Udating/re-mixing songs

[Racket_Man]

with all of the song thread I thought this might be a topic for discussion

the other night whilst winding my way on a delivery, the local oldies station played a version of Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise" (released in 1978) that was VASTLY different than the one I have become used to (the longer LP version).

in a quick search I find that there are actually 2 versions of the song one for the 45RPM single and the longer LP version. there is a DISTINCT difference between the two versions ie. 2 different guitar leads, slightly but distinct different lryical differences, etc. the difference I assume was the 45 version was for the more tight hits (3 minutes or less Top 40 ) type of radio station

Yes I do know of the 2 versions of "Legs" by ZZ Top for the same reason

now to the gist of my post. as CD's became the dominate media into the mid 90's I started noticing that the "songs of my youth" were changing. things were being added or vocals overdubbed or instruments added in the background or instruments or voices being deleted.

I know this may not apply to the more comptemorary music, but why add or subtract or "edit" something that was poular????

[lordlundar]

Legal reasons mainly. Some group has the talent to play solid music but just lack the creativity to make a song from scratch. So they find a really popular song and to avoid paying royalties, change it just enough to avoid a lawsuit.

Sometimes it works out well. A number of cover bands and artists make the changes so different that they might as well be different songs (and in a number of cases, better than the original). In others, it's just a lazy attempt that's obvious all they're trying to avoid is a lawsuit.

[Ginger Tea]

Some best of 80's CD's had rerecordings of songs with hard to find or read "Does not contain work by original artists", not saying it was a purely covers band, but the lead singer with a session group to play the song VS dealing with the rights owners and paying the old band.

Rights 99% of the time are owned by the lable so they would have to go via them to get onto the compilation, if the band, or what is left of it, rerecord it, then they can use that recording instead

Band fall out and a revival of songs = the lead singer and few others if any original artists left and if they could secure the rights to the original master tape to use, why pay those guys money when I can pay these guys way less and pocket the rest for myself.

I'm not the only one who feels Axel Rose is fronting his own tribute act.

The whole faggots line in money for nothing, I don't ever recall hearing that line in all my years and am now assuming it was changed in the UK (probably by the BBC*) to yoyo's or dropped altogether, it has been a while since I heard that song and don't have it in my play list to check.

* They got the Kinks to change coca cola to cherry cola in Lola as they didn't want to advertise on radio or ToTP, so I don't think there is an active recorded version in the UK on CD that has the cocacola line, they didn't make a fuss and cola was generic enough for the beeb that I don't think anyone would have known otherwise.

Then there is the radio censor, Charlie Baltimore's Money dipped in audio each and every time she swore and seeing as that was damn near every other word, the radio edit was disjointed, it sounded like a radio's sound engineer tasked with muting the song and not an official release, as they would have had the masters to work with to omit the vocal track and keep the music intact, so why they didn't is beyond me.

[telecom_goddess]

Loggins and Messina did a song called Angry Eyes. The original album version is pretty long and has a long instrumental piece. The radio version is shorter and missing that piece...but instead of editing the song they re recorded the whole thing but shorter....pretty cool I think.

I listen to Last Fm a lot and discovered someone (don't know who) made an interesting remix of Seals and Croft's Summer Breeze that I now like better than the original.

Yeah I'm dating myself here......

[Ginger Tea]

I have a Type O Negative cover of summer breeze but thats a cover not a remix, tis good though

[Andara Bledin]

I have a Type O Negative cover of summer breeze but thats a cover not a remix, tis good though

I just checked the original to see if it was the same song. I love the Type O cover. I also love their version of Cinnamon Girl much better than the original.

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

Gary Numan has a habit of reworking his hits, I have half a dozzen or more versions of Down in the park, the 20th anniversary version is better by miles than the original and the piano instrumental version from Telekon is also superb the others im more Meh about.
Metal 20th is also the best hes done.

The Nine Inch Nails/Marylin Manson covers I think I brought up in the covers that better thread