"You Make My Dreams" - Hall & Oates

The actual commercial 45 run time of Daryl Hall & John Oates' "You Make My Dreams" is 3:09, not 3:10 as stated on the record label. (These timings are courtesy of abagon.) The reason I post this info is because database CD appearances of this song run from 3:02-3:10.

I just checked my messages on the Batphone, and noticed that you called... :)

"You Make My Dreams" first appeared on CD on RCA's Greatest Hits Rock And Soul Part 1 (copyright 1983), where it runs 3:07 and has a truncated fade. It sounds great here, with excellent dynamic range, nice EQ, not a hint of noise reduction, and a pleasing hiss on the fade. On the down side, the fade is slightly truncated at 3:07, and the volume level is a little low (about 2 or 3 dB of headroom). Since we're listening for noise reduction, here's what to listen for: crank the intro keyboard part up 20 dB and listen to the "silence" between the notes. I hear a very nice tape hiss in there, which is reassuring. Also, crank the fade up by 40 dB and make sure there aren't any artifacts on the fade, like a whooshing/swirling sound, or a change in EQ that drop out the high end. No such NR artifacts on this disc.

There's a different analog transfer on Heartland/Warner Special Products' 2-CD Feel Good Rock (1989). It runs 3:04 here, and fades to silence a little earlier than Rock And Soul Part 1. Also excellent dynamic range, nice EQ, and not a hint of noise reduction. It has a little more hiss than Rock And Soul Part 1, so it may be a higher-generation tape source, but it still sounds very good here. The same analog transfer is used on these discs, which all sound basically the same as Feel Good Rock:

• Sessions/Warner Special Products' 2-CD The Ultimate Party Album (1992)
• JCI's Only Dance 1980-1984 (1995)

The version on swaitek's promo-for-radio 50-CD The A List Disc 10 (1994) seems to use the same analog transfer as Rock And Soul Part 1, but with added noise reduction. You can clearly hear evidence of NR on the fade, which drops the high end EQ and has the whooshy/swirly artifacts. The intro keyboard notes have an unnatural silence between them, too. I'd bet that this track is based on the TM Century library version of "You Make My Dreams", and I'd bet that the TM Century version has NR, too. Avoid.

The version on Big Ear Music's Only In The 80's Vol. 1 (1995) sounds quite nice, and runs 3:07. It has a slightly bass-boosted EQ, compared to Rock And Soul Part 1. It also has an excellent dynamic range (it clips in a few places - insignificant), and no hint of NR.

The 2-CD set Starting All Over Again (1997) sounds extremely close to Only In The 80's Vol. 1, but extends out to 3:10. For this reason, I suspect that both Starting and Only both use the same analog transfer as Voices, which I don't have. The level is a little lower than Only, so there's no clipping. It sounds really tremendous on this disc.

The version on Madacy's Rock On 1981 Bette Davis Eyes (1998) clips heavily around -3 dB and has a very boomy EQ. No noise reduction, but still sounds terrible. I think it may also use the same analog transfer as Voices, but it in no way resembles the same sound quality as Only or Starting. Could there be a pre-1998 remastered version of Voices that has the clipping/boomy EQ? The 1996 and 1998 releases in Madacy's Rock On series tend to be level-shifted versions of earlier masterings.

The 3-CD Legendary (2002) sounds extremely close to Starting All Over Again and Only In The 80's Vol. 1, but truncates the fade at 3:04. (It has its absolute polarity inverted on both channels, which is insignificant. I put this in as a note to myself if I ever want to revisit these tracks. Which I won't.)

There seems to be a new analog transfer for the 2-CD Ultimate (2004), which is way too loud and clips severely. There's no evidence of noise reduction, but the EQ blunts a little of the high end. I don't like the sound of the song on this disc. Avoid.

The version on Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 9 Cool Night (2007) has excellent dynamic range and a nice EQ, but has noise reduction! What the heck? A rare misstep for the Time-Life discs. I don't know where this version came from. Avoid, obviously.

If I had to rank them, I'd go with Starting All Over Again (1997) for "You Make My Dreams". It runs out to 3:10 here. I suspect that the original RCA disc of Voices sounds like this, as well.

Sounding just as good, but running a little shorter, are Only In The 80's Vol. 1 (1995; 3:07) and Legendary (2002; 3:04). Greatest Hits Rock And Soul Part 1 (1983) sounds almost as good as all of the above, but only runs 3:07. The Warner Special Products discs sound fine, but are probably one tape-generation higher than the above. Avoid everything else.


Edited by crapfromthepast