The Razor & Tie '80s compilation (Awesome/Forever/Totally '80s) track-by-track thread

Just received a sealed R & T Totally 80's for $14.50 from eBay won last week. Started with disc two track one Romantics - "What I Like About You" and could not stand how shrill this sounds. It Totally dropped my expectations for what was to follow. Then track two J. Geils Band - "Centerfold" starts playing and it sounds just right to my ears, "She Blinded Me With Science" follows and it also hits the mark. Right now 867-5309/Jenny is playing and it's real good, now Ghostbusters and it sounds right. Could be another poor sounding track or two on here, maybe not, but already it's worth every penny and more. Great work on this compilation!

 

I've never heard that track sound decent. Also the opening note is chopped on this set. SH had to work with what was handed to him only so much can be done but it remains a great 80's comp with the overwhelming majority of tracks in fantastic sound quality.

 

Totally '80s - Razor & Tie/Warner Special Products OPCD-4544 (1993)

Disc 2
1. What I Like About You - Romantics 2:58

Cuts off the first 0.06 seconds of the opening note! Bad!
Based on Capitol's Sedated In The Eighties Vol. 1 (1993), which keeps opening note intact.​

2. Centerfold - J. Geils Band 3:39

Based on EMI's J. Geils Band album Freeze-Frame
So is JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1980-1984 (1994), Warner Special Products' 2-CD Rock This Way (1995), Disky Europe's 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s (1998), and Disky Europe's other 8-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s (2002).​

3. She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby 3:42 [promo 45 version]

Based on the rare first CD pressings of Thomas Dolby's The Golden Age Of Wireless; later pressings included the 5:09 version
So is EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 1 (1993) and Cema's Greatest Hits Of The 80's Vol. 4 New Wave Hits (1994; digital clone of Living In Oblivion).​

4. Rock This Town - Stray Cats 3:26 [LP version]

Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Good Times (1991)
So is Time-Life's Guitar Rock Vol. 13 The Early '80s (1994; digitally exactly 0.9 dB louder than Totally '80s), Warner Special Products' 2-CD Rock Box (1994; L/R channels shifted by a sample; screws up soundstage, even for this mono song), JCI's Only Dance 1980-1984 (1995), Madacy's Rock On 1982 (1996), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Essential '80s (1998; digitally exactly 0.9 dB louder than Totally '80s), and Universal's Pure '80s (1999; differently EQ'd digital clone of Only Dance 1980-1984 but with added compression)​

5. Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant 3:51

Seems to be based on Sony's Big Hits Of The 80's (1993)
So is JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1980-1984 (1994).​

6. 99 Luftballons - Nena 3:55 [German lyrics]

Not sure where this came from
There are differently EQ'd digital clones of Totally '80s on Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 6 1984 (1994) and Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 5 Dance (1999).​

7. Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner 4:35 [45 version]

Based on common '80s-era CD pressing of Atlantic's Foreigner collection Records
So is Sandstone's Cosmopolitan Vol. 1 (1992), Time-Life's 2-CD Rock Dreams (1993), Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk (1994; digitally exactly 0.1 dB quieter than Cosmopolitan), JCI's Only Love 1980-1984 (1995), and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 8 1981 (1995; digital clone of Cosmopolitan but with extra compression).​

8. Gloria - Laura Branigan 3:52 [promo 45 version]

Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Feel Good Rock (1989)
So is Warner Special Products' 2-CD Ultimate Party Album (1992) and JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1980-1984 (1994).​

9. Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears 4:14

Left and right channels are correct
Not sure where this came from
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 2 1985 (1994) uses same analog transfer as Totally '80s, as does Time-Life's Modern Rock Vol. 3 1984-1985 (1999; digitally exactly 0.1 dB quieter than Sounds Of The Eighties).​

10. (I Just) Died In Your Arms - Cutting Crew 4:37 [original LP mix, I think]

