Nick Gilder - Hot Child In The City

Hardly any CDs feature the LP version, which runs 3:31. All the major-label compilations feature the 45 version, which runs about 3:06. Not sure what the difference is between the LP and 45 versions.

The first CD to feature the 45 version was probably Silver Eagle/Capitol's 3-CD Formula 45. It sounds like a high-generation tape source. Not great.

There's a slightly better analog transfer on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 10 1978 (1990), which slightly truncates the fade. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Sessions/Warner Special Products' 2-CD The Ultimate Party Album (1992)
• Priority's I Love Rock And Roll Vol. 3 Hits Of The 70's (1996)
• Madacy's Rock On 1978 (1996; digitally exactly 1.5 dB louder)
• Razor & Tie's Easy Rock (2001; digital clone with discrete level changes)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 8 Ordinary World (2007; digitally exactly 1.9 dB louder)

Bill Inglot did a better analog transfer for Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1978 (1991). Crisp, open-sounding, very low-generation source tapes. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Rhino's Have A Nice Day Vol. 22 (1993; digitally identical)
• Cema's Rock N Roll Greatest Hits Vol. 5 (1995; digitally exactly 0.136 dB quieter)
• Time-Life's AM Gold Vol. 25 1978 (1997; digitally identical)
• Disky Europe's 8-CD Wow That Was The 70's (1999; differently-EQ'd digital clone, with added compression)
• Disky Europe's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '70s (2000; differently-EQ'd digital clone, with added compression)

Some others that aren't based on the Time-Life or Rhino discs:

• Priority's Seventies Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 8 Super Songs (1991; sounds pretty good here)
• EMI Australia's 5-CD Seventies Complete Vol. 1 (1997; sounds a little muddy)
• Simitar's Number Ones Rock It Up (1998)

My recommendation:

For the 45 version, go with Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1978 (1991), or any of the digital clones.

Footnote: I recently got a question about EQ.

In general, I found that the Rhino discs use the lowest-generation source tapes out there, and tend to be EQ'd with a slight high-end boost. I don't mind the high-end boost myself, which is why I usually end up recommending the Rhino discs.

I found many, many tracks on Time-Life discs that are differently-EQ'd digital clones of tracks from Rhino discs. For these tracks, the Time-Life EQ tends to slightly blunt the high-end of the Rhino. The differences aren't all that large, typically on the order of a dB or two at the high frequencies. My rule of thumb: look for discs with Dennis Drake as mastering engineer. He worked at Time-Life from 1995-2002, and his EQ choices are the best of anyone out there. If I list a Time-Life disc as being a differently-EQ'd digital clone of a Rhino disc, I can guarantee it will sound as good as, or better than, the Rhino source disc.

Edited by crapfromthepast

Thanks to Jimct, I got to hear the LP version.

The 25-second-long coda that Andrew referenced is one of
the most unnatural things I've ever heard. It
completely obliterates the sense of closure from the
that vocal ending on the 45. No surprise, then, that
I'd never heard it at all in the 36 years since the song
came out!

Hykker - Which stations were you listening to back then?
I was in NYC, listening to WABC and WNBC starting in
late '78, right at the tail end of the chart run for
"Hot Child". I don't remember what versions the NY
stations played when it was actually on the charts.

Pretty sure WABC played the 45, not as sure about WNBC.

I know WLS (Chicago) played the 45.

Edited by sriv94

Doug,

I remember WLS playing the album version.   When I heard
the single version played on other stations, it always
sounded "weird." Maybe LS started out with the single and
switched over to the album version????