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Gary
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Posted: 07 October 2017 at 6:06pm | IP Logged Quote Gary

This song was listed in my hardcover copy of the 4th edition of Pat's Top 40 Music on Cd(1996), but it is not listed in the database. I have the 3:58 version on Radio Daze Vol. 3. It looks like there is a 45 edit of this. Does anyone have the edit points for this song?
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EdisonLite
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Posted: 08 October 2017 at 1:56pm | IP Logged Quote EdisonLite

Why was it removed from the database? With a #39 Billboard peak, it may have not made the top 40 elsewhere. But I thought both the book and the database were based on the average of the specific charts Pat used. What would have changed between the release of the book and the database?
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Gary
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Posted: 08 October 2017 at 7:30pm | IP Logged Quote Gary

Does anyone have the new set Through The Eyes Of Love - The Complete Arista 7" singles? Does it have the 45 version of Pretty Girls on it?
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Santi Paradoa
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Posted: 08 October 2017 at 7:56pm | IP Logged Quote Santi Paradoa

I do. I have no idea if it is the correct 45 version/length. It is not much shorter than the version found on her ten track Greatest Hits CD. I can send it out to anyone who wants to analyze it and report back if it does match the 1979 single. PM me with your email address.

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Paul Haney
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Posted: 09 October 2017 at 4:30am | IP Logged Quote Paul Haney

EdisonLite wrote:
Why was it removed from the database? With a #39 Billboard peak, it may have not made the top 40 elsewhere. But I thought both the book and the database were based on the average of the specific charts Pat used. What would have changed between the release of the book and the database?


FWIW, the song peaked at #39 BB, #44 CB and #51 RW, so it doesn't average out to a "true" Top 40 hit.
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Glenpwood
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Posted: 17 October 2017 at 3:55pm | IP Logged Quote Glenpwood

Santi, I think you have your "Girls" confused. The 1983 Greatest Hits
album contains Nice Girls, not Pretty Girls. No worries, Melissa
probably confuses them now these days too!

I bought this comp too but haven't found the time yet to go to storage
and dig out my 45 of this song. On the new comp it definitely is running
or pitched slower than my CD copy ( the rare Arista copy not the
Wounded Bird reissue) and vinyl of the 1979 Melissa Manchester
album. When I sync the two versions up, the TTEOL copy drags behind
slightly. It perhaps wouldn't bother a casual listener but as someone
who remembers this song from the first time I heard it on American
Bandstand through repeated airplay on Detroit radio - thanks to Cancon
compliance - Pretty was a top ten hit there on CKLW. I know this song
well enough that alarm bells went off the second I heard it. The energy
is totally drained out of it with the variance. Anyways, enough of my
stanning for this tune - I look forward to any feedback someone with a
45 rip can share...
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EdisonLite
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Posted: 18 October 2017 at 7:06pm | IP Logged Quote EdisonLite

Yeah, I always liked "Pretty Girls" and the follow-up "Fire in the Morning" a lot and was surprised as they only peaked in the 30's on the Hot 100. Thought they both should have peaked higher, especially "Fire", which at least went to #8 AC and was a big radio staple there. I think these 30's peak are probably the reason that both songs were left off Melissa's 1983 "Greatest Hits" CD, probably coupled with the fact that I don't think Melissa cared too much for either song, from what I know. At this point, it seemed her pop career was declining, but little did we know, 2 years later she would come back with an image change, sound change and have the highest charting hit of her career with the #5 peaking "You Should Hear...", not to mention that the song is also her one Grammy win (for Best Female Vocal Performance).

Edited by EdisonLite on 21 October 2017 at 1:09am
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EdisonLite
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Posted: 18 October 2017 at 7:09pm | IP Logged Quote EdisonLite

A funny story regarding "Pretty Girls". I was co-compiler of Rhino's "Radio Daze: Hits of the '80s" CD series, which included "Pretty Girls". As we were finishing up the project, word came to me from my co-compiler (who worked at Rhino) that someone (I had no idea who) asked if we could exclude "Pretty Girls" from the set because he felt it was a horrible song. He had no idea he was asking this of a co-compiler who's favorite female artist was and is Melissa Manchester (tied with Dionne Warwick.) His reasoning wasn't satisfactory enough for me. And we left it on :)

Bill Inglot was usually very good about using single versions - though not always (He chose the album versions for the two biggest Bo Donaldson & Heywoods hits on 'Have a Nice Day'.) But if someone is checking out versions on "Through The Eyes of Love" and the other MM CDs, you might want to also check the version on "Radio Daze". It might very well be the single version, if that's proven to be a slower (or faded) version.

Edited by EdisonLite on 21 October 2017 at 1:10am
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EdisonLite
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Posted: 19 October 2017 at 12:58am | IP Logged Quote EdisonLite

I happened to be reading through some of the Melissa Manchester albums on Wikipedia tonight, and for her 1979 self-titled album (that contains "Pretty Girls" and "Fire in the Morning"), I was very surprised to learn "Pretty Girls" also served as her "first 12-inch extended dance single." Does anyone have this or know anything about this? I can't find it on discogs.com, amazon, ebay. It never was a bonus cut on any of the Wounded Bird reissues of Melissa's (though they also left off the 12" extended version of "You Should Hear..."). I'm also curious to know if they used the same mix and just made it longer (like was later done with "You Should Hear...") or if it has additional instrumentation.
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EdisonLite
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Posted: 19 October 2017 at 1:45am | IP Logged Quote EdisonLite

On YouTube, I discovered a 7:23 extended version of "Pretty Girls" ... which was created by the person who put it up. But in his description below the video he writes, "I once held the official Arista promo 12" of this in my hand at a used record store in Manhattan. Scratched horribly, 5 minutes even, and $25. I thought it was a little steep for 1:15 longer than the 45 single." And he went on to say that in the digital age he made his own long version. So I guess this answers my question to its existence, but does anyone have this 12"??
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Gary
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Posted: 19 October 2017 at 5:57pm | IP Logged Quote Gary

EdisonLite wrote:
But if someone is checking out versions on "Through The Eyes of Love" and the other MM CDs, you might want to also check the version on "Radio Daze". It might very well be the single version, if that's proven to be a slower (or faded) version.


Great stories! I compared the 45 version that someone supplied me with the version I have on Radio Daze - the Radio Version runs 3:52. The Radio Daze version runs 3:56. It looks like it might be a fade difference.
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Santi Paradoa
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Posted: 20 October 2017 at 12:08pm | IP Logged Quote Santi Paradoa

I guess I did mix up the two tracks (not all pretty girls are nice girls). I do have the Radio Daze disc so I guess that is the one I will go with if that recent Arista Singles set has the song at a slower speed. This is what happens when the folks that compile these CDs don't have the vinyl 45s to compare the tracks to. It's no wonder they often have incorrect speeds and/or lengths (simply because they use the listed time on the single instead of the actual time).

If it's not an edit but simply an early fade then I'm fine with a good sounding track that runs just a few seconds longer than the 45 (I'm not a stickler if the file is simply four seconds longer than the single was).

Edited by Santi Paradoa on 20 October 2017 at 1:19pm


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EdisonLite
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Posted: 21 October 2017 at 1:14am | IP Logged Quote EdisonLite

As far as MM's "Arista Singles" set on Real Gone Records, I do know they were diligant about trying to use single mixes. I know because someone involved with the project reached out to me and asked me to supply 3 45 transfers to make sure what they had on tape matched the singles. So I know that was the case, but I can't speak for "Pretty Girls".
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