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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 18 October 2013 at 6:57pm | IP Logged Quote crapfromthepast

The 45 version initially appeared on CD on Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 5 (1994). All the other instances that I have of the 45 version use the same analog transfer as this Rhino disc, including:
  • Warner Special Products' 2-CD Rockin' USA (1994)
  • Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 5 1982 (1994; differently-EQ'd digital clone)
  • Warner Special Products' 2-CD Punk (1996; has truncated fade - avoid; does "punk" just mean "weird haircut"?)
  • Rhino's Millennium New Wave Party (1999)
The 45 version on swaitek's 50-CD promo set The A List Disc 14 (1994) is from vinyl, and is probably from a TM Century disc - avoid.

The true LP version, appearing on the vinyl LP, runs 3:57 and starts with the same opening cymbal hit as the 45. This LP version is found on Arista's Perfect 10 Rides Again (1985). The disc is a little quiet, and has about 6 dB of headroom on this track, but sounds just fine. I think this may still be the only place to find it.

For the CD era, the true LP version was completely replaced with the 5:06 version that has the noodly synth intro for the first 40 seconds. The noodly-intro 5:06 version simply didn't exist back in 1982, when the song was a hit.

Discogs shows the release date for Jive's A Flock Of Seagulls CD as 1987, and for Jive's Best Of CD as 1986 for Europe and 1991 for the US. All of these include the 5:06 version with the noodly intro. I don't have either one.

Based on track length (and with a good working history of the Priority discs), I'd say that the following are based on the Jive A Flock Of Seagulls CD:
  • Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 1 (1992; sounds pretty good here - no obvious clipping (a problem with the later discs), but the waveform in the L channel clips a bit on the bottom, likely due to a bad A-to-D converter)
  • Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 1 1982-1983 (1999; digitally exactly 1 dB louder than Rock Of The '80s)
Both of these sound fine.

Also based on track length, I'd say that these 5:03-ish versions all use the same analog transfer as Best Of:
  • Cema's cheapie Greatest Hits Of The '80s Vol. 4 New Wave Hits (1994; sounds great here; likely a digital clone of Best Of)
  • SPG's Classic Alternatives Vol. 1 (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of Cema disc)
  • Razor & Tie's Back To The '80s (1994; sounds very close to the Cema disc but is about 3 dB louder and clips a bit; avoid)
  • Universal's Retro Lunchbox Squeeze The Cheeze (1997; differently EQ'd digital clone of Cema disc)
  • Simitar's Number Ones The '80s (1998; differently EQ'd digital clone of Cema disc)
All of the above sound pretty good, except where noted.

Finally, Sony Germany's 2-CD Pop And Wave Vol. 1 (1992) has the CD-era LP version, but ends prematurely at the 4:29 break. Oops! Avoid.

Summing up:

For the 45 version, go with Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 5 (1994).
For the vinyl LP version, go with Arista's Perfect 10 Rides Again (1985).
For the CD-era LP version, I'm going to recommend a CD that I don't have - Jive's Best Of, although any of the digital clones I listed should work just fine.

Edited by crapfromthepast on 18 October 2013 at 7:06pm


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MMathews
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Posted: 19 October 2013 at 6:47pm | IP Logged Quote MMathews

Ron,
The 5:06 version is what appeared in 1982 on the import 12" single.
MM
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edtop40
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Posted: 19 October 2013 at 7:24pm | IP Logged Quote edtop40

hey...you're up and running in cali??!!

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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 19 October 2013 at 7:47pm | IP Logged Quote crapfromthepast

MMathews wrote:
Ron,
The 5:06 version is what appeared in 1982 on the import 12"
single.
MM


Good to know! That does make more sense than an after-the-
fact new mix many years later, and explains why I never saw
it in circulation here.

