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crapfromthepast
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| Posted: 24 July 2022 at 7:50pm | IP Logged
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Much like the thread for The Look Of Love, this thread just attempts to document the different masterings. Back in 1982/3, the 45 and LP versions were the same, worldwide, with no weird variations anywhere. The hit version is readily available on lots of CDs.
45 and LP version (about 3:21)
The oldest CD with the song is almost certainly Mercury's full-length ABC album The Lexicon Of Love (copyright 1982, released 1983 or 1984, "atomic" label). It sounds just OK here. As much as I love this album and the production, the sound of the CD is somewhat lifeless (a disappointment considering how brilliant some of the 12 inch singles sound). It runs 3:21 here. According to MixMeister BPM Analyzer, it runs 126.0 BPM here. The same analog transfer is used on:- A promo CD called PGD Presents Great Sounds Vol. 2 (1992)
- The Right Stuff's Sedated In The Eighties No. 1 (1993) - differently EQ'd digital clone
- Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 12 1980-1984 (2000) - differently EQ'd digital clone
Mercury did a new analog transfer on the ABC best-of Absolutely (1990). It runs 3:24 here, and 125.6 BPM according to software. Sound quality is much better than Lexicon. The same analog transfer is used on:- EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 3 (1994) - differently EQ'd digital clone with a tiny amount of added compression/limiting
- Time-Life Europe's 2-CD The 80's Collection Vol. 18 1982 Alive And Kicking (1994)
- Sony Germany's 2-CD Pop And Wave Vol. 6 (1996)
- Mercury's 1996 remaster of The Lexicon Of Love - shaves a little off the high end of the EQ
- Buddha's Poptronica: Dance (1999) - too loud; avoid
- Mercury's 2004 2-CD deluxe edition of The Lexicon Of Love - has a smiley-face EQ (bass boost + high-end boost)
There's a new analog transfer on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 9 (1994). It runs 3:24 here, and 124.8 BPM according to software. The same analog transfer is used on:- Risky Business/Sony's Oldies But 80's (1994) - digitally identical
The 1998 remaster of The Lexicon Of Love is very compressed/limited for this track. It runs 125.8 BPM according to software. The same analog transfer is used on:- The ABC collection 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection (2000) - even more compressed/limited
My recommendation
Go with the ABC best-of Absolutely (1990). Same recommendation as for "The Look Of Love", too.
Edited by crapfromthepast on 24 July 2022 at 7:51pm
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kaqueno
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Joined: 02 November 2021
Location: Argentina
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| Posted: 25 July 2022 at 4:35am | IP Logged
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Excellent description of this single Ron.
Among my CDs, I have the album "ABC – Look Of Love: The
Very Best Of ABC" released in 2001, it sounds good,
although I should compare it with Absolutely (1990), to
know if the mastering is better.
https://www.discogs.com/master/73821-ABC-Look-Of-Love-The-
Very-Best-Of-ABC
Edited by kaqueno on 27 July 2022 at 10:04am
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https://www.mixcloud.com/marcelo-guzman4/ - https://www.discogs.com/user/kaqueno/collection
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Topic: ABC - Poison Arrow
