"As" - Stevie Wonder

Unless I'm missing something, I think the 45 is an early fade of the LP version, with a 32-beat fade from 3:08 to 3:27. The 45 length is unavailable on a US CD.

The LP length of "As" on the '80s-era Songs In The Key Of Life doesn't sound very good - very muffled-sounding and lifeless. I'd read that the '80s-era Motown releases of the Stevie Wonder albums didn't use the lowest-generation source tapes. That seems very much to be the case for Songs In The Key Of Life. I'm kinda disappointed.

I noticed the difference by comparing Songs with the version of "As" on the 4-CD At The Close Of A Century. The EQ is a little shrill, but it reveals SO much more high end detail than Songs. In an A/B comparison with Century, Songs sounds like there's a blanket over the speakers.

I haven't heard anything about a remaster of Songs In The Key Of Life. I'd read that the late '90s Stevie Wonder remasters sound very shrill, and I heard the shrillness for myself on the remaster of Musiquarium, so I'd guess the same would be true for Songs In The Key Of Life. Can't confirm firsthand, though.

Personally, I choose the version from At The Close Of A Century. If you go with Century, you might want to dial down the high end a bit.