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80smusicfreak
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Posted: 23 October 2013 at 6:42pm | IP Logged Quote 80smusicfreak

The 1982 AFOS album - which features "I Ran" - has always been one of my favorite new wave/synth albums, and probably ranks in my top 20, all-time. From "Space Age Love Song" to "Telecommunication" and "Modern Love is Automatic", there's hardly a bum track on it - very underrated, IMO. (Hey, the instrumental track, "D.N.A.", even won them a GRAMMY!) Love several of AFOS's later, lesser-known hits as well, including "Wishing" and "The More You Live, the More You Love"...

In fact, back in the late '90s, a music buddy & I went to see AFOS live when they did a club gig in NYC. Of course, by then, the only original member left was lead singer/keyboardist Mike Score, but that didn't stop us. It was a GA show w/ a fairly small standing area just in front of the stage, and my friend & I arrived a little early. As we were taking in the opening act - some unknown local band w/ a fairly similar sound & style to AFOS - my friend fixated on someone else who was also standing in the audience listening to the band, only about 15-20 feet to our left. The person was wearing a baseball cap, w/ long wavy hair that was tied in a ponytail running through the back of the hat. My friend then turned to me, pointed, and said, "Hey, isn't that Mike Score over there?" Squinting in the poorly-lit club, I replied, "I think you may be right!" So we walked over, and sure enough, it was indeed Mike - he was just hanging out and blending in w/ the crowd, lol. We had a brief conversation w/ him, and he said that after AFOS did their set, he'd be back out at their merchandise table over in the corner of the club to meet the fans, sign autographs, etc. So needless to say, we took the opportunity to chat him up again after the show as well. :-) Then several years later, in 2003, the four original members of AFOS were brought back together again thanks to VH-1 and their fun series, "Bands Reunited". Shortly after, they even did a brief tour of the U.S., but alas, I didn't get to see them then (but sure wish I could've). Of course, they've long since split again, and it's highly unlikely the original four will ever regroup for a third go-round. :-( It's also fairly well known that Mike himself is not a big fan of their hit "I Ran", due in large part to the group's legacy basically being reduced to that one song (not to mention his hairstyle at the time), and while I've always liked it myself, I can't say that I blame him - definitely a shame...

crapfromthepast wrote:
The true LP version, appearing on the vinyl LP, runs 3:57 and starts with the same opening cymbal hit as the 45. This LP version is found on Arista's Perfect 10 Rides Again (1985).

On this, you are correct. Contrary to what Pat states in the 10th edition of his book (and I assume the on-line database as well), the original album version does indeed run 3:57/3:58, starts w/ the cymbal hit, and is what is found on that particular V/A CD, which I have as well...

crapfromthepast wrote:
For the CD era, the true LP version was completely replaced with the 5:06 version that has the noodly synth intro for the first 40 seconds.

This is where both you & Pat get tripped up (not to mention other folks here who responded to davidclark's original "I Ran" thread started back on 08 April 2006). Definitely not true. In its 31-year history, the AFOS album has gone through no less than FIVE incarnations here in the U.S. - and all within the first five years of its existence - so let's review all of them chronologically, and in all formats:

First issue: Released in the Spring of '82, on Jive/Arista 66000. Issued on vinyl LP & cassette only, since we technically weren't yet in the CD era. I have the cassette version myself. Rarest pressing of the album. "I Ran" is the original 3:57/3:58 version (which is also the video version, BTW). Photos of LP version on Discogs: Jive/Arista 66000

