https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:16:10 +0000 Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:47:11 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=7216 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=7216&PID=64864&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64864 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 7216
Posted: 20 June 2024 at 4:47pm

Gene -

Eleven years after the last post, I still don't have the original pressing of Cargo, but I do have all the others I listed above.

I checked all the versions I have, and didn't find any that are out of synch. (I tweaked all of them, and couldn't get any to improve if I intentionally desynchronized the left and right channels.) So I doubt there's a left/right synch problem with any of those masterings.

I even found the 2003 CD reissue of Cargo, which includes a longer (previously unreleased) version of "It's A Mistake." There are a few seconds near the end of the song that were cut out of all the 1983 releases. The 2003 reissue also had no left/right desynchronization issues.

Could it be just that the mix itself is a little imbalanced? I hear the lead vocals centered pretty well (I couldn't get complete cancellation even with volume tweaks, so the lead vocals aren't truly mono). The other instruments are panned all over the soundstage in a nice stereo mix. ]]> Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:47:11 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64864&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64864 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64862&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64862 Author: LunarLaugh
Subject: 7216
Posted: 19 June 2024 at 7:44pm

I'd venture to guess the remastered CD of Cargo has the indexing error.

There was a similar editing "mishap" on the remaster of Business As Usual where part of the intro of the song was actually edited in
from a later part of the song (in an effort to get rid of drop outs).

Sony didn't have good tapes to work from for that series of remasters, presumably. ]]> Wed, 19 Jun 2024 19:44:33 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64862&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64862 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64861&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64861 Author: C J Brown
Subject: 7216
Posted: 19 June 2024 at 3:59pm

My copy of the CD - Contraband Men At Work has the eighth
guitar strum version. Balance and phasing seem OK to my
ears. ]]> Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:59:48 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64861&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64861 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64859&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64859 Author: NightAire
Subject: 7216
Posted: 18 June 2024 at 6:50pm

What's weird to me is the Phase Analysis of this song. On most copies, the stereo image is shown to be thrown WAY left, with the center being about halfway between center and far left. This is true on both files with six and seven "strums."

I only have one copy of the song that shows the phasing to be approximately correct, and that's an early pressing of Cargo.

The Peaks and average levels seem balanced on both left-leaning and centered files, so I don't fully understand why the apparent significant different in phase. They sound very similar, although the "centered" copy does sound a bit brighter to my ears.

I noticed this at first because the copy I play sounded muddy in mono. That led me to this discovery.

I wonder why ALL later copies are like this? Could there have been a different mix for the single that led to this "effect?"]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2024 18:50:17 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=64859&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#64859 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=36403&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#36403 Author: 995wlol
Subject: 7216
Posted: 11 January 2013 at 8:00pm

My 80s-era CD pressing of Cargo has the instrumentation coming in on the eighth guitar strum.
]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:00:08 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=36403&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#36403 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=36369&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#36369 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 7216
Posted: 08 January 2013 at 8:28pm

I thought I posted this somewhere, but apparently not.

There is only one version of the song, and it sounds just fine on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 15 (1995). There's a digital clone on Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 15 Lost Hits Of The Mid '80s (2001, digitally exactly 1 dB quieter).

You'll notice that the other instrumentation comes in on the eighth guitar strum.

There are a few CDs out there that cut off the opening strum, so that the instrumentation comes in on the seventh strum.

I have two different mp3 files of "It's A Mistake" that claim they were taken from Cargo (not by me - I don't have Cargo on CD). Oddly enough, one has the opening note intact (eighth strum), and one has the opening note cut off (seventh strum). I know there was a Cargo CD release in the '80s, and that there was a more recent remaster, but I don't know the details of either.

But it does seem that the opening-note error can be traced back to some pre-1994 CD pressing of Cargo, because it shows up on Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 13 (1994), and those Priority discs almost always use the same analog transfers as earlier, existing CDs. Too bad, because the song sounds pretty good on Rock - just about as good as on the Rhino disc.

There are a few discs that are digital clones of Rock Of The '80s Vol. 13, all of which are also missing the opening strum: Sony/Risky Business's Oldies But 80's (1995, digitally identical) and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 18 The Early '80s Take Two (1996, differently EQ'd).

There are a few other CDs that all have the opening note intact:

The version on Swaitek's promo 50-CD The A List Disc 14 (1994) sounds surprisingly good, with no noise reduction. Probably a dub from a TM Century disc.

There's a version on Columbia Australia's '81-'85 that has very low levels, and is a little muffled. Not from the best source tapes.

There's a version on Disky UK's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The 80s (2002) that is EQ'd to be far too bright.

So... avoid the three compilations that cut off the opening guitar strum, check your CD copy of Cargo (and report here), and if you have the option, use the version from Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 15 (1995).

Edited by crapfromthepast]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:28:28 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7216&PID=36369&title=men-at-work-its-a-mistake#36369