Taylor Dayne - Tell It To My Heart

There are a number of CDs out there on which this track slows down by about 2% near the end of the song.

I've noticed this effect on a handful of other songs, including the short edit of "Freeway of Love" by Aretha Franklin, "Hold Me Now" by the Thompson Twins, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung, "Whip It" by Devo, "Seasons Change" by Expose, the single edit of "Don't Shed A Tear" by Paul Carrack, and a few Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis tracks including the single version of "Monkey" by George Michael. (I don't really understand why a bunch of these are on Arista.) While I'm not 100% sure what causes this, one possible explanation is that the tape deck is set for one size playback reel, and the actual playback reel is a different size. It's possible - I remember the multi-track deck in my first radio station had a large/small reel control. Regardless, it's probably a tape drag effect, and I don't like it.

Anyway, here are my findings. Timings are total track time.

The following CDs have the tape drag effect. The first two CDs in the list have a starting tempo of about 118.6 BPM and an ending tempo of about 116.1 BPM, to give you idea of how much drag is involved:

• After Hours (Silver Eagle/Warner Special Products OPCD-4523, 1990; 3:38)
• Everything '80s (Razor & Tie /Warner Special Products OPCD-4560, 1995; 3:41)
• Rock On 1987 (Madacy ROK-2-1987, 1996; 3:41)
• Hot Moves (JCI JCD-2702, 1989; 3:38; plays faster than above CDs, but still has drag at end)
• It's Only Rock & Roll 1985-1989: #1 Radio Hits (I don't have this CD, but it appeared in an earlier post about this defect.)

The following CDs have no tape drag, but run too slow throughout the track:

• Hot Sounds (PolyTel Canada 836 076-2, 1988; 3:41; 117.6 BPM throughout, or about 0.4% too slow)
• The Hits Album 8 (CBS/BMG/WEA [UK] CD Hits 8, 1988; 3:40; 117.7 BPM throughout, or about 0.3% too slow)

These CDs have no tape drag, and all run at the proper tempo of 118.1 BPM throughout:

• The "A" List Disc 43 (Swaitek, 1994; 3:42)
• Gold & Platinum Volume 6 (Realm 1CD 7899, 1989; 3:40)
• Now 1988 (Virgin EMI PolyGram UK 8 27074 2, 1993; 3:36; accelerated fade at 3:33, compared to others in this group)
• Rock The First (Sandstone D233046-2, 1992; 3:41; mastered by Steve Hoffman, and the best-sounding of the bunch, although the Now disc isn't far behind)
• Sounds Of The Eighties - The Late '80s (Time-Life R988-19, 1996; 3:41)

Edited by crapfromthepast

I also documented the slow down problem with song in the "mastering error" thread (at least I think that's where I posted it). I seem to recall Ed or someone else saying that the Taylor Dayne full-length CD does not have the slow down problem.

Thanks, Todd!

Two more CDs that play at the correct pitch and don't have the tape drag problem:

• Tell It To My Heart (Arista ARCD-8529, 1988; 3:41, same analog transfer but different EQ from Time-Life's The Late '80s CD above)
• 80s Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 8 Dance Party (Priority P2 53732, 1993; 3:41)

The 12" Club Mix is available on Pure... 80's remixes" a 2014 4-CD set from
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