastering engineer, and remixer, Tom Moulton.

Most of what is currently considered a 'remix' is actually a 'reproduction' or 'additional production', (in most cases) stripping away almost all of the original elements of the song while adding one's own musical ideas to the mix (sometimes, actually for the better).

Mr. Moulton's legacy is unique in that a good number of his mixes were actually the first or only mixes released to the market (the first popular example being the huge '70s funk hit "Do It Anyway You Wanna" by soul combo People's Choice for Gamble & Huff's TSOP/ P.I.R. label).

This was not a remix done to accompany the original but THE mix that we all first heard when it was introduced to an extremely enthusiastic public during the summer of 1976.

Curiously, most did not know this was a remix since Moulton was never credited for the additional production that took it from being an almost forgettable album track and transforming it into what would become the biggest selling single for the label up to that date.

Most of Moulton's remixes, as proven with this collection, were comprised of just the original musical elements, tweeked with a louder EQ and extended in length to satiate a growing new market sparked by the Disco phenomenon and the club DJ's demand for more product, i.e. the 12" disco single. One could say without much argument that Moulton for the most part invented the disco single as well as the method of creating the content to fill those singles, i.e. the 'extended remix' or 'disco mix' which would fuel it's brief but globally influential commercial success.

In another example, one of the most famous and enduring remixes (MFSB's "Love Is The Message" included in this collection in it's finest re-mastering to date) Moulton was the first remixer to go in the studio to add additional music (most of which was recorded during the original sessions but never used in the final album mix), editing and extending the length of the song considerably, then, utilizing the same method for several other hit songs for the label coupiling them as a greatest hits package with a twist for the then already red hot Philadelphia International Records, created and helmed by R&B songwriting and production legends Gamble & Huff.

The results comprise what I believe is the first commercially released full length album containing remixes by a single producer, the must have "Philadelphia Classics" (ASIN: B000066C12) which ironically, Moulton was never prominently credited for. It's latest incarnation, recently remastered (to Moulton's distaste I might add) also includes the above mentioned "Do It Anyway You Wanna" remix.
At least he was finally credited for it.

Since Mr. Moulton was primarily a producer (see Grace Jones first 3 albums, People's Choice second and third LPs, First Choice, CJ & Co. and many others), his qualification as a 'remixer' was well earned.

Choosing favorites from this collection was a difficult task,
however for the sake of inspiring sales, undeniable highlights of "A Tom Moulton Mix" include the rolling funk of Eddie Kendrick's number one 70's classic "Keep On Trucking'" which has been fleshed out to over 11 minutes to reveal more of the brass and rhythmic interplay only hinted at in the original LP version, the latin schtick / romantic drama of Grace Jone's interpretation of the classic "La Vien Rose" (which Moulton also produced) and the ultimate Disco anthem and touchstone blueprint for what is now called 'house music', MFSB's essential classic "Love Is The Message" mentioned earlier here.

To coin a classic term, Mr. Moulton is a true 'record man' i.e. someone who seems to instinctively know that a song will or should be a hit because it's good, and not the reverse.

It's rare that someone who was critical to the commercial success of the Disco / Dance genre and as deserving of a showcase featuring their body of work (see Larry Levan's "West End Remixes" collection ASIN: B00005QFLA and "Salsoul Greatest Mixes Vol 2 ASIN: B0001ZW69M) gets the quality treatment that the reputable UK based Soul Jazz Records has bestowed upon this prolific producer.

I'm hoping this collection is just a first of a many volumed series that will be compiled by Mr. Moulton since arguably, there is more than enough material in his distinguished discography that could / should be reintroduced to a public with a growing thirst for quality dance music.

This will change your mind about remixes!
I am generally not a huge fan of remixes. Generally, I find that if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Songs like "Keep On Truckin'" and "More, More, More" are already musical *masterpieces*, so why tinker with them? Would someone walk up to the Mona Lisa and change the color of her hair? When most people think of remixes, they think of the typical lazy club mix, with a song being layered with a bunch of incongruous beats, lasting for 12 minutes, repeating the same thing over and over. But not Tom Moulton. His approach to mixing songs is to understand WHY the original song was worth mixing again, pick out the elements of the song that make them so beloved by people, and to manipulate the song so that it is both familiar, retaining its original charm, but different, and worth listening to closely. His approach is very respectful of the originals, and I am actually preferring some of his mixes over the originals, which is really saying quite a lot!

This CD is pretty expensive (for a CD), but if you know and like any of the original songs on this compilation, I am sure that you will adore this. And even if you are totally unfamiliar with the songs on this album, you will undoubtedly find some gems on here that will makes buying this album a gamble that will pay off in spades.

Very good compilation
If you are a Disco collector and also like rare soul 12" disco music, I strongly recommend this product. I bought because of Al Downing "I'll be holding on". I had it already, but I would like an extended version. Unfortunately, it is like "Rock the boat" by Hues Corporation, no extented version. However, you will find increadible rare tracks in extended versions like, Keep on Truckin (11:14), You've got the power (7:44), Moonboots (9:31) e much more.