eddie money "baby hold on to me"

I have the 45 version of "Baby Hold on to Me" on the "Entertainment Weekly Greatest Hits 1978" (Buddha 99821), but it does sound like a vinyl dub to my ears. Do any of the CDs containing the 45 version sound like they're mastered from a tape source? If not, can the 45 version be successfully replicated from the LP version?

Thanks, John!

Ed, on the "LP version" (from Razor & Tie's Those Rocking 70s) I hear what you are calling "scratchy," and I actually hear that noise throughout the entire song. It sounds to me like it was either intended, or perhaps there was an open mic near the drummer and you can hear a wristwatch or some other jewelry shaking. Just a guess. The fidelity of the song does not sound like vinyl, nor does the "scratchy" noise sound like vinyl clicks.

I don't have the EW CD that Todd mentions, so I cannot say for sure if that one is actually a vinyl dub.

i just reviewed a custom edit/fade that eriejwg did and it is dead on......the track runs 3:04, which is slightly longer that ALL the 45 version appearances on cd that currently exist.....the last two words of the chorus are faded TOO soon on all the factory cd versions.......this should be noted in the db......

LP version (runs about 3:30, ends cold)

The sound quality is really all over the map for this track, with really extreme EQ variations from disc to disc.

I like the version on Greatest Hits Sound Of Money (1989). Excellent dynamic range, reasonable EQ, and no evidence of noise reduction. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Columbia's Rock Classics Of The '70s (1989; differently EQ'd digital clone
• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Those Rocking '70s (1991; differently EQ'd digital clone, but with TERRIBLE shrill-sounding EQ; avoid)
• Time-Life's Guitar Rock Vol. 17 The Late '70s Take Two (1995; digitally exactly 2.4 dB louder)

There's a different analog transfer on Sony's Seems Like Yesterday Vol. 3 (1990), which has a really muffled high end. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 10 1978 (1990)

Other outliers:

• Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989) has the top half of the waveform truncated at about -5 dB in both channels
• Realm's 3-CD Ultimate Love Classics Vol. 1 (2000) is compressed/limited pretty severely around -7 dB)
• Playlist (2008) is mastered a bit loud, and is EQ'd a little odd

My recommendation:

Go with Greatest Hits Sound Of Money (1989). It's certainly cheap enough nowadays. Guitar Rock sounds pretty much the same.

45 edit (runs 3:04; fades out)

The 45 edit appears on Sony's Rock N' 70's (1993), where it sounds just fine but apparently runs about two seconds too short (according to Ed, above). There's a differently EQ'd digital clone on Realm's 3-CD Greatest Hits Of The '70s Vol. 1 (2001).

If you're ambitious and want to recreate the 45 edit from the LP version, here are instructions, using Greatest Hits Sound Of Money (1989) as the source:

Segment 1
13 beats long
Extends from 0:00 to 0:07.4 of the LP version and 45 edit
Ends on a snare

Remove the 16 beats from 0:07.4 to 0:15.5 of the LP version, snare to snare.

Segment 2
256 beats long
Begins on a snare
Extends from 0:15.5 to 2:22.7 of the LP version
Extends from 0:07.4 to 2:14.6 of the 45 edit
Ends on a snare

Remove the 32 beats from 2:22.7 to 2:38.6 of the LP version, snare to snare.

Segment 3
101 beats long
Begins on a snare
Extends from 2:38.6 to 3:28.5 of the LP version
Extends from 2:14.6 to 3:04.6 of the 45 edit
Ends on the very last downbeat before the closing "hold on".

Fade
32 beats long
Extends from 3:12.7 to 3:28.5 of the LP version
Extends from 2:48.7 to 3:04.6 of the 45 edit

Your mixdown will run 3:04.6, with edits at 0:07.4 and 2:14.6, and a 32-beat fade from 2:48.7 to 3:04.6.

Edited by crapfromthepast