https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 03 May 2026 11:42:21 +0000 Sat, 06 Aug 2022 06:38:29 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=55 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum//images/Top-40-Music-on-CD-Forum-Logo.png https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61411&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61411 Author: mjb50
Subject: 55
Posted: 06 August 2022 at 6:38am

Yes, that sounds right.

But keep in mind that songs with live drummers, even disco songs, are notoriously variable in tempo. Plus there's sometimes speed variations due to tape drag and edits. What we are reporting is what our counter tells us is the average tempo across the entire song.

Also, these automatic BPM counters don't always agree. I use foo_bpm in foobar2000, and it has a lot of options that can affect what it detects. There's a margin of error compared to whatever Ron uses; my numbers are usually slightly off from his, so I usually don't mention them.



Edited by mjb50]]> Sat, 06 Aug 2022 06:38:29 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61411&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61411 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61410&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61410 Author: AndrewChouffi
Subject: 55
Posted: 06 August 2022 at 6:15am

mjb50 wrote: To answer the question about the "ideal" speed... Just looking at the beginning of the song, the closest you can get to the original performance pitch is the regular US 12" (Long Disco) version, which only runs 0.27% slow, not enough to even hear, a difference of only 0.4 BPM, by my counter. (This is based on DjPaulT's rip from 2012; I don't have the actual record to confirm.) The edited US 12" versions as found on the CDs The Disco Years vol. 3 (which Ron says is an early fade of the US promo 45 "disco" version) and on Pottery Barn Disco (an even earlier fade with 0:29 shaved off the intro) both run 0.66% fast, which I can hear, but just barely; it's not bad. The UK 12" runs about the same speed. Meanwhile, the US 45 runs 0.79% fast. Other versions I tested were well outside of this range, usually on the slow side by 1.6% or more.

Thanks for the info.

So according to your math and Ron's handiwork "Knock On
Wood" from the studio was near 142.67 BPM.

Or is my algebra out-of-whack?

Thanks for the guidance.

Andy]]> Sat, 06 Aug 2022 06:15:36 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61410&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61410 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61402&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61402 Author: mjb50
Subject: 55
Posted: 05 August 2022 at 10:24am

To answer the question about the "ideal" speed...

Just looking at the beginning of the song, the closest you can get to the original performance pitch is the regular US 12" (Long Disco) version, which only runs 0.27% slow, not enough to even hear, a difference of only 0.4 BPM, by my counter. (This is based on DjPaulT's rip from 2012; I don't have the actual record to confirm.)

The edited US 12" versions as found on the CDs The Disco Years vol. 3 (which Ron says is an early fade of the US promo 45 "disco" version) and on Pottery Barn Disco (an even earlier fade with 0:29 shaved off the intro) both run 0.66% fast, which I can hear, but just barely; it's not bad. The UK 12" runs about the same speed.

Meanwhile, the US 45 runs 0.79% fast.

Other versions I tested were well outside of this range, usually on the slow side by 1.6% or more.
]]> Fri, 05 Aug 2022 10:24:02 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61402&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61402 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61390&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61390 Author: LunarLaugh
Subject: 55
Posted: 04 August 2022 at 8:50am

crapfromthepast wrote: In the late '80s, Dr. Demento used to play a Chuck Berry parody by Steve Layland & the Ruined Choir called "Johnny B Minor", which is "Johnny B Goode" played in a minor key. As long as I don't have to sit through "My Ding-A-Ling" ever again... (Just my opinion. Others may insist that "My Ding-A-Ling" is the greatest pop song of all time.)

I played "My Ding-A-Ling" to death when I was 10 years
old and thought it was the funniest thing in the world.
Nowadays, the novelty has mostly worn off. Mostly. ;)
]]> Thu, 04 Aug 2022 08:50:56 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61390&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61390 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61389&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61389 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 55
Posted: 04 August 2022 at 7:22am

In the late '80s, Dr. Demento used to play a Chuck Berry parody by Steve Layland & the Ruined Choir called "Johnny B Minor", which is "Johnny B Goode" played in a minor key.

As long as I don't have to sit through "My Ding-A-Ling" ever again... (Just my opinion. Others may insist that "My Ding-A-Ling" is the greatest pop song of all time.)]]> Thu, 04 Aug 2022 07:22:22 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61389&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61389 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61388&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61388 Author: mjb50
Subject: 55
Posted: 04 August 2022 at 5:37am

@LunarLaugh, you're absolutely right about the keys. I sure got that wrong. Oh, man, embarrassing! Thanks for the correction.

In my defense, I did have a moment of "wait...is that right?" when I was writing it, but then I was like, "Whatever, I'm sure someone will say something if it isn't."

Now I want to hear "My Ding-a-Ling" in a minor key.

Edited by mjb50]]> Thu, 04 Aug 2022 05:37:52 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61388&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61388 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61384&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61384 Author: LunarLaugh
Subject: 55
Posted: 03 August 2022 at 11:31pm

mjb50 wrote: It's surely in a major key, so the first horn notes, which are close to the note "A", surely are supposed to be exactly "A", not A-flat or B-flat, which would have a moody/sad feel.

Not to nitpick, but it seems you may be confusing "flat"
with "minor". Bb (B-flat) is still a major key so it
would be rather easily placed in to a happy setting
whereas Bm (B-minor) would have more of a more somber or
moody feel comparatively speaking.

Chuck Berry's decidedly bouncy "My Ding-a-Ling" is in the
key of Eb (E-flat), for example. If it were in Em (E-
minor), it'd have a radically different feeling.

Edited by LunarLaugh]]> Wed, 03 Aug 2022 23:31:04 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61384&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61384 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61381&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61381 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 55
Posted: 03 August 2022 at 7:04pm

Frank Farian was certainly paying attention. There are four different versions of Milli Vanilli's Girl You Know It's True CD.

Edited by crapfromthepast]]> Wed, 03 Aug 2022 19:04:07 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61381&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61381 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61380&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61380 Author: mjb50
Subject: 55
Posted: 03 August 2022 at 7:02pm

I'm still looking into that 6:20 version. It is definitely on some of the Knock on Wood albums, as I've heard it now on two vinyl LP rips. When it first appeared, though, I don't know.

It is identical to the UK 12" version, just 1.36% slower (comparing the 12" to the Anthology), with a fade ending that goes 5 beats beyond where the UK 12" cuts off.

I'm told by a forum lurker that the Hansa label was notorious for constantly re-editing their product, e.g. releasing four different versions of Boney M. Nightflight to Venus album in 1978 alone.


Edited by mjb50]]> Wed, 03 Aug 2022 19:02:23 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61380&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61380 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61379&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61379 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 55
Posted: 03 August 2022 at 5:43pm

I don't know if that version ever existed back in 1978/79.

There have been plenty of modern-day edits of the various versions, like the Ben Liebrand edit I mentioned above.

I verified that all of the versions I listed above really existed on vinyl back then (except the Ben Liebrand edit). I got as far as I could on YouTube videos showing the actual record playing. Not saying that it doesn't exist, but only that I can't confirm that it exists.]]> Wed, 03 Aug 2022 17:43:24 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55&PID=61379&title=amii-stewartknock-on-wood#61379