Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: culture club "karma chameleon"

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Topic: culture club "karma chameleon"

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edtop40
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Posted: 02 January 2007 at 6:42am \| IP Logged

pat

the 45's face states the run time as 4:05 but it actually runs 4:11 like many of the cds in the db......the 4:05 cd versions listed in the db are faded about 0:05 early....

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Paul C
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Posted: 02 January 2007 at 7:22am \| IP Logged

The length of 'Karma Chameleon' on many CDs is about 3:58, which was the 45 length in the UK (and perhaps other countries).

In the case of another Culture Club song, 'The War Song', the database mentions a 45 length and an LP length, but the 45 is actually an edit. (The edit is near the end of the song.)

Edited by Paul C on 02 January 2007 at 7:23am

edtop40
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Posted: 02 January 2007 at 12:54pm \| IP Logged

at what point is the edit??...because i can't detect any edit.....

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Paul C
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Posted: 07 January 2007 at 5:52pm \| IP Logged

Ed, the edit is at about 3:25.

After Mr. O'Dowd has sung the chorus for the last time (and while the background singers continue to repeat the chorus), he sings "No more war; Say no more war: Say war." At this point on the 45, he twice sings a line I've never been able to decipher (I don't think it's in English). On the LP version, he continues to repeat the "No more war" line, or variances thereof, several more times before he starts singing the mystery line.

I know this isn't a lyrics board, but does anyone have any idea what he's actually singing?

edtop40
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Posted: 07 January 2007 at 6:39pm \| IP Logged

ok...i just listened to my 45 versus a cdr copy of the song that runs 3:57....i don't know where i got the original but the 3:57 version i have on cdr is identical to the version from the commercial 45.....so....looking at the db.....the 3:57 version should really say "45 version" and not "45 length".....pat...please make this amendement on the board....

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Todd Ireland
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Posted: 20 August 2008 at 9:31pm \| IP Logged

According to abagon, the commercial 45 run time of Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" is 4:10, not 4:05 as stated on the record label. Ed reported very similar run time info in the initial post of this thread, but then he later claimed his 45 actually runs 3:57. So do we have two different 45 pressings here?

Pat Downey
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Posted: 21 August 2008 at 6:38am \| IP Logged

Todd, I think Ed was referring to "The War Song" and not "Karma Chameleon" (at least that's how I read his 3:57 post).

Todd Ireland
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Posted: 21 August 2008 at 12:08pm \| IP Logged

Now that you mention it, Pat, I think you're probably right about Ed's 3:57 post referring to "The War Song". Sorry for the confusion, Ed!

Todd Ireland
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Posted: 07 September 2008 at 9:02pm \| IP Logged

Todd Ireland wrote:

Just thought I'd bump this thread back up to the front page because the run time info hasn't yet been incorporated into the database. I know I've posted a ton of run time info for '80s hits on the message board as of late, so it's perfectly understandable if a couple items have slipped through the cracks!

Edited by Todd Ireland on 07 September 2008 at 9:12pm

RichM921
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Posted: 08 September 2008 at 4:56pm \| IP Logged

Paul C wrote:

He is saying "Senso Hantai" which is Japanese and loosely translates to "no more war."

crapfromthepast
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Posted: 14 August 2012 at 9:49pm \| IP Logged

I have this song on a whopping 21 CDs, and I've actually made some sense of the mastering history. As far as I can tell, the only differences seem to be the length of the fade. The starting point of the fade is the same for all 21 CDs - it's at about 3:41 at the word "lovin'". I can't compare with anything from vinyl, since I've recently moved into a new house and my vinyl is inaccessible.

