Earth Photo Essay

When he played his revamp of Gwen McCrae's "Funky Sensation" during a 1981 DJ slot on New York's WBLS, Shep Pettibone perked the ears of then-emergent producer Arthur Baker. The presenter and co-producer of this boxed set consequently initiated a collaboration on the answer record "Jazzy Sensation," the first 12" crediting Pettibone. By the end of the next year, Pettibone's solo "mastermixes" had become so numerous and prized that a dozen for the Prelude label alone were rounded up for commercial release on double vinyl. The DJ and remix artist soon diversified as a pop producer, most notably as an indispensable Madonna associate. The four-disc Classic 12" Master-Mixes features neither "Funky Sensation" nor "Jazzy Sensation," and doesn't include anything Pettibone did for Prelude or with Madonna.