October 15 , 2005

Why extend it?


Hello children. Last time we discussed the Paul McCartney remix album Twin Freaks, and this time we will remain in related territory. The topic for today is disco music and extended remixes. As something of a disco aficionado - I'm talking about the original disco era which lasted up until the early 1980s - I've often encountered a problem. For me, it's always been the hit single versions that I 've wanted to hear. When the disco era ended I was barely midway through my teens and my budget for buying records was somewhat limited, which meant that I often had to tape the tracks off the radio. Since the CD age began I've often wanted to lay my hands on those disco tracks in pristine digital quality. But as I'm leafing through my CDs I find that I don't own as many disco albums as I would like to. The reason is simply that most disco collections - or indeed compilation albums of disco acts - are highly unsatisfactory from a very important point of view. Or at least that's how it seems to me. For although they may be labelled as "The Very Best Of..." or "Greatest Hits", often they do not in fact contain the hit versions but those really boring extended mixes of the songs.

I first became aware of this phenomenon about 10 years ago, when I bought an Odyssey compilation entitled Greatest Hits. There was no way to tell on the outside, but on opening the CD - and listening to it - a horrific realisation hit me. Yes, each and everyone of the tracks that made me buy the compilation in the first place were "Full length versions". Instead of the perfectly constructed single version of 'Going Back Through My Roots', featuring a 20-second intro before the singing kicks in for real, we have to wait for double that time before the vocals start. And 'Use It Up And Wear It Out' naturally mustn't fade out after its message has been clearly and concisely conveyed, after 3.50 as on the 7" single version, but has to run its full five minute course so we don't miss out on all those extraneous bars of drums and do-do-doohs!

Or take the early 1990s Chic compilation which it was my sad misfortune to buy over the Internet a few years ago. I momentarily forgot the Extended Versions Are Sacred principle that seems to guide so many of the compilers. But there they all were: 'Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)' running for a whopping 8 minutes and 30 seconds, beating 'Everybody Dance' with five seconds, which in itself beats 'Le Freak' by three minutes (5.23 is still too long, folks!). 'I Want Your Love', someone decided, is much more enjoyable in its 6.45 incarnation, and who would want to miss out on 8 minutes and 13 seconds of 'Good Times'?

I would, and I don't think I've played this disc more than once. Now, the funny thing is that as I browse Disco sites on the Internet, run by true disco lovers and not charlatans such as myself, I get the impression that they actually prefer these extended or "full length" versions. My jaw drops. For a disc jockey creating an exciting night on the dance floor, or for hip hop acts seeking good bits to sample, yes I see the use of these extended versions. But for the ordinary consumer listening at home or planning to play those hits at private parties, surely these versions must be all but useless?

Recently, a compilation of Chic/Sister Sledge hits was released that actually got it right (see link). It's a double-CD with disc 1 containing the regular hit versions - finally, those amazing Chic productions on CD in all their expertly produced, economical glory! The second disc contains a selection of remixes for those who like that sort of thing.

As I'm writing this, I'm browsing Internet shops such as Amazon to try to get a clue on whether there is actually an Odyssey CD out there that contains the original hit single versions. Somewhat predictably, either you get no information at all, or reviewers are raving about the fact that you get...the extended versions. Well, I don't want them. Am I really the only one?