’Til Tuesday - Voices Carry

LP version (4:20)

The LP version first appeared on Epic's full-length 'Til Tuesday CD Voices Carry (1985). Sound is just fine here - nice EQ, (likely) low-generation source tapes, no evidence of noise reduction on the fade. There's a lot of headroom, so it could probably be about 3 dB louder without much clipping, but that's a minor gripe easily fixed with a volume knob. It's a live drummer playing to a click track, running at about 105.2 BPM throughout. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Sony's Big Hits Of The 80's (1993) - digitally exactly 0.2 dB louder
• Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 5 (1993)
• Sony's 2-CD Read The Hits (1994) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 2 1985 (1994)
• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Forever '80s (1994)
• Realm's 3-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s Vol. 1 (1995) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
• Sony's Rock Almanac Vol. 1 The 1980s (1995) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
• Priority's I Love Rock And Roll Vol. 4 Hits Of The 80's (1996) - digitally exactly 2.38 dB quieter than Forever '80s
• Warner Special Products' 2-CD Punk (1996)
• Sony's Hits Of The 80's Vol. 3 1984-1985 (1997) - digitally exactly 1 dB louder than Read The Hits
• Sony's Hits Of 1985 (1999) - digitally exactly 1 dB louder
• Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 3 1984-1985 (1999) - digitally exactly 0.4 dB louder than Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 2 1985
• Sony's 3-CD Eighties Pop Hits (2001) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Classic '80s (2002) - digitally exactly 1.55 dB louder than Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 2 1985
• TM Century track no. 00000003 - adds noise reduction; avoid
• TM Century track no. 0020605 - digital clone; same volume level but adds dithering noise (insignificant)
• swaitek's promo 5-CD The A List Disc 28 (1994) - mastering based on TM Century track no. 00000003; avoid

There's another mastering on Epic's Club Epic Vol. 5 (1996), which is too loud and clips a lot; avoid.

45 version (4:21)

The 45 is a different mix than the LP, which brings the vocals front and center. (As Aaron noted fifteen years ago, the LP mix has Aimee singing in a tile bathroom.) It's also sped up, so that the tempo is 106.6 BPM throughout.

The 45 mix first appeared on CD on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 14 (1995), with a digital clone on:

• Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 20 Heart And Soul (1998) - digitally exactly 2 dB quieter

It's also on:

• Aimee's unsanctioned best-of on Hip-O Ultimate collection (2000)
• Rhino's 7-CD Like Omigod (2002)
• Sony's 5-CD Epic 50th Anniversary Collection (2003)
• Madacy's Rock On 1985 Vol. 2 (2005) - digitally exactly 0.2 dB quieter than Epic 50th Anniversary Collection

I think it may also be on Realm's Gold And Platinum Vol. 2 (1986), but it fades about a minute early; avoid.

Promo 45 version

It's an edit of the commercial 45, running at the same speed (106.6 BPM) as the commercial 45.

Using the timing from Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 14, remove the 32 beats, on downbeats, from 2:55 to 3:13. Easy.

It doesn't exist on CD.

My recommendations

For the LP version, the original Voices Carry (1985) is nice if you already own it. If you're going to go out and buy a disc for the song, go with Sony's 2-CD Read The Hits (1994), which is a favorite of mine.

For the 45 version, go with Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 14 (1995).

Edited by crapfromthepast

The Single Mix is also available on Priority/Sony's Chart Toppers Modern Rock Hits Of The 80s Vol. 1, 1998. It's a pretty old-school mastering: fairly thin sounding, with bass that seems to recede a little after the first
verse starts. It's fine if not very dynamic, and especially if you like your '80s music mastered a bit on the trebly side.

There is also a 2012 UK CD remaster of the parent album on Hot Shot Records (distributed by Cherry Red UK) that also appears to be available from US digital retailers (iTunes, etc.). This release features the LP Version and the
Single Mix both remastered to very modern standards, for better or worse. Looking at the waveforms, I wouldn't really call them brickwalled, although the LP Version clips a little bit. For both tracks, the low-end is brought forth more
than any other CD mastering of this song that I have heard but it does not sound bad at all -- just very full and, I think, a tiny bit compressed.

Edited by EternalStatic