Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: David Naughton

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Topic: David Naughton - "Makin’ It"

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jimct
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Posted: 20 February 2009 at 4:18pm \| IP Logged

I have just acquired a second, unique promo 45 for this song. Below the "RSO
916" catalog # info, the initial promo 45 states (RS 916 AS), whereas this
second promo 45, which states "New Special 12" Mix" on both sides, has (RS
916 AS REV) below the catalog #. Upon giving it a quick listen, it has even
more of the "additional instruments/disco energy" present than the already-
very-uptempo, "standard" promo 45/stock 45 version does. I will shoot this
new promo 45 out to Aaron for his further evaluation, as well as my vinyl 12"
single version of the song, and will soon report back with additional
findings.

Edited by jimct on 05 January 2014 at 11:50am

Santi Paradoa
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Posted: 26 October 2011 at 4:49pm \| IP Logged

Has the b-side of this commercial 45 and/or the 12" vinyl version ever been on an import CD?

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Todd Ireland
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Posted: 04 January 2014 at 7:06pm \| IP Logged

According to the All Music website, a seven minute version of David Naughton's "Makin' It" was issued on the Meatballs soundtrack, the song's parent vinyl LP. To my knowledge, this full length version has never been issued anywhere on CD. Nonetheless, all of the song's database CD appearances to date should probably have a "45 version" comment.

On a side note, it sounds like some reverb was added to "Makin' It" on the Disco Nights Volume VIII CD (Rebound 314520307).

EdisonLite
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Posted: 05 January 2014 at 11:44am \| IP Logged

Since "Makin' It" was the theme from the TV show "Makin' It", it wasn't really "from" the Meatballs soundtrack - more like the Meatballs soundtrack happened to use it at some point later (and maybe the only LP to use any version). Could it be the Meatballs version could be labeled as an "alternate long version", or an extended 12" mix? Not sure how to label all these but I do think they should be mentioned in the database, whatever the proper descriptions would be.

Edited by EdisonLite on 05 January 2014 at 11:45am

edtop40
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Posted: 05 January 2014 at 2:36pm \| IP Logged

funny thing....i actually have the 'meatballs' soundtrack
vinyl lp if anyone needs a copy of the song from it!!

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Pat Downey
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Posted: 05 January 2014 at 9:25pm \| IP Logged

I agree that the Meatballs soundtrack version is not the parent album for the song Makin' It. If the Meatballs version ever does appear on cd I would call it the "Meatballs soundtrack version".

Todd Ireland
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Posted: 05 January 2014 at 11:34pm \| IP Logged

In the 7th Edition of Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955-1999, there's a notation under "Makin' It" that states: "from the movie Meatballs starring Bill Murray". Thus, I just assumed the soundtrack LP was considered the parent album.

Also, Gordon is correct... According to Wikipedia, the short-lived Makin' It TV sitcom aired from 2/1/79 through 3/23/79 before being canceled. The TV theme song by David Naughton then began charting as a single on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week ending 3/31/79. Then the Meatballs soundtrack LP was released in August of that year. So with that said, I agree with Pat that it probably makes a little more sense to use a "Meatballs soundtrack version" comment should this extended version ever surface on CD.

By the way, I see the database has been updated to indicate that reverb was added to "Makin' It" on a number of CD entries. Meanwhile, as I listen to the song on the Disco Nights Volume VIII CD (Rebound 314520307) again, it sounds like it might even be a remix. This wouldn't mark the first time a remix has been used on the Disco Nights series.

EdisonLite
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Posted: 06 January 2014 at 9:23am \| IP Logged

<By the way, I see the database has been updated to indicate that reverb was added to "Makin' It" on a number of CD entries. Meanwhile, as I listen to the song on the Disco Nights Volume VIII CD (Rebound 314520307) again, it sounds like it might even be a remix.>

The song's co-producer and co-writer, Dino Fekaris, told me about a remix for this song when we spoke about it in the early 90s. However, he didn't go into specifics so I don't know if he was referring to this version that's on "Disco Nights" or the extended version on the Meatballs soundtrack.

Edited by EdisonLite on 06 January 2014 at 9:24am

EdisonLite
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Posted: 06 January 2014 at 9:27am \| IP Logged

BTW, did this "Meatballs" soundtrack come out on CD overseas? I have the "Spaceballs" soundtrack on import CD but that doesn't count, unfortunately. (I believe "Spaceballs" was a spoof on the movie "Meatballs").

aaronk
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Posted: 06 January 2014 at 10:49am \| IP Logged

EdisonLite wrote:

(I believe "Spaceballs" was a spoof on the movie "Meatballs").

