Steve Winwood - Higher Love

I'm surprised "Higher Love" has never had a thread posted on the forum in the last 20 years. When emailing with elcoleccionista about the 12" mix, I discovered something worth noting here for all to read.

The "Remix" running 7:45 was not issued on a "Higher Love" 12" single in the US in 1986. Instead, it was placed on the B-side of Steve Winwood's follow up single "Freedom Overspill." A "Higher Love" 12" was, however, issued in several other countries around the globe, including the UK. In 1988, the "Remix" made its first CD appearance on a Japan 3" CD.

Fast forward to 2006, Hip-O released a 2-CD set of 12" mixes called '80s Dance Gold, where "Higher Love" is labeled UK Extended Mix. Until now, I didn't realize that this is not actually the 7:45 "Remix" that appears on the 12" singles. It's close, but it differs in two places. From 3:15 to 3:34, the UK Extended Mix has full instrumentation, whereas it's just percussion and vocals on the Remix. The endings between the two versions also differ.

As far as I can tell, the so-called UK Extended Mix was never issued on any 12" singles, at least not any from 1986. Quite possibly, it's a case where a wrong tape was pulled and included on the Hip-O CD, which was then also used on the Netherlands V/A compilation Dance Classics Pop Vol. 2 in 2010 and possibly other European V/A CDs with 12" mixes.

Edited by aaronk - 27 February 2026 at 11:19pm

Actually, it's not technically "missing." My UK 12" does not have the ping-pong echo/reverb on the instrumental. It is on the vocal remix intro, though. DJ Paul T's restoration of the instrumental does have the echo, but I'm wondering if he borrowed the opening percussion from the vocal version. Perhaps the instrumental side of his copy had crackle that he couldn't remove?