"Nature’s Way" / "Mr. Skin" - Spirit
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Topic: "Nature’s Way" / "Mr. Skin" - Spirit
Posted By: sriv94
Subject: "Nature’s Way" / "Mr. Skin" - Spirit
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 10:00am
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My usual question--can the 45 versions of these songs be extracted from the LP version (I know neither were top 40 hits)?
The 45 of "Nature's Way" has a label time of (2:30) and the LP runs (2:40). For "Mr. Skin", 45's label reads (3:00), while the LP runs (4:00). ------------- Doug --------------- All of the good signatures have been taken. |
Replies:
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 2:58pm
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Doug, my copy of "Nature's Way" from Time Circle (1968-1972) runs 2:30.
I have a copy of "Mr. Skin" that runs 3:48 and starts with a cold vocal, though I've some at 4:00 that start with music. |
Posted By: sriv94
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 4:18pm
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Thanks, John. That (3:48) "Mr. Skin" is on a single (which would also match the time on Time Circle)? ------------- Doug --------------- All of the good signatures have been taken. |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 5:31pm
| Correct, the 3:48 "Mr. Skin" is on Time Circle. |
Posted By: sriv94
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 5:48pm
Just to reclarify, you have a 45 of this and it runs (3:48), and it's that version on Time Circle? ------------- Doug --------------- All of the good signatures have been taken. |
eriejwg wrote:Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 7:07pm
| No, I don't own a 45 for "Mr. Skin." |
Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 11 October 2010 at 8:10pm
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Doug and John, I have the 1971 mono DJ 45, which has the original "Nature's Way" A-side marked with that big scarlet letter, so to speak.
On the flip side, the actual time for "Mr. Skin" is (3:01). Be forewarned: the fade leaves a lot to be desired. It isn't at all smooth and then dumps out very quickly. Was Chuck Britz at the controls? ;) I don't have the LP version for comparison, but will shoot you a 45 dub so that you can share the editing secrets with the rest of the class. :) |
Posted By: bwolfe
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 1:08pm
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Wow! I haven't thought of "Mr. Skin" in awhile.
It got play in Pittsburgh in '73/'74 era on the top 40 stations. I always thought that "Mr. Skin" was simply an early fade of the album version. ------------- the way it was heard on the radio |
Posted By: sriv94
Date Posted: 12 October 2010 at 6:38pm
From what I can tell based on the dub Yah provided, that's exactly right. ETA: And while I'm thinking about it, thanks to Yah for said dub. ------------- Doug --------------- All of the good signatures have been taken. |
Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 09 January 2016 at 2:08pm
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I never did get around to posting details on my "Nature's Way" DJ 45, but have rectified that oversight, thanks to John's prodding. :) This is the original 1971 issue on Epic 10701 (#111 BB), with the oval-shaped Epic logo on the top; stock 45s would have been on the yellow label.
[Note: The 45 was re-released under the same catalog number in 1973, this time with "Mr. Skin" as the "A" side (#92 BB); these stock copies appeared on the updated orange Epic label design. Some of the 1973 pressings still contained "Nature's Way," while others replaced that side with "Soldier," again using the same Epic 10701 catalog number on the orange label. I have neither promo nor stocks of the 1973 reissue, but since "Nature's Way" did not re-chart in 1973, the comments below only refer to the original "Bubbling Under" 1971 DJ 45.] The listed time for "Nature's Way" is 2:30; actual time is 2:25. The 45 is a dedicated mono mix that cannot be replicated from the LP version, which runs 2:40 on the Twelve Dreams Of Doctor Sardonicus CD on Spirit's Original Album Classics European box set on Sony-Legacy. The most obvious difference occurs 2:20 in, at the end of the song, following the final "something's wrong" lyric. On the 45, the final note's cold ending decays gradually until it fades out completely at 2:25. The LP version's final note lasts just one second, dropping out quickly at 2:21, while a drum coda concurrently begins at 2:20 and goes on to segue into the next track, "Animal Zoo." This drum coda does not appear on the ending of the 45 version. The other obvious sign that the 45 is a dedicated mono mix is when the electric guitar comes in twenty-nine seconds in. The guitar is panned hard right on the LP version, at a moderate level. When summed to mono, it really gets buried. The same guitar is front and center on the mono 45. |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 10 January 2016 at 7:48pm
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Thanks for the detail, John. I am a Top 40 Music On CD
professional prodder. Regarding the 1973 release of "Mr. Skin", I have a stereo/mono promo 45. The stereo side is definitely not stereo, more like wide mono. The mix on the promo definitely can't be reproduced. You CAN edit down a true stereo LP version to match the 45 though. |