Modern English "I Melt With You"
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Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3033
Printed Date: 25 April 2025 at 1:39am
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Topic: Modern English "I Melt With You"
Posted By: SoCalDrew
Subject: Modern English "I Melt With You"
Date Posted: 10 January 2008 at 12:30pm
| One of the local stations is playing a different version than the one on my "Valley Girl" CD, possibly longer and in true stereo. Is this remix common on CD? |
Replies:
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 10 January 2008 at 12:40pm
| Memory recalls the band re-recorded the song around 1989 or 1990. I listened to the digitally available Pillow Lips album from 1990 and it may be the recording you heard. |
Posted By: SoCalDrew
Date Posted: 10 January 2008 at 4:03pm
I remember buying the Sire 12 inch circa 1982 and being surprised that is was mono. |
eriejwg wrote:Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 10 January 2008 at 7:11pm
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They did re-record the song around 1990 and altered the title and lyrics to "It Melts With You."
I have no idea why they did that. |
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 10 January 2008 at 8:16pm
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There is a true stereo version of the original "I Melt With You", albeit unedited with a missing background vocal near the end.
Andy |
Posted By: SoCalDrew
Date Posted: 11 January 2008 at 10:44am
That might be what I heard. |
Posted By: MCT1
Date Posted: 03 February 2008 at 10:21pm
I've been told -- but do not know for a fact -- that the above is the version originally found on the LP After The Snow, and the version on Valley Girl is the original single version. To reiterate some of what's already been stated upthread, the single version reportedly has some differences in backing vocals from the album version, fades earlier, has at least one edit, and has noticeably less stereo separation (is it literally in mono?). The 1990 re-recording sounds different from either of the original versions. At least since the early/mid '90s, when the original single version began to appear on various compilations, it has been by far the most widely available and most heavily played on the radio. There is at least one radio station in my area that often plays the rerecording on its "retro '80s" show, though. I have no memory of either the 1982 or 1990 releases of this song from when they were new, as they were not successful on the radio formats I was listening to at the time (Top 40 in 1982-83, AOR in 1990). I first encountered the song when I began listening to a local AOR station around 1985, which somewhat oddly had the song in semi-regular rotation well into the mid/late '80s. I don't remember which version they played, but I know that when the song began to get airplay in the '90s after '80s nostalgia began to kick in, it sounded a little odd to me. Since the single version seems to have been the most widely available by that point, I'm guessing that the version I heard on that AOR station back in the '80s was the album version. |
Posted By: MMathews
Date Posted: 04 February 2008 at 8:04am
|
Hi
The original import album "After The Snow" on 4AD records had the stereo version which was also longer. (it runs about 4:20 or so from memory) The 45 version is the common 3:50 version which is mixed to mono (no reason, just for art's sake i guess) and has extra vocal overdubs. Most notably the background vocals between the lines in the 2nd verse, and the extra "stop the world" repeat in the choruses. There is also a synth that comes in earlier in the song in the 45 mix. For U.S. release Sire used the 45 version for the album, and the 12" single. Some re-issues of the "After The Snow" cd contain the original stereo album mix and have the 45 mix as a bonus track. Other issues are straight re-issues of the u.s. version of the album with only the 45 mix. And then of course there's the 1990 re-rerecording for TVT records. I'm guessing they were trying for an actual top 40 entry with this new recording...ironically it stalled out on the chart almost the same place the original did back in '83. And yet the original never needed to be a top 40 hit, it just became a classic of the era without chart status. The 80's produced a few of those.... -MM |
Posted By: MCT1
Date Posted: 05 February 2008 at 8:09am
If the 45 version was the only version available domestically in the U.S. during the '80s, I may have to take back my comment above about that AOR station possibly playing the album version. I guess they could have been playing it off an import LP, but I doubt this station would have done something like that. |
Posted By: budaniel
Date Posted: 05 February 2008 at 8:46pm
| The version on my "After the Snow" CD is the mono mix that runs 3:51 and is filled with background 'echo' vocals beginning at the second verse and going throughout the rest of the song, which is the way I remember hearing the song from back in the early 80s when it was in Valley Girl. I have the compilation "The Brat Pack Years", which includes the stereo mix, which runs 4:13 and sounds pretty empty without all those background vocals. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 7:34pm
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The stereo mix runs 4:08 on The Right Stuff's Sedated In The Eighties (Vol. 1).