Second issue: Probably released in the Fall of '82 (now that "I Ran" had taken off as a hit single), on Jive/Arista 33003. Again, issued on vinyl LP & cassette only, since we still technically weren't yet in the CD era. (This version was also made available on 8-track through record clubs - now that demand for the album in the fading tape format warranted it - but not in retail stores.) I also have the cassette version of this one. Definitely more common than the first pressings w/ the "66000" no., and overall, not rare. When the album debuted on Billboard's "Top LPs & Tape" chart in the 05/22/82 issue (nearly two months before "I Ran" cracked the "Hot 100"), the magazine claimed it had the "66000" no. & a slightly reduced $6.98 suggested list price to help spur sales, both of which I believe to be accurate. However, while Billboard retained that info for the album's entire 50-week chart run (which ended in the 04/30/83 issue), I strongly suspect that is incorrect, as it had actually been changed to the "33003" no. months earlier, due to an increase of the slp to a full $8.98. (After all, the album was now a hit - so why would the label want to lose $2 on every sale???) So for whatever reason, Billboard failed to update this info on its album chart. "I Ran" is also the original 3:57/3:58 version on this one. Photos of LP version on Discogs: Jive/Arista 33003

Third issue: Released in the Spring of '83, on Jive/Arista 8011. Arista had just been picked up by RCA, so they streamlined the label's catalog-numbering system. The "8000" series was kicked off w/ more than a dozen re-issues of still-hot titles from the label's recent catalog, including the first AFOS album, just after it had finally fallen out of the top 200 in Billboard - and at the same time the group's follow-up, Listen, was hitting store shelves (it would come just two nos. later, on Jive/Arista 8013). Initially issued on vinyl LP & cassette only (and retaining its full $8.98 slp), although by 1984, it had been released on the shiny new CD format here in the U.S., too (which carried a slp of $20 or more). Of course, since the digital disc was still in its infancy, this version is pretty rare, and all copies were pressed in Japan for our market. This edition of the album once again retained the ORIGINAL 3:57/3:58 version of "I Ran" in ALL THREE formats, including the CD! Common on both LP & cassette - and again, I have the cassette version myself. Photos of cassette version on Discogs, since there is no page for the LP: Jive/Arista 8011. Photos of Japan-for-U.S. CD version on Discogs: Original U.S. CD

However, it is very much worth noting that Jive/Arista 8011 is NOT listed in the 10th edition of Pat's book (under either "I Ran" or the album's other top 40 hit, "Space Age Love Song"), and I assume this omission is still present in his on-line database to this day. (So if it isn't there, it definitely needs to be added under both songs.) This is obviously where the LP version/mastering of "I Ran" on 1985's Arista's Perfect 10 Rides Again originates from, even though Pat claims in the 10th edition of his book that it's "(neither the 45 or LP version)"...

crapfromthepast wrote:
I think this may still be the only place to find it.

Nope - there are definitely a few others (in addition to Jive/Arista 8011). While I admittedly own only a few of the CDs myself, upon thorough analysis of the timings for all 31 listings of "I Ran" found in the 10th edition of Pat's book, it can be deduced that 12 contain the 3:40-3:43 45 version (all of which he has noted correctly), 14 feature the 5:00-5:07 12" version or "remix" (all of which he has mislabeled as "[LP version]"), one contains a shortened 3:33 version segued together w/ other tracks on it, and FOUR have the original 3:55-3:57 LP version in question (again, all of which he has mislabeled as "[neither the 45 or LP version]"). Those four are:

(S) (3:57)   Arista 8308 Arista's Perfect 10 Rides Again. (1985)
(S) (3:55)   Buddha 99712 Entertainment Weekly Greatest Hits 1982. (2000)
(S) (3:55)   Buddha 99822 Entertainment Weekly - The Greatest Hits: 1980-84 (Box Set). (2001)
(S) (3:56)   Varese Sarabande 302066444 Then '80s - Totally Oldies 5. (2003)

Of course, that was as of 2004 - have some additional titles appeared w/ the original 3:57/3:58 LP version over the last nine years, some of which may already be in Pat's on-line database??? I don't know...

