Great Tunes!/Bad 12 Inches! (or Remixes)

[Rodmann2]

I'm not sure if this has been a topic here before but I'll give it a go. Sometimes great tunes get really crappy remixes! Here's a few in my Hall Of Shame:

Sharon Redd/CAN YOU HANDLE IT - This is a great tune. I have a mp3 of this song that clocks in at about 5:12. (I'm not sure exactly what mix this is?) This is by far the best mix of this song that I have heard. I've also got a horrible mix somewhere in my collection that has all of Sharon's wonderful vocal removed and instead has her babbling some drunken nonsense about boys. Some really bad drum machine programming was also added just to make sure that they really screwed this one up! Unreal!

Ashford & Simpson/TRIED, TESTED, AND FOUND TRUE - I love this overlooked gem from 1976. The single version clocks in at about 3:27 and it's wonderful! This tune keeps you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning all the way up to that wonderful vamp at the end! I always wondered why this one never really took off, that is until I heard the lackluster 12 inch mix! It clocks in at 5:27 and somehow they managed to suck ever bit of excitement out of the song with a rotten cut and paste job! This one had great potential, what went wrong? :cry:

I'm sure you guys have some 12 inch horror stories!

[Bernie]

One that I just don't understand is the Howard Merritt 12" remix of Love Is The Ultimate / Dancing in The Night / Touch Me Baby by Ultimate. A wonderful song was destroyed by this remix. The album version is the only way to listen to this.

Sorry Nicky, I know that Howard is a friend of yours, but what was he thinking? :cry:

[K-Bee]

Good topic rod....you made me think a lot here (not something I do very often :lol: )

two tracks come to mind.

1) the "Midnight Mix" of Aurra's "You And Me Tonight" (1985)
- talk about sloppy drum programming - and they even added it on top of the original drum beat instead of replacing it alltogether. That's NOT the way to do it :x

2) Wally Badarou had a few mixes made of his "Chief Inspecter". The LP version is 3 mins of pure instrumental class. The remix I have by Paul "Groucho" Smykle must have been made my a def man. The use of badly placed effects makes this a real joke compared to the original version from the "Echoes" album (1983)

[ALBATROS]

:( Yeah, what they usually do is this; They took some good Disco tune, filter out the low frequencies ( to get rid of original drums ), cut it in several pharses and then just rearange everything with most of the track being loops of previously cutted music material. Of course from original lyrics usually they take only refrain, while other parts are just brainless loops mostly annoying repeating of some uhh,
ahh, yeah, baby, do it ... And most inportant on top of everything they put a fierce bass and drum kick from machine. ( in lots of cases too fast anyway...) Voila, thats a recipe how to make a house record from a scratch in one afternoon on your ordinary PC. Of course it can be done much better than this, but in general this is true. :D

Originals are originals...
ALBATROS

[Sami M]

Disconet remix of Abba's Lay all your love on me destroyed the original continuety of the track.

12" of Salsoul Orch. Ooh I love it, is not as hot as the original.

Especially from 1984 on or so the 12" remixes began to be more and more a media for remixers not for songs. I think this has nowadays become a rule. There are good songs that are pushed in the certain formula that the star remixes has. Thus we have a whole new song which has very little to do with the original, and which usually is just crab that would never make it in the charts without the original song. Of course there are good remixes, but so many times I would be happy with just a long version, think Kylie for example. (But this belongs under another topic)

[nrgbeat]

Originally Posted by Sami M

Disconet remix of Abba's Lay all your love on me destroyed the original continuety of the track.

I'll bet there are several New York and Fire Island residents who would disagree with you on that.

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by Bernie

One that I just don't understand is the Howard Merritt 12" remix of Love Is The Ultimate / Dancing in The Night / Touch Me Baby by Ultimate. A wonderful song was destroyed by this remix. The album version is the only way to listen to this.

Sorry Nicky, I know that Howard is a friend of yours, but what was he thinking? :cry:

That's funny -- when I read the topic, this is the first thing that came to my mind. I first heard the remix on the Casablanca Story comp, and almost passed up the album when I came across it. I was blown away by how much better the LP mix is!

While I like much of Rick Gianatos' mixes, his take on El Coco's "Cocomotion" is just a tad too stripped-down for me.

But worst of all are the remixes that are done years after the original track. These fall into two categories:

- Trying to "update" the song by replacing drums with drum machines and loops, throwing in the favourite samples and effects of the moment, etc. These remixes have the ability to quickly sound more dated than the originals. There were loads of these done in the 80s, fortunately most did not sell and have been deservedly forgotten.

- Contemporary so-called remixes that simply sample a vocal phrase or lick, and build a whole new track underneath it... usually just the monotonous bass line, and the obligatory 909 drum samples. No trace of the original melody or chord progression remains. These are still happening today...

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by Bernie

One that I just don't understand is the Howard Merritt 12" remix of Love Is The Ultimate / Dancing in The Night / Touch Me Baby by Ultimate. A wonderful song was destroyed by this remix. The album version is the only way to listen to this.

Sorry Nicky, I know that Howard is a friend of yours, but what was he thinking? :cry:

:lol: Must have been one of his "day-after" remixes. I'll have to ask him when I get a hold of him. :lol:

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by Sami M

Disconet remix of Abba's Lay all your love on me destroyed the original continuety of the track.

