ELO - Can’t Get It Out Of My Head

There's been discussion on Tom Daly's site that Electric Light Orchestra's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" on Time-Life's Sound Of The Seventies - 1975: Take Two is NOT the 45 version, instead is a Time-Life edit to recreate it with a choppy edit.

Can anyone confirm this? Reason I asked, it's listed as the 45 version in the database.

Edited by eriejwg

another contender for our fellows with 45s to verify (perhaps Pat has already done so...)

Although this sort of thing is not my specialty, I have just researched this case. My opinion: The original 45 and the T/L 1975 CD versions are NOT the same. ALL of the differences I found occur around the song's instrumental bridge, between the (1:12) and the (1:33) mark into the song. Jeff Lynne's "No, No" vocal, just before this bridge, is at full volume on the 45, but is a barely-discernable "echo" on the CD. A choir is then heard next on the original 45, until about (1:20). Bells and a "controlled" synth riff are ONLY featured during the bridge between (1:20) and (1:25). From there, building violins are then featured, until Lynne resumes his vocal, around (1:33-1:34). On the T/L CD, the choir, from (1:15-ish) to (1:20) is simply not there. Instead, brief bells, followed by a MUCH longer, wilder, "up and down" synth interlude, replaces the choir. When you know where to focus, it actually becomes fairly obvious that the instrumental break on the T/L CD, despite matching up with the 45 TIME-wise, isn't even really all that close to the original 45, when it comes to the break's actual content. My research also determined that, throughout the song, all of the vocals (except for the earlier-mentioned, missing "No, No" vocal) match up perfectly when I compared the two versions, both word-for-word and second-for-second. Pat, please give a listen to the two where I've indicated, and I'm pretty sure you'll concur with my findings here.

Edited by jimct

A truly detailed comparison, Jim! Thank you very much for the details!

Listening to Tom's dub and the T-L version further, I think I found another pretty major difference in the chorus that leads to the instrumental break. On Tom's dub, the chorus has Lynne accompanied with background vocals. The T-L version does not.

Just one more thing for Ed to double check when he reports his findings. :)

Edited by sriv94