DONNA SUMMER - "She Works Hard For The Mo

DONNA SUMMER - "She Works Hard For The Money"

I possess two commercial 45s of this song. One is (4:00) of the actual running time, and another is (4:10),
both listed times are "4:09" on the record label together. (Mercury 812 370-7)

The short 45's matrix number is "812 370-7 2-57421-SH"
The long 45's matrix number is "812 370-7 2-57421-PRL(or, PRC)...1-1"
I couldn't see the long 45's number clearly. The short 45 is faded out earlier than the long 45.

Thank you very much for the great information about the PolyGram plant, MCT1. It is useful for me!

Please see the following 2 scanning pictures.


(Plant#54) The short 45's matrix number is "812 370-7 2-57421-SH"


(Plant#26) The long 45's matrix number is "812 370-7 2-57421-PRC...1-1"

I compared the short 45 with the long 45 again. The short 45 is surely faded out earlier, and doesn't have an edit. Thank you again for your info, MCT1.

Great catch! The database currently lists these as "45 version but longer," and most run approximately 4:31-4:32.

Just documenting some mastering history, for the CDs I have that include the song. (I certainly don't own everything.)

LP version (5:18)

The oldest CD I own with the LP version is a promotional disc called PGD Presents Great Sounds (1991). It runs 136.5 BPM throughout (a live drummer playing to a click track). This disc rounds up tracks from other discs, and lists this song as being from Mercury's '80s-era release of the full She Works Hard For The Money album. I suspect that the PGD disc is a digital clone of the full Money CD, but can't confirm.

There's a new analog transfer on Casablanca's 2-CD Donna Summer Anthology (1993), which emphasizes the high end a little more than the PGD disc and has a fade than extends a little longer than the PGD disc. It sounds superb here. It runs 136.7 BPM throughout. There's a differently-EQ'd digital clone on:

• Time-Life's Body And Soul Ladies Got Soul (2002)

I highly recommend Anthology, which has outstanding sound and an equally outstanding track selection.

45 version (4:10)

As StayTuned pointed out, the 45 has some unique audio around 3:20-3:24. The vocals return after the guitar solo, and the last notes of the solo are present under the first notes of the vocals. This overlap isn't present on the LP version, so that the 45 version can't be recreated from the LP version.

The oldest CD I own with the 45 version is a European compilation on PolyGram called Hits On CD Vol. 2 (1984). It runs 4:10, runs at 136.2 BPM throughout. The EQ is a little muted, but the disc seems to use a low-generation tape source.

There's a different analog transfer on Silver Eagle/Warner Special Products' 2-CD After Hours (1990). It runs too fast, at 137.6 BPM throughout. The tail of the fade extends to the same point in the song as Hits On CD Vol. 2, but it only runs 4:08 here due to the speed difference. There's quite a bit of midrange (not high-frequency) tape hiss at the end of the fade, which leads me to think that this disc uses a relatively high-generation tape source. The same analog transfer is used on:

• Razor & Tie's 2-CD Totally '80s (1993)
• Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 11 1983-1984 (1995) - differently-EQ'd digital clone of Totally '80s
• Madacy's Rock On 1983 Sweet Dreams (1998) - digitally exactly 1 dB louder than Totally '80s

There's a new analog transfer on Rhino's Billboard Hot R&B Hits 1983 (1996). It runs 4:10, and runs at 136.5 BPM throughout. I like this mastering a lot: it has a crisp high end, pronounced low end, seems to use a very low-generation tape source, has a tail to the fade that extends out as far as the earlier discs without the midrange tape hiss. It sounds stellar here.

The mastering on Rhino's Billboard Top Dance Hits 1983 (1998) is much too loud, and clips a lot. It also runs too slow, at 135.5 BPM throughout. Avoid.

The version on the Donna Summer 2-CD best-of Journey The Very Best Of (2003) adds a little compression/limiting, which isn't present on the earlier discs. It runs 136.5 BPM throughout.

Incorrect edits

If you attempt to recreate the 45 version by deleting 3:20 to 4:02 of the LP version, you'll find that the vocals after the guitar solo (around 3:24) don't have any of the guitar notes in the background. That's the case with all of the discs I list below.

There's an in-house edit on TM Century's track no. 00001072, which was likely produced in the mid-'80s. In addition to the 3:24 portion not matching the 45, the fade runs too long, so that the track run 4:18. It runs 136.4 BPM throughout, and actually has decent sound quality, with no artifacts of noise reduction on the fade. The same analog transfer is used on:

• swaitek's promo 50-CD The A List Disc 18 (1994)

The version on Greatest Hits (1998) makes the same edit as the above two, but fades later so that it runs 4:31. (It does hasten the fade by 3 or 4 seconds, compared to letting the edit run out to the full length of the LP fade.) For what it's worth, the sound quality is nice here. It runs 136.4 BPM throughout.

My recommendations

For the LP version, go with Casablanca's 2-CD Donna Summer Anthology (1993).

For the 45 version, go with Rhino's Billboard Hot R&B Hits 1983 (1996).