Based on Virgin's Cutting Crew album Broadcast
So is Sony's 3-CD Feel The Love (1994), EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 3 (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of Broadcast), Cema's 2-CD Cool Rock (1995; digitally identical to Living In Oblivion), Warner Special Products' 2- CD Reflections Of Love (1996), EMI's Retro Lunchbox Gooey Love Songs (1997; digitally identical to Living In Oblivion), and EMI's Rock 'N Roll Relix 1986-1987 (1998; digital clone of Broadcast).​

11. 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone 3:46

Based on Sony's Hard Rocking '80s (1993) but the tail of the fade on Totally '80s is a second or two shorter
So is Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites Vol. 5 (1993; differently EQ'd digital clone of Hard Rocking '80s with added compression), Time-Life's 2-CD Rock Dreams (1993; shorter fade than Hard Rocking '80s), Sony's 2-CD Read The Hits (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of Hard Rocking '80s), JCI's 18 Screamers From The '80s (1995), Sony's Living In The '80s (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of Hard Rocking '80s), Realm's 3-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s Vol. 1 (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of Hard Rocking '80s), Sony's 2-CD Rock Almanac Vol. 1 The 1980s (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of Hard Rocking '80s), and Warner Special Products' 2-CD Punk (1996).​

12. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker, Jr. 4:06

Based on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1984 (1992)
So is Warner Special Products' 2-CD Ultimate Party Album (1992), JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1980-1984 (1994), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 6 1984 (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 31 Movie Hits Of The '80s (1996; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard), Madacy's Rock On 1984 Sunglasses At Night (1998; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard), and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Essential '80s (1998; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard).​

13. Morning Train (Nine To Five) - Sheena Easton 3:21

Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Feel Good Rock (1989)​

14. Only In My Dreams - Debbie Gibson 3:55 [45 mix]

Not sure where this came from
The same analog transfer is used for Priority's Eighties Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 11 Teen Idols (1994) and JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll #1 Radio Hits 1985-1989 (1996).​

15. Sunglasses At Night - Corey Hart 3:57 [45 version]

Not sure where this came from​

16. All I Need Is A Miracle - Mike And The Mechanics 3:43 [45 length]

Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Night Beat (1988)
So is Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 12 1985-1986 (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of Totally '80s)​

17. St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) - John Parr 4:11

The first note is cut off here, which was the case for the 45, the LP, and most CD releases
Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Night Beat (1988)
So is Warner Special Products' 3-CD After Hours (1990; digitally exactly 2.2 dB louder than Night Beat) and JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1985-1989 (1994).​

18. Queen Of Hearts - Juice Newton 3:26

Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Good Times (1991)​

19. Broken Wings - Mr. Mister 4:39 [45 edit but fade is a little shorter than the 45]

Based on Time-Life's rare 4-CD Great Love Songs Of The '70s & '80s Vol. 3 Missing You (1991)
So is JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1985-1989 (1994).​

20. Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon 3:20

Based on Time-Life's 2-CD Rock Dreams (1993)
So is JCI's 18 Rock Classics (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of Totally '80s), Time-Life's Guitar Rock Vol. 4 1980-1981 (1994), JCI's Only Love 1980-1984 (1995), Simitar's Love Rocks 5 After Midnight (1998), and Realm's 3-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s Vol. 3 (2002; differently EQ'd digital clone of Rock Dreams).​

Coming soon, Back To The '80s.

 

Back To The '80s - Razor & Tie DR 7075 (1994)

1. The Look Of Love - ABC 3:32

Based on Mercury's ABC anthology Absolutely (1990)
So is Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 2 (1992), Sandstone's Rock The First Vol. 6 (1992), Sony's Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites Vol. 2 (1993), Warner Special Products' 18 Modern Rock Classics (1996; digitally identical to Absolutely), EMI Virgin PolyGram UK's 2-CD Now The Millennium Series 1982 (1999), and Realm's 3-CD Greatest Hits Of The '80s Vol. 3 (2002).​

2. The Tide Is High - Blondie 3:50 [45 version]

Based on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1981 (1992), but Back To The '80s EQ's out the tape hiss
So is Warner Special Products' 2-CD Rockin' USA (1994), and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 1 The Rockin' Eighties (1994).​

