Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: Soft Cell - Tainted Love on Pure 80’s

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Topic: Soft Cell - Tainted Love on Pure 80’s

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Pat Downey
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Posted: 27 May 2008 at 9:32pm \| IP Logged

I do not think we have answered Aaron's question which is the very first post on this thread. The version on Pure 80's is most definitely not the version found on "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret".

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Posted: 27 May 2008 at 10:58pm \| IP Logged

Pat is exactly right. I just heard the LP version for the first time in a long time, and it's not the same as the Pure 80's version. To be honest, I hadn't listened to the Pure 80's version in a long time either. The Pure 80's version also fades out and doesn't end with just the "cha cha cha" sound. I got confused earlier. Must be old age setting in. (I'll be 30 soon.)

Edited by aaronk on 27 May 2008 at 11:03pm

Jody Thornton
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Posted: 28 May 2008 at 6:30am \| IP Logged

aaronk wrote:

Sorry buddy - I really thought I had the answer for you. I have to hear this Pure 80s mix.

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 24 August 2009 at 7:41pm \| IP Logged

Just revisiting this song, and plenty of confusion here. I found three different mixes of the song, all of which use the same vocal take (not the '91 rerecording from Memorabilia).

First, I dug out the commercial 45 (the RE-1 from the above scan). It has a printed time of 2:38, an actual run time of 2:39, and runs 144.8-144.6 BPM (from beginning to end).

It appears that the true commercial 45 version didn't appear on CD until 1994 (!), unless I'm missing something. I found it on these:

Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 4 (1994)
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties - 1982 (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of above Rhino CD)
Time-Life's Modern Rock - Dance (1999; differently EQ'd digital clone of above Rhino CD
Rhino's Like Omigod box
Rhino's Millennium '80s New Wave Party (1999; differently EQ'd digital clone of above Rhino CD with extra compression? I don't really like the sound on this CD)
Razor & Tie's Awesome '80s (1994)
an Icelandic 2-CD set on Skifan Records called Pottpett '80s (2001)
a 4-CD set from Germany on Dominion Records called Disco Fever (1993; sound not so good on anything on this set; I don't consider this a proper release)

Unless noted, the sound is pretty good on all of the above CDs.

I noticed that there are a few more drumbeats at the beginning of the commercial 45, compared with the medley version, so one can't be faded early to get the other. Both can be edited down from the 12", though. (Editing instructions are in an earlier post.)

Next, I found that the Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret LP version is a slightly different mix than the 45. It starts where the medley version starts (no extra drumbeats at the intro like the commercial 45 version). The mix is a little more exaggerated, with lots of reverb, and the synth accents and the vocals being pushed way out in front. It runs only 2:33. The easiest way to spot this mix is the ending - after a slight fade, it ends completely cold with a drum fill at 2:33.

I have this LP mix on:

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (Polygram Special Markets PEG006, no release date but this is the version with 18 tracks)
Columbia Germany's Pop & Wave Vol. 1 (2-CD set, 1992)

Finally, there's the mix that was brought up on the original post. I have no idea where this mix originated, unfortunately. It begins with two single-note synth hits, then a little silence, then a snare drum-like fill, then the rest of the instrumentation comes in on the downbeat at 0:04. There's no reverb on anything - listen to the first 10 seconds or so and it sounds WAY too dry. It's also a little slower than the true 45, running at 143.3-143.2 BPM (beginning to end). The fade begins before the 45 fade, and extends beyond the end of the 45 fade. Hmm. This odd mix turned up on:

Priority's Rock Of The 80's Vol. 2 (1992)
UK's Now 1981 - The Millennium Series (1999; sounds a little better than the Priority CD)

I'm assuming that this is the still-unidentified mix mentioned above.

Muddying the waters even more is a rerecording from scratch for the Memorabilia CD from 1991. It's a brand new vocal take, so you can tell the difference pretty easily.

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EternalStatic
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Posted: 18 October 2020 at 10:06am \| IP Logged

If this matter is still open for debate or clarification, I would like to add that I think the alternate "Tainted Love" short mix discussed throughout the thread (as found on Pure 80's) likely made its first commercial appearance in 1991 as part of the "Tainted Love '91"
campaign.

