Elton John - Sad Songs....

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   About a month after we got the first promo 45, a "Special Radio Mix" version of "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" arrived. Its listed and actual time is (4:05), and features substantially more percussion. We did switch over and play this new mix on-air as well.

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jimct Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 07 April 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote jimct Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Elton John - Sad Songs.... Posted: 07 May 2006 at 6:24pm
	About a month after we got the first promo 45, a "Special Radio Mix" version of "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" arrived. Its listed and actual time is (4:05), and features substantially more percussion. We did switch over and play this new mix on-air as well.

JMD1961 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 29 March 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote JMD1961 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 2006 at 7:16pm
	A-HA!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for this information. Because this is one song that has NEVER sounded right on CD to me.

EdisonLite Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote EdisonLite Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 2006 at 7:35pm
	Does anyone know if the "special radio mix" ever appeared on a commercial 45?

aaronk Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 16 January 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 86	Post Options Post Reply Quote aaronk Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 2006 at 9:49pm
	Not sure, but I HAVE seen this "special radio mix" 45. My friend has a copy. I listened to it (without having the other version to compare) and it didn't sound too much different. I guess if I could've A/B'd them, I'd notice the percussion difference.

JMD1961 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 29 March 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote JMD1961 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2006 at 2:42am
	I can't say either. At the time, I think I just bought the album that featured it. All I can say for sure is that to me, the version I hear on CDs today just sound flat to me. Could just be me, though.

jimct Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 07 April 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote jimct Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2006 at 3:03am
	The "Special Radio Mix" never did appear on a commercial 45. It's funny, but both Aaron's and JMD's comments do apply. It sounds to me like they took the stock 45 version and tried to make a "dance mix" out of it, by adding a background disco-rhythm/dance beat on top, supporting Aaron's "it's not that different" point. But, if you heard the new version constantly for 3 months back in '84, then popped on the CD version today, "flat" is a good way to describe it, JMD - like a Ritz cracker with no salt - it's OK, but something's missing...

EdisonLite Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote EdisonLite Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2006 at 7:07am
	I saw the video on MTV as much as I heard the song on the radio, and don't recall any differences. Does anyone know which mix was used for the video? (My guess is that the video was released to MTV before the special remix was done.) It could also be that the stations in my area played only the 1st mix.

sriv94 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 September 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote sriv94 Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2006 at 8:31am
	Just wondering--is either version of the 45 pitched-up in any way? One radio station here played the edited version, but it was sped up compared to the "45 version" on the Greatest Hits 1976-86 CD. What I don't know is whether they pitched it up themselves or if it came that way (generally this radio station did not pitch up their records when carting them up).
	Doug --------------- All of the good signatures have been taken.

jimct Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 07 April 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote jimct Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2006 at 12:55pm
	Since the stock 45 is both listed and actually is (4:08), and Pat's book has some "45 versions" running in the (4:06/4:07) range, it probably wasn't pitched up on the record. For years at our station, the PD and Chief Engineer custom-altered the speed of all of our direct-drive turntables - faster by (+1.7). Can't remember for sure now if that number referred to all 45s now spinning at 46.7 RPM , or if it meant 1.7% faster than normal speed, but I believe it meant the latter. I was our "carter" for over 10 years, and I used those modified tables to cart all our music. This tactic was actually quite common in Top 40 for many years, especially in a "2 Top 40 station market." My bosses would always tell me "I want the other station's music to sound SLOW compared to ours!" In 1973, before any of us got there, consultant Paul Drew was hired, and all the 45s began sounding positively chipmunky, at like 49-50RPM. Drove me nuts!

aaronk Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 16 January 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 86	Post Options Post Reply Quote aaronk Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09 January 2007 at 3:30pm
	I am in the process of reviewing both the commercial and "special radio mix" 45s for "Sad Songs," thanks to Jim, and I can say for certain the "radio mix" is pitched up when compared to the commercial 45 version. Honestly, I cannot hear any other differences when doing a quick comparison of the first minute or so. I'll do a more thorough comparison through headphones this evening.