Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: "True"

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Topic: "True" - Spandau Ballet

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Todd Ireland
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Posted: 09 August 2008 at 11:16am \| IP Logged

The actual commercial 45 run time of Spandau Ballet's "True" is 5:39. (Timing information once again comes to us from abagon. The stated time on the record label is 5:40.) The only reason I post this info is because database CD appearances of this song containing a "45 version" comment range from 5:30-5:40. Therefore, some of these CDs fade as many as :09 early.

Edited by Todd Ireland on 09 August 2008 at 12:23pm

eriejwg
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Posted: 09 August 2008 at 12:07pm \| IP Logged

Todd, did you mean 5:39?

Todd Ireland
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Posted: 09 August 2008 at 12:23pm \| IP Logged

Yes, I did, John. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I've gone back and corrected the timing errors in my original post.

NightAire
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Posted: 11 March 2010 at 9:48pm \| IP Logged

The database says,

Quote:

...dj copies of this 45 run (4:58)...

Does anybody know if this is a simple early fade of the commercial 45?

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sriv94
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Posted: 12 March 2010 at 6:13am \| IP Logged

No, Gene, there is some editing involved (although I can't exactly pinpoint where at this moment).

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Hykker
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Posted: 12 March 2010 at 6:31am \| IP Logged

I know the intro is shortened. There might be one other edit, never gone thru & compared the two.

sriv94
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Posted: 12 March 2010 at 8:38pm \| IP Logged

The other edit is one of the two piano passages prior to Gary Kemp's impassioned "thi-sss much is true" vocal.

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RichM921
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Posted: 13 March 2010 at 6:46pm \| IP Logged

I remember hearing an edit on the radio that took out the bridge/sax solo. It basically edited everything between 2:55 and 4:22. Perhaps this was a custom edit?

Indy500
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Posted: 15 November 2010 at 7:50pm \| IP Logged

On a CD entitled Spandau Ballet - The Twelve Inch Mixes, there is a version of TRUE that clocks in at 6:01.

I don't have a vinyl 12" but this sounds to my ears to be just an early fade of the lp version.

Edited by Indy500 on 15 November 2010 at 7:51pm

crapfromthepast
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Posted: 02 January 2013 at 10:06pm \| IP Logged

Just discovered that all the tracks on 1985's The Singles Collection have their left and right channels reversed. This really makes a mess of the catalog, since there are many, many compilations that have their masterings traced back the The Singles Collection.

In addition, all 10 tracks on 10 Best Series Greatest Hits (1994) are differently-EQ'd digital clones of The Singles Collection, so they too have the left and right channels reversed.

For the song "True", as best as I can tell (without the vinyl, because my turntable is still boxed up after my move last summer), the hi-hat starts in the left channel on all the versions I could find, except possibly the promo 45 (details below).

I'll start with the longest versions, down to the shortest. For all the CDs below, the hi-hat starts in the left channel except where noted.

The LP version runs 6:26 on Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 1 1982-1983 (1999), where it sounds really terrific. I also have a version running 6:23 on an unknown pressing of the single-artist album True.

I have the 12 inch single version running 5:59 on the 2-CD Pop And Wave Vol. 4 (1993, Germany) and the 2-CD Pop And Wave The 12" Mixes (1995, Germany). This is just an early fade of the LP version, with a fade running from about 5:39 to 5:59. Seems like an odd thing to put on a 12" single, but that's what people did in 1983.

Now, the 45 version. It's hard to say exactly how the long the tail of the fade should be, since it's at such a low volume and would probably be swamped by surface noise on the actual 45.

The longest 45 version I have is on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1983 (1992), where it runs 5:40. On this disc, the fade-out on the tape runs out longer than on all the other discs I have, including the LP versions. For example, the fade tail runs about 8 beats longer on Billboard than it does on The Singles Collection. Sound quality is superb on Billboard.

