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Single or album version preferences

https://www.petshopboys-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=37841

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Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sat 16 Mar 2024, 10:53 pm
by TwizzleUK
Many of PSB's singles mixes are different to their parent album versions. I'm interested to know which versions you guys prefer. My list below (with my preferences stated) excludes singles that were exactly the same as the album versions, plus a couple with hardly any differences (2nd version of 'Opportunities' had just 2 bars of extra intro percussion on 'Please', as did 'Before'. And it obviously excludes all other remixes:
  1. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Original 7" Version compared to 'Please'/1986 single version: album
  2. West End Girls: album
  3. Suburbia: single
  4. Rent: single
  5. Always On My Mind: single
  6. Heart: single
  7. Domino Dancing: single
  8. Left To My Own Devices: album
  9. It's Alright: single
  10. Being Boring: album
  11. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?: single
  12. Jealousy: single
  13. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing: single
  14. Yesterday, When I Was Mad: album
  15. Paninaro '95 - compared to original 7" version and/or 'Disco' version: Disco
  16. Single-Bilingual: single
  17. A Red Letter Day: single
  18. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More: album
  19. New York City Boy - UK and/or US Radio Edits compared to 'Nightlife' version: UK Radio Edit
  20. I Get Along: album
  21. London: single
  22. Flamboyant - compared to UK 'PopArt' version: single
  23. Minimal: album
  24. Numb: album
  25. Integral: album
  26. All Over The World: album
  27. Memory Of The Future: single
  28. Axis - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' version: Radio Edit
  29. Vocal - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' versions: album
  30. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct: single
  31. Thursday: album
  32. The Pop Kids: single
  33. Twenty-Something: album
  34. Say It To Me: album
  35. Burning The Heather: album
  36. Monkey Business: single
  37. I Don't Wanna: album
  38. Loneliness: album
Which are your preferred versions?

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 9:58 am
by daveid
I would only compare versions that are substantially different, not just edits or slight remixes

So these I wouldn't -

Jealousy is imperceptibly different in its single version
Being boring is just an edit of the album version
Even Heart isn't hugely different in its single mix

But these I would -

Yesterday when I was mad is a complete rework
Suburbia is a re-recording
Memory of the future is faster and completely remixed.

To give a few examples...

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 10:07 am
by daveid
Singles that are substantially different -

Opportunities.....album
Suburbia.....single
Always on my mind....single
It's alright.....single
Seriously.....album
Normally.....album
Yesterday.....single
Numb.....album
Integral.....album
All over the world.....album
Memory.....album

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 10:22 am
by TwizzleUK
daveid wrote: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 9:58 am I would only compare versions that are substantially different, not just edits or slight remixes
For the purposes of this, I'm interested in whether people prefer those edits or slight remixes as well - hence my (almost) full list above.

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 11:42 am
by telys
TwizzleUK wrote: Sat 16 Mar 2024, 10:53 pm Many of PSB's singles mixes are different to their parent album versions. I'm interested to know which versions you guys prefer. My list below (with my preferences stated) excludes singles that were exactly the same as the album versions, plus a couple with hardly any differences (2nd version of 'Opportunities' had just 2 bars of extra intro percussion on 'Please', as did 'Before'. And it obviously excludes all other remixes:
  1. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Original 7" Version compared to 'Please'/1986 single version: album
  2. West End Girls: album
  3. Suburbia: single
  4. Rent: single
  5. Always On My Mind: single
  6. Heart: single
  7. Domino Dancing: single
  8. Left To My Own Devices: album
  9. It's Alright: single
  10. Being Boring: album
  11. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?: single
  12. Jealousy: single
  13. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing: single
  14. Yesterday, When I Was Mad: album
  15. Paninaro '95 - compared to original 7" version and/or 'Disco' version: Disco
  16. Single-Bilingual: single
  17. A Red Letter Day: single
  18. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More: album
  19. New York City Boy - UK and/or US Radio Edits compared to 'Nightlife' version: UK Radio Edit
  20. I Get Along: album
  21. London: single
  22. Flamboyant - compared to UK 'PopArt' version: single
  23. Minimal: album
  24. Numb: album
  25. Integral: album
  26. All Over The World: album
  27. Memory Of The Future: single
  28. Axis - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' version: Radio Edit
  29. Vocal - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' versions: album
  30. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct: single
  31. Thursday: album
  32. The Pop Kids: single
  33. Twenty-Something: album
  34. Say It To Me: album
  35. Burning The Heather: album
  36. Monkey Business: single
  37. I Don't Wanna: album
  38. Loneliness: album
Which are your preferred versions?
Over all I prefer the album versions except for Suburbia, Vocal (album version too long), All Over The World
It's Alright, Seriously, Yesterday, Normally do this, Memory o T F etc have album versions which mostly fit well in the album context. Taken out of their context it's most likely that the 7'' versions are better to my ears.

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 8:09 pm
by misterme
TwizzleUK, I'm using your template to give you my list. So thank you for that.

