thunderclap newman something in the air

Check your email inbox, Indy. I had thought about trying to figure out the edit points, but I think I'm hearing mix differences (at least left/center/right placement) that are not the same on the stereo 45 mix or the stereo LP mix. Is it possible there are three different stereo mixes?

Was the short promo created in 1973? Or, did I miss
something. I just spent some time on Discogs and the only
U.S. promo 45's listed from 1969 have the listed time of
3:53.

I was using the mono mix to edit so stereo mixes shouldn't make a difference but if the promo was not created until 1973 than I guess I can't use it for a 1969 themed CD.

Regards

I picked this one apart as best as I can.

Extreme-panned stereo LP version (3:54)

I assume that this is the vinyl LP version, but can't confirm.

The panning in this version is extreme. The first four seconds are panned completely on the left; there's nothing at all in the right channel until the bass kicks in at 0:05. In the honking/clapping part from 2:20 to 2:50, the honking horn is panned completely to the right. I'm sure there are other examples, too.

The stereo LP version first appeared on CD on Polydor's 1991 reissue of the 1969 Thunderclap Newman album Hollywood Dream. It sounds excellent here, with low-generation source tapes, a nice EQ, plenty of dynamic range, and no obvoius artifacts of added noise reduction on the fade. (The 1991 CD was mastered by Dennis Drake, so it's not surprising that it sounds good.) The same analog transfer is used on:

• Polydor's multi-disc Classic Rock Box (1992) - digital clone, possibly with EQ adjustment (I didn't check)
• Sony's Rock Goes To The Movies / In Dreams (1992)
• Rebound's Hard Rock Essentials The 60s (1994) - digital clone, possibly with EQ adjustment (I didn't check)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 6 The 1960s (2000) - digital clone, possibly with EQ adjustment (I didn't check)
• TM Century track no. 00008073

Narrowed-soundstage stereo LP version (3:53)

I found a YouTube video of a 45 being played that includes this version. I can't tell if it's a UK 45 or a US 45, and I don't know if there's a difference between the two.

This version sounds like the same overall mix as the stereo LP version, but with a narrowed soundstage. (Both sound the same to my ears, if you mono them out.) This version has the first four seconds panned gently (not completely) to the left. In the honking/clapping part from 2:20 to 2:50, the honking horn is panned gently (not completely) to the right. And so forth.

I found this narrowed-soundstage version on MCA's low-budget multi-artist Classic Rock Vol. 3 (1989). It sounds excellent here, with great dynamic range, nice EQ, and no evidence of added noise reduction on the fade. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Time-Life's Classic Rock Vol. 20 1969 Shakin' All Over (1990)
• CBS Special Products's Rock Goes To The Movies 4 (1990)
• TM Century track no. 00003634 - added noise reduction (listen for absence of hiss on fade); avoid

I have a file that's labeled as being from a collection called 60 Number Ones Of The '60s. Not sure if this collection really exists. It also has a weird tape drop-out that lasts a few seconds during the piano breakdown; avoid.

Mono 45 version (3:51)

I don't think there was a mono version of the LP, so any mono version would be a mono 45 version.

To my ears, the mono 45 version sounds like a fold-down of one the above stereo versions (doesn't matter which one).

The mono version on Rhino's British Invasion Vol. 9 (1991) runs a little faster than the stereo versions listed above, and is EQ'd with a whole lot of top end. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Flower Power Born To Be Wild (2007)

Stereo 45 version (3:54)

I can confirm that this is what plays on Track 2656.

It's on CD, and is labeled as "Single Version" on Polydor's 1991 reissue of the 1969 Thunderclap Newman album Hollywood Dream. At first I thought it was just one channel of the LP version, but it's mixed in stereo. The first four seconds are essentially centered. In the honking/clapping part from 2:20 to 2:50, the honking horn is completely absent! During the piano breakdown, the shaky instrument drops in volume, then rises back up again.

My recommendations

For the extreme-panned stereo version (which I assume is the stereo LP version), the full-length Thunderclap Newman album Hollywood Dream (1991) sounds great. If you'd prefer a compilation, go with Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 6 The 1960s (2000).

For the narrowed-soundstage stereo version (which appears on a 45 somewhere), go with MCA's Classic Rock Vol. 3 (1989).

For the mono 45 version, go with Rhino's British Invasion Vol. 9 (1991).

For the stereo 45 version that's missing some elements, go with the "Single Version" on Polydor's 1991 reissue of the 1969 Thunderclap Newman album Hollywood Dream.

Edited by crapfromthepast

My DJ copy of the 1973 2:45 edit of "Something in the Air" actually runs 2:54.