The longest run time seems to be about 4:11, and it's found on these CDs:

Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1984 (1992) - my first choice for versions running this length
Warner Special Products' 2-CD Good Times (1991; mine is RE-1 reissue) - uses same analog transfer as Billboard but has a tiny noise at the very tail of the fade
Razor & Tie's 2-CD Totally '80s (1993) - uses same analog transfer as Good Times, also includes noise at tail of fade
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 6 1984 (1994) - digital clone of Billboard but with lots of added compression - avoid
Big Ear Music's Only In The 80's Vol. 2 (1995) - extends farther out than others by a fraction of a second and actually comes to a truncated fade; opposite absolute polarity as the others, which is insignificant
Virgin's Colour By Numbers - I don't have this one

Next, there's a version running about 3:59, which seems to have originated on CD with the many greatest hits albums:

Best Of (1989)
At Worst (1993) - differently EQ'd digital clone of 1989 Best Of
Ten Best Series (1994) - digitally exactly 0.841 dB quieter than At Worst; my first choice for versions running this length, although many others sound pretty much the same as this disc
EMI UK's 2-CD Now 1983 (1993) - uses same analog transfer as Ten Best Series and doesn't hasten the fade like other tracks on this CD series
Sony Germany's 2-CD Pop And Wave Vol. 3 (1992) - differently EQ'd digital clone of Ten Best Series
Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 12 (1994) - seems to use same analog transfer as Ten Best Series but with added compression - avoid
Warner Special Products' 2-CD Punk (1996) - uses same analog transfer as Ten Best Series; in what universe is this song considered punk?
Madacy's Rock On 1983 (1996) - digitally exactly 1.2 dB louder than Ten Best Series
EMI Australia's 5-CD Eighties Complete Vol. 1 (1997) - sounds a little muffled compared to others; higher-generation tape source?
Disky Europe's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80 (1998) - uses same analog transfer as Ten Best Series
Universal's Pure '80s (1999) - uses same analog transfer as Ten Best Series but with huge amount of added compression - avoid

Finally, Bill Inglot did what appears to be a new analog transfer for the Just Can't Get Enough series, running about 4:06. It's on:

Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough, Vol. 12 (1995) - it'a a little loud and clips a bit
Rhino's Instant Party Blow-Out (2001) - digital clone of Just Can't Get Enough; clips a lot
Rhino's 7-CD Like Omigod (2002) - uses same analog transfer as Just Can't Get Enough but even louder - avoid

Unless noted above, virtually all the 4:11 and 3:59 versions sound excellent. The 4:06 versions also sound good, but they're a little loud and clip a bit.

The only questions remaining are what these different lengths correspond to. Because I can't play vinyl right now, I'll venture a guess out of thin air:

4:11 - LP and US 45 length
3:59 - UK 45 length (or possibly originating on the greatest hits disc?)

If anyone wants to check these, that'd be great.

Incidentally, the song is recorded with a live drummer and a click track, and runs at about 184.0 BPM on just about all of the above discs. No speed errors on any of the above disc. Oh, and the little "march" section runs at 188 BPM - no click track from 3:11 to 3:32.

(Edited to indicate that 4:11 is both LP and US 45 length, and removed my guess that 4:06 is the US 45 length.)

Edited by crapfromthepast on 02 April 2014 at 8:26am

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Todd Ireland
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Posted: 15 August 2012 at 7:10pm \| IP Logged

Good stuff, Ron!

chendagam
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Posted: 14 July 2015 at 7:33pm \| IP Logged

Paul C wrote:

The length of 'Karma Chameleon' on many CDs is
about 3:58, which was the 45 length in the UK (and perhaps other
countries).

Is there a difference between the US single version and the UK single
version (or just an early fade)?

Loveland
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Posted: 11 March 2016 at 12:31pm \| IP Logged

As far as I know, the only place to find all of their single versions, which for the most part were just edits/fades, is the Japanese compilation "The Greatest".

http://www.discogs.com/Culture-Club-The-Greatest/release/169 9463

Santi Paradoa
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Posted: 04 November 2018 at 2:46pm \| IP Logged

Bumping this thread up for Ron.

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David Pro
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Posted: 01 September 2020 at 3:03pm \| IP Logged

chendagam wrote:

Paul C wrote:

The length of 'Karma
Chameleon' on many CDs is
about 3:58, which was the 45 length in the UK (and
perhaps other
countries).

Is there a difference between the US single version and
the UK single
version (or just an early fade)?

The 3:59 version of "Karma Chamelon" is the UK single
version. The US single version is the same as the LP
version running 4:11.

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