Not much to report on here; just documenting a little mastering history.
LP version (6:22-ish)
The LP version is "Parts 1 and 2".
The oldest CD I have with the LP version is a crazy-rare German compilation CD on Columbia called Mixed Masters Vol. 5 (1989). There's a differently-EQ'd digital clone on the far more common Club Epic Vol. 3 (1994), but it slightly truncates the fade.
The only other disc I have with the LP version is on Simitar's The Number Ones Silky Soul (1998). The sound is pretty good on this disc, and the length extends a second or two longer than the above discs.
45 version (3:37)
The 45 version is "Part 1", and is just an early fade of the LP version. I don't have the vinyl 45, and don't know the precise fade points.
The oldest disc with something close to the 45 length is Rhino's Billboard Top R&B Hits 1973 (1990), where it runs 3:41 and fades from about 3:32 to 3:41. Sound is clear and crisp, but the dynamic range is pretty squashed. The track is surprisingly compressed/limited around -6 dB. Not sure why; that's very uncharacteristic of Rhino mastering. The LP versions above have their full dynamic range, but they sound like they're from higher-generation source tapes than this Rhino disc. Despite the compresion/limiting, the sound here is preferable over the LP version discs that I have. The same analog transfer is used on:- Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 27 Dance Fever (1992)
- Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul Vol. 8 1973 (1996) - digitally exactly 0.4 dB quieter
Rhino's Didn't It Blow Your Mind Vol. 12 (1991) uses the Billboard disc as its source, but fades from about 3:24 to 3:37. Sound quality is pretty much the same as Billboard, complete with the squashed dynamic range. The same analog transfer is used on:- Rhino's Billboard Hot Soul Hits 1973 (1995) - digitally identical
- Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 43 '70s Dance Party 1972-1974 (1997) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
- Simitar's Number Ones Super '70s (1998) - mastered too loud and clips a lot; avoid
If you insist on the proper 45 length, go with Rhino's Didn't It Blow Your Mind Vol. 12 (1991).
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