Posted by FrankJ on August 01, 2007 at 15:16:01:
In Reply to: Long Versions posted by Allan Sniffen on August 01, 2007 at 09:05:45:
Focus group research, whether commissioned for oldies, or classic rock programming, inevitably comes back in favor of the long versions of audience tested, well known, high scoring songs. These would include both Light My Fire and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. Oldies (Greatest Hits) audiences, however, prefer the 45 version of Crimson and Clover. Classic Rock listeners prefer the album version of Roundabout.
Research is like "spell check" on your computer...use it as one of the tools in your arsenal, but never allow it to replace the instincts of your program director and air staff, who should know the music and the audience.
And never forget the listener who is likely to perceive an edited version as a negative. On the other hand, the listener who hears more of a song than he or she remembers, is more likely to perceive the additional music as a positive.
Classic Rockers battling Greatest Hits stations, like Q104 competing with CBS FM, would be wise to use a slogan like, "We play the complete versions of all your favorite songs."
I remember one station back in the 1980s using the phrase, "We play the LONG versions of all your favorite songs." One problem with the wording is that some listeners thought they were saying, "We play the WRONG versions of all your favorite songs!"
Regarding Light My Fire by the Doors:
The original monaural 45 edit was issued at a slightly quicker tempo than the subsequent full length album version. To the best of my knowledge, the 2007 CD reissue of the initial Doors album is the first official release pitch adjusted to match the original 45. Unfortunately, after hearing it at a lower pitch for 40 years, the pitch adjustment now sounds too high. If they'd release the original monaural mix in both the edited and full length versions, we could all enjoy the song "exploding" from our speakers, just as we did in 1967.
Widely separated stereo, such as the mixes generated by the Doors and their producer Paul Rothchild, were considered "state of the art" 40 years ago, but lack the punch, and pale in comparison to the more natural soundstage achieved by today's artists and producers.
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is another great example of yesterday's stereo. God forbid that you hear it playing in a store where the speakers are at opposite ends of the facility!
The greatest challenge facing stations playing from the (50s) 60s, 70s and 80s is the inconsistency of the soundstage from one recording to another. You'll hear flat, collapsed monaural audio mixed with widely separated stereo, often featuring instruments and voices isolated to one speaker or another, followed by the sonically superior recordings of the 1980s.