Boston -More Than A Feeling Edits

Did we ever settle this with respect to the Rock: The Train Kept A Rollin' pitch? It's now noted as the 45 version along with the T-L Sounds Of The Seventies -
Late '70s disc, but the T-L version has the faster pitch and runs four seconds less.

"More Than A Feeling" is a great-sounding record, but not great in the audiophile sense of the word.   It's   crank-it-up-rea l-loud-till-you-blow-ou t-the-one-speaker-in-the-center-of-your-dashbaord great. Or memorable-air-band-appearance-in-the-TV-show-Scrubs great. Or inspiration-for-Nirvana's-Smells-Like-Teen-Spirit great. But it's mixed a little weird. It's pretty heavily compressed (the good analog kind of compression, like the Motown records). There's no "best" setting for the EQ - the masterings I've heard emphasize the guitars, or the bass, or the vocals, but not all together. I heard the same thing with "You Spin Me Round" by Dead Or Alive, which also is a compressed wall of sound with an odd EQ.

LP version

The oldest CD I have the LP version on is the single-artist Boston (copyright 1976), where it runs 4:45. There may be multiple masterings of the first Boston album on CD; mine is Epic EK 34188, matrix number 1A EK34188 37 C1. I think it sounds pretty good, or possibly as good as this song will sound on CD. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Sony's Feel The Love (1994; absolute polarity inverted, which doesn't affect sound quality)
• Skifan Iceland's 2-CD Pottþétt Rokk (1997; digitally exactly 0.56 dB quieter)
• Warner Special Products' 1970's Classic Rock (1999; digitally exactly 4.5 dB quieter)

There's a different analog transfer on Silver Eagle/Capitol's 3-CD Formula 45 (1988), which doesn't quite sound as good as Boston.

There's one more analog transfer on Razor & Tie's 2-CD Those Rocking '70s (1991), which has a really boomy EQ and sounds pretty bad. There's a differently-EQ'd digital clone on Sony's Rock N' 70's (1993).

45 version

The 45 is edited from the LP version, and pitched up about 1.8%.

The 45 version (proper edit and proper speed) appears on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 34 Late '70s (1993), where it runs 3:23, and sounds pretty good. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Time-Life's Guitar Rock Vol. 10 Classics (1994)
• Time-Life's Gold And Platinum Vol. 3 (1997; differently-EQ'd digital clone)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 4 More Than A Feeling (2006; digitally identical to Guitar Rock Vol. 10 Classics)

There are a few CDs that have the proper 45 edit, but run at the LP speed:

• Sony's Forever Pop Vol. 2 (1995)
• Sony's 2-CD Rock Train Kept A Rollin' (1999)

And finally, one disc that has the edit in the wrong place, and lets it run out to the LP ending rather than fading early:

• Rhino's Millennium Classic Rock Party (1999)

Avoid the Rhino disc for this song.

Here are editing instructions for recreating the 45 edit, using the LP version on Boston as the source. After you make your edit and fade, you'll need to pitch up by 1.8%.

Segment 1
Ends exactly one beat after slashing guitars come in right before the chorus, on a snare hit, at the beginning of a 4-snare-hit drum fill
Extends from 0:00.0 to 0:42.2 of the LP version on Boston
Extends from 0:00.0 to 0:42.2 of the 45 edit if you don't adjust the pitch
Extends from 0:00.0 to 0:40.9 of the 45 edit on Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 34 Late '70s, which is pitched up by about 1.8%

Remove the 124 beats (snare-to-snare) from 0:42.2 to 1:50.9 of the LP version on Boston

Segment 2
Starts on a snare hit, at the beginning of a 4-snare-hit drum fill
Extends from 1:50.9 to 4:34.8 of the LP version on Boston
Extends from 0:42.2 to 3:26.0 of the 45 edit if you don't adjust the pitch
Extends from 0:40.9 to 3:24 of the 45 edit on Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 34 Late '70s, which is pitched up by about 1.8%

Fade
20 beats long
Starts and ends on a downbeat
Extends from 4:23.8 to 4:34.8 of the LP version on Boston
Extends from 3:15.0 to 3:26.0 of the 45 edit if you don't adjust the pitch
Extends from 3:11.0 to 3:24 of the 45 edit on Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 34 Late '70s, which is pitched up by about 1.8%

My recommendation for the LP version: Epic's single-artist Boston

My recommendation for the 45 edit: Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 34 Late '70s (1993)

Edited by crapfromthepast