Squeeze - Tempted
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Topic: Squeeze - Tempted
Posted By: aaronk
Subject: Squeeze - Tempted
Date Posted: 24 March 2010 at 8:07pm
| Is there a difference between the single and album versions of "Tempted"? Some CDs run 4:03, while others run a tad shorter between 3:53 and 3:58. There is an A&M CD single that has the 3:53 length, which leads me to believe it might contain a single version/length. |
Replies:
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 24 March 2010 at 8:18pm
| Is this one in the database? |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 24 March 2010 at 8:47pm
| Nope. It only hit #49 in Billboard. |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 5:41am
|
I've always wondered how songs that were relatively insignificant hits during their chart runs work their way into gold rotation. Don't think I ever heard it until the early-ish 90s. I'm sure it scored well in some auditorium test, but I wonder what possessed whoever initially tested it to test a song that wasn't well known. Was it a big MTV hit?
|
Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 6:19am
| I grew up with MTV and I don't remember them playing it (although we didn't get it until 1983.) I never even heard the song until the early '90s. |
Posted By: eric_a
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 11:29am
| Same here. I wonder if its inclusion in "Reality Bites" (1994) caused any of this. |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 11:51am
This theory makes a lot of sense. I didn't know the song until the early '90s either. |
eric_a wrote:Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 12:00pm
| Found this on a web site, too: "...this was used in a commercial for Burger King, and another for Heineken." |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 1:34pm
| I played the song as a current on the radio in 1982, haha. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 1:40pm
|
This song was a staple of my college days in the mid-to-late '80s. "Tempted" was in the same category as "What I Like About You" - teens at the time knew every note and every syllable, and I couldn't DJ a frat party back then without playing both.
"Tempted" was even on Vol. 1 of the "Rock Of The '80s" series from Priority, which came out in 1990. The song didn't get any Z100-style pop airplay in 1981, but it was huge in the modern rock world (or as much as there was of that, back then). It's actually because of this song's legendary status that it was used in "Reality Bites" at all! When Paul Carrack released his first solo album in 1982, "Suburban Voodoo", there's a good reason why the first single, "I Need You", was a virtual rewrite of "Tempted". And later on, when he sang with Mike And The Mechanics, he was known as the guy who sang "Tempted". When I saw Mike And The Mechanics in 1986-ish, they even played "Tempted" as an encore. Really, this song was much bigger than the pop charts give it credit for. |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 1:55pm
| Good info, Ron! Now, the question still remains if there is a difference between the single and LP. Anyone? |
Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 2:50pm
I'm suprised Carrack wasn't billed as the guy who sang "How Long" since that was a bonafied top 10. As for "What I Like About You" I had never heard of that one either until the Michael Morales version hit in 1989. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 3:00pm
At the time that the Michael Morales album was out, the Romantics' original version of the song was still unavailable on CD. I'm convinced that Mr. Morales sold a lot more CDs than he would have if the original were in the marketplace at the time! |
Posted By: MMathews
Date Posted: 25 March 2010 at 4:48pm
|
Oh my, I had to chime in with Ron....
I don't know about every market, but in NY in my high school days, 80-84, both "Tempted" and "What I Like About You" were burned into our collective ears, and radio staples on AOR. Yes, both were also played on MTV, but they gained their first foothold in pop culture on AOR and new wave radio formats. And at the time, a dance party did NOT happen that these were not played. But yes, much like Modern English, it would be the 90's where these were finally considered "pop" classics in all formats. BTW, along with me i believe every one of my classmates owned "Squeeze - Singles, 45's and Under" and could sing every word of every song on it, without a top 40 hit to be found. -MM |
Posted By: edtop40
Date Posted: 26 March 2010 at 6:45am
|
i agree with mark....during my college days 1980-84 it was a staple in the Pace Univ pub on the jukebox......and every one in my dorm had a copy of "Squeeze - Singles, 45's and Under" available to be spun at parties...... ------------- edtop40 |
Posted By: jono
Date Posted: 26 March 2010 at 6:57am
|
In college in the early/mid-80's (in Wisconsin), I was the only one in our house of 7 guys who had the "Singles 45's and Under" Squeeze LP, but I rarely saw it. The other guys borrowed it, taped it (sorry!), played it at parties, etc. I think they were more into "Black Coffee In Bed" from the LP, but "Tempted" was on the same side and they knew the song well.