It really does sound empty once you've gotten used to the background vocals in the mono 45 version. For the record, I have the mono 45 version on:
|
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 25 May 2016 at 5:41am
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The hit 45 version will be released in stereo on CD in June 2016. Stay tuned for more details coming soon. ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 25 May 2016 at 12:11pm
| So I wonder if this means it will be missing the various background vocals - and the extra "stop the world" repeat in the choruses, as detailed above. |
Posted By: MMathews
Date Posted: 25 May 2016 at 5:46pm
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No, it's the 7" mix in true stereo, exactly as it was mixed before they decided to fold it to mono.
MM |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 31 May 2016 at 1:19am
| So was this true stereo mix of "I Melt With You" available on CD all along, albeit import CD, and albeit 30 seconds longer (4:20)? And could that version simply have been faded 30 seconds early to get the version you're including on the upcoming Eric Records CD? In fact, is that what you did, Mark? Or was there a reason to have the original label go into the vaults to get the mix you used? |
Posted By: MMathews
Date Posted: 31 May 2016 at 4:29pm
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No, the true stereo mix of the 7" mix has never been released. The longer version you mention is the LP version described above. The 7" mix was edited and remixed.
MM |
Posted By: NightAire
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 10:46am
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EDIT: It was, see below.
-- Was the true stereo mix of the 7" mix ever released? ------------- 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: aaronk
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 11:07am
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Yes, it ended up on the Eric comp Hard To Find Vol. 16: More 80s Essentials & Beyond. ------------- 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: NightAire
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 1:01pm
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Also Ron could you double check the "Just Can't Get Enough" version? I did a center channel cancel and got reverb and a little bit of instrumentation in stereo left over.
I have six versions, running between 3:45 and 3:53 (including silence). Four of them seem to be what I'll call "narrow," while the other two are "full stereo." I found the narrow version on "I Want My New Wave," "Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 9," the "Valley Girl" soundtrack, and "Made In The 80s." The full stereo versions are on "Hard To Find 45s Vol. 16 - More 80s Essentials & Beyond (Eric Records)," and an unlabeled file. (Some of these go back a ways, and this board has taught me better in the meantime about properly labeling my files!) Interestingly the two stereo versions are two completely different takes... maybe 1982 / 1989? The "Hard To Find 45s" version starts with the guitar strum, the other starts with two drum hits before the guitar strum. The "HTF445s" version is also significantly faster. Finally, at about the 3 minute mark, at the breakdown with the "mmm, mmm, mmm..." vocals, getting back into the chorus, the "HTF45s" version has a quick drum roll cross the toms back into the full band, while the other has a longer, single tom, fading in beat to get back to the full band. The "HTF45s" version sounds identical to me to the narrow version on "Just Can't Get Enough..." with the fade ending maybe 750 ms later on the stereo version. I'm now wondering if the Hard To Find 45s Vol. 16 (released in 2016) is the release Santi was talking about. (EDIT: It was, as confirmed below and above. Thanks, Aaron and LunarLaugh!) ------------- 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: LunarLaugh
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 2:53pm
Is is. MMathews is Mark Matthews who mastered that compilation. ------------- https://thelunarlaugh.bandcamp.com/ - Listen to The Lunar Laugh! |
Posted By: NightAire
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 3:03pm
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It sounds FANTASTIC!! Great job, Mark! ------------- 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: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 3:26pm
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Gene - Ask, and because I needed a break from work, ye shall receive.
