Gary Wright - Dream Weaver

The LP version runs 4:15 on the Warner Bros. full-length CD The Dream Weaver (copyright 1975), where its keyboardy smoothness sounds excellent. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Priority's Seventies Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 6 FM Hits (1991; about 6 dB louder and clips a lot - avoid)
• Warner Special Products' 2-CD Seventies Feelings (1995)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 4 1976-1977 (2000; differently-EQ'd digital clone)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 1 Summer Breeze (2006; differently-EQ'd digital clone)

The 45 runs about 3:16, removes some of the noodly keyboard parts at the beginning and the end of the LP version, and fades early. Here are instructions for creating the 45 edit from the LP version, using The Dream Weaver as the source:

Remove 0:00.0 to 0:21.3 of the LP version. Unfortunately, there are no features to latch onto to indicate where the 21.3-second mark is, just "Hypnotoad" keyboards. The edit point is about 4.0 seconds before a pronounced "chirp", which you can see in the waveform, if that helps.

Segment 1
Extends from 0:00.0 to 3:15.9 of the 45 edit
Extends from 0:21.3 to 3:37.2 of the LP version

Fade
Starts on downbeat in the middle of the word "dream"
26 beats long
Extends from 2:54.0 to 3:15.9 of the 45 edit
Extends from 3:15.2 to 3:37.2 of the LP version

There were two early compilation CD sets that featured the true 45 edit, with proper edit and fade points:

• Warner Special Products' 2-CD Secret Love (1987)
• Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989)

The above two appear to use the real 45 source tape, which apparently doesn't sound too great. This would explain why virtually all later CDs used better source tapes and did their own recreations of the 45 edit.

Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 4 1976 (1989; 3:40) gets the start point correct, but instead of fading where the 45 does, it runs at full volume until the last note is hit, then fades out early during the noodly outro keyboard. It runs 25 seconds longer than the 45. The sound quality is nice here, comparable to The Dream Weaver. There are a bunch of CDs that use the same analog transfer as Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 4 1976:

• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Easy '70s (1993)
• Starland/Warner Special Products' 2-CD Golden Dreams (1993)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk (1994; digitally exactly 0.6 dB louder)
• Warner Special Products' 2-CD Rock Box (1994)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 2 Just For You (1996; differently-EQ'd digital clone)
• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Suddenly '70s (1997)
• Simitar's Number Ones Classic Rock (1998; mastered too loud and clips - avoid)

Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1976 (1991; 3:24) gets the start point correct, but starts the fade 16 beats later than it starts on the 45, and fades to silence before the noodly outro keyboard kicks in. It runs 9 seconds longer than the 45. The sound quality is terrific here - better than anything listed above. There are a bunch of CDs that use the same analog transfer as Billboard Top Hits 1976:

• Rhino's Have A Nice Day Vol. 18 (1993; digitally identical)
• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Super '70s (1995; hastens the fade)
• Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 23 1976 (1996; digitally identical)

My recommendation: If you really must have the true 45 version, then start with Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1976 (1991), and add a fade from 2:57 to 3:16. (I reversed-engineered Aaron's recreation of the 45 to come up with those fade times.)

Edited by crapfromthepast