All Important Single Edits On CD

H

humanracer

Eric Generic said:
There are quite a few 3.52/3.53 versions on Sony-licensed compilations (Movies, 80s etc), Looks like Pop Years: 1986 has it too, I'll get my copy out later to check.
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It seems there is a 1986 US single version and UK single version which are different to each other.
Here is a summary from the excellent "crapfromthepast" from the top 40 on CD forum.
Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink [OT] (top40musiconcd.com)

1981 version (3:59)

The 1981 version was produced by Steve Lillywhite. A big, brassy production, with no click track, so that the tempo varies a bit over the course of the song.

It was released as a 45 in the UK (where it only peaked at UK#43), and was not released as a 45 in the US.

It appeared in the US and the UK on the 1981 LP Talk Talk Talk, where it was the same version as the 1981 UK 45.

It found its way onto the digital world in 1987 when CBS finally released Talk Talk Talk on CD. It was then included on CBS's Psychedelic Furs best-of All Of This And Nothing (1988). I don't have either of those discs.

I do have the 1981 version on:
  • the rare promo 5-CD box Best Of CMJ 1979-1989 Disc 2 (1989)
  • Sony's Big Hits Skinny Ties (1994)
  • Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 2 1980-1981 (1999)
  • Sony's 2-CD Rock Train Kept A Rollin' (1999) - uses same digital source as Modern Rock
  • Sony's cheapie 3-CD Rockin' 80s (2004) - runs faster than other CDs
While I'm willing to bet that Big Hits Skinny Ties, Modern Rock Vol. 2 1980-1981, and Rock Train Kept A Rollin' are likely sourced from the CBS releases of Talk Talk Talk or All Of This And Nothing, I can't confirm. All three of these discs sound very nice.

1986 soundtrack LP version (4:39)

When the movie Pretty In Pink came out in 1986, the song "Pretty In Pink" wasn't available anywhere on CD yet.

The Pretty In Pink soundtrack rerecorded the song from scratch. Not sure why it was rerecorded (maybe because the soundtrack was on A&M and the band was on CBS?), but it was a really solid rerecording. The 45 release in 1986 hit the pop charts but missed the top 40. It's a live drummer playing to a click track, and runs at 132.4 BPM throughout.

It turned up first on A&M's Pretty In Pink soundtrack (1986). It sounds just fine here, but the levels are a little low. There's about 5 dB of headroom. The same analog transfer is used on:
  • TM Century's track 14263 - differently-EQ'd digital clone, no added noise reduction
  • Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 28 Rolling Stone 1986-1987 (1995) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
  • Rhino's Hang The DJ 1986 (1996) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
  • Sony's Retro Lunchbox Flashback Flix (1998) - differently-EQ'd digital clone, but shows a lot of clipping around -1.5 dB
  • Sony Germany's 2-CD Pop And Wave Vol. 8 (1999) - tail of fade is teeny bit shorter than others
The sound quality is very good on all of the above, with nice dynamic range, reasonable EQ, and no evidence of noise reduction. Go with whatever you can find.

1986 US 45 version

I started to reverse-engineer the 1986 45 version, thinking it was an edit of the 1986 soundtrack LP version. But I quickly realized that the 1986 45 ends with a free-form musical portion that has no drums behind it. That portion doesn't exist on the LP version. (More likely is that both originated from the same performance, but the LP fades before it reaches the free-form musical portion.)

I don't think the 1986 45 version exists on CD.

In case I need to return to this at some point, the 45 edits out the 32 beats, downbeat-to-downbeat, from 0:08.0 to 0:22.4, and the 32 beats, downbeat-to-downbeat, from 3:16.5 to 3:31.0, of the LP version, using the Time-Life disc as a source.

The 1986 soundtrack version and the 1986 US 45 version are "Produced by The Psychedelic Furs and Charles Harrowell".

The Psychedelic Furs released the Midnight To Midnight LP in 1986 in the UK and in 1987 in the US.

The US versions of Midnight To Midnight (LP, cassette, and CD) did not include the song "Pretty In Pink".

The UK versions of Midnight To Midnight (LP, cassette, and CD) did include the song "Pretty In Pink". The album gives credits of "Recorded by Charles Harrowell, Produced by Chris Kimsey, Mixed by Chris Kimsey". This version uses the basic tracks of the soundtrack version, but overdubs a whole lot of guitar and is a much denser mix than the soundtrack version.