While this mix is clearly not an edited version of the "Tainted Love '91" re-recording, it appears to have been released as the lead track on many "Tainted Love '91" singles, but incorrectly labeled as "Original 7" Version". Since the first noted compilation appearance
for this variant dates to 1992 (per Ron's post, above), it would appear likely that someone may have grabbed the wrong tape when mastering this single release and then this mistake was replicated on down the line for a few years.

I have a digital "Tainted Love"/"Where Did Our Love Go?" single from iTunes U.S. sold in 2009 that contains this version as Track 1. If you are interested in hearing the alternate mix, it appears to still be available from U.S. retailers and streaming services as Track 1 of the
"Tainted Love"/"Where Did Our Love Go" digital single.

Edited by EternalStatic on 18 October 2020 at 10:17am

Bellenger1981
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 10:50am \| IP Logged

The U.S. promo 45 lists a 4:10 "edit" of "Where Did Your
Love Go" on the B-side. Is this an exclusive edit of the
12" medley, running 4:10? Or, is it a misprint and actually
the 3:10 original version of "Where Did Our Love Go"?

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Jason Bellenger
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 12:14pm \| IP Logged

Jason, there is a special DJ edit of Tainted Love/Where Did
Our Love Go that was issued in 1981, according to the
database. This medley runs 4:01 and was issued on an Eric
Records Hard To Find CD. Even though the listed time on
that promo 45 on Discogs is 4:10, the medley runs 4:01.

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Bellenger1981
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 12:33pm \| IP Logged

Thank you, John, for the response. Sorry for the confusion,
as I am well aware of this 4:01 edit of "Tainted Love/Where
Did Our Love Go" (listed as 3:58 on the promo 45 A-side),
as I have the Eric Records CD. I am actually referring to
the B-side of the promo 45, which is listed just as "Where
Did Our Love Go" (Edit) with a run time of 4:10 (no
"Tainted Love" is listed on this side). See here:

https://www.45cat.com/record/pros1028

Edited by Bellenger1981 on 12 July 2022 at 12:35pm

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Jason Bellenger
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 1:14pm \| IP Logged

As I recall, that is the last 4:16 of the 12" medley. Basically, if you chop everything off from 0:00 to 4:38, you're left with 4:16. It begins on a beat but starts rather abrupt. During the transition, there are a lot of crazy drum machines and sounds, and the "Edit" starts on the last four beats before the crazy percussion ends.

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Aaron Kannowski
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Bellenger1981
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 1:38pm \| IP Logged

Thanks, Aaron. So, in other words, this YouTube video of it
playing is most likely correct:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0shWR62Mu8

Edited by Bellenger1981 on 12 July 2022 at 1:38pm

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Jason Bellenger
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aaronk
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 4:30pm \| IP Logged

Yes, I'm 99% sure the video plays the exact version you're asking about, but if you want me to pull my promo and double check, I'm happy to do so. I don't believe there are any other edits; it simply removes the "Tainted Love" part of the medley.

Edited by aaronk on 12 July 2022 at 4:31pm

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Bellenger1981
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 4:58pm \| IP Logged

Thank you for the offer, Aaron, but it's okay. I was just
curious what this 4:10 (listed) promo 45 version was. Now I
know.

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Jason Bellenger
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Posted: 12 July 2022 at 6:46pm \| IP Logged

Hi Jason,

Pardon my confusion. Unlike Aaron, I was unaware of this
4:16 "Where Did Our Love Go" only track.

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Bellenger1981
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Posted: 13 July 2022 at 3:41pm \| IP Logged

No problem, John. I was browsing through 1982 and noticed
that the archive was missing this promo edit of "Where Did
Our Love Go", so I was curious exactly what it was! Now I
wonder if anyone heard this edit of "Where Did Our Love Go"
on the radio.

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Jason Bellenger
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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 13 July 2022 at 9:26pm \| IP Logged

For the record, Ive never heard any radio station air Where Did Our Love Go without Tainted Love.

It appears that the first US 45 release had a catalog number of Sire SRE 49855 and a matrix number of ZAA 1312S. (No RE-1 in the matrix number, no Some Bizarre logo on the label.) Discogs lists a stereo/mono promo 45 with this catalog/matrix number, with a printed time of 2:38. I think, but can't confirm, that it's the common 45 version, which was the same as the UK 45. Discogs doesn't show any commercial 45s released with this catalog/matrix number; they may exist, but they're not currently listed.