  1. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Original 7" Version compared to 'Please'/1986 single version: original 7"
  2. West End Girls: album
  3. Suburbia: single
  4. Rent: single (agree with the Boys, album version too repetitive)
  5. Always On My Mind: album (epic Introspective version)
  6. Heart: single
  7. Domino Dancing: album (epic Introspective version)
  8. Left To My Own Devices: album
  9. It's Alright: album (never understood why the Boys think the album version is weak, it's among my top five)
  10. Being Boring: album
  11. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?: album (it may sound dated but I still enjoy it more than the BIR remix)
  12. Jealousy: single (real orchestra at the end instead of synths)
  13. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing: album (agree with Neil on this, I prefer the economy of the album version)
  14. Yesterday, When I Was Mad: album
  15. Paninaro '95 - compared to original 7" version and/or 'Disco' version: original 7"
  16. A Red Letter Day: single
  17. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More: radio edit
  18. New York City Boy - UK and/or US Radio Edits compared to 'Nightlife' version: UK Radio Edit (the USA edit is boring)
  19. I Get Along: album
  20. Flamboyant - compared to UK 'PopArt' version: single
  21. Minimal: album (epic ending missing from the single version)
  22. Numb: album (two verses is better than two bridges)
  23. Integral: album
  24. All Over The World: album (if it counts as a single - the new mix has no power in the chorus)
  25. Memory Of The Future: single
  26. Axis - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' version: album
  27. Vocal - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' versions: album
  28. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct: album (butcher edit for the single version, half of the song is missing)
  29. Thursday: album (butcher edit for the single version, half of the choruses are missing)
  30. The Pop Kids: single
  31. Twenty-Something: album
  32. Say It To Me: single
  33. Burning The Heather: single (having heard the radio edit first, the extra verse of the album version didn't seem natural afterwards)
  34. Monkey Business: single
  35. I Don't Wanna: album

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Sun 17 Mar 2024, 8:38 pm
by spacewalker
Single version for Always on my mind, Heart, It's alright, Jealousy and Flamboyant.
Both for Suburbia and How can you expect to be taken seriously?
None for Numb and Twenty-something.
Original for Paninaro and UK edit for New York city boy.
Album version for every other song.

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 1:31 am
by jasonjohn
The single version of Monkey Business ends with the chorus callout, which is terrific.

On the album they just fade out - which is the way to end a song when you don't know how to end it. So it's weird to not choose the single method, imo.

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 6:08 am
by Ghost within this house
Everything I loved about Flamboyant seemed to be taken out of the single mix. Tomcraft all the way for me..

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 10:13 am
by Straight_Talker
jasonjohn wrote: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 1:31 am The single version of Monkey Business ends with the chorus callout, which is terrific.

On the album they just fade out - which is the way to end a song when you don't know how to end it. So it's weird to not choose the single method, imo.
I’m pretty sure that “Fundamental” is the only PSB album that has absolutely no fade-outs. All the tracks have a defined ending, culminating with quite possibly my favourite ending of all…”Perfect”!

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 10:54 am
by jasonjohn
Oh wow never noticed that about Fundamental, good point Straight_Talker - definitely one of their best produced albums

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 12:35 pm
by Spittingcat
One of the things I love about Fundamental.... I hate a fade out... unless the song actually demands it for some reason... like Into thin air... and even then there's a properly written ending AND a fade out.


Singles that are noticeably better* than their album versions? Suburbia, Burning the heather.

Album version that are noticeably better* that their single versions? I'm not scared, Loneliness.

[* sorry, I mean that I prefer... better is entirely subjective ]

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 1:08 pm
by daveid
Ghost within this house wrote: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 6:08 am Everything I loved about Flamboyant seemed to be taken out of the single mix. Tomcraft all the way for me..
Completely agree. They obviously didn't think highly of it - didn't even make the Further Listening of Release :(

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 9:48 pm
by VRIDD
You forgot Home and Dry!

These are my preferred versions
  1. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Original 7" Version compared to 'Please'/1986 single version: single
  2. West End Girls: single
  3. Suburbia: single
  4. Rent: single
  5. Always On My Mind: single
  6. Heart: album
  7. Domino Dancing: single
  8. Left To My Own Devices: album
  9. It's Alright: single
  10. Being Boring: single
  11. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?: single
  12. Jealousy: single
  13. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing: single
  14. Yesterday, When I Was Mad: single
  15. Paninaro '95 - compared to original 7" version and/or 'Disco' version: two different songs for me
  16. Single-Bilingual: single
  17. A Red Letter Day: single
  18. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More: single
  19. New York City Boy - UK and/or US Radio Edits compared to 'Nightlife' version: US Radio Edit
  20. Home And Dry: single
  21. I Get Along: album
  22. London: single
  23. Flamboyant - compared to UK 'PopArt' version: single
  24. Minimal: single
  25. Numb: album
  26. Integral: single
  27. All Over The World: single
  28. Memory Of The Future: single
  29. Axis - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' version: Radio Edit
  30. Vocal - Radio Edit compared to 'Electric' versions: album
  31. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct: album
  32. Thursday: album
  33. The Pop Kids: single
  34. Twenty-Something: album
  35. Say It To Me: single
  36. Burning The Heather: album
  37. Monkey Business: album
  38. I Don't Wanna: single
  39. Loneliness: album

Re: Single or album version preferences

Posted: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 10:03 pm
by Gabby
Thursday is a real conundrum. They fixed the crappy inaudible vocal for the single, then cut it to shreds for the radio friendly length.

I call that a tie.
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