Yesterday, our pal Steve Simels posted a Stealers Wheel track over at the invaluable funhouse we know and love as the Power Pop blog. The song, "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine," is a sublime piece of pop music, especially the single version, which differs from "Everything Will Turn Out Fine," the album mix that is found on the Wheels' "Ferguslie Park" release. Some prefer the album version. I prefer the single, though I am not certain if the song was remixed, re-recorded, or if it is simply an alternate take from the same session. One thing I am sure of, you can't go wrong with handclaps.
Single mixes and single edits are very common. As a rule, I'm not a fan of edits. I understand why they existed back when real radio existed. You needed to say it in 2:48. But that doesn't always work. I would much rather hear the song the way it was intended. Listen to the absolutely horrible single edit of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" and you'll understand why. The edit completely decimates the gorgeous bridge and that stunning bass line. You can feel the edit physically. Think, Moe slapping Curly on the back of the head.
Conversely, one of my favorite Elvis Costello tracks is "It's Time" from "All This Useless Beauty." The single edit removes the bridge, which I always thought was clunky, both lyrically and melodically. It was a speed bump in a perfectly good groove. That song works better shorter. Sometimes, Elvis, you need to shut up.
Or how about Randy Newman's classic, "Last Night I Had A Dream?" The album version is your typical, piano based Newman arrangement, whereas the single is a fired up, grungey psych fest! Newman hated it, I believe. I love it.
Single edits are more common than complete alternates. Alternates can boggle the mind. (See Randy Newman.)
I am on the fence with remixes. What Giles Martin has done recently with The Beatles' catalogue has been nothing short of miraculous. This is music that is in our blood and yet, Martin somehow made us hear things we hadn't heard before. Conversely, Tony Visconti, since David Bowie's death, has pointlessly remixed the Bowie catalogue so we can also hear things we haven't heard before. More Tony Visconti.
Now this.
What we have here are two versions of The Romantics' power pop gem, "Tell It To Carrie." The first version from 1978, is how I first heard it. I fell in love immediately. Two years later, when they got signed to a major label, and changed their suits from white to red, "Tell It To Carrie" was re-recorded. Did the indie label Bomp not give Epic the rights, or did Epic not like the original version? Or maybe the band didn't like the original single? All I know is, when I bought the debut LP, I was crushed when the new version of "Carrie" came on.
The differences?
I think there is more passion in the lead vocal on the original.
The production is a little hotter on the new version, maybe to match the red suits. The original feels more Merseybeat.
But the most disappointing change happens on the last verse, which begins around the same time on both, around the 2:20 mark. The original features a call and answer in harmony, which is pure bliss. The new version, well, does not have that call and answer. And that kills it for me. I love that part! There is also a very timely "whoa HO HO" on the original that is missing on the new version. The new version just dies, like a two on, two out pop-up.
I bet you have your faves and non-faves.
24 comments:
My 70s band did a gig with the pre-major label Romantics at some absolutely disgusting East Village dive whose name I have mercifully forgotten. They had the suits, which I was quite in awe of, and were absolutely great live. Super nice guys, too.
As I'm from the greater Detroit area -- I've loved both versions of Carrie for years. They are different, but it probably depends on which version you heard first. To me, the call-and-response in the final verse on the single doesn't work as much, but there's a definite energy in the original single (being that it's slightly faster). But the album version has the better guitar solo and I like the production better! (The guitar sound on that debut album is fantastic throughout though.) I don't think you can go wrong with either version!
How is it that "Layla" cannot be remixed properly?!?!? From the 1970 original to the twentieth anniversary and later box sets, every version is beautiful and infuriating at once as vocals and instruments are either cleaned up, muddied, cluttered or removed.
This is a rabbit hole I've never gone down. I never bought singles and never listened to the radio (not really). I just bought albums, on cassette and then CD and now, sadly, just streaming. When Sal pointed out a Hall and Oates greatest hits set I liked (Rock & Soul Part 1) was a travesty because of this radio edit and that single version rather than the album version, I was like, WTF are you talking about? Huh? Clueless me!
Remember NRBQ had that great song "Get that Gasoline Blues" during the '72 gas crisis. A great tongue and cheek rocker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXxFofpn_yA Bought the LP and the full version (over a minute more) with horns sounding like a funeral dirge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SkgX34mMWs 14:24
Absolutely agree with everything you said about "Tell it to Carrie"!
Agree regarding "Tell It to Carrie," and confess to a fondness for the original/indy singles (invariably less slick) from several bands of that era: Blondie ("X Offender," "In the Sun"), R.E.M. ("Sitting Still," "Radio Free Europe"), B-52s ("Rock Lobster," "52 Girls"), Atlantics ("When You're Young"), Nervus Rex ("Don't Look")....not that I mind the remakes! Just a different experience.
