GQ - "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)"

Not sure if this is in the database; it's not in the 1996 book.

The 3:50 version of this song on 1975 - Only Dance - 1979 is missing the first 8 beats of the song, but otherwise it appears to be based on the same analog transfer used for The Disco Years Vol. 2.

This probably warrants a comment in the database of missing the first 8 beats of the 45 and LP version or something to that effect.

iTunes has the Dance Vault Mixes : Disco Night (Rock Freak) - Single on Arista with both the 45 version at the correct speed plus the longer LP version. BTW, the flip side of the vinyl 45 was GQ's version of A Taste of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie."

Found my 45 of this track.

It runs 3:55, and 123.2 BPM throughout with no drift (uses a click track).

Not only is it a different edit than The Disco Years Vol. 2 (and a very different edit at that - too many differences to name conveniently), it's a different mix, too. For example: on the 45, after 8 beats, there's a "shuck-a-toom" guitar accent, which isn't on the Rhino version. The 45 says "Re-mixed by Jimmy Simpson", so it's possible that the Rhino mix is edited down from the LP mix (a guess). The Rhino disc version also runs 123.2 BPM throughout, so it's the same pitch as the 45, just the wrong mix.

The version on Mega Hits Dance Classics Vol. 3 is the 45 mix, but running at 126.5 BPM, or about 2.7% too fast. VERY noticeable pitch difference, and mastered too loud so there's lots of clipping. The fade point is in the right place, but is off by about 6 seconds because of the pitch difference.

The version on my copy of Rhino's Phat Trax Vol. 5 runs 7:55 (not the 5:06 listed in the 1996 edition of Pat's book), and also runs at 126.6. Maybe the LP or 12" version ran that fast? This mix seems even emptier than the one on Disco Years, so it can't be edited down to the 45 version.

The Hits Man wrote: No, the mix is 100% same as the LP version and the wrong edit. It's those edits that are confusing you. Also, in the old days, a remix was simply the actual mix. In those days, recordings were mixed as they were recorded for economy and out of habit.

I will trust others on the board about the 45 single mix on this one.. however... The version on Phat Tracks is a pretty lousy mix of this recording, and I'm going to take an educated guess that it's the original mix, and that both the hit single mix and hit 12" were remixed by Jimmy Simpson. The rise of disco music in the late 70's led to the rise of D.J.s being hired to remix songs to have greater potential in clubs. This song was a disco hit first, and then crossed over to radio. Months later, a full length album was rush completed and issued, containing the full 12" mix of the title hit.

The Hits Man is right that the mix is exactly the same as the LP version. I did a careful comparison of the two when creating my own edit to match the 45.

Ron, the reason you don't hear the "shuck-a-toom" guitar accent on the Rhino edit is due to an editing difference of the LP version. The intro on the LP version is probably twice as long (if not longer) as the 45 version, and Rhino has just edited it incorrectly.