LP length (about 4:10-4:11)
The LP length first appeared on Greatest Hits (And More) (1987), where it was taken from vinyl. A really good needledrop, but a needledrop nonetheless. And of a song that was a top 5 hit, on the same label, just 6 years earlier! The same analog transfer is used for the following CDs, all of which run the LP length, and none of which have noise reduction:- Priority's Eighties Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 7 Light And Easy (1993, a little loud and clips a bit)
There's another needledrop mastering of the LP length on Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989), which clips the top half of thewaveform at around -4 dB in both channels. The turntable rumble is more pronounced on this on than on GH (AM).
The mini-greatest hits 10 Best Series (1991) starts with the mastering on GH (AM), but adds noise reduction to mask the needledrop artifacts. Not good. The following CDs use the same analog transfer as 10 Best, running the LP length, and all having noise reduction:- Razor & Tie's 2-CD Forever '80s (1994, mastered by Steve Hoffman, no less!)
- Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 13 1979-1989 (2001; digitally identical to 10 Best)
There's one more LP length disc, which isn't based on GH (AM), and is more compressed than all the others - EMI UK's Time To Remember 1981 (1997). At least there's no NR.
45 length (about 3:56)
The first 45 length I found was on Time-Life's 2-CD Echoes Of Love (1991). It doesn't have noise reduction, but I can't tell if it's from tape or not. There are differently EQ'd digital clones (all without NR) on:- Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 18 The Early '80s Take Two (1996)
- Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 16 Sweet Nothings (1997)
There's a new analog transfer for Dick Bartley's On The Radio Vol. 2 (1997). It sounds really crisp on this disc, but there's really aggressive mastering that shows a lot of compression/limiting in the three loud portions of the song.
My preferences:
For the LP length, I choose Greatest Hits (And More) (1987).
For the 45 length, I choose Echoes Of Love (1991). (The other two sound basically the same, but are a little more common.)
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