Single Remixes vs. original album mix

There were some examples of this prior to "The Reflex" in 1984.

I'm sure there are others, but these immediately come to mind...

I've Gotta Get A Message To You - Bee Gees
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
The three hit singles from the 1975 Fleetwood Mac album.
Two Tickets To Paradise - Eddie Money
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar

Brian, that's a good a theory as any other. My theory was that the label was trying to add more excitement to the mix.

I'm not sure that too many people hearing a song on the radio would notice a difference between mixes. Edits for sure, especially in cases like "Blinded by the Light" or "Sometimes When We Touch" where big sections were removed.

But with SO many single mixes being made - as we all know - I always wondered why the labels accepted poorer mixes in the 1st place from the producers. If they thought the production was sub-par, they should have asked the producers to mix it better or to be more exciting, etc.

I'm sure there are counter-arguments to that theory, such as the label didn't know what was going to be the singles at the time. But still..

(And I'm not talking edits for radio or the single. That I totally get.)