Dan Hill/Vonda Sheppard-"Can’t We Try"
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Topic: Dan Hill/Vonda Sheppard-"Can’t We Try"
Posted By: jimct
Subject: Dan Hill/Vonda Sheppard-"Can’t We Try"
Date Posted: 11 December 2007 at 1:16am
| My commercial 45 has a listed time of (4:02), but an actual time of (3:59). |
Replies:
Posted By: NightAire
Date Posted: 26 June 2011 at 11:04pm
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Amazon (not always known for its label accuracy) has listed this song as http://www.amazon.com/Cant-We-Try-Single-Version/dp/B001I884UQ - "Can't We Try (Single Version)."
Every version of this song I've ever seen or heard EVER has been identical in mix and length as far as I can tell. I would, however, be THRILLED to know there was a remix or edit of this song that would make it the least bit more tolerable to sit through. Is anybody aware of any other versions of this "hit," released perhaps to radio or as a second released version as it was climbing the charts? A "rock mix" would thrill me to no end. :-D I suspect the answer is "no" and maybe "don't we wish" but I had to check after that goofy Amazon listing. ------------- Gene Savage http://www.BlackLightRadio.com - http://www.BlackLightRadio.com http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage - http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage Tulsa, Oklahoma USA |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 27 June 2011 at 6:24am
| Though the follow-up hit, "Never Thought (That I Could Love)", had a single remix (which was only slightly different), this hit has only the one mix. No edit. No remix. No rock mix. The version you heard probably a thousand times on the radio is the only one that exists and the version you'll have to continue to sit through. Luckily, mixed as it is, it became the #1 AC song of the year in Billboard (an incredible accomplishment, don't you think?) so it seems there were other people -- like Dan, the folks at Columbia Records, the radio programmers, and the listeners -- that were very happy with the mix, and no remix was issued. Incidentally, when Dan was putting together his Best of CD, he called me to get the single mix of "Never Thought" (he and no one else could find it but he remembered I had a promo CD single) and there was never any discussion about other mixes of "Can't We Try". |
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 27 June 2011 at 7:11am
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To EdisonLite:
What is the exact title of the 'Best Of' that contains the single mix of "Never Thought"? I still play that song at weddings dubbed from styrene; I really prefer the single mix. The single has a Rhodes-like keyboard instead of an acoustic piano and it sounds more elegant to my ears. Andy |
Posted By: Fetta
Date Posted: 27 June 2011 at 11:42am
| Hey Gene, there is always the Rockell and Collage version from a few years back that has a nice freestyle beat behind it. Definitely not Blacklight Radio format but it does pep the song up quite a bit....LOL. |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 27 June 2011 at 1:22pm
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Andy, it looks as though it might be this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-My-Life-Best-Hill/dp/B00003OTEO - Dan Hill: Best Of (Import) |
Posted By: NightAire
Date Posted: 27 June 2011 at 8:07pm
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EdisonLite: Please tell Dan I forgive him for "Can't We Try." ;-) I also forgive the hundreds (thousands? Tens of thousands? Perhaps millions?) who bought and requested the song... clearly I'm in the minority by being driven quite crazy by this song. :-)
(Hearing it 50-million times hasn't helped, either, I'm sure.) I absolutely WILL have to sit through it, again and again, and again... not only did it make #1 on the year-end AC charts as you mentioned, but it also made the year-end pop charts (at #67) in 1987... so BlackLight Radio will be playing it over and over and over. "Give the people what they want!" :-D (I also play "Friends & Lovers," "Wind Beneath My Wings," & "Almost Paradise." Wowza. They were hits, though! And, in case you think I'm just a ballad / love song hater, not so. I love "Separate Lives," "Should've Never Let You Go" & "After All.") I do appreciate the definitive answer... sorry about my opinion showing in my original post. :) Fetta, I'll have to go looking for that version! LOL... you're right, though: if it wasn't an original from-the-original-chart-run mix, I don't play it. Maybe hearing the remix will make me enjoy the original more. (Remember the dance mix of "My Heart Will Go On?" I'm still not sure how they got from a sad Irish love ballad to club hit, but the mix shows played it.) EDIT: ROTFL!!! O.K., just heard the dance remake... after hearing this, I'm a bigger fan of Dan Hill's version... you'll have to hear this for yourselves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXDfSJqAGc8 - Rockell & Collage - Can't We Try ... YIKES! :-D ------------- Gene Savage http://www.BlackLightRadio.com - http://www.BlackLightRadio.com http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage - http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage Tulsa, Oklahoma USA |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 27 June 2011 at 9:18pm
| Yes, the link eriejwg provided - for "Love of My Life: Best Of" IS the CD I worked on, which contains the single mix of "Never Thought". |
Posted By: Fetta
Date Posted: 28 June 2011 at 11:01am
| Glad you liked it Gene... LOL.. This version actully got a lot of airplay on KTU here in NY and I think Z100 probably picked it up as well as Rockell is a Staten Island native... |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 05 April 2020 at 9:21am
