Shalamar - A Night To Remember

Gene, I have a 4:10 edit of this song on Disky - Best of 1982-83. I have assumed it was the 45, but now I'm not so sure. How does this compare with the YouTube video? I can shoot you a copy if you'd like for comparison. Or maybe somebody has some info to share. Or is that the version you're speaking of?

Edited by Robert

There are few songs that sound as good on the radio as "A Night To Remember". That 36-second intro is just plain spectacular for long announcements, legal IDs, or whatever syllables we care to pronounce over it. My opinion, of course, since I'm the one doing the pronouncing.

LP version

I have the LP version on The Right Stuff/Solar's Shalamar collection Greatest Hits (1999), where it sounds positively dy-no-mite and runs 5:07. There are longer versions running 5:11 on two other Right Stuff/Solar discs (Friends and Anthology), but I don't have either one. The Right Stuff did a great job with the Shalamar catalog (and the Al Green catalog, too).

I also have it on Priority's Mega Hits Dance Classics Vol. 5 (1989), where it sounds better-than-average for Priority collections, but abruptly shortens the fade to 4:59.

And on Capitol's Ultimate Collection (2006), where it has severely boosted treble and bass ("smiley face EQ"). Avoid. This whole CD sounds awful.

45 version

To edit the 45 down from the LP version, delete the 96 beats from the bass drum hit just before the downbeat at 2:55.3 (timing from the Right Stuff GH) to the bass drum hit just before the downbeat at 3:48.4.

The fade has a long tail, and I'm not sure what the actual 45 length is. Your edit will run 4:15, if you use the Right Stuff GH as your source and don't hasten the fade.

The 45 edit appears on CD, with the fade shortened as noted:

• MCA UK's Shalamar Greatest Hits (1986) - fade shortened to run 4:11
• Connoisseur Collection UK's 5-CD One Hundred Dance Hits Of The Eighties (1990) - fade shortened to run 4:09
• Disky UK's 2-CD Best Of 1982-1983 (2003) - differently-EQ'd digital clone of MCA GH, fade shortened to run 4:09

The Disky disc really spruces up the EQ, boosting the high end to a nice level. This is one of the rare cases where I prefer the EQ-adjusted version over the original mastering.

Non-hit 2007 edit running 3.29

It's on Time-Life's 2-CD Uptown Saturday Night Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (2007). This version includes a bunch of edits that shorten the whole song. It's really well done, and it sounds terrific on this CD, but it's not the 45.

Edited by crapfromthepast

Thanks for bringing this song up. I went on Qobuz and
grabbed the LP version from Friends and made the
simple edit to create the 45 version. My file runs 4:15.