Dolly Parton - 9 To 5 - INTERESTING!!

I made an interesting discovery on "9 to 5" that hasn't been mentioned on this board or in the database. I found a 2nd mix of this song on CD - but I don't know if it's truly the difference between an album and single mix or if it's an alternate mix or an import mix! Here's what I know. The version of "9 To 5" on the 3-CD Dolly Parton set "Legendary" from Australia clearly has a different mix. It's much more stereo-separated -- and it's missing some vocal overdubs. It may have other differences, too, but those were the ones I immediately noticed. I guess the album for this song would be considered "9 To 5 And Other Odd Jobs", and the CD of that title has the same mix as "Greatest Hits" CD. But I don't have the LP or the 45, so I can't determine what the deal is with the mix on the Australian CD. And even if the LP and 45 SEEM like the same mix, this could be another case like "Two Doors Down" where a new mix was done and put on the LP later or the 45 later. So can any detectives tell what's going on with this song? (I like having the extra separation on this 2nd mix.)

I think this is the thread!

We never resolved where this mix came from. The earliest I'd been able to trace it back to was a CD from 1998, but you beat me by a year! We'd been assuming that it's just a previously unreleased mix that sat in a vault until 1997, but we can't confirm.

The hit version runs 2:44.

This alternate mix runs 2:58.

For all the CDs in the database, you can use the track lengths to tell the mixes apart.

Edit: Not quite. See posts below.

Edited by crapfromthepast

Interesting! And unfortunate. So the 2:58 versions are definitely the alternate mix. The 2:44 versions could go either way.

The version I have runs 2:58, and seems to be from a 1998 Australian release called The Ultimate Collection. I don't actually own the disc, and Discogs doesn't list a run time, so I can't confirm 100%.

John - A few posts up, we discovered an import CD with the alternate mix running at the 2:44 length. So it's certainly possible that other CDs have the alternate mix faded early to the 2:44 length, too.

Nice that you can find stuff like this on the online databases.

For what it's worth, I have a 2:44 version of the alternate mix on Time-Life's Legendary Country Singers Vol. 13 Dolly Parton (1996).

Our database lists the following US CDs with the 2:58 version:

• RCA's Ultimate Dolly Parton (2003)
• RCA's Platinum & Gold Collection (2004)
• Legacy/RCA's The Essential Dolly Parton (2005)
• Hip-O's various-artist compilation Soundtrack Smashes Number 1's (2007)
• Legacy/RCA's 16 Biggest Hits (2007)
• Shout! Factory's various-artist compilation Ultimate Grammy Collection Classic Country (2008)
• RCA's Playlist: The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (2008)
• Sony Music Custom Marketing Group's box set Super Hits Of The 80's
• Sony Music Commercial Music Group's Dolly Parton - Country

One other note:

RCA's Nipper's #1 Hits 1956-1986 (1989) has the hit mix, but omits the opening hi-hat and the opening beat; avoid.

Edited by crapfromthepast