OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN- "Magic"

Has anyone ever heard of an "AC EDIT" of this track that removes the guitar solo? Someone on the Steve Hoffman board mentioned it as a legit release and, if anyone would know, you guys would.

Hykker wrote: My copy is a promo, and it's just a double-A side version of the stock single. Even uses the stock label with "promotion not for sale" printed on it.

I worked at an AC R&R reporter at the time, and don't ever recall seeing an "AC edit" come in for this title. My promo copy is the same as yours, with the star, "stereo" and promo copy info overprinted in black ink on the custom Xanadu stock label design on both sides.

As I was looking it over, I noticed a small piece of paper stuffed inside the picture sleeve, thinking that it might be some mention about a different mix. Instead, it was simply a pronunciation guide ("pronounced ZAN-AH-DU... XANADU is the place where the "X" sounds like a "Z".)

Keifer: by "removing the guitar solo," would that mean it was edited out or just mixed out? The latter would have been easy enough to do, since the guitar solo is exclusively in the left channel. I could see MCA copying the right channel during the solo portion and replacing the left channel content with it, then folding the result to mono and sending it out, but it almost certainly would have only been on tape or acetate, and even then, would have been sent only to key AC stations that told them they had a problem with the regular mix.

That's actually a fairly mild electric guitar solo, even by 1980 AC standards. None of our listeners ever complained about it, and at five weeks number one AC in Billboard, I doubt very many others around the country did, either. Had MCA run into significant AC radio resistance, they would have been more likely to reservice a toned-down mix via seven-inch vinyl to all AC stations.   

Edited by Yah Shure

Thanks guys! It's good to have a panel of experts on board!