Fuel’s "Absolutely the Best of the ’50s"

Anyone heard this CD yet? I'm wondering if it could possibly contain the 45 version of "The Chipmunk Song." (You can tell the 45 version by, one, it being in mono, and two, the Chipmunks take a breath after each "Christmas" on the opening line, whereas in the standard version the first line is sung through without a breath.)

Pat Downey wrote: Brian are you certain that both the mono and stereo LP appearances are not the 45 version. Many times the mono LP's featured the 45 versions.

100% positive. I own the original Liberty 45. The first line of the first verse is clearly a different take. They take big breaths after each "Christmas" -- "Christmas [breath], Christmas [breath] time is near." On all (E) and true stereo versions, it's sung through smoothly without a breath.

Also, in the first couple lines, Alvin's voice is mixed much more out front, almost like the other two Chipmunks are singing background for him. I have the (E) and stereo versions on numerous CDs, and none of them match the mono 45.

And MarkTheShark on BSN, who is quite the David Seville aficionado, confirms this. I didn't believe him at first -- it just doesn't make sense that the (E) version would have a mix difference with the mono version -- but when I bought the 45, I found it to be true.

MarkTheShark wrote: "The Chipmunk Song" was included on the album "Let's All Sing With The Chipmunks," where it appeared in fake stereo. Nonetheless, it is a different mix of the song with some differences in the Chipmunk vocals (at least early on). [And] the rechanneled version has what sounds like a "finger snap" in one channel on the second syllable of David Seville saying "okay" in "Okay, Alvin?" This diferent mix of the song *matches* *true stereo* mixes of the song which have been released in the last dozen years or so. The song later reappeared on "Christmas With The Chipmunks" (in fake stereo) in 1962, and again on "The Very Best Of The Chipmunks" (also in fake stereo) in 1975. Almost every time "The Chipmunk Song" has been reissued, it's been the fake stereo version (or more recently, a true stereo version on some various artists CDs) with some parts of the vocals that do not match the original single. The mono mix from the original single can be found on mono pressings of the "Let's All Sing" and "Christmas With" albums, on Liberty singles 55168 and 55250, and on the United Artists "Silver Spotlight Series" reissue 45 from the mid-1970s (which remained in print well into the 1980s after Capitol took over the United Artists holdings).

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/bsnpubs/vpost?id=152 063&highlight=chipmunks

Even the recent Japanese David Seville CD used the (E) version.


Edited by Brian W.

Now there is one mono version of the Chipmunk Song which is on the cd "Santa's Greatest Hits" - Hip-O 64624 but from the clues given above, it sounds the same as the (E) and (S) versions to me so it must be bridged to mono from an (E) or (S) source. Does anyone have this cd to verify what I just pointed out?