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aaronk
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| Posted: 18 October 2007 at 11:12pm | IP Logged
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A couple database CDs list the song "Grow Some Funk Of Your Own" by Elton John as "fadeout edited." After doing some research, I was able to find two different 45 printed times for this song.
The first label I found has the song title at the top appearing on two separate lines. The printed time for this is (4:45), and the time appears at the bottom near Elton John's name.
The second label I saw pictured has the song title at the top all on the same line. The printed time for this 45 appears on the right side of the label and reads (4:15). If the actual run time is the same as the printed time, then we obviously have two different 45s for this song, and it is no longer a mystery why this shorter version appears on the Greatest Hits II CD.
Does anyone own the shorter stock 45?
Edited by aaronk on 18 October 2007 at 11:12pm
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eriejwg
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| Posted: 19 October 2007 at 2:48am | IP Logged
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Not so sure if it would be "fadeout edited" but merely an earlier fade. In doing a side-by-side comparison between the 4:45 version from Rock Of The Westies and Greatest Hits, Volume II, it's simply an earlier fade on Greatest Hits, Volume II to bring it to 4:15.
Edited by eriejwg on 19 October 2007 at 2:49am
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aaronk
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| Posted: 19 October 2007 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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aaronk wrote:
| The second label I saw pictured has the song title at the top all on the same line. The printed time for this 45 appears on the right side of the label and reads (4:15). |
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Bad news. The picture appears to read (4:15), but the seller e-mailed me, and the "1" is really a "4." It's just blurry in the picture. This label IS certainly laid out differently than the other one, though. Thought I was onto something, but I guess not...
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eriejwg
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| Posted: 20 October 2007 at 5:38am | IP Logged
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Would one then assume that the version on Greatest Hits, Volume II is neither the 45 nor LP version?
Edited to add: What about the promo 45 version? Anyone with one that can chime in with length?
Edited by eriejwg on 20 October 2007 at 5:47am
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aaronk
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| Posted: 20 October 2007 at 8:22am | IP Logged
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An eBay seller said that his promo 45 has a printed time of (4:45). Unless this is a misprint on the label, it would appear that DJ copies are the same.
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jebsib
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| Posted: 14 March 2019 at 5:27am | IP Logged
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Re: "Grow Some Funk of Your Own / I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert
Ford"
Does anyone know the story on this odd #14 single? I was too young to listen
to the radio and was hoping that someone recalls the circumstances behind its
release pattern.
Elton had just wrapped 8 consecutive top 10 songs (including a huge 3 week
number one) when this double sided flop (relative) came along.
Were both songs played conspicuously - or pushed - on the radio? Did they
cannibalize each other's airplay resulting in a lower peak? And wasn't that an
unusual move in that era? Or was it just Elton fatigue? "Grow Some Funk" is
listed FIRST on the Hot 100 - is that more or less accurate? (ie: what was the
official song follow-up to Island Girl?)
Thanks to any (fellow) old timers!
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Paul Haney
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| Posted: 14 March 2019 at 10:59am | IP Logged
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Both sides were promoted to radio and both got plenty of
airplay at the time. In fact, Radio & Records always
listed "I Feel Like A Bullet" first, the only major trade
to do so. I really loved "Grow Some Funk" but it was
perhaps a little too hard rocking for some of the major
Top 40 stations at the time. "Bullet" was a ballad, but
not a particularly strong one, IMO. The record rocketed
up to that #14 peak in 6 weeks, then proceeded to drop
like a rock clear out of the Top 40 (which was very
surprising at the time). And yes, there was certainly
some Elton fatigue that was also factoring in. He was so
red-hot from 1972-75, that I guess a let-down was
inevitable. It wouldn't last long though, as the summer
of 1976 brought us the monster smash duet "Don't Go
Breaking My Heart."
Edited by Paul Haney on 14 March 2019 at 11:03am
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eriejwg
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| Posted: 14 March 2019 at 12:26pm | IP Logged
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Paul, you're spot on. I was in radio in 1976, but it was
as a volunteer board operator/DJ at a radio reading
service station. I didn't get into commercial radio until
Summer, 1977 and don't recall that song getting airplay
anywhere by then.
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eriejwg
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| Posted: 14 March 2019 at 12:35pm | IP Logged
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Also, Elton had an Adult Contemporary, promo 45 release
only for "Love Song" in 1976. Not much to say about that
song as it really got little airplay if any. His big
bright spots that year were "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" that both reached
#1. I would say his next successful single, after a
number of stiffs, was "Mama Can't Buy You Love" in 1979,
reaching #9 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the A/C chart.
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AndrewChouffi
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| Posted: 15 March 2019 at 6:36am | IP Logged
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To jebsib:
Everyone's comments to your question are of course accurate, but I wanted to add my perspective as I remembered it as a 15 year old Elton fan & chart "zealot".
Elton himself knew how to maximize sales; he had b-sides unavailable on albums, stand-alone singles not on albums, non-commercial singles ("Pinball Wizard") etc. He also was the first artist to have enough mojo to have an album debut at the #1 position ('Rock Of The Westies' also had enough initial impact to debut at #1).
"Island Girl" was released a few weeks ahead of the 'Westies' LP. Being a very catchy commercial single with his new band it was an instant airplay & sales hit. Since Elton was the hottest artist at the time, when 'Westies' came out every Elton fan bought it as the LP was set-up very well. Many stations spiked a variety of cuts from the album in the first couple of weeks of its release.
When "Island Girl" started to burn, MCA chose to cull a two-sided single from the album because there wasn't a consensus smash to pull from the album as various radio formats toyed with different cuts (e.g. AOR playing "Yell Help" medley).
When the "Grow Some Funk"/"Feel Like A Bullet' 45 was released top-40 radio jumped on one or both sides, but sales were limited because *every* Elton fan already owned the album, and primitive callout research was probably negligible because airplay was split (testing is for individual songs).
So, it really wasn't a true flop; just different circumstances than his last several singles.
On a side note, yes I know "Bennie And The Jets" became a #1 USA hit culled from the album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", but in late '73/early '74 not *every* Elton fan owned the double album, and that song also appealed to different (read R&B) fans in addition to typical EJ fans.
Andy
Edited by AndrewChouffi on 16 March 2019 at 4:33am
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jebsib
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| Posted: 15 March 2019 at 7:14pm | IP Logged
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Terrific explanations - thanks, guys!
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Topic: Elton John - Grow Some Funk Of Your Own