3. I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock Of Seagulls 5:05 [CD-era LP version and UK 12 inch version]

Probably based on Jive's A Flock Of Seagulls Best-Of
So is Cema's Greatest Hits Of The 80's Vol. 4 New Wave Hits (1994), SPG's Classic Alternative Vol. 1 (1994), Universal's Retro Lunchbox Squeeze The Cheeze (1997), and Simitar's Number Ones The '80s (1998).​

4. Upside Down - Diana Ross 3:41 [45 version]

Based on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1980 (1992); all CDs listed here have a glitch at 0:29 that wasn't on the vinyl 45
So is Rhino's Billboard Top Dance Hits 1980 (1992; digitally identical to Billboard Top Hits 1980), Rhino's Disco Years Vol. 5 (1992; digitally identical to Billboard Top Hits 1980), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 38 Celebration (1994), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 14 1980-1982 (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard Top Hits 1980), and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 47 '70s Dance Party 1979-1981 (1997; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard Top Hits 1980).​

5. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell 3:59 [45 version]

Based on Warner Special Products' 3-CD After Hours (1990)​

6. Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins 4:17 [promo 45 length]

All CDs listed here have tape drag that slows the track from 108.4 BPM at the beginning to 107.1 BPM at the end.
Based on Warner Special Products' 3-CD After Hours (1990)
So is Warner Special Products' 18 Modern Rock Classics (1996; digitally exactly 2.4 dB quieter than After Hours).​

7. In A Big Country - Big Country 3:55 [45 version]

Not sure where this came from
Runs about 0.7-0.8% faster than most other CDs​

8. Only The Lonely - Motels 3:15

Probably based on Capitol's Motels single-album All Four One
So is Priority's Eighties Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 2 Leather And Lace (1992), Sandstone's Cosmopolitan Vol. 6 (1993), EMI's Living In Oblivion Vol. 2 (1993), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 5 1982 (1994; differently EQ'd digital clone of Priority disc), JCI's Only Love 1980-1984 (1995; fade is about a second shorter than other discs), Madacy's Rock On 1982 (1995), Time-Life's 2-CD Body Talk Vol. 11 After Dark (1997; digitally exactly 2 dB quieter than Living In Oblivion), EMI's Rock 'N Roll Relix 1982-1983 (1998; digitally exactly 2.606 dB quieter than Rock On 1982), and Time-Life's 2-CD Modern Rock Vol. 1 1982-1983 (1999; differently EQ'd digital clone of Priority disc).​

9. Word Up - Cameo 4:20

Not sure where this came from​

10. You Belong To The City - Glenn Frey 5:51 [LP and commercial 45 version]

Probably based on Sandstone's Cosmopolitan Vol. 4 (1992)​

11. Fame - Irene Cara 3:49 [45 version]

Based on Rhino's Billboard Top Hits 1980 (1992)
So is Rhino's Billboard Top Dance Hits 1980 (1992; digitally identical to Billboard Top Hits 1980), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 38 Celebration (1994), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 7 1980 (1995; digitally exactly 0.378 dB quieter than Billboard Top Hits 1980), and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies Vol. 47 '70s Dance Party 1979-1981 (1997; differently EQ'd digital clone of Billboard Top Hits 1980).​

12. Breakout - Swing Out Sister 3:48

Probably based on Swing Out Sister single-album It's Better To Travel
So is Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 10 (1994; a tiny amount of compression added), EMI's Rock 'N Roll Relix 1986-1987 (1998; differently EQ'd digital clone of It's Better To Travel), and Time-Life's Modern Rock Vol. 4 1986-1987 (1999; digitally exactly 2.3 dB quieter than Priority disc).​

13. Obsession - Animotion 3:55 [45 version]

Based on Warner Special Products' 2-CD Night Beat (1988)
So is Warner Special Products' 3-CD After Hours (1990; digitally exactly 1.8 dB louder than Night Beat), JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1985-1989 (1994), and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 12 1985-1986 (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of JCI disc).​

14. When She Was My Girl - Four Tops 3:23

Not sure where this came from​

15. Something About You - Level 42 3:45 [45 version]

Based on Polydor's Level 42 anthology Level Best
So is EMI Virgin PolyGram UK's 2-CD Now 1985 (1993), Priority's Rock Of The '80s Vol. 10 (1994; tiny amount of compression added), Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 17 The Mid-'80s Take Two (1996; differently EQ'd digital clone of Priority disc), and Universal's Pure '80s (1999; lots of added compression).​

16. Rock On - Michael Damian 3:22

Not sure where this came from​

17. She's A Bad Mama Jama - Carl Carlton 3:57 [45 version]

Not sure where this came from
The same analog transfer is likely used for Universal's Pure Funk Vol. 2 (1999; lots of compression added) and Time-Life's Solid Gold Soul Vol. 29 Make It Funky (2001).​

18. Head To Toe - Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam 4:12 [This fades to digital silence before coming back with a false ending. If you truncate this at the digital silence, it's the true 45 version and runs 4:02]

Not sure where this came from
The same analog transfer is likely used for JCI's Only Rock 'N Roll 1985-1989 (1994) and Time-Life's Sounds Of The Eighties Vol. 9 1987 (1995; differently EQ'd digital clone of JCI disc but about 6.5 dB louder and clips a lot).​

19. Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band 3:48

Not sure where this came from
Madacy's Rock On 1983 Sweet Dreams (1998) is digitally exactly 1.8 dB quieter than Back To The '80s.​

20. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco 3:12 [This is the "American Edit" side of the 45, and plays at the true 45 pitch]

Not sure where this came from
This is the only I have with the "American Edit" that's taken from a tape source and plays at the proper speed. The Falco 45 tracks are surprisingly hard to find on CD with decent sound - the "Canadian Edit" from the other side of the 45 is on Universal's More Pure '80s (2000). All the other compilations with "Rock Me Amadeus" either play at the wrong speed or use a different edit than what's on the 45.​

That's about it for these Razor & Tie collections. Things you should take away from my detailed analysis of all the tracks from Awesome '80s, Forever '80s, Totally '80s, and Back To The '80s:

• Most of the tracks sound good, with relatively few instances of excessive compression/limiting, weird EQ, or truncation of an opening note or a fade. They're not flawless, but they're very good.
• The same can be said of a whole lot of Warner Special Products compilations and Time-Life compilations.
• In general, if you like the sound of Steve's Razor & Tie collections, you'll find comparable collections released between 1992 and about 1996 on Warner Special Products and their imprints (a whole lot of single-disc and 2-CD sets released on Heartland, Sessions, Silver Eagle, Razor & Tie, etc.) and on Time-Life between about 1994 and about 2000. I think Dennis Drake's mastering work at Time-Life extended from 1995 to 2002; his discs are extra-awesome because of his superb choice of EQ.
• In general, these collections tend not to use the lowest-generation tape sources. Steve has said that he worked with source tapes supplied by Razor & Tie, so there was no vault-digging for these discs. If you want lower-generation tape sources, but a slightly boosted high-end EQ, look for Bill Inglot's Rhino collections released until about 1996, after which they got excessively loud. My personal preference is for the Rhino discs, because the high-end boost doesn't bother me. Dennis Drake's Time-Life discs have a lot of differently EQ'd digital clones of Rhino tracks - those probably sound the best of anything that's ever been released.

 

Is there a noticeable difference between the 45 mix & the LP mix for this song?

Darryl

 

I noticed right away, so yes. But I heard the 45 mix 100,000,000 times on the radio back in the '80s.

It's actually a pretty subtle difference in the drum track programming. I think the LP mix may have added a little extra stuff. If you didn't hear the song every day for months on end, you probably wouldn't notice.

 

I actually can't hear the difference (& I tried).
there's only a few seconds differences in track length.
I had though this might be due to an earlier fade (LP vs 45 mix).

Darryl

 

I'm sure where else to post this so here goes. On 'Mid '80s' disc of the Time Life Modern Rock series can anyone tell me the source for this cover?