Don't know why you'd want to do this, but to recreate the 45 version from the LP version, do this:
Find the two-snare-hit drum fill at 4:36.
Edit on the downbeat following that drum fill (at 4:36.6 on the Time-Life disc).
Remove the 80 beats from 4:36.6 to 5:25.8 (timings from Time-Life disc).
That's it - keep the LP fade for the 45.
You'll have one edit in the 45, on the downbeat following the two-snare-hit fill, at about 4:37.

There are a few Time-Life CDs that use the same analog transfer as Billboard Top Hits 1983: Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 3 1983 (1994), the 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 8 On My Mind (1996), and Another Lost Decade Romance (2005).

There is a dizzying array of compilation CDs that also feature the 45 version, with the hi-hat starting in the left channel, and a shortened fade compared to Billboard:

EMI UK's 2-CD Now Smash Hits Of The '80s (1987, 5:38)
EMI's UK 2-CD Now 1983 (1993, 5:27 - very short fade)
Warner Special Products' 2-CD Lost In Love (1994, 5:28)
Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough, Vol. 11 (1994, 5:33 - I don't know why Rhino used a new analog transfer here instead of digitally cloning Billboard, like they did on so many other tracks)
EMI Australia's 5-CD box Eighties Complete Vol. 1 (1997, 5:41)
EMI UK's Time To Remember 1983 (1997, 5:29 - a little compressed)
Disky's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s (1998, 5:29, compressed)
Skifan Iceland's 2-CD Pottţétt 80's 2 (2001, 5:28)
Disky's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s (2002, 5:30)
EMI? UK 2-CD Best Of 1982-1983 (2003, 5:28)
Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 8 Ordinary World (2007, 5:30)

Now, there are a bunch of CDs that feature the 45 version, but have their left and right channels reversed, so that the hi-hat incorrectly starts in the right channel. This all traces back to The Singles Collection (1985, 5:35). I found three discs that all use the same analog transfer as The Singles Collection:

Razor & Tie's 2-CD Forever '80s (1994, 5:34, mastered by Steve Hoffman but hampered by source material)
Cema's 2-CD Cool Rock (1995, differently-EQ'd digital clone)
Madacy's Rock On 1983 Sweet Dreams (1998; differently-EQ'd digital clone)

There's one more disc with the 45 version its left/right channels reversed, which isn't based on The Singles Collection - EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 4 (1994, 5:33) This one is particularly odd, since the rest of the Oblivion series is done so well; I guess mastering engineer Larry Walsh must have used The Singles Collection as a reference, rather than the vinyl 45.

Finally, there's the promo 45 version, which runs 5:00. I have a recreation done by Aaron, and a version on the 50-CD promo set The A List Disc 16 (1994), which is probably a homemade edit done originally by TM Century. Both of these have the hi-hat starting in the right channel, so either: (1) the promo 45 really does have its left/right channels reversed compared to every other version, or (2) both used The Singles Collection or one of those other discs as their source.

Here are instructions for creating the promo 45 edit, using the Billboard Top Hits 1983 disc as the source (and assuming that you can flip the L/R channels yourself):

Keep the first 16 beats from 0:00 to 0:10.1.
Edit on the true downbeat, at the instance of the first bass drum hit.
Remove the 16 beats from 0:10.1 to 0:19.9.
Keep 0:19.9 to 4:20.4 of the 45 version.
Edit on a snare hit at 4:20.4 right after the word "True" at a true downbeat at 4:19.8.
Remove the 8 beats from 4:20.4 to 4:25.3.
Keep 4:25.3 to about 5:15 in the 45 version.
Put a fade from the downbeat at 4:57 to 5:15.

Your mixdown will run about 5:00, with edits at 0:10.1 and 4:10.6, and a fade from 4:42 to 5:00.

