Pilot of the Airwaves

That's about it. The LP version doesn't have the a cappella ending and the music does continue before fading. My CD version (from the Rebound #1 Radio Hits of the 80s disc) runs about (3:54).

Not sure it's possible the make the 45 out of the LP (don't know if the last music note of what would be the 45 version holds on long enough for one to splice the beginning a cappella passage onto). (And if you can figure that one out, please explain it to me.)

Ed: If you have the other CD listed in the database as having the 'edit' version, then digital surgery can easily be performed. ;)

Ed:

I have the 45 version of "Pilot of the Airwaves" on the other database CD The 80's Pop Explosion (K-Tel 3342) and I do not detect an audio glitch of any kind at the 2:51 mark. Surprisingly, the sound quality of the song on this CD is significantly better than on the Radio Daze: Pop Hits Of The 80's Volume Two disc, which makes me wonder if a second or third generation tape source might have gotten used for the latter compilation.

After a group collaboration of 40+ emails, I can finally report on "Pilot Of The Airwaves".

LP version

It also appears to be the 45 version on the Netherlands, Brazil, and Germany. (Based on printed times from Discogs.)

The LP version has printed time of 3:53. It begins with an a cappella portion, and after the long note around 2:53, comes back with a mostly instrumental portion that fades.

You have a handful of choices to find the LP version on CD.

It's on Polygram Special Markets' cheapie #1 Radio Hits Of The 80's (1997), where it sounds just fine, with a nice source tape, great dynamic range, nice EQ, and some pleasing tape hiss over the fade. The collection is produced by Howard Smiley. (I don't know who that is.)

It's also on Rebound's No. 1 Hits Of The 80's (1997). This collection is also produced by Howard Smiley, who seemed positively giddy to place the Charlie Dore track on every collection he worked on in 1997. It seems that this collection was repackaged under various names on the Collectables label. I can't vouch for sound quality on this one.

And finally, it appears on a 2005 rerelease of the full Charlie Dore album Where To Now on Lemon Recordings (a UK label). It sounds great here, also with a nice source tape, great dynamic range, and a nice EQ. The tail of the fade is a second or two longer than the Polygram disc, which is very nice. There's a little less tape hiss here than on the Polygram disc, so the Lemon mastering either rolled off the high end with EQ or used some gentle noise reduction. No complaints, really - it sounds really good here.

You'll be pleased with the Polygram disc or the Lemon disc. I'd guess that the Rebound/Collectables disc would sound comparable to the Polygram disc, but can't confirm.

LP version faded early

This has a printed time of 3:34, and was the 45 version in Australia and New Zealand. (Based on printed times from Discogs.)

I have a terrible-sounding version of this, which may be from an Australian 2-CD set from BMG called Living In The 80's Vol. 2 (1998). The EQ gets weird on the fade (evidence of noise reduction), and I may hear some turntable rumble at the end of the fade. Avoid.

US 45 version

This was also on the Canadian 45. (Based on printed times from Discogs.)

I can attest firsthand that this version got virtually all the radio airplay back in 1980 when the song was a hit. I never even heard the LP version until many, many years later.

The US 45 on Island Records has a printed time of 3:15 and a designation of "(Edit)". It begins and ends with the same a cappella portion. The 45 can't quite be edited down from the LP version, because the a cappella portion at the end of the song has a tail that extends farther than it does on the first portion of the song. The middle portion of the song runs at 119.2 BPM (a live drummer playing to a click track).

It appears on swaitek's promo 50-CD set The A List (1994), where it's clearly from vinyl, and is likely taken from a TM Century mastering. You can do better. For what it's worth, it runs 119.2 BPM throughout on this mastering, which is the same speed as the vinyl 45 (as it should be, since TM Century literally played a vinyl 45).

You have exactly two commercially-available CDs to choose from for the 45 version.

The first is a cheapie 10-song collection on K-Tel called The 80's Pop Explosion (1994). It runs 3:16 here, and sounds pretty terrible. I hear artifacts from noise reduction, and the tail of the fade is shortened. Avoid.

The second is Rhino's Radio Daze Vol. 2 (1995). It runs 3:18 here, with a nice, untruncated tail to the fade. It has great dynamic range, nice EQ, and no evidence of noise reduction. I believe that it uses a low-generation tape source, and I think it sounds significantly better than the K-Tel disc. Others in the group noticed that the song has a little tape drag starting with the beginning of the guitar solo. That's true, but I hadn't noticed it until it was pointed out to me and I made measurements to confirm. (It's not nearly as bad as some of the early masterings of "Le Freak", for example, which had some nausea-inducing tape drag.)

It's possible to mix-and-match the Rhino disc with one of the others to get the 45 ending (and long tail to the fade), and using a tape transfer that's free from tape drag. Personally, I'm fine with the Rhino disc, and if you're trying to find the 45 on CD, I'd recommend buying the Rhino disc.

Hopefully I didn't leave out any details. Thanks to the dozen(s) of board members who helped assemble all of the above info.

Edited by crapfromthepast

John,

I hear the same thing. It brings the reverb in the acapella section WAY up and is damaging the dynamics once you've been able to compare it to the LP version. (Unless the original single was more compressed than the LP, which I understand sometimes labels did.)

I didn't want to add this to the already long list of emails on this subject, but I was going through Discogs and noticed the first 7" U.S. promo listed has a stereo side and a mono side.

The mono side HAS to be a fold-down of the stereo side... doesn't it? Does anybody have this promo who can confirm one way or another?

I'm 99.9% sure that's the case so I really didn't want to clutter inboxes further with this, but I'm also 99% sure that in 1980 an awful lot of top 40 was still being played on AM... and this sounds like an AM hit if there ever was one... and they likely would have played the mono side... so, heaven help us if there WAS a mix difference, I would be tempted to brand it the "hit" mix.

I know, I know, but that's what this board is all about! :)