not top 40 hit but...The Monroes...
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Topic: not top 40 hit but...The Monroes...
Posted By: budaniel
Subject: not top 40 hit but...The Monroes...
Date Posted: 19 November 2006 at 11:28am
| Has anyone ever found the full length EP version of "What Do All The People Know" by The Monroes on a compilation, domestic or import? Living in Oblivion 3 and Just Can't Get Enough New Wave Hits 4 both contain the radio edit. The full length version runs about 4 minutes and 3 seconds (that's the counter time on the vinyl burn I did). |
Replies:
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 04 July 2011 at 12:31pm
------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
budaniel wrote:Posted By: MMathews
Date Posted: 04 July 2011 at 1:40pm
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Yeah, i also noticed the 6th volume mentioned in the notes, i was simply told they cancelled the series (obviously) before the 6th volume ever appeared.
I always wondered what tracks were planned for it, altho by volume 5 it seemed more top 40 material was being used... Re: Monroes, yes i also was disappointed that both its CD appearances used the 45 edit. It may just be 30 seconds, but it's 30 secs of the one of the greatest, catchy "hook" tunes of the 80's. My dub from the vinyl EP is still my default copy as well. -MM |
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 04 July 2011 at 2:11pm
|
Yes Mark. I figured it was cancelled and never ever issued. I always wished that series continued (same with Rhino's Radio Daze series). So much has changed since the 90s when those CDs first appeared. Almost time for some fireworks (better run). ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: 80smusicfreak
Date Posted: 03 November 2013 at 3:47pm
Have always loved this EP since I first picked it up on cassette back in the late '80s - not a bum track on it! I didn't recall hearing "What Do All the People Know" on the radio back in the day, but I definitely wasn't disappointed... I, too, have the CDs from the Living in Oblivion and Just Can't Get Enough series w/ the song on it. There is a third U.S. CD that includes "What Do All the People Know", a 2-CD set by Time-Life from 2000 titled Modern Rock: Lost Hits of the Early '80s; I don't have that one, but I assume it's also the (shorter) 45 version (couldn't find a timing for it on-line). So unless it's on that Time-Life collection, I'm not aware of the full-length EP version ever appearing on an "official" CD, domestic or import... However, I just thought I'd mention that back in the mid to late '90s, there was a "gray area" CD re-issue of The Monroes' original 1982 5-song EP. I still lived on Long Island at the time, and I vividly remember heading into "the city" on one of my music-buying trips circa 1998-99, and running across it in the racks at one of my favorite stores in Greenwich Village. Having never seen anything by The Monroes on CD before, I inspected it closely, and could tell from the back artwork that it likely wasn't "legit" (it matched the original vinyl LP exactly). However, it was new & reasonably priced (less than $10), so I gave it some serious thought, knowing that the EP would probably never see the light of day in any other form on CD. Ultimately, though, I put it back - but later I regretted it, and of course, the next time I visited the store, it was gone! And alas, even when I checked there a couple more times over the next 2-3 years, I never saw it again... So over the last ten years or so, I've occasionally searched for that "gray area" CD on eBay, and have seen it pop up there a few times. Of course, it's long out-of-print, and now fetches upwards of $30-$50. However, I finally got my hands on one about six months ago, although this time, it did cost me a little more than $10, lol. It's on Metro Records F-CD-15001. The label has a NYC address, but the CD itself says "Made in Canada" (in two places, actually). It's a silver CD, and the group's name is actually given as "The Metros" on the disc itself, lol. "What Do All the People Know" has an actual time of (4:01) on this CD, which does sound like it was mastered from vinyl, but to be fair, I've seen and heard worse. Bottom line: If you're a stickler for absolute perfection and mastering of the Bill Inglot or Steve Hoffman variety, then this "gray area" CD isn't for you. But if you want some great music and don't feel like buying the original vinyl EP, mastering it on CD yourself, and then going through the trouble of reproducing all of the original artwork on top of that, then this "gray area" CD is certainly worth considering - because w/ physical CDs now dying, if you're still waiting for a legit CD re-issue of this EP (domestic or import), you can probably forget about it! I noticed another eBay seller in NYC acquired three sealed copies of this same "gray area" CD, and recently offered them at $35 a pop, all of which he sold. He had decent photos of both the front & back artwork, so if you've never seen this CD, here it is: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MONROES-FEATURINGl-WHAT-DO-ALL-THE-PEOPLE-KNOW-VERY-RARE-CD-/130923762272?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item1e7baa1260&nma=true&si=h0Izgs0OS5oT%252Br7D%252FjOR4L8XEt8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 - CD on eBay |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 03 November 2013 at 5:51pm
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FYI, the version on Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 14 Lost Hits Of The Early '80s (1999) is digitally exactly 2.5 dB quieter than Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough, Vol. 4 (1994).
