Cardigans - Lovefool (fidelity issues)

I briefly mentioned in another thread the fidelity problems with the song "Lovefool." Are there any CDs that do not have phase problems? If you do a fold down of the song, or if you've ever heard this song on a mono alarm clock radio, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. (It used to drive me nuts every time my station played this and I was listening on my clock radio.)

If you do a fold down, you'll hear the song get muddy/swishy at the following sections:

0:13-0:15
0:55-0:57
1:04-1:08
1:23-1:27
1:59-2:02
2:06-2:38
3:11-end

Also, there is a strange ticking noise on the end of my copy, which was also on the end of the copy we always played on the air. It's the same sound you get when a CD has a scratch. Are all copies like this?

Actually, Jim, just one minute ago, I pulled out my import CD single, and it has the same problem. My other source is a Promo Only radio compilation, which is likely just a dub of the promo CD. Thanks for the offer, though.

Edited by aaronk

It's VERY noticeable when you fold it to mono. It sounded terrible on mono radios. I can hear only a very slight change in fidelity during those passages, although I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't know which spots were problematic.

Does the full length album have the clicking on the last note and the phase issues, or was this only a problem on the un-segued single copies?

I don't have the full LP so I can't answer that question. I got rid of it once I bought the CD single.

Brian W. wrote: Is it possible this was mixed in Q-sound?

I was wondering the same thing myself, or maybe it was a poorly-executed (but intentional) effect.
I once worked at a station where the production director would play with phasing to create stereo effects...his response when it was pointed out that there was mono phase cancellation was that "no one listens in mono anymore". He didn't last long.

Edited by Hykker