I was looking to find the single mix of "Never Thought (That I Could Love)" in lossless and tried looking on Discogs to see if there was a promo CD single for it, but none are listed. Are there any other mixes or tracks on that promo you have? I never heard the single mix of the song until I looked it up on YouTube. Good mix, with little differences here and there. I don't know why none of the AC Stations around here didn't play the single mix. I had only ever heard the Album Version and was surprised a few years ago to find that the single was remixed. I liked "Can't We Try", but like many other songs, it got a little annoying after awhile and eventually it got to the point where I'd rush to the radio to turn it off when I'd hear Dan's vocals on the intro. I'm curious as to how it became Billboard's #1 Adult Contemporary song of the year when it didn't go to #1. Helped by total weeks on the chart, perhaps? (Both "Can't We Try" and "Never Thought (That I Could Love)" peaked at #2 on the AC Chart). With all the airplay on the AC stations they had around here, I was truly shocked neither one went to #1. Does anyone know if a promo CD Single for "Can't We Try" exists? ------------- Dan In Philly |
EdisonLite wrote:Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 05 April 2020 at 11:10am
|
I have never seen a promo CD for "Can't We Try," but I added the promo for "Never Thought" to Discogs a few minutes ago. It has a listed time of 3:32 and actual time of 3:31. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 05 April 2020 at 1:50pm
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I have "Never Thought I Could Love" on a TM disc. Is that
the hit mix? ------------- John Gallagher Erie, PA https://www.johngallagher.com" rel="nofollow - John Gallagher Wedding & Special Event Entertainment / Snapblast Photo Booth |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 05 April 2020 at 1:57pm
Is it TM Century 151? If it is, no it's not the hit mix. One way you can tell is that Dan sings "I love you" right before the guitar solo and whispers the same words right before the song ends on the single version. Those two "I Love You"'s aren't there at the same points on the album version. And thanks for adding the promo to Discogs, Aaron! ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: prisdeej
Date Posted: 05 April 2020 at 7:38pm
The non-album versions on YouTube are probably not the single mix from the promo CD single. They are likely the 1993 rerecording from Dan's Greatest Hits and More... Let Me Show You. We played the LP version lifted from TM Century's GoldDisc collection back when I was working in AC radio. I just received a copy of the promo CD single mix and it sounds like the intro is truncated. Is this how it appears on the CD? ------------- DJ L. |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 06 April 2020 at 3:07am
|
[/QUOTE] The non-album versions on YouTube are probably not the
single mix from the promo CD single. They are likely the 1993 rerecording from Dan's Greatest Hits and More... Let Me Show You. We played the LP version lifted from TM Century's GoldDisc collection back when I was working in AC radio. I just received a copy of the promo CD single mix and it sounds like the intro is truncated. Is this how it appears on the CD?[/QUOTE] The single version was on YouTube awhile ago, but it's apparently been taken off now. I tried looking for it so I could link it here for anyone who may not have heard it, but I couldn't find it at all. I used to have that "Let Me Show You" CD with the re-recordings of "Never Thought" and "Can't We Try", but now I need to get it again so I can put those remakes in my library. When you say "truncated", do you mean that the intro seems shorter compared to the album version, or that the first note sounds truncated/comes in half a second late, or something like that? I believe the intro is the same length on both the album and single, and I don't remember the single version sounding like the first note was truncated when it was on YouTube. By the way, the video for the song also uses the Album Version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n6YaiWrsPI - Never Thought (That I Could Love) ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: prisdeej
Date Posted: 06 April 2020 at 10:57am
The latter yes, the first note sounds clipped in the copy I have. ------------- DJ L. |
Posted By: Scanner
Date Posted: 06 April 2020 at 11:57am
|
Which is the single version of "Never Thought..."? The
version I recall hearing on the radio did not have him saying "I love you" over the song's ending. The double- sided 45 of this and "Can't We Try" has the "I love you." |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 06 April 2020 at 2:39pm
The single is the one you described, with the "I Love You" whispered at the end. He also says it leading into the guitar solo in the middle. The album version did not have either one of these, plus the single is remixed. ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: Scanner
Date Posted: 07 April 2020 at 7:09am
|
Thanks for clarifying - I always thought the 45 sounded
more "produced," but wondered if that was just better sound quality on record versus the radio. |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 14 April 2020 at 10:33am
I just obtained a copy of the promo CD Single and the first note on the intro does sound clipped. ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: prisdeej
Date Posted: 14 April 2020 at 3:56pm
Thanks you for checking! I put the copy into Audacity and when I brought up the waveform it appears someone hit record button just a bit too late or perhaps cut a hair off with editing. I guess we'll never know for sure. All in all I still prefer the original LP version, mostly because it's what I've become accustomed. ------------- DJ L. |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 14 April 2020 at 4:05pm
You're welcome! Now I wonder if the intro is also truncated on the CD that was mentioned earlier, "Love Of My Life: The Best Of Dan Hill". ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 17 November 2020 at 9:01am
