Gloria - Laura Branigan

I agree with the concerns expressed. I placed my order two months ago and did notice that they billed before shipping. I don't care for that practice either. But keep in mind:

1) Self Control is now shipping.
2) It is available on Amazon.
3) These are limited to 1000 CDs so if you're going to wait until release date to order you better hope no more than 999 Laura Branigan fans opt to pre-order.

I don't wish to see anyone here get ripped off but I also would hate to see anyone here miss out on an opportunity to purchase a limited item with exclusive material because they didn't know about it.

But when I ordered the 5 CDs in December, MOST said that they were in stock (at least back then), like Cheryl Ladd, which still hasn't been manufactured yet. I received the 2 truly in-stock items a couple months after ordering, the 3rd one ("Self Control") this week (after 6 months). I do think I'll get the Branigan I within a month or two, but I just have this fear that Gold Legion will go out of business before I receive the 5th one (C Ladd), which will make it harder to get a refund from them or my CC company.

The commercial 45 and the LP are both the 4:50 long version.

The promo 45 is the 3:49 short version. The short version can be edited down from the long version by removing the 56 beats from 2:59 to 3:24, removing the 64 beats from 3:53 to 4:23, and shortening the fade by about 7 seconds.

Long version

The Laura Branigan single-LP CDs are pretty hard to come by, and I don't have Branigan.

The first reasonably-priced disc to have the long version was Sandstone's Rock The First Vol. 3 (1992). Sound quality is good. The same analog transfer is used on Priority's Mega Hits Dance Classics Vol. 12 (1993), but it's too loud and clips a lot.

The version on Swaitek's 50-CD promo The A List Disc 11 (1994) sounds sorta close to Rock The First, and doesn't seem to have any noise reduction.

The 1995 Greatest Hits sounds quite close to Rock The First but the fade is shorter by a second or two. This makes me think that Rock The First uses the same analog transfer as Branigan, but I can't confirm.

Finally, Bill Inglot did a new analog transfer for Rhino's 7-CD Like Omigod (2002). It's a little too loud and clips quite a bit, but it seems to use lower-generation source tapes than all the earlier discs. The soundstage is better defined than the earlier discs - listen for placement of the hi-hat, which is crystal clear on Like Omigod, but is a little blurry on everything else.

Overall, I recommend Like Omigod for the long LP and commercial 45 version.

The tempo is 131.3 BPM throughout on all of the above discs - it's a live drummer playing to a click track.

Short version

The first place the short version appeared was on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Feel Good Rock (1989). Sound is good, but it's not the lowest-generation source tape. Tempo is 131.3 BPM throughout.

There is a trainload of compilations that all use the same analog transfer as Feel Good Rock:

• Silver Eagle/Warner Special Products' 3-CD After Hours (1990; somehow plays too fast by about 0.5% - there are a few tracks on this collection that run too fast)
• Warner Special Products' 2-CD Ultimate Party Album (1992)
• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Totally '80s (1993)
• JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1980-1984 (1994)

Bill Inglot did a new analog transfer for Billboard Top Hits 1982 (1992), from lower-generation source tapes. It runs 131.2 BPM throughout. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 5 1982 (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone)
• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 38 Celebration (1994; kinda loud)

I recommend Billboard Top Hits 1982 for the short version.

Gold Legion is now saying Sept 10th for the Branigan remaster with bonus tracks.

We...will...see.

crapfromthepast wrote: The promo 45 is the 3:49 short version. The short version can be edited down from the long version by removing the 56 beats from 2:59 to 3:24, removing the 64 beats from 3:53 to 4:23, and shortening the fade by about 7 seconds.

Ron, are you sure about that? I would swear there's a rearranged verse in the short version.