If you haven't seen "Spaceballs," it's a spoof on Star Wars, among other space sci-fi movies. I thought "Meatballs" was more of a teen/high school comedy, no?

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Santi Paradoa
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Posted: 07 January 2014 at 8:09pm \| IP Logged

This song was also on a various artists LP called RSO Chart
Busters. I had this LP back then (gave it to a cousin once
I had every song on it on CD). Total of ten tracks by ten
different artists (all big hits). I never purchased the
Meatballs OST, but I did have the 12" single (gave that
away as well).

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80smusicfreak
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 2:50am \| IP Logged

edtop40 wrote:

funny thing....i actually have the 'meatballs' soundtrack vinyl lp if anyone needs a copy of the song from it!!

Yep, same here - only on cassette. (Tough one to find on cassette, BTW - oh, and it was also released on 8-track.) I'd forgotten that the Meatballs soundtrack actually contains an extended version of "Makin' It" - it's one of those albums I listened to just once after buying it some 20 years ago, and then packed away in my closet, lol...

Santi Paradoa wrote:

Correct. As a long-time fan/collector of V/A compilations, I was going to post about this album, but you beat me to it! I've had it on cassette myself for over 25 years now. It was the one other album released by RSO to feature "Makin' It" - but unlike the Meatballs soundtrack, it contains one of the (short) 7" mixes. It came out in late '79, less than six months after the soundtrack. The soundtrack was on RSO 3056, while RSO Chart Busters came out on RSO 3066 (only 10 nos. higher). And yes, even the back cover of this album stated that "Makin' It" was "From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 'Meatballs'", along w/ a pic of the soundtrack cover. :-) For those who may be curious, here's one on eBay, w/ pics of both the front & back covers: RSO Chart Busters Back in the '80s, the only other places I had "Makin' It" were on a couple of K-tel compilations - one titled Hitline (Vol. 1), and another called Starflight... :-)

80smusicfreak
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 3:27am \| IP Logged

EdisonLite wrote:

Since "Makin' It" was the theme from the TV show "Makin' It", it wasn't really "from" the Meatballs soundtrack...

Pat Downey wrote:

I agree that the Meatballs soundtrack version is not the parent album for the song Makin' It.

While I certainly don't dispute that this song was originally recorded for (and released as a single as a result of) the TV series in early '79 - and that the Meatballs soundtrack followed a bit later, in mid '79 - I hereby submit additional evidence that needs to be considered here, before jumping to the above conclusion...

Todd Ireland wrote:

Over the years, I'd also noticed that multiple publications of Mr. Whitburn's have indeed carried that statement under "Makin' It", so after you revived this thread several days ago, I decided to dig a little deeper into this one. And while I'd never questioned it previously, I now know why Whitburn has long made that claim: W/o asking Paul Haney to verify, I'm willing to wager that that's because at least one copy of the original 45 in Whitburn's collection actually STATES ON THE LABEL that the song is from that soundtrack, and NOT the TV series - and when you also factor in the song's chart history, I feel that his argument can be justified... :-)

While no one here has mentioned it yet, there were actually TWO pressings of the commercial 45 on RSO 916 here in the U.S., both issued during the song's chart run in '79. First pressings state on the labels, "From the Hit ABC TV Series 'Makin' It' a Miller-Milkis/Henderson/Stigwood Group, Ltd. Production in Association with Paramount Television". Photos on Discogs: First pressing However, second (later) pressings state, "From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 'MEATBALLS' Starring Bill Murray". Again, photos on Discogs: Second pressing In addition, the page for U.S. 45s of "Makin' It" on 45cat reveals at least two label variations for each pressing: "Makin' It" And heck, even *I* spotted a THIRD label variation for the second (Meatballs) pressing while scanning the current listings on eBay: Third "Meatballs" variation

And how do I know that RSO actually made this label change to the U.S. 45 while "Makin' It" was still riding high on the charts??? I offer this side-by-side weekly timeline of the single's performance on the pop chart in both Billboard and Cash Box, along w/ the Meatballs soundtrack's simultaneous appearance on the album chart in Billboard, as well as some other pertinent info:

03/17/79: -- BB/#90 CB   (single never reviewed in Billboard)
03/24/79: -- BB/#81 CB
03/31/79: #89 BB/#75 CB
04/07/79: #80 BB/#67 CB
04/14/79: #70 BB/#58 CB
04/21/79: #63 BB/#52 CB
04/28/79: #56 BB/#45 CB
05/05/79: #44 BB/#40 CB
05/12/79: #38 BB/#35 CB
05/19/79: #32 BB/#32 CB
05/26/79: #30 BB/#28 CB
06/02/79: #27 BB/#24 CB
06/09/79: #20 BB/#20 CB
06/16/79: #18 BB/#18 CB
06/23/79: #15 BB/#15 CB
06/30/79: #13 BB/#14 CB
07/07/79: #9 BB/#11 CB
07/14/79: #7 BB/#9 CB
07/21/79: #5 BB (peak)/#6 CB
07/28/79: #5 BB (peak)/#5 CB (peak)   (SDTRK. reviewed in Billboard - pg. 56)
08/04/79: #7 BB/#5 CB (peak)
08/11/79: #8 BB/#14 CB   (single now shown as certified GOLD by RIAA in Billboard)
08/18/79: #15 BB/#23 CB   (SDTRK.: #186 BB)
08/25/79: #31 BB/#24 CB   (SDTRK.: #175 BB)
09/01/79: #42 BB/#31 CB   (SDTRK.: #170 BB - peak)
09/08/79: #92 BB/#39 CB   (SDTRK.: #181 BB)
09/15/79: -- BB/#55 CB   (SDTRK.: #199 BB)
09/22/79: -- BB/#74 CB

So while "Makin' It" peaked at #5 in both trade magazines, the single actually did slightly better in Cash Box, getting a two-week head start there (and no, it never "Bubbled Under" in Billboard, as I checked for that), and also lasting two weeks longer on the other end. Clearly, the Meatballs soundtrack hit store shelves in mid to late July, which was just a week or two after the single peaked in the top 5, and had also been certified gold by the RIAA. So w/ a bona-fide top 10 hit on their hands - which had to have been quite unexpected, as the TV series died just as the song was hitting the pop charts, not to mention Naughton had never recorded anything previously, so he was unproven - RSO obviously wanted a new vehicle for the song, and they made that the Meatballs soundtrack. So I imagine around June was when they made the label change on the 45, as they now wanted to promote the upcoming album. (This is further supported by my search on eBay and elsewhere, which - while less than scientific - seems to show that the breakdown of first pressings w/ the TV show labels vs. second pressings w/ the soundtrack labels is roughly 50/50. In other words, they seem to be equally common...)

So because RSO went out of its way to actually change the labeling on the 45 to state that the song was FROM THE FILM SOUNDTRACK, and in addition, the soundtrack hit retail stores while the single was STILL ON THE CHARTS (and thus charted in its own right), I'm going to side w/ Whitburn on this one... :-)

jimct wrote:

Yes, while researching the above, I saw that there were indeed two unique promo 45s issued here in the U.S. as well for "Makin' It". Here are pics of both, for those who want to actually see the difference: First pressing on eBay - original mix Second pressing on eBay - "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX" Curiously, both versions have a printed time of (3:08). But I'll say this: None of the photos I found on-line of the second promo containing the "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX" have the "REV" printed on the label - as you say yours does - so perhaps you have yet another label variant??? Please correct me if I'm wrong...

jimct wrote:

Upon giving it a quick listen, it has even more of the "additional instruments/disco energy" present than the already-very-uptempo, "standard" promo 45/stock 45 version does. I will shoot this new promo 45 out to Aaron for his further evaluation, as well as my vinyl 12" single version of the song, and will soon report back with additional findings.

So, did this analysis ever take place??? :-) Do both promos actually clock in at (3:08)??? I'm now also wondering if both versions appeared commercially??? Could it be that first pressings of the stock 45s w/ the TV show labels have the original mix, while the second pressings of the stock 45s w/ the soundtrack labels feature the "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX", even though they aren't stated as such??? After all, the 12" single had a printed time of "7:08", while the soundtrack had a printed time of "6:54" - could they be the same??? And if they are, and RSO was now into promoting the song as being from the film, wouldn't it make sense for them to use the "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX" on the stock 45s, since it would've been derived from the 12"/LP version??? And even if both 45s weren't available commercially, have both of the promo versions appeared on CD yet here in the U.S.??? (Todd Ireland said above that he now thinks the version on Disco Nights Volume VIII is a "remix". I don't have that CD myself, but could it be the second promo 45 version???) I think some additional research is definitely warranted here, for whoever has all the pieces to this puzzle...