I agree, it's one of those songs like "What I Like About You", "I Melt With You", or even Trio's "Da Da Da...", which became "Classics" in the 1990's via commercials (or remakes), probably because someone in charge of the ads had the albums in college or high school in the '80's. I too recall Paul Carrack being known as the voice of "Tempted" when his solo LP "One Good Reason" came out, as well as when Mike & The Mechanics stuff was released. Only once in awhile would someone comment that he was also the voice of Ace's "How Long". Jon O. |
Posted By: Roscoe
Date Posted: 26 March 2010 at 10:27am
|
I always thought of "Tempted" and "What I Like About You" as "college" songs. They were staples at bars, frat parties, mix tapes, etc. during my college years (1985-1989) even though this was several years after their meager chart showings.
Some songs just seemed to take on a life of their own in the college world. Another one that was a staple was Billy Idol's "Mony Mony", which I suspect was a factor in its 1988 re-release in live form. Of course, many other songs popular with the college crowd in the 80s never became radio staples. I'm thinking of favorites by New Order ("Bizarre Love Triangle", "Blue Monday"), The Cure ("Boys Don't Cry", "In Between Days"), Violent Femmes ("Add It Up", Blister In The Sun"), etc. |
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 27 March 2010 at 5:35pm
|
BTW, the timing of this thread works well with the film that opened this weekend "Hot Tub Time Machine." They travel back to 1986. The soundtrack includes several 80s songs including a "Bizarre Love Triangle" 12" remix. ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 21 May 2010 at 4:24pm
|
Getting back to "Tempted"...
This morning on the radio, I heard a version where the vocals were different. It had the same instrumentation and the same two lead voices, but the inflection was different. It didn't sound like a later recording, but more like an alternate vocal take. Anyone know what the story is on this version? |
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 21 May 2010 at 6:05pm
|
To RichM921:
You might want to check into the version on the 'Reality Bites' soundtrack and tell me if that's the alternate version you heard. Andy |
Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 21 May 2010 at 6:11pm
Rich, might it have been the "Tempted (94)" single from the Reality Bites soundtrack? Squeeze - "Tempted (94)" http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh240/YahShure/Squeeze-Tempted94.jpg - label scan Squeeze - "Tempted (94)" http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh240/YahShure/Squeeze-Tempted94picsleeve.jpg - picture sleeve This was designated as "Side One" on both the 45's label and picture sleeve. The other side - which charted at #91 in April, 1994 - was an edited remix of "My Sharona" by the Knack, and was designated as "Side A" on both label and pic sleeve. Cute. :) EDIT: Andy beat me to it! |
Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 21 May 2010 at 7:43pm
| Yup, this was probably it! Thanks guys! |
Posted By: Todd Ireland
Date Posted: 22 May 2010 at 8:45am
I'm sure I'm representing a minority opinion, but I've always liked Michael Morales' version of "What I Like About You" better than the original. To me, it boasts more punch and raw energy and I wasn't surprised to see his version chart higher on Billboard (though I think both versions were worthy of Top 10 status). When Morales' cover tune came out in the fall of 1989, I took his self-titled CD to my friend who was the DJ at our school's homecoming dance, urged him to play it, and it received one of the best responses on the dance floor that night. Granted, I haven't heard Morales' version even once on the radio since falling off the Top 40 chart over 20 years ago! Every station faithfully plays the Romantics' version. |
Posted By: Fetta
Date Posted: 08 February 2013 at 1:25pm
| Did we ever uncover if there is a difference between the 45 and lp version? All appearances that I own have a time of 3:59-4:02. Whitburn's annual lists a time of 3:53. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 24 February 2014 at 9:39pm
|
I have "Tempted" on 15 different CDs, so I've never been tempted (ahem) to play my 45, which even has a neato picture sleeve. I highly, highly doubt that there's a difference between LP and 45, but I can't confirm. I think the Singles 45s And Under disc might have used all the 45 versions, but I don't have the others on vinyl to compare. The timing differences are due to speed errors; detailed below. "Tempted" has been readily available on CD since 1987. I'll try to give a mastering history as best I can.