Edited by crapfromthepast on 03 January 2013 at 8:31am

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aaronk
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Posted: 03 January 2013 at 3:10am \| IP Logged

Ron, you are exactly right that I did not flip the channels when creating my custom edit, and I most likely used "Forever 80s" as my source. I just pulled out the promo 45, and the hi-hat starts in the left channel, just like the commercial 45. Printed time of the promo 45 is 4:58, but it really runs 5:00.

Also, the flip side of the promo 45 contains the "Long Version" with a printed time of 5:40. Thankfully, it's a virtually unplayed copy, so I could pinpoint the end of the fadeout. It runs 5:37.

Edited by aaronk on 03 January 2013 at 3:15am

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Posted: 08 June 2018 at 8:46pm \| IP Logged

I did some comparisons based on Ron's notes above, and while the Billboard disc does have a better source tape, the edit is slightly different from The Singles Collection. I suspect that Bill Inglot didn't care for the sound of the single master and edited the LP version to match the 45. The edit on The Singles Collection appears at 4:37.4 on the word "much" (in the line "this much is true"). The edit on the Rhino disc appears at 4:37.0 on the downbeat before the line "this much is true."

It's nitpicky, but Rhino's edit is not the true single version (pun intended) if you want to split hairs.

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Oddbjorn
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Posted: 10 June 2018 at 9:34am \| IP Logged

FWIW. My CD 'The Singles Collection' (West Germany: Chrysalis 610 539-222 AE880 1985) starts with the hi-hat in the left channel. Also the rest of the songs I have checked (5 other songs) have got the channels right.

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 11 June 2018 at 8:38pm \| IP Logged

45 version (5:37)

The earliest appearance of the 45 version is likely Chrysalis' Spandau Ballet The Singles Collection (1985). There's a little bit of hum, and the left and right channels are reversed (hi-hat starts in the right channel), but it runs to a nice length of 5:35, has a great dynamic range, reasonable EQ, and no trace of noise reduction on the fade. The same analog transfer (including the swapped left and right channels) is used on:

Razor & Tie's 2-CD Forever '80s (1994)
Cema's 10 Best Series Greatest Hits (1994) - differently-EQ'd digital clone
Cema's 2-CD Cool Rock (1985) - digitally identical
Madacy's Rock On 1983 Sweet Dreams (1998)

The edit on The Singles Collection is an easy one, using the LP version on Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 1 1982-1983 (1999) as the source:

Segment 1
Extends from 0:00 to 4:37.3 of the LP and 45 versions
Ends on a snare hit on the word "much"

Remove the 80 beats from 4:37.3 to 5:26.4 of the LP version

Segment 2
Begins on a snare hit on the word "much"
Extends from 4:37.3 to 5:37 (end) of the 45 version
Extends from 5:26.4 to 6:26 (end) of the LP version

I don't have a needledrop of the actual 45 to compare, but I would think that The Singles Collection would include the actual 45 version, rather than a recreation of the 45 edit. If you follow the instructions above, the recreation runs about two seconds longer than The Singles Collection, due to the extremely long tail to the fade. It's pretty insignificant.

Now, four US compilations that include the song, none of which are based on the mastering for The Singles Collection:

EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 4 (1994) - runs 5:33, has its left/right channels swapped
Warner Special Products' 2-CD Lost In Love (1994) - runs 5:28, truncates fade
Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 11 (1995) - runs 5:33
Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 8 Ordinary World (2007) - runs 5:30; differently-EQ'd digital clone of EMI UK's Time To Remember 1983 (1997)

I confirmed that all of the above include the proper 45 edit.

