Information Socitey "Running"

Unbelievable. I do not mind paying a little more but some of these vendors are unrealistic. I'll keep digging through those long lost 45 bins.

It's hard to believe nearly 12 years later this is still one of my top questions. I
revisited my file that I downloaded from the original Napster back in 2001.
My edit's actual runtime is 4:18. The promo 45 listed on discogs (updated
link: https://www.discogs.com/Information-Society-
Running/release/3249267) states a runtime of 3:29 but I never noticed that
this is incorrect. The record label states a runtime of 3:59. If you look
further someone posted an update that there are label variations so it is a
possibility that the "Instrumental Edit" runs 3:59 and the "Vocal Edit" runs
4:05 according to the label. So who knows maybe the version I found online
all those years ago is in fact the correct version. I did hear an edit once on
the radio a long time ago and it ended the same as the version that I have. If
you would like a copy for review just PM me.

To follow up:

Someone finally posted what appears to be a rip from the original very rare 45 (link is valid as of August 7, 2021):

https://youtu.be/IBK9DJPaV4Q

The time listed on the label (both on 45cat and Discogs) is 3:59, but if the posted version is correct, it only plays for 3:29, which explains the listing on Discogs.

I remember hearing "Running" on the radio in Philadelphia in 1986, two years before Information Society finally had a hit single. I don't remember the name of the station any more, but it played many single edits of dance-club hits. I think I tried in vain to find a 45 back in that era.

It appears to be able to be re-created from the 7:41 Vocal Remix version that is fairly standard on Information Society CDs (it's on both their debut album and on the hits collection Strange Haircuts, Cardboard Guitars, and Computer Samples, Tommy Boy TBCD 1460, 2001), but the intro was trimmed to 5 seconds from the 35-second intro on the Vocal Remix. I need to study it more to find out where the beginning three-beat burst comes from, as I don't hear it in the intro.

Edited by TimNeely

Funny that this topic re-surfaced as I've been trying to
replace my original promo 45 that was destroyed about 6
years ago. My old mp3 rip is long gone as well. I
listened to the link TimNeely posted. Without media at
my hands to compare, I'm not sure that is the authentic
45. I don't recall it sounding that way (or short).
It's always easier to rely on a YouTube video that is
either an original music video or you see someone
actually playing the record. Either way it adds more to
the mystery!

Edited by promojunkie

This topic has baffled me for 15 years now (probably more but
that's when I finally discovered this incredible forum). I
downloaded a version that runs 4:20 from Napster (yes the
original Napster from the early 2000s) and it has an identical
ending to a version I heard on what must have been Q102 in
Philly back in the early 90s. This copy sounds like it's from a
digital source but I'm not pro. I'm sure someone like Aaron could
verify that for me.

According to the promo 45, the “vocal edit” runs 3:59 but if you
look at the discog link (https://www.discogs.com/Information-
Society-Running/release/3249267) you will notice in the images
that someone crossed out the names of the versions. I am
assuming the runtimes were reversed (i.e. the vocal edit is
actually the instrumental’s length). Many times times are listed
incorrectly on the labels (and listed shorter for that matter) so
4:05 is much closer to the file I downloaded. My theory is there
must have been a limited run of promo CD singles issued by
Tommy Boy back in 1988 when the album was released, but I
could be wrong.   

I thought about uploading it to YouTube but worry about my
account getting flagged. I want all of you to hear it and was
thinking of putting it on my Google Drive and sharing the link
here. I just was not sure if that is allowed on this forum.