I heard that Stealer's Wheel single on the radio, bought the album, and was so disappointed by the sound I can't remember ever playing it again.
As much as I love that Romantics debut album, I agree that the single version of TITC is better. I can think of a couple of other singles that completely dominate the album versions, right off the top of my head:
- Back of My Hand by the Jags. The single version is FAR superior. the album version replaces the edgy guitar intro with synthesizer. WTF?
- What A Girl Can't Do by the Hangmen. Pretty obscure, but an AWESOME chunk of 60s garage rock. The single is a classic, but when they rerecorded it for their LP, it lost all of the raw energy.
https://youtu.be/OQ_NcbCoLgg?si=U2pXiZitJe2X0nAz
Help Me Rhonda and the Miracles' You've Really Got A Hold on Me are both MUCH better in their single versions than in their album versions. On the other hand, I much prefer the album version of Let it Be with the guitar solo to the single version.
Marc
Doc, thanks for the double heads-up. I had to check my copy of the Jags song to make sure it wasn't the synthy version -- which I was completely unaware of -- and it wasn't. And I wasn't familiar with the Hangmen song, which is a killer garage number.
C in California
Here're are a few:
The Byrds' 'Why' sounds better to me in the single version than the album version.
Bob Seger's '2+2' sounds rawer as a single than the album version.
Feelies' 'Fa Ce La' sounds rawer/rougher in the single version than the album version.
Magaziine's 'Shot (By Both Sides)' sounds rawer than the album version.
To be sure, all the above album versions kick as, too, but like George above, the (often) noisier versions grab me more.
C in California
The single edit of Elvin Bishop’s ‘Fooled Around and Fell in Love’ is much more powerful to me than the album version. I find the guitar solo in particular benefits - killer tight.:)
I loved Katrina And The Waves' Walking On Sunshine when I first heard it on WNYU radio. I went down to Venus Records and bought the album on Canada's Attic Records The version that became the ubiquitous hit was rerecorded, adding that horn line riff. But I prefer the original without it.
One of my ten favorite guitar solos of all time, especially the second half when the drummer moves from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal. It feels like emerging from a tunnel into sunlight.
XTC's Scissors Man single version (available on the Rag n'Bone Buffet CD) is much better than that on Drums and Wires.
Besides, the Romantics were a good power pop band before they got that awful Talking in your Sleep hit single.
Check out the Lyres' great cover version of What a Girl can't do on their 1981 first maxi single on Ace of Hearts records, even better than the original.
J from Europe.
Primal Scream’s ‘Loaded’ - DJ Andrew Weatherall remix of the band’s ‘I’m Losing More Than I Ever Had’. After first hearing this on Sire’s Just Say Yes Volume IV: Just Say Da and I couldn’t get a hold of Screamadelica fast enough.
Everything But the Girl’s ‘Missing’ - Todd Terry’s remix changed the course of their career, both in popularity and in direction. :)
Last one…
Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’(Soulwax Kyluss Remix). Makes you wonder what she would sound like fronting AC/DC. Or maybe INXS. Lol! I used to be able sneak this into the Poker game playlist. :)
https://youtu.be/DH2KEa_WeZ0?si=HK7Thf_ivViDXYrV
Single mix of Badfinger's "Baby Blue" adds a Spector-like echo to the snare hits, making it sound more like "Be My Baby."
The US single mix of "Alison" adds backgrounds vocals, strings and harmony on the second verse. Some thought it was too schmaltzy, but I dug it.
If I'm remembering correctly, when I was a kid, those old Dunhill Three Dog Night '45's sounded a lot different than the album versions.
Randy
If you go to 45cat.com you get a daily dose of this kind of discussion. Sometimes a little too much.
I recently got acquainted with the original version of "First in Line" by the Romantics and it's quite different than the LP. For the record their first album is absolutely killer in my book.
Two come to mind:
Eddie Money-Two Tickets to Paradise. Completely different from the LP.
Edgar Winter Group-Free Ride. "Hotter" radio mix.
Bob in IL
"John I'm Only Dancing" on the B side of "Hang On To Yourself" import 45 is the best mix hands down.
Joey Spampinato remixed "If I Don't Have You" and added some breathy harmonies as well when he found out it was going out as a single. Subtle stuff. No reason in the world for it not to catch on, a great song. I was a lite-rock DJ at the time who happened to also be the program director so i put it in heavy rotation for a month. It sounded great, especially around all the other trash I was playing (at gunpoint.) But it fit right in with that stuff, because it's just a simple, gentle love song.
Anonymous - My pleasure! And actually, after a bit of research, it turns out there's a very good reason why the single of WAGCD is so different from the album version...it's actually by a different group, called the Reekers! I have no idea why they were credited as the Hangmen. Time for MORE research!
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