The UK 45 from 1986 is an edit of the UK Midnight To Midnight LP version. Same credits of "Recorded by Charles Harrowell, Produced by Chris Kimsey, Mixed by Chris Kimsey".

So there are three different mixes out there:
  • 1981 - Produced by Steve Lillywhite
  • 1986 worldwide Pretty In Pink soundtrack and 1986 US 45 versions - Produced by The Psychedelic Furs and Charles Harrowell
  • 1986 UK Midnight To Midnight LP and 1986 UK 45 versions - Recorded by Charles Harrowell, Produced by Chris Kimsey, Mixed by Chris Kimsey
 
S

stecov

The forthcoming Cherry Red Swing Out Sister box set includes a 7" version of Surrender as well as the LP version on It's Better To Travel. Does anyone know how they differ from each other? A UK 45 on YouTube seems to fade slightly earlier, but that surely can't be enough to justify a distinction between the 2?
 
lob0to

lob0to

stecov said:
The forthcoming Cherry Red Swing Out Sister box set includes a 7" version of Surrender as well as the LP version on It's Better To Travel. Does anyone know how they differ from each other? A UK 45 on YouTube seems to fade slightly earlier, but that surely can't be enough to justify a distinction between the 2?
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It's a different mix. The drums are drier on the LP version, the 7" has more reverb and sounds larger.
 
lob0to

lob0to

Eric Generic said:
I've always thought the LP version was the single mix. Both 3.54, both sound the same to my ears. I suppose there could be subtle extra bits on the 7" mix which aren't obvious?
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It is fairly subtle and not exactly a huge difference. It becomes a bit more obvious under headphones when doing a direct A-B comparison. The 7" sounds more open and expansive while the album version sounds slightly more constricted.
 
Eric Generic

Eric Generic

lob0to said:
It is fairly subtle and not exactly a huge difference. It becomes a bit more obvious under headphones when doing a direct A-B comparison. The 7" sounds more open and expansive while the album version sounds slightly more constricted.
Click to expand...

It's funny you should say this because I stanned the single like nobody's business yet never quite got that feel when playing the album. I just assumed by then - 6 months later - I was maybe a bit over it.
 
S

stecov

That Discogs entry specifically states 2 tracks are 7" versions, but Surrender isn't one of them.

Can anyone say for certain if that CD does contain the 7" version, or can confirm any other CDs which do have the correct single version?
 
V3RYP05H

V3RYP05H

I know this is primarily for 80s stuff but are there any fairly recent / decently available compilations that feature the Radio Remix of Michelle Branch’s “Goodbye To You”?
 
Blaahh

Blaahh

For the 45 genius' out there - what is the easy way of identifying the January 1982 reissue of EMI/ver League's re-issue of 'Being Boiled' please? The version on Now Yearbook Extra 82 is 3'50 with a cold ending.
 
Eric Generic

Eric Generic

Blaahh said:
For the 45 genius' out there - what is the easy way of identifying the January 1982 reissue of EMI/ver League's re-issue of 'Being Boiled' please? The version on Now Yearbook Extra 82 is 3'50 with a cold ending.
Click to expand...

The single version was the "Fast" version (I used to think this referred to the tempo!) - the 3.50 should be correct. I have that, plus a 3.56 "Fast" version as well.

(No doubt my tagging will be shown up to be crap).
 
8

80s

Here are a few rare single edits on cd that I have discovered over the past few months.

Talking Heads Once In a Lifetime (3:28)
https://www.discogs.com/release/12577394-Various-Once-In-A-Lifetime

Bryan Adams Somebody (3:59)
https://www.discogs.com/release/4359583-Various-Here-Come-The-Hits

Swing Out Sister Surrender (3:53)
https://www.discogs.com/release/3202261-Swing-Out-Sister-Breakout

Level 42 Children Say (4:08)
https://www.discogs.com/release/19679620-Level-42-The-Complete-Polydor-Years-1985-1989

Toto I Won't Hold You Back (4:33)
https://www.discogs.com/release/5952485-Various-Precious-Rock-The-Greatest-Rock-Performances
 
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