And finally, a boatload of foreign compilatons, all with the proper left/right channels, that all include the proper 45 edit, but with wildly varying lengths based on how far out the tail of the fade extends:

EMI's 2-CD Now Smash Hits Of The '80s (1987) - runs 5:36
EMI Virgin PolyGram UK's 2-CD Now 1983 (1993) - runs 5:27
EMI UK's Time To Remember 1983 (1997) - runs 5:28
Disky UK's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s (1998) - runs 5:29
Skifan Iceland's 2-CD Pottţétt 80's 2 (2001) - runs 5:28
Disky UK's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s (2002; not the same set as the 1998 set) - runs 5:30
EMI UK's Best Of 1982-1983 (2003) - runs 5:28
EMI Australia's 5-CD More Complete Eighties (2006) - runs 5:28 and is mastered WAY too loud

So, after wading through all these CDs, I can identify three distinct masterings, with the proper 45 edit, which appear on fairly common US CDs:

Chrysalis' Spandau Ballet The Singles Collection (1985) - runs 5:35, has left and right channels reversed (hi-hat starts on the right)
EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 4 (1994) - runs 5:33, has its left/right channels reversed (hi-hat starts on the right)
Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 11 (1995) - runs 5:33, has correct left/right channels (hi-hat starts on the left)

All three of the above sound fine, and I don't think you'll be disappointed by any of them. I'm going to recommend swapping the channels on The Singles Collection, just because this version runs longest.

Ever-so-slightly incorrect attempt to recreate the 45 edit

As Aaron noted, Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1983 (1992) gets the edit wrong, by editing exactly one beat too early. Here, the edit is on the downbeat before the word "much", rather than at the snare exactly on the word "much". It's too bad, because the sound quality is superb on this disc, and the track runs longer than any other version out there.

The same analog transfer as Billboard Top Hits 1983 (and therefore the same incorrect edit) is also used on:

Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 3 1983 (1994)
Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 8 On My Mind (1996)
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties '80s Blockbusters (1999) - digitally exactly 1.5 dB louder than Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 3 1983
EMI's 2-CD Pop Goes The '80s (2002)
Time-Life's Another Lost Decade Romance (2005) - digitally exactly 1.39 dB louder than Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 3 1983

Outliers

EMI Australia's 5-CD Eighties Complete Vol. 1 (1997) runs about 5:44, and is edited differently from the 45. I didn't spend too much time with this one.

I suspect that the 5:04 version on swaitek's promo 50-CD The A-List (1994) is an in-house edit done by TM Century and based on the mastering for The Singles Collection. The left and right channels are reversed on this disc, too.

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eriejwg
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Posted: 12 June 2018 at 9:22am \| IP Logged

Ron,

Thank you so much for your detailed research!

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Ron S
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Posted: 06 July 2018 at 2:54pm \| IP Logged

What about this version heard on the music video? It runs 5:16. This is
not the promo 45 version?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8D2yqgQ1U

Edited by Ron S on 06 July 2018 at 2:55pm

aaronk
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Posted: 06 July 2018 at 3:03pm \| IP Logged

The music video in the link you posted has the commercial 45 version faded to 5:16. The promo 45 version has an edited intro, whereas the video does not.

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David Pro
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Posted: 25 September 2020 at 2:14pm \| IP Logged

Ron, I found a Spandau Ballet compilation which contains
the proper commercial 45 edit. The compilation is titled
Gold: The Best of Spandau Ballet.

More info on Discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/es/Spandau-Ballet-Gold-The-Best-
Of-Spandau-Ballet/master/305381

Edited by David Pro on 11 February 2024 at 2:06pm

hofflalu
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Posted: 19 June 2021 at 2:31pm \| IP Logged

I recall hearing a particular edit on the radio when
"True" was popular: it cut out the middle half of the
sax solo, leaving the beginning quarter and end
quarter of the solo. Now, I was 5 years old when it
was popular, so my memory may be messing with me. :-)
But, it seems quite indelible. I was living mostly in
the Milwaukee area at the time, so maybe it was a
custom edit by a Milwaukee radio station?

Today I'm a Program Director for a Classic Hits radio
station in Wisconsin, and I re-created that edit via
software, which is the version my station plays. If
anyone wants to give it a listen to see if it sounds
familiar, I can share the audio!

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