Later (and more common) releases had a catalog number of Sire SRE 49855 and a matrix number of ZAA 1312S RE-1, and featured an additional Some Bizarre logo on the Sire label. Discogs shows a stereo/mono promo 45 and a commercial 45 for this catalog/matrix number. The RE-1 also has a printed time of 2:38. I can confirm that the RE-1 is the common 45 version. I don't really know what warranted the RE-1 designation. Unless the original pressing used a different mix, the only difference I can see is the addition of a new logo on the Sire label.

Does anyone have a non-RE-1 45 on Sire?

Edited by crapfromthepast on 14 July 2022 at 12:25pm

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 13 July 2022 at 9:47pm \| IP Logged

I think I found the source of the unidentified mix that starts with two synth stabs and no drums. It seems to be Tainted Love '91, credited to Soft Cell/Marc Almond.

Heres a YouTube video of the 1991 45 playing. It's misidentified in the video title as being from 1981; it's not.

Here's a Discogs listing for the 45. The listing states: "Although track A is listed as 'Original' this mix is slightly different from the original 1981 single version."

Edited by crapfromthepast on 14 July 2022 at 12:29pm

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Jody Thornton
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Posted: 14 July 2022 at 7:29pm \| IP Logged

Bellenger1981 wrote:

The only time I have EVER heard "Where Did Our Love Go" sans Tainted Love was the LP version included on "Non Stop Erotic Dancing". That was a different mix than the 12" and US edit of the medley.

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Jody Thornton
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Posted: 14 July 2022 at 7:35pm \| IP Logged

aaronk wrote:

Yikes! I'm glad we were spared that mess in Canada. Never ever heard that abrupt start.

I thought the US edit of the medley was a rough enough transition between the two songs. But that video of Just "Where Did Our Love Go" is pretty rough.

And yes, that simply removes Tainted Love and the transitional section. From the point that video starts, the remainder of the 12" single is played in its entirety.

Edited by Jody Thornton on 14 July 2022 at 7:36pm

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 15 July 2022 at 3:35pm \| IP Logged

At the risk of being redundant with one of my earlier posts (from 13 years ago!), here's some mastering info.

45 version

This version runs 2:38. The "snare drum" fill starts at 0:06. The vocals start at 0:13.

It's on the UK 45 (Some Bizzare BZS 2). The B-side is a 3:14 version of "Where Did Our Love Go".

It's on the US 45 (Sire SRE 49855). The B-side is "Memorabilia". There were stereo/mono promo 45s of "Tainted Love" released with the same catalog number. Most of the releases with this catalog number have "RE-1" listed in the matrix number just below the catalog number. There was a non-"RE-1" version of the stereo/mono promo 45, but it's not clear if there was ever a commercial non-"RE-1" version of the 45.

The 45 version appeared on CD on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 4 (1994), where it runs 2:40. It sounds great here - nice dynamic range, nice EQ, no evidence of added noise reduction on the fade, and good source tapes. It runs about 144.8 BPM here. The same analog transfer is used on:

Rhino's 2-CD Entertainment Weekly Presents 80's Explosion (1994) - digitally exactly 0.8 dB quieter
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 5 1982 (1994) - differently EQ'd digital clone
Rhino's Millennium Eighties New Wave Party (1999) - differently EQ'd digital clone, with small amount of compression/limiting added
Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 5 Dance (1999) - differently EQ'd digital clone
Rhino's 7-CD Like Omigod (2002) - not a digital clone
Time-Life's 2-CD Rhythm + Grooves Groove Is In The Heart (2002) - differently EQ'd digital clone
Time-Life's Superstars Of The 80s One Hit Wonders (2005) - differently EQ'd digital clone

There's a different analog transfer on Razor & Tie's 2-CD Awesome '80s, which has a slightly shorter tail to the fade (about 4 beats shorter) and runs 2:39. It sounds OK here, but I prefer the Rhino mastering. It runs about 145.3 BPM here. I think the same analog transfer was used on a 2-CD coompilation from Iceland called PottŢétt 80's 2 (2001).

I found one more analog transfer on a European low-budget 4-CD set called Disco Fever from 1993. It sounds much better on the Rhino set.