:-? Continuity :-? ? Forgive me, but it's a 3:39 pop track. How much continuity can there be :roll: ? The remix made it something of a club classic. No dj I knew was touching this track until the Disconet release. If it hadn't been remixed, then LAYLOM would remain nothing but a radio hit. That's not bad, but it's this remix that made Tom Moulton regret (and us, too :( ) his not taking on "Dancing Queen" as asked.

[efunk_adelic]

Just thinking of a track off the top of my head was tough enough... but, I remembered 1 finally.! :)

I'm not sure you guys agree but,

how bout

Taana Gardner - Heartbeat (Club Version) (9:34) :roll:

the flip side is much funkier and easier to dance to

(Party Version) (6:30)

I'm hoping this is the more popular version of the 2.

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by Rodmann2

Sharon Redd/CAN YOU HANDLE IT - This is a great tune. I have a mp3 of this song that clocks in at about 5:12. (I'm not sure exactly what mix this is?) This is by far the best mix of this song that I have heard. I've also got a horrible mix somewhere in my collection that has all of Sharon's wonderful vocal removed and instead has her babbling some drunken nonsense about boys. Some really bad drum machine programming was also added just to make sure that they really screwed this one up! Unreal!

Wow! It's amazing how people react differently to things.

I don't know the 5:12 mix you're referring to. The lp mix is 6:26 and the 12" you mention runs 8:24. The lp version is hot and got a lot of play. The 12" when it first hit got a similar reaction to yours: "WHERE'S THE VOCALS? :evil: " That didn't last long, however. People got into the jazzy-club feel of the song. Bobby Thurston's guitar work was up front and sizzling. Sharon's entrance with a mild 'scat' made it all the more interesting. She proceeds to rap (not "babble" ) to the man she came into the club to get.

You know, I came here tonight by myself / But I knew I wasn't going to leave by myself / I knew you were gonna be here / I saw you dancin' all the way across the floor / Talkin' that body talk / I can talk, too / Um, hmm, that's right / Oooh, umh!

Now that you've got it, what are you gonna do with it / Show me / Umm, umm, umm / Do you really think you can handle it / Ha ha, that's right!

This became one of the 12"s that always packed the floor. Mid-tempo funk with a sleazy attitude. The overdubs were hot, especially (for me) the subtle addition of string rushes that faded to infinity. The ending where Sharon's last note is held until it fades to nothing and then the strings catch the same note and bring it back always gave me chills. Playing it right now. Sounds f*&%ing wonderful!

BTW --- This remix gave a lot of exposure and garnered much respect for the remixer: Francois Kevorkian (a/k/a Francois K).

[Forrrce]

On the Sharon Redd front, there was a typically pointless 'updating' in 1992 by DNA, featuring Sharon Redd, which sold quite well over here. I'd managed to forget it, until now.

If it's not this version that's deemed objectionable, maybe it's the turntable re-working on the Prelude Mastermixes LP that is. I don't personally have a problem with the early versions - I loved 'em all and can remember hearing Greg Edwards play the FK 12" mix for the first time. Man, it blew me away.

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by Forrrce

On the Sharon Redd front, there was a typically pointless 'updating' in 1992 by DNA, featuring Sharon Redd, which sold quite well over here. I'd managed to forget it, until now.

If it's not this version that's deemed objectionable, maybe it's the turntable re-working on the Prelude Mastermixes LP that is. I don't personally have a problem with the early versions - I loved 'em all and can remember hearing Greg Edwards play the FK 12" mix for the first time. Man, it blew me away.

Agree with you here. That DNA version got no play from me. Pointless.

[Mixmachine]

Originally Posted by Graham_Start

But worst of all are the remixes that are done years after the original track. These fall into two categories:

- Trying to "update" the song by replacing drums with drum machines and loops, throwing in the favourite samples and effects of the moment, etc. These remixes have the ability to quickly sound more dated than the originals. There were loads of these done in the 80s, fortunately most did not sell and have been deservedly forgotten.

...

This CD is probably old news to many here, but just this week I received a 1999 Rhino CD that falls in this category, it’s called “Everybody Dance, The best of remix dance classics” it features remixes of classics by many ‘remixers’ including “Master at Work” , Hits like Chic’s “Everybody Dance” and “Good times” also “Runaway Love “ Funky Sensation” “Highjack” “Respect” and many others are all IMO overcooked, boring and “‘Forced”, the overlay of the new drum kick and beat just doesn’t work, the same goes for the excessive techno wizardry used, voice over loops, re-verbs, etc, with ‘Good times’ they even replaced the original base line, and “He’s the Greatest Dancer” is pitched to the max, and apparently after so much 'Digital' manipulation the sound quality is terrible, all and all for me it was interesting to listen to this ‘New’ re-mixes just to see what they did, but this CD will not get to much play time in my system. Luckily the cost of my curiosity was only $5.99

[Bernie]

Mix,

I have some promo 12 inchers from Atlantic of the Trammps "Disco Inferno" , Chic's "Jack le Freak".... and they are horrible-I mean real bad.

Why do they even do this? Then again I'm pretty sure purists back in the 70s said the same thing when classics such as Sly Stone's "Everyday People" and things like the Beatles were Disco-tized.