Chat Board - Ann Peebles - I Can’t Stand the Rain

Print Page | Close Window

Ann Peebles - I Can’t Stand the Rain

Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
Forum Name: Chat Board
Forum Description: Chat away but please observe the chat board rules
URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9877
Printed Date: 28 April 2025 at 8:09pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Ann Peebles - I Can’t Stand the Rain

Posted By: mjb50
Subject: Ann Peebles - I Can’t Stand the Rain
Date Posted: 26 October 2022 at 12:49am

"I Can't Stand the Rain" by Ann Peebles (1973 single, 1974 LP) apparently has two stereo versions. I think the only difference is in how the tracks are panned.

The 1974 LP version has the intro synth centered, acoustic bass left, horns right.

The other version, which is on Rhino Instant Party - Whole Lotta Soul, has the intro synth panned right, bass left, horns left. However, I suspect the channels may be swapped, and it's really supposed to be synth left, acoustic bass right, horns right.

What's on the original 45 on Hi Records?

Replies:

Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 26 October 2022 at 5:45am

I believe all commercial copies of the 45 were mono.

Great record!! I wouldn't personally refer to this hit as
OT, as it reached 33 in Record World, and 38 in Billboard!

Andy

Posted By: Paul C
Date Posted: 26 October 2022 at 8:17am

When the single came out, John Lennon said, "'Rain' is the
greatest record I've heard in two years."

And yes, every 45 I've ever come across has been mono.

Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 26 October 2022 at 3:15pm

Nice find! Yes, indeed, there are two different stereo mixes.

One stereo mix has the low-to-high repeating guitar (the first sound in the song) centered, a low-pitched drum (starting at 0:07) panned left, and horns (starting at 0:30) panned right. I have this mix on:

Rhino's Didn't It Blow Your Mind Vol. 11 (1991)
the promo sampler Right Stuff Sampler (1993, DPRO-66684); EQ'd less bright than Rhino disc
an import Best Soul Album In The World Ever (1999) - mastered too loud and clips a lot; fade ends about 3 beats shorter than Rhino disc
an import 2-Cd set Sampled Vol. 3 (2002) - mastered too loud and clips a lot; fade ends about 3 beats shorter than Rhino disc

The other stereo mix has the low-to-high repeating guitar (the first sound in the song) panned right, a low-pitched drum (starting at 0:07) panned left, and horns (starting at 0:30) panned left. I have this mix on:

the 2-CD Hi Times The Hi Records R&B Years (1995) - extends about one beat longer than Rhino CD and runs teeny bit slower
Rhino's multi-disc Can You Dig It The '70s Soul Experience (2001) - digitally identical to Hi Times
almost certainly the same version that's on Rhino Instant Party Whole Lotta Soul, but I can't confirm

If I had to guess (and it really is a shot-in-the-dark guess), I'd venture that the mix on Didn't It Blow Your Mind Vol. 11 is a previously unreleased mix. The same issue occurred with "Everybody Plays The Fool", with the Rhino series using a great-sounding mix that was previously unreleased. I'd further guess that someone at Rhino spotted the error later on, and used the other mix on later Rhino releases like Instant Party and Can You Dig It.

Again, pure speculation on my part. Other opinions and data points welcome!

-------------
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: mjb50
Date Posted: 26 October 2022 at 7:40pm

That's a guitar?!

Anyway, I figured it was off-topic since it's not in Pat's database. I edited the title just now to remove the "OT:".

Thanks, all, for the further info & research.

Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 26 October 2022 at 7:43pm

I'm not really sure what instrument that is, so I went with guitar. I defer to the musicians among us.

Still a great song, nearly 50 years later.

-------------
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: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 27 October 2022 at 5:49am

mjb50 wrote:

That's a guitar?!

It sounds to me like a percussion instrument that's tuned.

Just did some (limited) research and timbales came up...

Makes sense, but it sure sounds electronically slowed down
to my ears.

Andy

Posted By: mjb50
Date Posted: 27 October 2022 at 9:28pm

Ah, you got it. It's an electric timbale, according to https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/20/ann-peebles-girl-with-the-big-voice - Peebles herself .

So it's kind of a synth, I guess? That said, I can't find anything about such an instrument ever existing, outside of discussion of that song.

On https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkZTU4ySJHY - the 1974 Peel Session , it sounds like they used guitar instead.