The original '80s-era A&M East Side Story (copyright 1981) really doesn't sound so good. Too bad, because it's one of the very best pop albums of all time. If you mono out "Tempted", you'll hear a little bit of warble due to tape head misalignment; I haven't checked the other tracks. Polygram's promo PGD Presents Great Sounds Vol. 1 (1991) is digitally identical to East Side Story. By the way, I've heard that the MFSL release of East Side Story is absolutely stunning, but that's $$$$ and way out of my league. The song appeared on the Squeeze best-of Singles 45s And Under (copyright 1982, not sure when appeared on CD). I like the sound on this disc. EQ is mid-rangy, which emphasizes the vocals very nicely. I've seen Singles 45s And Under repackaged as the 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection, but I don't know if it's been remastered. The same analog transfer is used on:
The A&M Greatest Hits disc uses great source tapes, has a very nice EQ, has plenty of dynamic range,... but uses noise reduction. You can hear a little bit of swirliness on the fade, which isn't present on any of the other discs here. Too bad, because this would have been an A+ collection without the noise reduction. Realm's 3-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s Vol. 3 (2002) is a differently EQ'd digital clone, but is about 6 dB louder and clips a lot - avoid. I'm not positive, but I think Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough Vol. 3 (1994) may be based on the mastering for Singles 45s And Under. Both sound pretty close. Amazingly, the Rhino disc actually rolls off some of the high end, compared to Singles. Both sound good. The same analog transfer is used on:
If I had to pick the best-sounding version out of all of the above (excluding the MFSL East Side Story), I'd go with A&M's Singles 45s And Under (1982). Plus, the track selection is top-notch, with no weak links at all. You can probably tell that I'm a Squeeze fan... ------------- 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: 80smusicfreak
Date Posted: 25 February 2014 at 4:55am
Same here. :-) But the funny thing is, while I've never hated it, "Tempted" has never really done anything for me - in fact, if anything, after 30+ years, I've just grown tired of hearing it over & over again! In addition, Paul Carrack's lead vocals have always sounded out-of-place to me on that song, mainly because he wasn't an original member, and didn't even stick w/ the band, going forward (even if he did briefly re-join them for about a year and one album, circa 1993-94). "Black Coffee in Bed" remains my favorite of theirs (how is it that it DIED at #103 in Billboard, as the lead single to their follow-up album on the heels of their success w/ "Tempted"?!?), along w/ "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)". Heck, at this point, I'll even take "Hourglass" - a fun song, w/ a cool video to boot - over "Tempted"... :-) I caught Squeeze live in 2010, when they co-headlined a brief U.S. tour w/ Cheap Trick(!). (Hey, I'm a big CT fan, too - in fact, that was actually my THIRD time seeing them over the years.) Squeeze were in fine form that night, although what struck me the most was that they were "all business" on stage - no stories, talking between songs, or any other interaction w/ the crowd (e.g., having the audience participate by singing the chorus to any of their hits, introducing the band members, etc.). Aside from a couple of "thank you"'s, they just pretty much went up there and played the songs - no drawn-out solos, either - which is in sharp contrast to most older American acts these days. (BTW, same goes for two other acts that I've seen in concert over the last several years, Tears for Fears and Psychedelic Furs - so it must be a Brit thing, lol...)
The CD version first came out here in the U.S. in 1983 or '84, as it was one of the earliest CD releases Stateside; I actually have an original Japan-for-U.S. pressing of that one, which is pretty rare...
You can push that date back to 1984, because in addition to Singles-45's and Under, the song's original parent album, 1981's East Side Story, was also one of the earliest CD releases here, as Japan-for-U.S. pressings of that one circa 1984-85 also exist (although I don't own one myself). It just goes to show that - despite missing the top 40 here - "Tempted" was already considered a classic by the mid '80s, and A&M was more than happy to try and ca$h in on it...
I'm going to assume that your copy of East Side Story on A&M CD 3253 is a U.S. pressing from the late '80s or beyond, and NOT one of the original Japan-for-U.S. pressings made around 1984-85 (please confirm). The reason these earliest CD pressings from Japan, West Germany, and a few other foreign countries are considered collectible today - especially among audiophiles like yourself - is because they almost always contain masterings that weren't tinkered w/, such as new EQ, noise reduction, "brickwalling", etc., and as a member of the Steve Hoffman forum, I know you're already well aware of that. :-) Therefore, it is highly likely that the masterings found on the early Japan-for-U.S. pressings of both Singles-45's and Under and East Side Story differ from those heard on your later U.S. pressings, which is what you analyzed and gave your opinions on above. So I wonder if you may be jumping the gun on ESS here???