LP version

The LP version has a lot more reverb than the 45 mix. The intro is shorter than the 45 so that the "snare drum" fill starts at 0:02 and the vocals start at 0:10. The ending is also different from the 45. On the LP, it fades into a little synth riff/drum fill that ends the song cold. It runs about 2:33 or 2:34.

The LP version is relatively uncommon on CD. I have it on:

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (Polygram Special Markets PEG006, no release date but this is the version with 18 tracks)
Columbia Germany's 2-CD Pop & Wave Vol. 1 (1992)

The sound is brighter on the Polygram release.

Medley with "Where Did Our Love Go"

"Tainted Love" and "Where Did Our Love Go" first appeared as a medley on the 12 inch single, running about 8:55. I found it first on CD on Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites Vol. 3 (1993). In recent years, the full 12 inch version has appeared on a few European compilations.

When the 2:38 version failed to make the US top 40, someone at Sire Records decided to shorten the medley down to a reasonable length and re-service the song to US radio as a new promo 45 (Sire PRO-S-1028).

The A-side of the new promo 45 has a designation of "Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go (Edit)", with a printed time of 3:58 and an actual time of 4:01. This 4-minute medley version became the hit at radio (in some markets), and gave the song a boost on the charts. The song eventually went on to hit the top 10 and set a longevity record on the Hot 100.

The B-side of the new promo 45 is "Where Did Our Love Go (Edit)", which starts jarringly at the transition between the two songs in the medley. Printed 4:10, actual about 4:16.

The Sire "Back To Back Hits" reissue 45 from 1987 (GSRE 0435) includes the medley. It also has a designation of "Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go (Edit)", with a printed time of 3:58, but an actual run time of 4:11. The reissue 45 runs 10 seconds longer than the promo 45. The reissue 45 edit and length (4:11) appear on Rhino's Hard Rock Cafe New Wave (1997).

The edited medley was notoriously hard to find for many, many years after the song was a hit. It did turn up on a rare promo 5-CD set called Best Of CMJ 1979-1989 (1989, running about 4:11) and an ever more rare promo 50-CD called The A List Disc 11 (1994; taken from vinyl; likely based on TM Century mastering). 34 years after the medley was a hit, it finally appeared on a commercially available CD, Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16 More '80s Essentials And Beyond (2016, running about 4:03).

A 1991 version

The 1991 best-of album Memorabilia - The Singles (on Mercury) wrought havoc on the Soft Cell catalog. The Discogs listing says: "Note: The Soft Cell recordings here are not the original recordings but remixes and reworkings from 1991, except for "Torch" & "Soul Inside". The UK/Europe & US versions have slightly different art & tracklistings. "Tainted Love" is known as "Tainted Love '91" on the US releases. Some of the Marc Almond songs are remixes as well (see notes)."

"Tainted Love '91" appears on Memorabilia and runs about 2:58. There's no mistaking it for the original.

To promote Memorabilia in 1991, Mercury released some singles in the UK (not the US) as by "Soft Cell / Marc Almond", some of which have a designation of "Tainted Love (Original)" or "Tainted Love (Original 7")", and a time of 2:38. This version starts with two single-note synth hits, then a little silence, then a snare drum-like fill, then the rest of the instrumentation comes in on the downbeat at 0:04. There's no reverb on anything.

This incorrectly-named "Original" version from 1991 appears on CD singles from 1991, as well as:

Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 2 (1992)
Time-Life Europe's 2-CD The 80's Collection Vol. 2 1981 (1993)
Rhino's promotional Just Can't Get Enough Sampler (PRCD 7055, released 1994)
EMI UK's 2-CD Now The Millennium Series 1981 (1999)
Universal's Pure '80s (1999)

All of the above run at about 143.3 BPM. All sound fine. I would think that they all trace their masterings back to the CD singles, but I don't have any of those to compare.

My recommendations

For the 45 version (just "Tainted Love"), may as well go for Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 4 (1994), but the digital clones also sound just fine.

For the LP version, grab whatever you can find. It's not common on CD.

For the promo 45 version (medley edit), go for Rhino's Hard Rock Cafe New Wave (1997) for the reissue 45 length, or Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16 More '80s Essentials And Beyond (2016) for the promo 45 length.

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mjb50
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Posted: 18 July 2022 at 12:32am \| IP Logged

Thanks for the rundown.

As mentioned in Pat's database, the non-medley 45 version is on The Singles, which came out several years before Memorabilia.

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