Ray Goodman & Brown - Special Lady

I can't help with that CD, but I do recall when Rhino sent us a tape with the songs to be used on the Billboard "Hot R&B Hits" series, that they used the "non-spoken intro" version. We told them that they didn't have the proper commercial 45 version and they did end up using the correct one. IMO, that opening helps make the song special (pun intended).

Edited by Paul Haney

80smusicfreak, that's the same CD? I saw that one, but saw it was Warner Special and didn't have the same number... so I wasn't sure.

Paul, you may have a good point. I haven't heard the non-spoken intro version, and perhaps I would be better off continuing to play the commercial 45 version. (At least that one is easier to find on CD!) :-)

is the commercial 45 an edit of the LP version, or does it simply fade before
the LP end bit?

LP version, runs 4:14 and includes rap in the intro

I have CDs with three different analog transfers of the LP version, with HUGE differences in sound quality.

The best, by a country mile, is Rhino's Video Soul (1995). I can't tell if it's from vinyl or not - I hear a tiny crackle on the fade.

Worse, and SIGNIFICANTLY worse, is Rhino's Smooth Grooves Vol. 3 (1995). There's pretty much no high end, and we know from Video Soul that there's plenty of high end on the original recording. I think I may hear some swirliness to the high end throughout the song - evidence of noise reduction? The same analog transfer is used on Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 8 On My Mind (1996) and Time-Life's 2-CD Body And Soul Vol. 3 Sweet Seduction (1998; digitally exactly 2 dB quieter).

Even worse, and I didn't think this was possible until I heard it with my own ears, is the promo sampler Funk Essentials Soul Reggae Roots (1996). I can't think of many other tracks on a compact disc that sound worse than this one. The promo sampler says this tracks is from Polydor's Best Of; I don't know what Best Of sounds like, but I certainly hope it's better than the sampler.

The difference is sound quality among these three is astonishing, so much so that I question if any or all are needledrops from vinyl. I defer to more talented ears than mine to determine if they're from tape or not.

Commercial 45 version, runs about 3:38 and includes rap in the intro; is an early fade of the LP version

Sounds really, really nice on Rhino's Billboard Hot R&B Hits 1980 (1996). Plenty of high end, and much more natural-sounding than any of the LP versions, including Video Soul. Pretty sure this one is from a tape source.

swaitek's The A List Disc 3 (1994) is clearly from vinyl.

Promo 45 version, runs about 3:41 and has no rap in the intro

There's a cheapie 4-CD set from Time-Life called Great Love Songs Of The 70's And 80's (1991) that includes the promo 45 version. I think the discs were sold separately; this song is on Vol. 1 Then Came You. The sound is good, not great, roughly on par with Video Soul. I don't hear any hiss on the fade; could this be from vinyl, too? The fade is shaped a little differently than the commercial 45, and last a few seconds longer.

Edited by crapfromthepast