I actually know Tony Ortiz, the lead singer of the Monroes. He lives here in Minneapolis, and he was gracious enough to sit in with me for one of the radio shows. We spent 90 minutes talking about his music career, including his time with the Monroes and afterward. He even brought in some unreleased Monroes tracks. It's all available for streaming/downloading here - https://archive.org/details/cftp-2011-11-04 - Crap From The Past - November 4, 2011: 90 minutes with Tony Ortiz from The Monroes Tony is well aware of the Living In Oblivion and Just Can't Get Enough releases, and knows that it's because of these two discs that '80s-fanatic DJs like me can keep the song alive. "What Do All The People Know" is still truly beloved here in town, and local band The Melismatics have even played the song, note-for-note as it was recorded, as an encore. The Alfa EP has never been officially issued on CD, anywhere, ever. Those songs, plus an instrumental B-side called "Yamarock", are the only songs ever officially released by the band. I think Tony Ortiz may have gotten the tracks on iTunes (not 100% sure; I'm still using my '90s-era needledrop of the EP). That's far preferable to a $35 grey-market bootleg. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 04 November 2013 at 4:16am
| That song got tons of airplay in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. In fact, it hit #2 on WLOL's weekly survey back in late 1983/early 1984, a full year-and-a half after it "hit" nationally. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 19 November 2013 at 8:52pm
|
Just did an A/B comparison of "What Do All The People Know"
on Living In Oblivion Vol. 3 and Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 4... Could it be that the version on Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 4 is from vinyl? There's much less high end than Oblivion, plus I hear some very faint snap/crackle/pops at the end of the fade that are not on Oblivion. I officially request a second opinion. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 20 November 2013 at 9:31am
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Here's my "unofficial" opinion: I think you're onto something, Ron. Both my 45 and EP needledrops have more high end to them than the Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 4 track. There aren't any obvious sibilance issues, but that missing high end raises a red flag.
I don't have the Living In Oblivion Vol. 3 CD for comparison. Is it as compressed as the JCGE track? Might as well pile on with what's already been said about what a huge hit this record was in the Twin Cities. When I returned to the market in 1985, I was very pleasantly surprised to find the Monroes still in recurrent rotation on both WLOL and KDWB. It sounded great alongside Limited Warranty's locally-released "Never Enough" 12-incher. The beat in "What Do All The People Know" always reminded me of Chuck Francour's 1980 "Under The Boulevard Lights" on EMI America, which had also gotten some airplay in the Cities. |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 08 July 2018 at 4:26pm
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I bought "Living in Oblivion 3", based on what was written above, and having already had Rhino's "Just Can't Get Enough 4". Across the entire song on the Rhino CD I only hear one tiny spot that may suggest it's from LP, and that's a tiny pop at 3:25 on the LHS, which I've learned can sometimes be found on tape transfers. I hear no other vinyl pops/crackle or 'worn out' sounds you hear on vinyl. And even after that tiny little pop, turning up the Rhino CD for the last second of the song (really loudly), it sounds like tape. A little click like this can easily be taken out, and now having the Living in Oblivion CD, I can say there's no click at 3:25. But again, it could have been taken out easily for this CD. Can anyone else who has the Rhino CD (and good ears) listen to the Rhino CD and give their opinion? Mark Mathews - I'd like to know what you think.
Though I turned up the treble a bit when using the Rhino CD for my CDR collection, there's no missing high end and no other evidence of vinyl (or than that tiny tick at 3:25). It could be that "Oblivion" was just mastered brighter, though both from tapes. |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 08 July 2018 at 5:04pm
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Both CD sources sound like they came from tape to my ears. The Rhino disc is borderline brick-walled, though, which is odd for that series and time period. EDIT: I now see that several tracks on this disc are hard limited, although none are extreme. That surprises me. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 08 July 2018 at 8:40pm
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For Just Can't Get Enough, crank up the volume at 3:27, near the end of the fade, and you'll hear a little turntable rumble and a little crackle in the right channel. There are no such artifacts at the same point on Living In Oblivion.
Plus, there's more high end on Oblivion, throughout the song. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 08 July 2018 at 10:29pm
|
Wow. How did you even notice that? I hear the very, very light rumble and crackle just before the song is completely faded out. Other than that, though, I don't hear any noticeable ticks/clicks anywhere else. Did they have noise reduction tools available in 1994 that would've allowed them to clean up a track that well? It also makes me wonder why the handful of other songs from vinyl are much more obvious, like the Nails on Vol. 3. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 09 July 2018 at 8:03am
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Back in 2013 (!), when I was doing all the A/B comparisons for my 1982 tracks, the Rhino version of this song stood out as being just a little off, especially compared to the version on Oblivion.
I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been meticulously comparing discs against each other. It's a very good vinyl transfer. I have copies of this 45 on vinyl and styrene, and I seem to remember that both sound quite nice. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |