Odd Versions played on AT40... why?

[OnWithTheCountdown]

Yeah, "YMCA" was a re-recorded version in the Premiere broadcast. When I first heard it several years ago, I noticed it right away. Why would they do something like that? Same for "Pop Muzik". Just sounds very much out of place.

[dth1971]

May 28, 2021 7:03:05 GMT -5 OnWithTheCountdown said:

Yeah, "YMCA" was a re-recorded version in the Premiere broadcast. When I first heard it several years ago, I noticed it right away. Why would they do something like that? Same for "Pop Muzik". Just sounds very much out of place.

Hope "YMCA" re-recorded didn't come from one of those CD's that had 1970's songs re-recorded by the groups or singles.

[Mike]

May 28, 2021 7:03:05 GMT -5 OnWithTheCountdown said:

Yeah, "YMCA" was a re-recorded version in the Premiere broadcast. When I first heard it several years ago, I noticed it right away. Why would they do something like that? Same for "Pop Muzik". Just sounds very much out of place.

Sounds a lot like when they also played a version of "Into the Groove" as an extra for 7/13/85 that I believe came from 1990's The Immaculate Collection, and when "Fool For Your Loving" was an extra for 8/30/80 but it was the 1989 re-recording.

And by the way, just like with "Pop Muzik" in the 12/22/79 show, both of those were from 2011, too. (Unlike that one, though, both have since re-aired again - the 1980 show had Whitesnake swapped out for something else, while for the 1985 show, Madonna had the original version played.)

[Mike]

Not really an "odd version", so much as one rarely heard on AT40.

The original studio version of "Candle in the Wind" (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road). Casey played it at least once, on 1/30/88 in place of the live single that week, and Shadoe played it on 6/2/90 as it was that week's LDD (in memory of Ryan White).

Question: Are these the only two weeks it was ever played, or are there other weeks I'm missing? I checked the 80s book on the weeks of the live single's run because I thought I'd remembered it happening at least once - I just couldn't remember the week. But anytime during the 70s, or even earlier in the 80s? I figure asking is faster.

[dth1971]

Jun 2, 2021 11:47:28 GMT -5 Mike said:

Not really an "odd version", so much as one rarely heard on AT40.

The original studio version of "Candle in the Wind" (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road). Casey played it at least once, on 1/30/88 in place of the live single that week, and Shadoe played it on 6/2/90 as it was that week's LDD (in memory of Ryan White).

Question: Are these the only two weeks it was ever played, or are there other weeks I'm missing? I checked the 80s book on the weeks of the live single's run because I thought I'd remembered it happening at least once - I just couldn't remember the week. But anytime during the 70s, or even earlier in the 80s? I figure asking is faster.

Has the 1974 Candle in the Wind version ever played as an OPTIONAL EXTRA in an AT40: The 70's 1974 show when "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton was in an AT40 show?

[chrislc]

Did Casey ever play the weird short single version of I Am I Said? Maybe it was just a promo, or something offered to stations that didn't want the LA and NY angle, but it began with the second verse about the frog and then had an extended instrumental fade (longer than the version we have heard through the years) and the whole thing clocked in at about 2:30 IIRC.

[kchkwong]

What's the name of the mix of "Dreaming" by OMD used on AT40? It's not the version found on their "Best Of" album and I couldn't find it anywhere.

[Mike]

Here's one of these that's not quite a full song.

And what a week to do it on, eh? On 7/9/94, the Flashback is to 1988, which has "Mercedes Boy" at #2 - only, they use the album version for its clip.

[Mike]

Here's a..."sort of" one of these, in that it's not directly in the show itself, rather it's among America's Top Hits. And an interesting usage result as well.

The Verve Pipe's "The Freshmen" was used twice as an America's Top Hit that I know of, on 8/1/98 and 7/15/00. Only, this comes with two different stories and two different versions of the song.

For 8/1/98, the story is that the band spend a lot of time explaining that no, they are NOT the British band, The Verve. The single version gets played here, the one that is probably the most well-known (where Brian Vander Ark sounds like he's yelling as we get to the later part of the song).

For 7/15/00, the story is that the group came together at a college jazz festival during the big closing jam for all the musicians. The album version that was originally featured on Villains gets played here - this one has more of an understated production, and Brian never raises his voice to yelling. (I say originally featured, as apparently later pressings of the album would put the single version on it instead.)

The later one, obviously, would be the one that would otherwise go here - or in the thread for CT40 if they ever played that one in 1997.

[Mike]

Time for another Janet entry.

This one's been talked about before, but for the sake of clearing things up...

On 8/4/90, and as it turns out, on 7/14 as well, they played a slower version of "Come Back to Me". It's what's known as the Abandoned Heart mix of the song:





If you ever come across a version called the I'm Beggin' You mix, that one is essentially the album version of the song with a fancy name. (The 7" version of that has an earlier fade, which probably served as a radio edit.)


And from Janet, we move to another hit from that same time - also produced by her producing partners, Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis.

In this case: "Rub You the Right Way". Both 7/14 and 7/21 have its 7" version played:

[Mike]

Now to 1999.

Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much", as we know by now, was remixed for Pop radio. Usually, on the radio you'd hear it sound like this:





But, that's not the only version AT40 played. Other remixes were made of the song as well, some of them effectively combining the original album version with the Dance Mix. One such result...sounds like this:





I don't have every show with its run, so I can only vouch for these: On 4/17, 7/3, 7/17, and 7/24, the "International Remix #2" (the second clip) was played. On 5/15, 6/5, and 6/12, the Dance Mix was played.

I'm guessing Remix #2 was played for its first few weeks, but can't be sure as to when they would have switched (though 5/15 is also the week it hit the Top 10). 6/26 would be the week it peaked at #4, while I'm guessing that 7/10 (hosted by Ed McMann), 7/31, and 8/7 all have Remix #2.

[OnWithTheCountdown]

Of course, I had to investigate Shania's hit versions, so here's what I came across:

Int'l Remix: 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7

Dance Mix: 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29, 6/5, 6/12, 6/19, 12/25

Interesting how the Dance Mix was used in consecutive weeks, but started in its 4th week, used for 9 straight weeks, while the International Mix completed the sandwich. The Dance Mix returned in the year-end countdown.

Mike, so that confirms your guesses are correct. 🙂

I also happened to notice not many cue sheets are available during Casey's second AT40 run.

[Mike]

For those who remember/listened to when WPNC played 7/17/99 last year, this is the remix of Orgy's "Blue Monday" that was played: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eITA-87-KiY

[Hervard]

Is it me, or did they play a slightly different version of "Walk This Way" on this week's 1986 show?

[JMW]

Aug 22, 2021 11:07:24 GMT -5 Hervard said:

Is it me, or did they play a slightly different version of "Walk This Way" on this week's 1986 show?

No, it was different than what's normally heard.