Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

I found this re-recorded version on The Greatest Hits Of Dance (Telstar UK tcd2616, 1992; runs 4:29).

As re-records go, it's a pretty good imitation. It uses the same lead vocal, as Aaron mentioned above, but everything else is new. One place where it's easiest to spot the re-recording is on the hi-hat only intro: it's about 6 dB louder in the left channel and fairly prominent on the rerecording, but it's centered and WAY far back in the mix (about -30 dB) on the LP version. Another place is the "yo" at 3:08 - the LP version has background singers saying "yo", and the rerecord has just Vanilla "yo"-ing. The rerecord is also a teeny bit faster than the LP version (115.8 BPM vs. 115.7 BPM).

I found a designation for a "radio edit" on a German compilation (Mega Dance Party '92 - Columbia Germany, 1992, run time 4:20), which cuts off the 8-second-long hi-hat intro, and is otherwise the same as LP version. Was this ever issued on a promo CD single in the US?

FYI - the mastering on To The Extreme (SBK CDP-95325, 1990, runs 4:29) isn't bad. I found other compilations based on this mastering:

• Mega Hits Of The '90s (Time-Life R143-35, 2001) is digitally identical to To The Extreme
• Living In The 90s (Razor & Tie S22-18601, 1995) is digitally exactly 1 dB louder than To The Extreme
• Ultra Mix - Dance Hits Of The '80s And '90s (Time-Life M18517, 1999) is a different EQ from To The Extreme - samples line up but don't completely cancel

Pat Downey wrote: I just obtained the "Hooked" cd by Vanilla Ice, which as 80smusicfreak points out in another thread contains the orginal LP appearance of "Ice Ice Baby". I do not hear any differences between the version of "Ice Ice Baby" found on "Hooked" and the version found on "To The Extreme" but 80smusicfreak indicates there are differences. Can anyone who owns both of these cd's point out to me the differences between them for the song "Ice Ice Baby"? I do hear differences between the two versions of "Play That Funky Music" but not "Ice Ice Baby".

Pat, I've since located my CD of "Hooked"; on my copy, the actual timing of "Ice Ice Baby" is (4:29), and "Play That Funky Music" runs (4:44). (Both timings differ slightly from those given on the "discography" page of Vanilla Ice's official web site, which was all I had to go on until I found my CD a couple of weeks ago.) I may have confused one of the remixes of "Ice Ice Baby" on my cassette maxi-single of "Ice Ice Baby"/"Play That Funky Music" w/ the version that appears on "Hooked", so if the timings on our "Hooked" CDs match, then I stand corrected on that one...

crapfromthepast later posted in the "Play That Funky Music" thread that he'd found his U.S. commercial 12" vinyl single of "Ice Ice Baby"/"Play That Funky Music" on SBK, and I'm 95% certain that the track listing he gave matches my U.S. cassette maxi-single, also on SBK (which I still haven't yet located)...

Also, aaronk made a good point in the "Play That Funky Music" thread that there appears to be two different pressings of "To the Extreme", which I was previously unaware of. Has anyone confirmed this yet??? (I've got "TTE" on cassette, but have never owned it on CD to this day...)

Oh, and for completists, in addition to cassette & CD, I've also since confirmed that "Hooked" was indeed issued on vinyl LP here in the U.S. (there's currently a poor copy listed on eBay for just $16, inc. shipping)...

I found a German CD single for "Ice Ice Baby", EMI CDP 560-20 4112 2, released 1990.

1. ICE ICE BABY (Club Mix) - actual 5:01, runs 115.9 BPM
2. ICE ICE BABY (Radio Mix) - actual 3:49; is just an early fade of the LP version with a fade from 3:34 to 3:49; runs 115.7 BPM
3. ICE ICE BABY (Radio Mix Edit) - actual 4:29; digital clone of the LP version from To The Extreme; runs 115.7 BPM

It says "Written by Vanilla Ice and Earthquake", so the CD is a pre-lawsuit release.

Edited by crapfromthepast