UK LP version (about 4:08) The After The Snow album was released in 1982 in the UK. Here, the song is mixed in a very natural-sounding stereo. It's relatively uncommon on CD. I have it on Capitol's Sedated In The Eighties No. 1 (1993), where it sounds just fine. US LP and 45 version (about 3:47) The 45 was released in 1982 in both the US and UK. The 45 version was used on the US 12" single, and (I think) used on the US LP, but I can't confirm. The 45 shortens the bridge ("the future's open wide" part) by about twenty seconds. The 45 also adds some production elements (keyboards and handclaps in the chorus, background vocals in the second verse, etc.) You can't edit the 45 down from the album, due to the extra production elements. It appears that there are three different configurations for the 45 version: Narrow stereo, matrix number AAA 1775S - it's on the A-side of the promo 45 (where it says "STEREO") and on the commercial 45 (where it doesn't specify whether it's stereo or mono) Gene correctly noted above that the reverb on the vocals is in stereo, but it's still really narrow, with all the instruments squashed into the center of the soundstage. This narrow stereo version is what appears on just about all the common compilations out there. It showed up first on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 9 (1994), where it sounds just fine. The same analog transfer is used on:
True mono, matrix number AAA 1775MDJ - it's on the B-side of the promo 45. I can't confirm that it really is true mono, but it says "MONO" on the promo 45 Normal-width stereo, mixed in 1982 but unreleased until Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16 More '80s Essentials And Beyond (2016). There's a really bass-heavy EQ on the Eric disc, but that's the only place you'll find the song in normal-width stereo. 1990 rerecording (about 3:52) In 1990, the band released the album Pillow Lips on TVT Records and rerecorded "I Melt With You". TVT released the rerecording as as a single, and it did hit the lower rungs of the pop chart, but nobody would consider this to be the hit recording. The 1990 LP version (rerecording) starts with two drum hits before the opening guitar strum. I'm not sure if the 1990 single omitted the two drum hits, but I have two CDs that do just that. I have the 1990 rerecording on:
For the UK LP version, go with Capitol's Sedated In The Eighties No. 1 (1993). For the US LP and 45 version in narrow stereo, go with Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 9 (1994). For the US LP and 45 version in true mono, I don't think it exists on CD, but it's a safe bet that you can fold down the Rhino disc to true mono without any artifacts. I doubt that it's a dedicated mix (as opposed to a fold-down), but I can't confirm. For the US LP and 45 version in normal-width stereo, go with Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16 More '80s Essentials And Beyond (2016). ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: NightAire
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 6:28pm
|
Fascinating, Ron! I always learn something once you analyze a song. I really appreciate you going through all of this.
When I first looked at the "Phase Analysis" window in Adobe Audition (looks a little like an old-fashioned radar screen), the narrow stereo version looked for all the world like mono. It was only when I inverted one of the channels and summed them that I discovered there was ANY stereo content. It was also interesting that on one of my files, once you summed it with once channel inverted you could hear it was somehow out of alignment for a bit at the beginning and then it "popped" into place. The Rhino recordings are all perfect, so I agree with your recommendation. I'm with you that the mono side of the single is surely just a fold-down. EDIT: Ron clarified the 1990 version has the drum hits; the 1982 versions do not. Ignore the next paragraph. -- I didn't realize about the drum hits on the LP version! That explains why my mystery stereo version has the drum hits at the beginning: they were trying to duplicate the LP version. -- After hearing the full stereo version on Eric's Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. 16, it's hard to go back to the narrow version. It sounds flat to me now. Listen especially to the line, "the future's... open... wide..." in the stereo; it's a huge sound-stage that just doesn't have the same impact in mono. I'm breaking my own rules (always, always, ALWAYS and ONLY the EXACT radio single version) on BlackLight and adding the full stereo version. It's gorgeous. I'd love to hear from the band why they thought the nearly mono mix was a better approach for the radio single (or somebody at the label did)! Thanks again for this entertaining and useful deep dive. ------------- 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: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 07 December 2020 at 8:33pm
|
Oops - sorry, Gene. I should clarify:
The 1990 LP version (rerecording) starts with two drum hits. The 1982 LP version does not start with two drum hits. I edited my post above to reflect this. My bad. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: NightAire
Date Posted: 08 December 2020 at 9:03am
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With all the fantastic information you provide, I think you're allowed one error. :-) Thank you for the clarification! ------------- Gene Savage http://www.BlackLightRadio.com - http://www.BlackLightRadio.com http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage - http://www.facebook.com/TulsaSavage Tulsa, Oklahoma USA |