12 INCH SINGLE OR EP?

[Karlos]

A little off the wall this one but how many tracks does it take before a 12 inch single becomes an EP? I know some 4 trackers from 1975/6 are classed as 12 inch singles but are they really EP's? My own personal opinion is that a 12 inch single should only have one track on each side or even be just one sided (as with some of the early 12's) so my own definition is that 3 tracks or more constitutes an EP.
I would however be interested to know what others think or if anyone knows if there is an official definition.

[yo-i-got-beats]

If the three tracks are all remixes or variations of the same song, its still a single. If there are three different songs, then I would say its an EP.

yo-i-got-beats

[Paulo]

In the 60's a SINGLE had only 2 songs: the A and the B sides. An EP had 4 different songs, 2 in each side. Both were 7" inch singles.

Things have changed since, but you can still preserve the idea behind the format: if you have a 12 inch with 4 different titles, than it is an EP or mini-LP. But if there are 3 or 4 different mixes of the same song plus the B-side (or not), then it is a 12" single.

The same applies to CD singles. But it is really strange... Take for instance PET SHOP BOYS single BEFORE (1996). It has two parts, each available separately.

Part One has 3 songs and although it is a CD, it follows the old idea of the 7" inch single: the main song (BEFORE) plus the B-side (in case of the CD single, two B-sides).

Part Two is the equivalent of the 12" inch: it has only one song (BEFORE), but it has so many different mixes of that song that the lengh of this CD single is even superior to an album's lengh. Still, we can't call it an album nor an EP.

[Eclipse]

What if you have a 12-incher with one song by Artist X on side A and a different song by Artist Y on side B. Is this a single or an EP? In the end, for database and filing purposes, I decided these were EPs rather than singles, even if the sleeve said something like "12-inch Disco Single!"

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by Eclipse

What if you have a 12-incher with one song by Artist X on side A and a different song by Artist Y on side B. Is this a single or an EP? In the end, for database and filing purposes, I decided these were EPs rather than singles, even if the sleeve said something like "12-inch Disco Single!"

IMO, This is still a single as an EP is from one artist.

[Videoskooter]

An Extended Play is a Single with more than two different tracks by the same artist. I still got a few by artists like Bryan Ferry. A CD-single with 6 remixes of one song is not an EP Imo. One with 3 till X-songs is.