Nice And Slow - Which version came first?

[Mixmachine]

The new Cheren/Metz blend-mix is the one going out to clubs via 12-inch promotional disks (1,600 copies).

39)(R) NICE AND SLOW - Jesse Green
Scepter 45/ 12” promo remix 5:45/ 12” single commercially available—limited pressing) (10 points/ 2 charts = Denver/ Pittsburgh)

BDA Top 30/40: 2 weeks on chart / RETRUN (last charted 8/28/76 @ #28.)
DCC chart: 18 weeks on chart/ RETURN (last charted 8/28/76 @ #36)

I wonder how many copies of this "Limited pressing" Scepter issued for the retail market, (enough to reach Miami ???) I know what Moulton said in his Billboard column posted by Markydefad here, but I'm still very perplexed as to how I missed this 12" back in the day, this was a favorite song of mine and during this days I was Vinyl hunting three and four times a week!!

[Disco Funk]

Originally Posted by Mixmachine

Ahh, now I see what you are asking, in your sample they removed the Flute during the vocal verses (except for a couple of notes), both 7" versions by Santiago and Jesse include the flute there, which I agree, the flute makes a big difference.

On the other hand, I dont think I ever heard that vocal 'bridge' portion on your sample, maybe it is on the LP? I don't remember since I bought it years later after the song popularity subsided and never played it much.

I'll dig it out of storage to see later, if it was released on the 12" version only then I'll have to do without itI'll save your clip!

Hey, the instrument right after "oh oh oh"... "oh oh".. "oh oh oh " during the intro..
Does that sounds like trumpets to you or synths??

The version in my sample is on the red coach 45. It's not a collectors item or anything. You could probably find it cheap from any online auction place or seller. I've got two copies of the LP (the one with cleavage, and the one with him on the cover), and neither feature that 45 mix. Neither does the red coach 12" (it's just the 5:30 extended edit of the flute mixes - vocal and instrumental). I'm guessing that the red coach 45 was the original mix done in the UK or wherever his record was produced, and then Mel took it and enhanced it and made it sound better.

The instruments are definitely trumpets during the 'whoaaaaoooh...' intro.

Disco Funk

[Disco Funk]

In case anyone is interested, I think it was either Unidisc or Hot Productions (or both) which did their own re-edits of the vocal and instrumental flute mix, which is what the original 12" is based on anyway, as far as I can tell. So the arrangement is slightly different in those later label productions, which is why you might see different running times.

I have a question about a version listed as being from 1982 called US mix? I think it's backed by Come With Me. Was this a remix as well, or just a reissue of the '76 12" mix? It was on Excalibur Records:

Nice & Slow b/w Come With me

Judging by the running time (almost 7 min), I'm wondering if its the same edit as the Unidisc version.

Unidisc version of Nice & Slow

Disco Funk

[Mixmachine]

Originally Posted by Disco Funk

The version in my sample is on the red coach 45. It's not a collectors item or anything. You could probably find it cheap from any online auction place or seller. I've got two copies of the LP (the one with cleavage, and the one with him on the cover), and neither feature that 45 mix. Neither does the red coach 12" (it's just the 5:30 extended edit of the flute mixes - vocal and instrumental). I'm guessing that the red coach 45 was the original mix done in the UK or wherever his record was produced, and then Mel took it and enhanced it and made it sound better.

Red coach label version only then, Thanks I keep an eye for it,

The instruments are definitely trumpets during the 'whoaaaaoooh...' intro.
Disco Funk

If you ever get the Santiago version , listen to the same section, here they sound like synths to me.

I can't help you with your other questions , as I don't know any of those re-issues

[Disco Funk]

I'll definitely have to check out the Santiago version.

Scratch the 'Red Coach' - that was the Greg Carmichael Patrick Adams label, I believe. I mean 'Red Bus Tempo'.

Disco Funk

[remicks]

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Came upon my Santiago copy and it has the same version on both sides and it uses all real instruments thru- out .

The vocals have less life than Jesse's ...and yes he holds his words longer but otherwise very similar.... somewhat George McCrea .


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[Giovanni]

Great thread guys! This is the kind of things I like to read in the forum!

To add my personal view... the Scepter 12" (with the Howard Metz, Mel Cheren mix) has a clear chop edit around 2:53 with the beginning of the instrumental break without the flute, while the Santiago version seems to me better edited if not reworked at all (maybe the master track was the same but a studio job was done for sure), and you cannot hear the chop as in the Jesse Green version

[Disco Funk]

I got my hands on the Santiago version (both 12" and 7" versions) and it definitely sounds like the same backing track. The horns could have been re-recorded, but they might just sound different because they sit differently in the mix (middle of Santiago's version, off to one channel in Green's version). They also sound like they may have been augmented with some strings, which may have changed their sound. The backing vocals are the same.
I remember reading the credits on the album or single of Green's version that he plays the comb on the remix, and comb is featured in the Santiago mix, so I think that proves his was the second version.
I notice the drum break is shorter in the Santiago version. In the Green version, you can hear some bleedthrough or noise the microphone picked up, but this is gone in the Santiago version.
It's too bad the Santiago version didn't attempt to change the disco/long arrangement. If they really wanted to sound distinct from the Green version, they could have made the instrumental section slightly different. Instead it just builds up the exact same way as the Jesse Green version. Totally done to rip off Green. Maybe there was some bad blood there?
Both versions feature some bad/glaring edits. The Santiago long version has a really bad one in the instrumental section where the flute comes in. Sounds like a vocal or loud instrument squeezes in for a split second just before the downbeat.
Disco Funk

[Mixmachine]

Originally Posted by Disco Funk

I got my hands on the Santiago version (both 12" and 7" versions) and it definitely sounds like the same backing track. The horns could have been re-recorded, but they might just sound different because they sit differently in the mix (middle of Santiago's version, off to one channel in Green's version). They also sound like they may have been augmented with some strings, which may have changed their sound.