Yeah, while not extremely rare, the MFSL version can currently be had on eBay for about $40-$50, and even I'm not willing to go that high - so that's perfectly understandable! However, since you gave the album such accolades, why not go w/ what is likely the second-best thing, i.e., one of those first Japan-for-U.S. pressings, since they can be acquired for so much less??? (I'd buy one myself, except that I readily admit I don't have either the tools or skills to analyze the audio quality the way that you can & do!) A quick search of the current listings on eBay yields at least FOUR copies to choose from, the first one that I've linked to below having the best pics, so that you can be sure of what you're getting: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Squeeze-Eastside-Story-Early-Pressing-JAPAN-CD-/251308734619?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3a832af89b - Copy #1 ($18.99 + FREE shipping) http://www.ebay.com/itm/East-Side-Story-by-Squeeze-EARLY-PRESSING-CD-Japan-1983-A-M-/181315432005?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item2a373dee45 - Copy #2 ($12.99 + $3.00 shipping) http://www.ebay.com/itm/East-Side-Story-by-Squeeze-CD-1981-A-M-Records-JAPAN-/370996340673?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item56611ae7c1 - Copy #3 ($12.50 + FREE shipping) http://www.ebay.com/itm/East-Side-Story-Very-Good-Music-/131111277703?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item1e86d75487 - Copy #4 (sale-priced for three more days @ $10.20 + $3.00 shipping) So if you do elect to buy one, I look forward to seeing your analysis here vs. the other CDs that you've already covered - and honestly, being the audiophile that you are, I'm a bit surprised you don't collect more of these first/early CD pressings circa 1983-87 by other acts (V/A compilations notwithstanding, of course!)... |
Posted By: Ringmaster_D
Date Posted: 25 February 2014 at 7:09am
A minor correction here. Carrack is indeed singing lead on "Tempted '94" but it's a newly-recorded vocal, and a good one at that. Actually, this version uses much of the backing track from the original version (including Elvis Costello's vocals) but adds additional overdubs. It does not supplant the original, but it is a very interesting listen. |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 25 February 2014 at 7:43pm
|
I actually have two copies of East Side Story on
CD. Both are '80s-era, unremastered, catalog number CD 3253, "AM+" logo (although that doesn't mean anything). One is Japan-for-US, matrix number CD-3253 1A5 77. The other looks identical to the Japan disc in every way, except "Made In USA" replaces the original "Made In Japan", and does so with a slightly larger font, matrix number CD3253 2/92 1DA4. Both have the tape head-alignment problem on "Tempted" and a few other tracks - not all of them, though. It sounds pretty good until you hit the "mono" button, then it's full o' warble. I didn't check to see if they're digitally identical, although I suspect that they are. ------------- 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: 80smusicfreak
Date Posted: 26 February 2014 at 4:43am
| Thanks for the additional details, cftp. It appears your U.S. pressing of ESS is indeed the first American-made version from the late '80s, and based on your expert analysis, simply carried over the same mastering as the initial Japan-for-U.S. pressings circa 1984-85. I don't know when (or how many times) the album has been remastered on CD over the years, but it was last re-issued here in the U.S. in 2007 on American Beat - and while now out-of-print, can still be had for cheap, so that may be another option... |
Posted By: vanmeter
Date Posted: 26 February 2014 at 6:39am
| Gosh, I certainly remember it from MTV very early on, that's how I knew about it and "What I Like About You" both. I remember Charlie's "It's Inevitable" from around that time, too. This would be about 1983 or so as well as I can recall. |
Posted By: David Pro
Date Posted: 05 September 2020 at 7:17am
|
To answer the original question,
the album version runs 4:03, whereas the 3:53 version is the US 45 version. |
Posted By: LunarLaugh
Date Posted: 06 September 2020 at 8:47am
|
The music video that ran on MTV, VH-1 and currently is up
on YouTube has the song running at a slower speed due to the difference in US/UK frame rates and the age of the transfer. You'd think after all these years, someone might want to track down the original source materials and remaster those clips in better quality for posterity but it would seem that train has sailed. The band weren't happy with that video anyhow. Apparently the original clip they made for "Tempted" that they preferred was scrapped by the label in favor of the rushed, cheaply made performance clip that we all know and love. ------------- https://thelunarlaugh.bandcamp.com/ - Listen to The Lunar Laugh! |