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Bumping this up again. Does anyone have the Love Of My Life: The Best Of Dan Hill CD and can give confirmation on whether or not the opening note of "Never Thought (That I Could Love)" is truncated on it? ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 18 November 2020 at 11:49am
|
Now that I think about it, is the first note also
truncated on the 45 as well? Maybe that would explain why it's truncated on the promo CD Single. Anyone here have the 45? ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: AdvprosD
Date Posted: 18 November 2020 at 6:55pm
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Y'know, as much as they played it on the radio in this town, (Never Thought...), you'd think I might have a copy of that floating around. So far, I haven't had any success finding it except on the GoldDisc 151.
One of the things I discovered when I started putting CDs and vinyl on an actual shelf, instead of having them all tucked away in boxes since like forever, was I have a bloody huge lot of 45s. None of which I have sorted through yet, but if I happen to run across this one I will see about getting back here to report about it. Back in the DJ days, I had also collected a number of Canadian CDs that were usually fairly clean and crisp sounding. The label was "Quality." I just checked on those but only found the other Dan Hill with Vonda Sheppard "Can't We Try" song. Since that song charted in '87, "Never Thought", I wonder if it didn't appear on a HitDisc from then. I'm going to look at the TM Century database and see if it is listed on a HitDisc. ------------- <Dave> Someone please tell I-Heart Radio that St. Louis is not known as The Loo! |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 29 November 2020 at 2:53am
I'm almost certain I have a non-truncated first-note version on some CD! Is that what you're looking for? I can check. I have the promo CD single (with has some overdubs) and the "Love of My Life" CD. But now that I think about it, Dan H. asked me to send him a WAV of the single mix of "Never Thought" so he could use it for a compilation he was putting together at the time. So if you're saying the promo CD single and 45 are both truncated, then I'm guessing "Love of My Life" is. But I can check whichever sources you want. I hate truncated intros. So I think this would have caught my attention and annoyed me :) |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 29 November 2020 at 5:00am
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Yes, if you could check the Love Of My Life compilation to see whether or not it has that truncated note, it would be very much appreciated. I'm thinking if that promo CD Single was the only source for the Single Mix at the time he was putting together that compilation, then it must also have the truncation. Unless.... (and this seems highly unlikely) there exists some copies of the promo CD Single that don't have it.
So far, there's no confirmation on whether or not the 45 has the truncation. ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: AdvprosD
Date Posted: 30 November 2020 at 9:29pm
|
I just picked up the "Love Of My Life Best Of" collection on CD. I needed something to test the editing abilities of Audacity, which I also recently downloaded to try out for a while. The CD is labeled on the spine,
"TVK 24055." I'm not skilled enough to yet determine what generation of production this is, but I'd say it's safe to assume it is a recent pressing/issue with content compiled in 1999. The CD says the song "Never Thought (That I Could Love)", which is track #2 on the collection is the 'Single Remix Version.' I listened to the intro of the song but wasn't really able to hear anything sounding like a "Truncated" start. So, as a first try, I brought up the file and took a look at the waveform. Surprisingly, this software looks a lot like the old Voyetra Audiostation wave editor I used to play with way back when I was trying to get my kids interested in fooling around with music on the computer. Twenty some-odd years ago? Audiostation was designed for use originally with Win-95, or maybe even Win-3.1 I think. Anyway, the first half second of the file was silent and then the song starts with what looks like a complete waveform. I don't really see anything odd about the intro of this version. Seems normal to me. So, I'd have to say that this copy appears to have a non-truncated version of the song. Listening through, I'm certain it isn't the same as the GoldDisc 151 version either. Maybe this version was created just for this collection? ------------- <Dave> Someone please tell I-Heart Radio that St. Louis is not known as The Loo! |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 01 December 2020 at 1:39am
The GoldDisc has the Album Version. The "Single Remix" version is the one that's on the Promo CD Single and the commercial 45 from 1988, so it existed long before the Love Of My Life compilation. Thanks for taking the time to check the waveform. I'll probably get the compilation just out of curiosity and there's several other songs I like on there anyway. ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 13 December 2020 at 5:05pm
Just to confirm, I sent Dan Hill a CDR of my promo CD single, made in 1988, for him to use on the "Love of My Life" CD. The mix isn't all that different, btw. A couple of sung & spoken "I love you"s overdubbed. Maybe a few other things, but nothing major. |
Posted By: thecdguy
Date Posted: 07 January 2021 at 9:11pm
|
I just obtained a copy of the Love Of My Life: The Best Of Dan Hill compilation and it sounds as though "Never Thought (That I Could Love)"
(Single Remix Version) is truncate-free. ------------- Dan In Philly |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 17 January 2021 at 2:54am
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An update about the truncation people have noticed on the "Never Thought" promo CD single. I finally pulled out that single and the "Love of My Life" CD. This truncation issue puzzled me because I supplied the very CD single that was used for "Love of My Life".