I think this is what they did, they overlaid another instrument over the horns, it could be Strings, or some cheesy synth.

I remember reading the credits on the album or single of Green's version that he plays the comb on the remix, and comb is featured in the Santiago mix, so I think that proves his was the second version.

What is this comb instrument??

Both versions feature some bad/glaring edits. The Santiago long version has a really bad one in the instrumental section where the flute comes in. Sounds like a vocal or loud instrument squeezes in for a split second just before the downbeat.
Disco Funk

Disco funk , that's a good catch!! you've got a very keen sense of hearing, i'll bet most people never heard this at all, I tend to dismiss some of this minor mistakes, especially from back then when all the editing was done on tape and the editor was trying to extend or stich vocal/instrumental portions from already studio premixed material.

The editor here was editing on the downbeat trying to mask the incomming instrument , but a split second was left behind, editing on the downbeat was not very easy to do on tape, I used to mark everything that needed to be cut off and filled that space in (exactly the same tape length) with the downbeat of the incomming portion, it was tricky, sometimes I had to do it a few times to get it right.

[canadiantire]

I have to add that there are two side "A" on my Amherst copy...

[Disco Funk]

Originally Posted by Mixmachine

I think this is what they did, they overlaid another instrument over the horns, it could be Strings, or some cheesy synth.





What is this comb instrument??

Disco funk , that's a good catch!! you've got a very keen sense of hearing, i'll bet most people never heard this at all, I tend to dismiss some of this minor mistakes, especially from back then when all the editing was done on tape and the editor was trying to extend or stich vocal/instrumental portions from already studio premixed material.

The editor here was editing on the downbeat trying to mask the incomming instrument , but a split second was left behind, editing on the downbeat was not very easy to do on tape, I used to mark everything that needed to be cut off and filled that space in (exactly the same tape length) with the downbeat of the incomming portion, it was tricky, sometimes I had to do it a few times to get it right.

Whoops, I missed replying to your post back in May MM.

The comb is just what it is, a comb. I couldn't tell you what kind of comb he used, but I have heard it used as a percussion instrument before. Maybe it was even a 'fro pick?

I've heard bad edits many times myself. Whenever I edit a song to extend it, I do my best to avoid leaving traces that show where the edit occured.

The worst edits in songs I think I've heard include that extended version of Love Is You, which sounds like Moulton tried to cut together the vocal and instrumental mixes, but the way the song is designed, it's not an easy thing to do. The 12" of Pussyfooter by Jackie Robinson is another example of a song with really bad edits where you can hear to downbeats/kick drums right on top of each other.

Before, I used to use a tape machine to edit (pause-record-pause-record), but now I use PC software which is nice, because if there is some kind of instrument sound I don't like that makes the edit stick out, I can just cut an paste from another part of the song to clean it up.

Disco Funk

[Mixmachine]

Originally Posted by Disco Funk

Whoops, I missed replying to your post back in May MM.

The comb is just what it is, a comb. I couldn't tell you what kind of comb he used, but I have heard it used as a percussion instrument before. Maybe it was even a 'fro pick?

An Afro pick?

For some reason playing a comb reminds me of those old cartoons playing country music while holding the comb between their teeth

In any case I can't pick out this sound in any of my versions

Anyways I came here to post this video, I never saw it before, (but maybe VideoS already posted it??)

Nice and Slow --Jesse Green


Check out this one, who ever did it spent five minutes holding a wavy camera pointing at the TT, what would they think of next

Nice and Slow on a player


PS: For some reason I can't download any You Tube videos for a while now, Hmmmmm,

[djsonic]

Hey guyz!
i think the same thing has happened with "Soul Sister" by Disco Circus.
on cbs records, also was on Salsoul 12" single but with vocals. and diffrent artist. same instumentls.
sonic.

[Disco Funk]

Originally Posted by djsonic

Hey guyz!
i think the same thing has happened with "Soul Sister" by Disco Circus.
on cbs records, also was on Salsoul 12" single but with vocals. and diffrent artist. same instumentls.
sonic.

Soul Sister - the track recorded by Ronnie Jones?

Thanks for linking that video Mixmachine of Jesse Green! I had stopped looking for performances of Nice & Slow a while ago.

The comb sound is the 'chicka-chicka' sound that is kind of hidden by the hi hat.

Disco Funk

[remicks]

Originally Posted by originalbigm

Actually as I recall BITD I had first obtained Nice & Slow by Jesse Green on the Scepter Label through the record pool. A short time later (within a couple of weeks) I obtained a 7" promo copy of Nice and Slow by Shawn Elliot Santiago on the Amherst label.

This Shawn Elliot Santiago Amherst 45 is worth owning .

The "A" side is the commercial radio friendly release timed at 3:29.

The "B" side is titled NICE AND SLOW (DISCO) and is a shorter 3:00 version

The big difference is that the disco version opens with a 4/4 intro and the vocals are reserved for the last third of the song ...


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