Just listened to Richard Searling on Smooth FM and he kicked off his "Cellar full of soul" hour with a re-mix of "Aint no mountain high enough" which he credited to Simon White.

So a number of questions :-

1. Is the Simon White in question the former member of this site?

2. Should records of this standing be re-mixed?

3. If so, why?

I can't say whether or not I liked or disliked it - it just didn't seem right.

Any other views?

I have no worries if a song should be remixed as long as it's the standard Northern etc. You can get good 12" versions of songs like Out on the Floor

and released a few years back was Diana Ross and the Supremes - Honey Bee (out on the Floor Mix) which is really good as the original version.

The worst is getting it remixed in some dance style which is nothing to do with soul music

I have no worries if a song should be remixed as long as it's the standard Northern etc. You can get good 12" versions of songs like Out on the Floor

and released a few years back was Diana Ross and the Supremes - Honey Bee (out on the Floor Mix) which is really good as the original version.

The worst is getting it remixed in some dance style which is nothing to do with soul music

Are you saying if a soul record is remixed badly - it ceases to be a soul record?

theres a lot of motown remixes out vol 2 motown remix done in a latin style neat !

also ive got a david ruffin i wish it would rain vocal over a reggae backing track

Just listened to Richard Searling on Smooth FM and he kicked off his "Cellar full of soul" hour with a re-mix of "Aint no mountain high enough" which he credited to Simon White.

So a number of questions :-

1. Is the Simon White in question the former member of this site?

2. Should records of this standing be re-mixed?

3. If so, why?

I can't say whether or not I liked or disliked it - it just didn't seem right.

Any other views?

To answer your questions:

1. Yes

2. Maybe

3. If they add something to the original. This particular remix is rubbish imo. Too much drums.

2. Should records of this standing be re-mixed?

Never - you cannot improve upon perfection and, being as this record is perfection, there's no need to.

The same also applies to any other vintage classic that's undergone the ignominy of alteration in the name of Y2K.

I am reminded of the words of the great Country Music songwriter and producer Billy Sherrill. When questioned about whether or not Country would ever go the remix route, he said "we don't need to remix our records here in Nashville - we get 'em right first time".

I should say that's a good general rule of thumb that should be applied to any soul classic of the 60s and early 70s...

Never - you cannot improve upon perfection and, being as this record is perfection, there's no need to.

The same also applies to any other vintage classic that's undergone the ignominy of alteration in the name of Y2K.

Agree totally. Whatever the remix is it will always be inferior to the original, especially in this case. A pointless exercise in my opinion. It's the same with cover versions and samples, that Angie Stone sample of backstabbers. Put backstabbers on for pete's sake.

Never - you cannot improve upon perfection and, being as this record is perfection, there's no need to.

The same also applies to any other vintage classic that's undergone the ignominy of alteration in the name of Y2K.

I am reminded of the words of the great Country Music songwriter and producer Billy Sherrill. When questioned about whether or not Country would ever go the remix route, he said "we don't need to remix our records here in Nashville - we get 'em right first time".

I should say that's a good general rule of thumb that should be applied to any soul classic of the 60s and early 70s...

Spot on, as always Tone. There must be records that do merit a re-mix, but it seems almost sacrilige to try and mess with stuff from the heyday. Leave well alone would be my mantra.

Never - you cannot improve upon perfection and, being as this record is perfection, there's no need to.

The same also applies to any other vintage classic that's undergone the ignominy of alteration in the name of Y2K.

I am reminded of the words of the great Country Music songwriter and producer Billy Sherrill. When questioned about whether or not Country would ever go the remix route, he said "we don't need to remix our records here in Nashville - we get 'em right first time".

I should say that's a good general rule of thumb that should be applied to any soul classic of the 60s and early 70s...

Agree 100%. There is absolutely no need to remix this side......obviously some people have too much time on their hands

Incidentally Simon got very defensive when I criticised the remix of Sisters Love that Levine had done, same thing applies there - leave the classics alone. :angry:

1. Yes

2 Why not

3 Who cares

Ain't nothing like the real thing baby

I like this remix a lot more than some of those Motown remixes from a couple of years ago

Cheers Paul