I played both on my CD player and heard the truncation on the single, and not the compilation CD. I had a theory because I didn't think Dan or his team would take the 1st second from the album version to fix this problem for the "Love of My Life" album. On many physical CD players and digital ones, too - If a song truly starts right at 0:00 and not a half a second later, the player can truncate the beginning (even digital players on your computer) when playing. So I loaded the CD single into my computer and checked it out in Wavelab. It does indeed start at the very beginning. (Well, of course, it would if it was truncated). But it sounded pretty much unclipped to me there. So I added half a second of silence in front of it on the WAV file. And it did not sound clipped! (If it's still clipping, it's like 1% of what the CD single was doing in my CD player, but I really think I was hearing the whole beginning of the note). So mystery solved. The intro isn't clipped on the CD single. It just starts right at 0:00 and many players will cut it off. Incidentally, if a song were to start right at 0:00 on, say, Tracks 2-10 of a CD, it wouldn't be a problem, because it would play from song 1 into song 2 just fine, etc. (unless, again, you started the disc on Track 2). But this was a CD single with just one track. So on a physical player, there's no way to get around the clip unless you have a CD player that doesn't truncate a file that starts right at 0. |
Posted By: AdvprosD
Date Posted: 18 January 2021 at 12:34pm
|
I've had a long standing issue with Windows Media Player across several computers that the app truncates a song at times. Usually, it's when the very first song is loaded into a list.
Any following songs play fine. I also get this when I single out a song for play. Other apps don't seem to do this like Media Player does. I don't think this is quite exactly what the problem is for this song in particular, but I can see that it is very similar. TBH, I don't think I noticed this much when I was using Windows XP or Windows 7. I think it's something to do with Windows 10, as that's when I started to notice it frequently. ------------- <Dave> Someone please tell I-Heart Radio that St. Louis is not known as The Loo! |
Posted By: prisdeej
Date Posted: 23 February 2025 at 6:43pm
I lined up both tracks from the CD single and from Love Of My Life The Best Of. There's about a half second of audio that's missing on the intro of the CD single version. I even added a few seconds of silence before the track. My copy is clipped at least. Perhaps you could forward me yours to compare? Thanks very much. ------------- DJ L. |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 11 May 2025 at 2:31am
I'm just reading your post now. Yes, I can supply that. Please PM me with your email address. |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 11 May 2025 at 2:34am
Dave, with Windows Media Player, I find it skips about the 1st half second of a song on many songs in a playlist, not just the 1st song. (And all my songs already have a half second of silence because I add it whenever needed). I have Windows 11 - maybe that has something to do with it. I can't recall if it did it with my previous Windows (which was XP). If it did it then, it's definitely doing it a lot more frequently with Windows 11. Wish I could solve this problem. When it clips the beginning of a song, I go back to the end of the song before it, and then it doesn't do it. There's no rhyme or reason. |
Posted By: prisdeej
Date Posted: 14 May 2025 at 10:49pm
|
Thanks for sending the file, Gordon. I lowered the volume on Love Of My Life: The Best Of Dan Hill and attached the half second of the intro to the wav file you sent me. Now the introduction is intact. The question remains if the intro is clipped on the vinyl 45? For completists sake if the clipped introduction of the single version of "Never Thought" was on both vinyl and promo CD then we have a similar situation with St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion). ------------- DJ L. |