https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:31:47 +0000 Wed, 01 May 2024 22:05:47 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=4530 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum//images/Top-40-Music-on-CD-Forum-Logo.png https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=64716&title=david-bowie-china-girl#64716 Author: mjb50
Subject: 4530
Posted: 01 May 2024 at 10:05pm

The database is still showing the Rykodisc releases as having the 45 version. It should say "failed attempt at recreating the 45 version" or some such.]]> Wed, 01 May 2024 22:05:47 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=64716&title=david-bowie-china-girl#64716 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61300&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61300 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 4530
Posted: 20 July 2022 at 8:41pm

It appears that when Ryko inherited the David Bowie catalog, they never received tapes of the proper 45 edits from EMI, so they made their own. They made some minor errors on just about all of the tracks, with an edit here and there that was a beat or two too early or too late. All of the Ryko recreations flowed well, and you'd likely never realize that there were errors unless you did an A/B comparison with the true 45. Which I did.

The true 45 has one edit, at 3:55. On the downbeat after the words "she says" at 3:28, begin counting with "1". The true 45 edit falls on beat number 55, which is on a snare.

The Ryko edit falls at 3:57, exactly 8 beats after the true 45 edit. Using the same numbering scheme as above, the Ryko 45 edit falls on beat number 63, which is also on a snare.

The Ryko edit first appeared on Ryko's Changesbowie (1990). Editing errors notwithstanding, Changesbowie is really a superb overview of David Bowie's career to that point. This CD was a staple in my radio/mobile DJ library for years. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Ryko's 2-CD The Singles 1969-1993 (1993) - digitally identical
• EMI Holland's 2-CD The Singles Collection (1993) - digitally exactly 0.3 dB quieter
• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 3 1983 (1994)
• Sony Germany's 2-CD Pop And Wave Vol. 8 (1999)

I suspect that a Time-Life 2-CD collection called Love Rocks also used the Ryko edit, but can't confirm.

The true 45 edit first appeared on CD on Virgin/EMI's Best Of Bowie (2002). It seems to have a small amount of added noise reduction, because the high end sounds a little bit odd on the fade. As a practical matter, the noise reduction is not a big deal for this track. It sounds fine here, with a great dynamic range, sturdy EQ, and seemingly low-generation source tapes. Any discs released after 2002 that used the 45 version used the proper 45 edit.

Edited by crapfromthepast]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2022 20:41:45 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61300&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61300 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61298&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61298 Author: RichM921
Subject: 4530
Posted: 20 July 2022 at 12:34pm

Jody Thornton wrote: So is this the version you preferred? I swore this was how I recalled the radio single as well. And the other links posted in this thread are dead. Is This the Original Edit?

Yes, that was the one I first thought was the single version. But I was
likely misremembering since I had one of those Rykodisc compilations
when it came out in the '90s. I had been listening to that version for
song that I became used to it. ]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:34:23 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61298&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61298 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61297&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61297 Author: Jody Thornton
Subject: 4530
Posted: 20 July 2022 at 11:29am

RichM921 wrote: Thank you Aaron for the investigative work.   Although I am disappointed that my preferred version turns out to be the "improper edit", at the the same time I have a new respect for what I considered to be "that other version." And if I still want to enjoy the "improper" version, at least I know where to find it :)

So is this the version you preferred? I swore this was
how I recalled the radio single as well. And the other
links posted in this thread are dead.

Is This
the Original Edit?]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2022 11:29:11 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61297&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61297 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61293&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61293 Author: mjb50
Subject: 4530
Posted: 20 July 2022 at 3:02am

Yes, it's on the Japanese CD (CP35-3034), and the fadeout ends kind of abruptly there as well. You've really gotta crank it up to hear this, though.]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2022 03:02:47 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61293&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61293 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61292&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61292 Author: NightAire
Subject: 4530
Posted: 20 July 2022 at 12:16am

I just noticed tonight in the LP version in the final fading seconds you can hear bleed through of the upcoming track "Let's Dance" for a second or two before China Girl is completely gone.

I believe my versions would have been made from the master tape at the time of the release in 1983 (Discogs shows it coming out on CD in Europe & Japan in '83 and the USA in '84), so I assume the bleedthrough has always been there rather than being the result of years of storage.

Does anybody know if the LP version has appeared (without fading early) in digital form without that bleedthrough? (If it was there on the original release, I think they'd have to go back to the individual tracks and mix it back down, perhaps.)

I'd love to know if anybody has the original 1983 CD release and could bring up the volume on the tail end of China Girl to see if the bleedthrough exists there.]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:16:28 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=61292&title=david-bowie-china-girl#61292 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=57742&title=david-bowie-china-girl#57742 Author: David Pro
Subject: 4530
Posted: 22 March 2021 at 10:01am

aaronk wrote: Rich, we still can't say for sure that the Rykodisc edit wasn't released in 1983, perhaps on a different 45; however, I think it can be concluded that it is not a video edit. It just might turn out that we have two different 45 versions, but we still need proof. It could also be that both versions were created in 1983, but only one was intended to be released. It wouldn't be the first time the wrong master tape was used.

This wrong edit of "China Girl" was
created by Rykodisc for the
Changesbowie compilation
album released in 1990 and didn't
exist in 1983. It was also included
on the The Singles: 1969-1993
compilation album released in
1993.]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2021 10:01:27 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=57742&title=david-bowie-china-girl#57742 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=43478&title=david-bowie-china-girl#43478 Author: The Hits Man
Subject: 4530
Posted: 20 April 2015 at 9:38pm

Fast forward to 2015.

I just bought the 2014 2-CD Columbia/Legacy David Bowie
comp "Nothing has changed". "China Girl" is marked as
the single version, and has the guitar part at 3:53,
followed by a strange edit at exactly 3:54. It matches
my EMI America 45.]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2015 21:38:05 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=43478&title=david-bowie-china-girl#43478 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=20744&title=david-bowie-china-girl#20744 Author: aaronk
Subject: 4530
Posted: 28 January 2009 at 8:12pm

Rich, we still can't say for sure that the Rykodisc edit wasn't released in 1983, perhaps on a different 45; however, I think it can be concluded that it is not a video edit. It just might turn out that we have two different 45 versions, but we still need proof. It could also be that both versions were created in 1983, but only one was intended to be released. It wouldn't be the first time the wrong master tape was used.]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:12:35 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=20744&title=david-bowie-china-girl#20744 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=20743&title=david-bowie-china-girl#20743 Author: RichM921
Subject: 4530
Posted: 28 January 2009 at 8:00pm

Thank you Aaron for the investigative work.   Although I am disappointed that my preferred version turns out to be the "improper edit", at the the same time I have a new respect for what I considered to be "that other version." And if I still want to enjoy the "improper" version, at least I know where to find it :)]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:00:36 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4530&PID=20743&title=david-bowie-china-girl#20743