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NightAire
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| Posted: 07 December 2020 at 3:03pm | IP Logged
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It sounds FANTASTIC!! Great job, Mark!
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Gene Savage
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Owasso, Oklahoma USA
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crapfromthepast
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| Posted: 07 December 2020 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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Gene - Ask, and because I needed a break from work, ye shall receive.
UK LP version (about 4:08)
The After The Snow album was released in 1982 in the UK.
Here, the song is mixed in a very natural-sounding stereo.
It's relatively uncommon on CD. I have it on Capitol's Sedated In The Eighties No. 1 (1993), where it sounds just fine.
US LP and 45 version (about 3:47)
The 45 was released in 1982 in both the US and UK. The 45 version was used on the US 12" single, and (I think) used on the US LP, but I can't confirm.
The 45 shortens the bridge ("the future's open wide" part) by about twenty seconds. The 45 also adds some production elements (keyboards and handclaps in the chorus, background vocals in the second verse, etc.) You can't edit the 45 down from the album, due to the extra production elements.
It appears that there are three different configurations for the 45 version:
Narrow stereo, matrix number AAA 1775S - it's on the A-side of the promo 45 (where it says "STEREO") and on the commercial 45 (where it doesn't specify whether it's stereo or mono)
Gene correctly noted above that the reverb on the vocals is in stereo, but it's still really narrow, with all the instruments squashed into the center of the soundstage. This narrow stereo version is what appears on just about all the common compilations out there.
It showed up first on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 9 (1994), where it sounds just fine. The same analog transfer is used on:- Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Sampler PRCD 7055 (1994)
- Rhino's 2-CD Classic MTV Class Of 1983 (1994)
- Rhino's Valley Girl Soundtrack (1994)
- Razor & Tie's 2-CD Everything '80s (1995)
- Warner Special Products' Eighteen Modern Rock Classics (1996) - digitally exactly 2 dB quieter than Everything '80s
- Rhino's Millennium New Wave Party (1999)
- Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 5 Dance (1999) - 0.5 dB quieter than Everything '80s until 3:04, and 2.5 dB quieter after 3:04
- Varese Sarabande's Totally Oldies Vol. 5 Then '80s (2003) - digitally 1.46 dB louder than Everything '80s
There's another analog transfer on EMI's 2-CD 80's Wave (1998), but I don't know where this originated
True mono, matrix number AAA 1775MDJ - it's on the B-side of the promo 45. I can't confirm that it really is true mono, but it says "MONO" on the promo 45
Normal-width stereo, mixed in 1982 but unreleased until Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16 More '80s Essentials And Beyond (2016). There's a really bass-heavy EQ on the Eric disc, but that's the only place you'll find the song in normal-width stereo.
1990 rerecording (about 3:52)
In 1990, the band released the album Pillow Lips on TVT Records and rerecorded "I Melt With You". TVT released the rerecording as as a single, and it did hit the lower rungs of the pop chart, but nobody would consider this to be the hit recording.
The 1990 LP version (rerecording) starts with two drum hits before the opening guitar strum. I'm not sure if the 1990 single omitted the two drum hits, but I have two CDs that do just that.
I have the 1990 rerecording on:- the promo disc Schwartz Brothers Compact Disc Sampler Vol. 5 (1990) - omits two drum hits
- Rhino's Never Mind The Mainstream The Best Of MTV's 120 Minutes Vol. 1 (1991) - two drum hits are intact
- Warner Special Products' 2-CD Entertainment Weekly Presents 80's Explosion (1994) - two drum hits are intact
- Sony's This Ain't No Disco (1994) - omits two drum hits
My recommendations
For the UK LP version, go with Capitol's Sedated In The Eighties No. 1 (1993).
For the US LP and 45 version in narrow stereo, go with Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 9 (1994).
For the US LP and 45 version in true mono, I don't think it exists on CD, but it's a safe bet that you can fold down the Rhino disc to true mono without any artifacts. I doubt that it's a dedicated mix (as opposed to a fold-down), but I can't confirm.
For the US LP and 45 version in normal-width stereo, go with Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16 More '80s Essentials And Beyond (2016).
Edited by crapfromthepast on 08 December 2020 at 8:39am
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NightAire
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| Posted: 07 December 2020 at 6:28pm | IP Logged
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Fascinating, Ron! I always learn something once you analyze a song. I really appreciate you going through all of this.
When I first looked at the "Phase Analysis" window in Adobe Audition (looks a little like an old-fashioned radar screen), the narrow stereo version looked for all the world like mono. It was only when I inverted one of the channels and summed them that I discovered there was ANY stereo content.
It was also interesting that on one of my files, once you summed it with once channel inverted you could hear it was somehow out of alignment for a bit at the beginning and then it "popped" into place. The Rhino recordings are all perfect, so I agree with your recommendation.
I'm with you that the mono side of the single is surely just a fold-down.
EDIT: Ron clarified the 1990 version has the drum hits; the 1982 versions do not. Ignore the next paragraph.
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I didn't realize about the drum hits on the LP version! That explains why my mystery stereo version has the drum hits at the beginning: they were trying to duplicate the LP version.
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After hearing the full stereo version on Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16, it's hard to go back to the narrow version. It sounds flat to me now. Listen especially to the line, "the future's... open... wide..." in the stereo; it's a huge sound-stage that just doesn't have the same impact in mono.
I'm breaking my own rules (always, always, ALWAYS and ONLY the EXACT radio single version) on BlackLight and adding the full stereo version. It's gorgeous.
I'd love to hear from the band why they thought the nearly mono mix was a better approach for the radio single (or somebody at the label did)!
Thanks again for this entertaining and useful deep dive.
Edited by NightAire on 08 December 2020 at 9:05am
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Gene Savage
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Owasso, Oklahoma USA
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crapfromthepast
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| Posted: 07 December 2020 at 8:33pm | IP Logged
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Oops - sorry, Gene. I should clarify:
The 1990 LP version (rerecording) starts with two drum hits.
The 1982 LP version does not start with two drum hits.
I edited my post above to reflect this. My bad.
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NightAire
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With all the fantastic information you provide, I think you're allowed one error. :-) Thank you for the clarification!
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Gene Savage
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Owasso, Oklahoma USA
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Top 40 Music on Compact Disc : Chat Board
Topic: Modern English "I Melt With You"
