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Without getting too sappy or sentimental, the 80s were a good time for music. One of the things I discovered during that time was the 12" and the remix. For the most part, the 12" releases were extended mixes of the radio edits. Pet Shop Boys "Opportunities" is one of the best examples that comes to mind.
After listening to the extended version from the 12" repeatedly, it is obvious that the radio edit is basically a compressed version. All the parts are present just layered on top of one another. I began to detest radio edits. Remixes were pretty minor compared to today's notion of the remix, maybe a different drum beat, and the idea of a 'dub'was generally not as developed as the source tape manipulation of 'dub' as it exploded into the 90s.
After listening to the extended version from the 12" repeatedly, it is obvious that the radio edit is basically a compressed version. All the parts are present just layered on top of one another. I began to detest radio edits. Remixes were pretty minor compared to today's notion of the remix, maybe a different drum beat, and the idea of a 'dub'was generally not as developed as the source tape manipulation of 'dub' as it exploded into the 90s.
But the 12" and the remix had moved out of the disco era and the dance club and into the mainstream (still have a smattering of these in my vinyl crate). I had a cassette tape mix of my favorites that someone I knew stole and never returned so I've been trying to re-imagine it.
Know I'm missing a few tracks but it was designed to be more atmospheric for those long drives into the night. Think Miami Vice, Episode 1, "In The Air Tonight" perfectly placed, pop songs designed to elicit certain moods.
Know I'm missing a few tracks but it was designed to be more atmospheric for those long drives into the night. Think Miami Vice, Episode 1, "In The Air Tonight" perfectly placed, pop songs designed to elicit certain moods.
Can't recall a few of the tracks but most of them are here. Though some of these were later released on CD, the originals on my mix were ripped from vinyl to cassette. Anyone who has ever made a mix tape in that way remembers what a labor of love it was.
"Blood of Eden" wasn't on the original mix but I couldn't find the "In Your Eyes" extended version in digital (I have the original but am not set up to rip vinyl to digital) and "Sledgehammer" was played to death so this is pretty representative of the feel of the tape.
Part reminisce and part history lesson, it's an interesting little side trip back in time.
Enjoy
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ReplyDelete'"In Your Eyes" extended version in digital'
ReplyDeletei probably have this. i'll check the other harddrive tomorrow, if you still want it.
[edit]
meant to add my comment, forgot it deleted the initial reply. oh well.
yes, i remember the vinyl to cassette mixtapes!! oh where are those tapes now?!?! i do have a few, but those are tucked away deep in storage. i still recall a mixtape that a friend made for me that had Duran Duran's Notorius and Cutting Crew's only hit, but the song that i really dug was The Cars' Hello Again. that song blew me away.
That'd be great if you have it.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a cassette player I'd rip some of the mixes straight to digital to reflect the variation of sound quality. I still have most of these in the basement somewhere.
May be the inspiration I need to create digital imitations of them.
Hmmm....the alternative view is that the 'radio edit' (basically, the 7" version), is the 'definitive version', with the 12" version just being a drag-out of various elements of the 'proper' version. I conclude this, I have to say, from my own recording career, where our vision of what we represented was in the 7" version, and we resisted 12" 'remix' versions of our work. I think this is something of a music industry trope. The Beatles saw the mono version of their things as 'the definitive version' and buggered off to The Scotch of St James while George Martin oversaw the stereo mix. Personally, I saw the 7" version, or radio edit, as our work. Anything else was a Picasso with a Salvador Dali moustache painted on it. It might have been Dali, but it was f***ing about with Picasso's original.
ReplyDeleteGranted, other (younger?) musicians might see it differently, but to me the ultimate sacrilege was Norman Cook's remix of 'Brimful of Asha', which was a wholly different beast from the original version. It was the hit, but unrepresentative of Cornershop.
Jim.
PS. Oo-wee, you buggers. We take from Aorto, so why not give back by at least voting in his poll. Yeah?
Jim,
ReplyDeleteEye opening and educational perspective from the artist. The Dali/Picasso analogy summed it up well.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!