Love's Theme - Long Version

[NickNack]

I meant to ask this a while back but forgot until I saw it listed this way in Bernie's Top 500.



Just what is the "long version" of Love's Theme? Are people referring to the way the lp mixes into "Under the Influence of Love" or something else? Just curious.

[maarten]

Nicky - as far as I can tell from my collection, there are three versions of this track.



1. Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's theme (album version, including at the end of the song one of the very first ever bass/drum breaks ever, seeing as it came out in 1973!). This version clocks at 4m11s.



2. Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's theme (edited, fade in the break at the end). Clocks at 3:20.



3. Love Unlimited - Love's theme (vocal).



I would be interested to hear if there ever was an edited vocal version by Love Unlimited.



There is a similar thing with "Oh love, well we finally made it" which exists in a vocal version by Love Unlimited (3m 50s), as well as a glorious instrumental version by the Love Unlimited Orchestra which includes a truly beautiful alto-saxophone solo. And then there is Barry's own version as well...



And the instrumental version of "Let the music play" was also released on a Love Unlimited Orchestra album.



I guess the same happened with some of the Philly hits by Harold Melvin, O'Jays, etc. Some of their instrumental versions were released under the MFSB banner (Backstabbers for instance, one of my all-time favorites).



Hope this helps. I can email you my full Barry/Love/Unlimited collection for reference if you want. I think I have nearly everything by da man.



He was the one that made me love dance music. In Holland, we had pirate radio in the 60's - 80's and it was very popular. There was this local pirate radio station where I lived in the mid 70's who used to play entire Barry White albums... those were the days.

_________________

"ON THE BEAT"





<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: maarten on 2002-03-17 20:13 ]</font>

[Mixmachine]

Wow!, I never heard the version with the bass/break at the end, I just glanced over for the album and didn’t find it, I have a ’95 “Best of " cd that has the 4:08 version, this cd is very good because it has the very hard to get full promo 12” version of “My Sweet Summer Suite” with the long intro, ($200.00 on Ebay) , it also has the 12” versions of “Theme from King Kong” “ Brazilian Love song” and “Let the music play” instrumental, according to the shop it is hard to get, I never checked.

[keefelc]

On 2002-03-17 21:26, Mixmachine wrote:

...this cd is very good because it has the very hard to get full promo 12” version of “My Sweet Summer Suite” with the long intro, ($200.00 on Ebay)

Really, $200.00??! I thought I was ripped off when I paid $60.00 for it almost 20 years ago (however, I had to have it!). Also, I thought the value plummetted when Polydor released this version on CD awhile back. This is very good news - Thanks Mixmachine!

[Mixmachine]

I didn’t know “My sweet summer suite” was released on Polydor either, I guess I’m not keeping up with CD releases, my “Best of” CD is on Mercury on a Funk series, to this day I haven’t been able to get the original 20th Century 12”, $60 to $100.00 was the price 20 years ago so you were not ripped off, I paid like $20.00 for a “intro” only bootleg acetate back then, lousy quality, I was willing to pay $100.00 for the ebay copy but for $200.00 I’ll stick to my CD.

[keefelc]

I guess Polydor/Polygram owned the rights to 20th Century recordings at the time (I think it's now Universal Music). They had a two volume set of remixes. The title of the series was something like "Let's Dance ..." (I can't remember the rest - I'll look tonight afterwork) which are now out of print, but you might still be able to find. The liner notes mention they are including the very rare version of My Sweet Summer Suite.

[NickNack]

On 2002-03-17 19:59, maarten wrote:

Nicky - as far as I can tell from my collection, there are three versions of this track.



1. Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's theme (album version, including at the end of the song one of the very first ever bass/drum breaks ever, seeing as it came out in 1973!). This version clocks at 4m11s.

I have this lp. Do you remember the confusion this release caused as it came out under "Love Unlimited", not "LUO"? People kept saying, "Where are the girls?". As for the "break", I never thought about it but you might be right. An 8-beat rimshot at the end of "Love's Theme" and we're off as they build up to "Under The Influence..."

3. Love Unlimited - Love's theme (vocal).

I would be interested to hear if there ever was an edited vocal version by Love Unlimited.

I've always loved this. I don't think they have an edited version.

I can email you my full Barry/Love/Unlimited collection for reference if you want. I think I have nearly everything by da man.

I'd like to see this. I have, or think I do, most of his stuff but the list would be cool.



MixMachine,



Check out "Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited" by Love Unlimited if you want to hear that break.



_________________

Life Is a Dance

Nicky

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-03-20 11:51 ]</font>