"Leader of the Band" - Dan Fogelberg

Pat:

In the database, Dan Fogelberg's "Leader of the Band" is shown as having a run time of 5:15 on the CD Promises (Sony Music Special Products 28450), yet all other discs containing the "hit" recording of the song only runs 4:15-4:18. Is the 5:15 time a typo, or does it truly represent a different or extended version?

Yes that is a typo as the time is really (4:15).

Ah, this is a nice catch, abagon. And it's significant too because the "Leader of the Band/Washington Post March" medley has appeared on several database CDs.

I pulled out my copy of Dan Fogelberg's The Essential CD (Epic/Legacy 89066) and cranked the volume way up as the final note of "Leader of the Band" is decaying to determine whether or not there is complete silence before the "Washington Post March" begins fading in. To my ears, the final note of "Leader of the Band" is still ever-so-slightly audible at the point where the "Washington Post March" is spliced in and therefore cannot be considered two distinctly separate tracks.

Assuming the medley on The Essential CD is identical to how it appears on the Innocent Age LP, I think a case can potentially be made here to consider "Leader of the Band/Washington Post March" as an LP version or LP length, while database CD appearances containing "Leader of the Band" only can be conversely labeled as a 45 version or 45 length.

I'll be interested to see how Pat rules on this.