I can generally identify most of the rest in this set, but can't place this one. It makes me think of something that Andy Worhol might have done, but I doubt that it comes from him directly...it's just in his style (like his "Elvis"). Thanks.

 

New to this thread. I recently purchased most of the titles in the Time-Life "Sounds of the Eighties" series since I thought it would be a great place to get a huge selection of 1980s hits. I am pretty happy with the sound.

Can someone comment on the series overall? I realize it might not be the definitive series for sound, but would I truly hear big differences compared to the titles itemized in this thread? or the Modern Rock Time Life series? Or am I in good shape with all the Sounds of the Eighties discs...

 

It depends on how much '80s stuff you want in your library.

You probably wouldn't hear any differences at all between your Time-Life Sounds Of The Eighties discs and the Razor & Tie discs discussed here. According to my notes, Vols. 14, 17, 18, 20, 22 and 23 of Sounds Of The Eighties are mastered by Dennis Drake - those sound fantastic, due to Dennis Drake's excellent EQ choices. The others sound very nice as well, certainly on par with the Razor & Tie discs.

Time-Life's Modern Rock series is well-chosen, uses mostly LP versions (unlike the Sounds Of The Eighties series, which uses mostly 45 versions), and is entirely mastered by Dennis Drake. Again, superb EQ choices throughout.

 

Is the 30+ cds of Sounds of the Eighties pretty comprehensive? It looks to have all the Razor and Tie tracks and then some (over 500)
I realize there are some glaring omissions like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, etc and wonder why they left out songs like Eye of the Tiger, but I don't see any other 80s compilations series as comprehensive as the Sounds of the Eighties. Am I missing out on better series?

 

It's the most comprehensive '80s set out there. No Madonna/Prince/Michael Jackson, of course, but those tracks weren't available for compilations.

If you already have the Time-Life discs, then you definitely don't need the Razor & Tie discs.

 

ok that is great news!

I also noticed no Billy Joel and Whitney Houston tracks. They had a lot of 80s hits.

Also am surprised the 80s anthem "We are the world" isn't included.

 

All unavailable for licensing.

 

I think comps like these are better suited with the 45 versions anyways. I have so many full albums from the 80s from my favorite artists where I can hear the LP version in the proper context. But for these Top 100 type collections, I like hearing what I heard on the radio!

 

Any one remember the great Rhino "Have A Nice Day" Thread?
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...ay-volume-by-volume-discussion.208135/page-16

I was thinking it would be really cool to have similar for Time Life's Modern Rock series, all of which were mastered [superbly] by Dennis Drake. A tremendous amount of effort from Ron [crapfromthepast] goes into his posts but perhaps if we go slow, cover a volume every 2-3 months that maybe we can get it done.

Opinions? Especially from Ron.....

 

I already have notes on about half the tracks, so it wouldn't be too difficult. If there's enough interest on the board (these compilations aren't all that common), then I could be persuaded.

 

Nice.

I will kick off a thread this week.

 

If anyone is looking for a copy of Totally 80s as mastered by our host, shoot me a PM - I have a couple copies of that comp...

 

Just found one today in the used bins for $6.

 

@crapfromthepast Did you get your unfaded version of Springsteen's Glory Days from the video or did you just manipulate the fade on the standard album version? If neither, care to share where your version was sourced?

Thanks!

 

I had done a lot of research in tracking down the Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another - the version with the synth intro on the 45. I found it on the Rhino Omigod box set along with many other single edits (not sure how many are the real deal).

 

I didn't do it myself, but a colleague of mine played with the volume level on the LP version to "undo" the fade. I remember hearing such an "unfaded" version on the radio in the '80s, and it was likely due to the radio station's compression/limiting, which would have raised the volume at the end to achieve the same effect.

 

Thanks! I'll have to try playing with the album version to undue the fade. I might also take another look at the video version to see how that sounds if I rip the audio off of it.

 

Is the version of "Addicted To Love" that appears on "Pure 80's: #1's" the original single version? It sounds as if it's a different vocal from the album version. I never had the original 45, so I can't be sure.