Fourth issue: Released in the Fall of '85 on Jive/Arista 8297. Issued on vinyl LP & cassette only, as a result of a downgrade to mid-line status, and thus a reduction of its slp from $8.98 to $6.98. About 100 other titles in Arista's back catalog were also assigned new nos. in the 8200's and 8300's at this time, also because of their lowering to mid-line status. Of course, this didn't effect the still-fledgling CD, so none were re-issued w/ the new "8297" no. - if anything, the previous issue w/ the "8011" no. most likely went out-of-print at this time, and thus the album was no longer available on CD at all. I don't have this version in any format. Second-rarest pressing of the album. Yet again, "I Ran" is the original 3:57/3:58 version. Page/description of the LP version on Discogs, although no photos of it: Jive/Arista 8297

Fifth issue: Released in the Summer of '86 on Jive/RCA 1007. Issued simultaneously in all three formats; i.e., vinyl LP, cassette & CD. Jive had now switched distribution from Arista to RCA, so two of the group's other three albums were also re-issued at this time (1983's Listen on Jive/RCA 1008 and 1986's Dream Come True on Jive/RCA 1009, although neither of those came out on CD, as the format was still considered too new at the time, and those re-issues weren't expected to be big sellers, even on LP & cassette). I don't have this version in any format, either. Somewhat rare on LP (as the format was declining rapidly at this time), but common on cassette & CD. The album obviously had a new mastering at this point, as the cassette & CD now featured the 5:07/5:08 12" version; the printed time on the LP label still stated "3:58", although I suspect that may be in error. (I'll let somebody else here set the record straight on that.) Discogs doesn't even have a listing for the LP version of this one, so here's one on eBay: Jive/RCA 1007. Photos of CD version on Discogs: Later U.S. CD. (Note the acknowledgment of the previous CD issue on Jive/Arista JRCD 8011 in parentheses just under "Made in U.S.A." on the right side of the disc itself!)

crapfromthepast wrote:
The noodly-intro 5:06 version simply didn't exist back in 1982, when the song was a hit.

MMathews wrote:
The 5:06 version is what appeared in 1982 on the import 12" single.

I admit I've never owned a 12" single of "I Ran", domestic or import. But scouring the roughly 30 listings on Discogs for the song on both 7" and 12" single, yes, it's definitely safe to say that the 5:07/5:08 version did originate on the 12" single, and in 1982. I don't know about a commercial 12" here in the U.S. (there probably wasn't one), but there were at least two different promos issued Stateside: 1) Jive/Arista VJ 12002, which contained a "special radio version" of the song, w/ a printed time of "3:58" (ironically, the same length as the LP version, not the 45), and 2) Jive/Arista VJ 12003, which contained a "special extended version" of the song, w/ a printed time of "3:56". (Another user on Discogs confirms that some import 12" singles were mislabeled as having the 3:58 version of the song when it actually had the 5:08 version, so I strongly suspect that is also what happened on this U.S. promo, as both the sticker on the jacket and the disc label clearly state "extended version". So if someone else here can check to see that VJ 12003 actually has the 5:07/5:08 version, then we'll have confirmation that it was indeed released here in the U.S. as well, prior to the 1986 re-issue of the song's parent album on Jive/RCA 1007!) Of course, the group's Best of... - issued later, on Jive/RCA 1034 - extended the use of the 5:07/5:08 12" version of "I Ran"...

*Whew!* I think I'm starting to rival only cftp and Yah Shure for length of posts around here lately, lol...
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crapfromthepast
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Posted: 23 October 2013 at 8:48pm | IP Logged Quote crapfromthepast

Well done! Now that is some serious detail! I know
how long it takes to write up these posts - that one must
have taken hours!

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Brian W.
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Posted: 23 October 2013 at 9:09pm | IP Logged Quote Brian W.

Wow, 80smusicfreak, that was an impressive post!
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Posted: 03 April 2017 at 5:53pm | IP Logged Quote Indy500

If you want all 3 versions they can be found on the 2017 Cherry Pop release: Remixes & Rarities

3:40 U.S. 7" version
3:59 What they call "edited version" but we are calling lp version
5:07 What they call "longer version" and was found on 12" singles originally
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