(Sorry for the long post!)

EdisonLite
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 10:15am \| IP Logged

Gregg (80sMusicFreak), no apologies necessary. That was all GREAT info! And I look forward to reading the answers to questions you've posed. (Is the Disco Nights version the 12" special mix? Is there both a 7:08 version and a 6:54?)

But most importantly, all this evidence leads me to say this. While I was the first person to say the "Meatballs" soundtrack version shouldn't be considered the album version, let me be the first person to also say I think I was completely wrong - based on 4 pieces of evidence:

1) the fact that Joel Whitburn's books all list (and still list) this song as from the soundtrack album "Meatballs"

2) the fact that this RSO Chart Busters album says on the back cover: "From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 'Meatballs'"

3) the fact that some pressing of the 45 ITSELF say it's from the Meatballs soundtrack!

4) the fact that the single hadn't even started falling down yet when the album was reviewed in Billboard (and clearly already pressed) - thanks to Gregg's week-by-week chart analysis (Great work!)

I didn't know any of this before. So yes, Pat, I think all the CD entries in the database should say "45 version" now, with the possible exception of "Disco Nights" which should have a special listing of "new special 12" mix (edited)" or something like that.

Edited by EdisonLite on 09 January 2014 at 10:17am

Paul Haney
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 11:33am \| IP Logged

After reading this thread I changed the trivia note to read: theme from the TV series starring Naughton; also featured in the movie Meatballs starring Bill Murray.

Also, to add to the chart discussion, "Makin' It" peaked at #9 in Record World and only at #25 in R&R.

Edited by Paul Haney on 09 January 2014 at 1:23pm

aaronk
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 4:49pm \| IP Logged

I have a dub of Jim's promo with the "New Special 12" Mix" and the actual run time is 3:10. It is, indeed, a slightly remixed version. For the most part, it's just a matter of shifting some things around in the mix, adding a little reverb, etc. The way you can tell the difference is on the open drum hits. The regular version has no reverb on the opening drums, while the 12" version (and "New Mix" promo 45) has reverb on those drums. Another giveaway is at the "I'm as bad as they come" breakdown. The standard version has no cowbell, while the remixed version has cowbell.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say Christopher Walken (aka Bruce Dickinson) may have produced the remix, because it definitely has "more cowbell."

Edited by aaronk on 09 January 2014 at 5:01pm

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aaronk
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 4:58pm \| IP Logged

80smusicfreak wrote:

the 12" single had a printed time of "7:08", while the soundtrack had a printed time of "6:54" - could they be the same???

I have a dub of the 12" single, and the run time is 7:27. The mix of the 12" single sounds like the version on the "New Mix" promo 45, but I haven't checked to see if the short version can be edited from the long version.

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aaronk
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 6:24pm \| IP Logged

After comparing Jeff's 12" copy to the one I have from Ron, I'll have to ask Ron to kindly post some further details on his.

Jeff's copy sounds like the original mix (probably the same as the LP version), while Ron's copy is remixed like the promo 45 "new mix" version. Looking at discogs, there appears to have been two pressings of the 12" promo. One of the two promos (RPO 1007) specifically says "Special Disco Version." Perhaps the remix was only available as a promo (both 12" and 7").

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Fetta
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 6:33pm \| IP Logged

I just sent a dub of my 12" to Aaron which runs approx 7:08.

What I think we might have here is different mixes between the 12" commercial copies and the 12" promo versions.

I confirmed this with a buddy of mine who was a DJ at the time and he told me that there were different mixes between the two.

Here is a youtube link to what sounds like the 12" promo version and the time of the track is 7:27. What is interesting is that the clip shows a commercial copy of the 12" and if you look at the listed time, it says 7:08 which is in line with my findings about commercial copies.

Thoughts?

If anyone wants a copy of my 12", send me a PM.

crapfromthepast
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Posted: 09 January 2014 at 6:33pm \| IP Logged

Holy smoke! I completely forgot that I have this!
According to my notes, I dubbed this to the hard drive in
2001. Twelve years later...

My notes say: Taken from RSO 12" #RSS 300, copyright
1978, printed time 7:08, actual time 7:26, vocals start
at 1:10.

From my notes, I think this is a commercially-available
12" single, not a promo 12".

Hope this helps. The real 12" single is buried in the
basement; finding it would be possible but extremely
time-consuming.

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