Worst Edit you've ever heard...

Been going over some duplicate promo 45's for McCartney/Wings that I have in the collection. I was always upgrading to better copies. Either the labels had writing on them or the vinyl itself was as clean as I wanted it to be. I have probably 3 or 4 copies of Wings 'Jet' Promo 45 that has the 2:49 edit on one side and the full album version on the other side. McCartney and Wings collectors know how hard the official release is to find with the time stamp error...the Promo has been way easier to find for me. Still don't have the official release with the error...anyway, now I know why the official with the error was replaced quickly : The 2:49 edit is an absolute MESS. Probably the worst edit I've ever heard. I graduated with an Associates in Recording an Engineering back in '94 from 5 Towns College here in NY and I have heard 1st year recording students that have done better editing jobs on the editing projects we had on reel to reels hand cut/splicing/editing. The 'Jet' edit is just a God awful MESS. No disrespect toward Wally...but it must have been a 4 in the morning edit. Anyone else have any edits that are just really bad?

 

the short single version of chicago's 'make me smile' where they just kind of tack on the ending out of nowhere. always hated the way it was done.

 

The single edit of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love." After all the incredible production & work that went into that song, the single has an absolutely terrible edit in it. Quite jarring...

 

The 7” of Black Box’s Everybody Everybody has a part where they sing the title and repeat. Later in the song it ends sooner than the first time. So instead of another “everybody everybody” it goes into an Instrumental part. You can clearly hear the “ev” of another chorus starting. I still can’t believe a top 10 single has such a sloppy edit.

 

Hard to beat the Animals “House of the rising sun” edit...

 

John Lennon's "You Can't Catch Me" has one of those smack into a brick wall at high speed edits.

While we're on Lennon, "Yer Blues" has something quite similar, taking us from that glorious guitar break back to point A.

 

The Byrds - Chestnut Mare 45 edit is appalling.

Bowie - Young Americans single edit is a clunker too.

 

The single edit of "Won't Get Fooled Again" comes immediately to mind. Cutting 8:34 to 3:39, ugh.

 

Genesis - Misunderstanding single

Who thought shifting the song up a key was going to make it better? When I first saw the video I thought the uploader did it to avoid copyright.

 

For some reason I don't mind that one! It's such a great song it works as a 3 min single as well as a lengthy album track. It must have been great to have bought the 45 on release in 1971, love it, then hear the full album version at the end of a superb LP.

 

I like both of those edits!

 

I think it's a lot tougher for the listener/Who fan to come at it from the opposite direction as I did--falling in love with the epic proper, and then later hearing the single edit on The Who: The Singles.

 

The US Capitol seven-inch of Duran Duran's "Rio" has an edit so clumsy that it literally sounds like someone bumped into the turntable.

 

Definitely. I wasn't around in 1971, but I got used to the single edit through a clip of them miming to it on Top of the Pops being repeatedly shown on BBC a lot. At first I thought it was crap, but now think the essence of the song is there, with all it's elements represented, and the many edits are well done. It's far inferior of course, but I still think it would be a classic if there was only the 45. It helps that one of my favourite Who songs, I Don't Know Myself, is the B-side.

 

Speaking of The Who, the absolute clunker in Rael on The Who Sell Out.

 

Santana Evil Ways
The Doors Light My Fire
Steppenwolf Magic Carpet Ride

 

BTW, our editing project in our audio class was Aerosmith's 'What It Takes'. The tip our teacher told us in order to piece the song back together was "follow the drums" and you shouldn't have a difficult time with the project. Working with the tape though was a bit of a pain in the you know what. I did end up getting an A on the project.

Some interesting responses so far. Now I have to go and get the songs that were mentioned I know my brother has a few of the tracks mentioned. Side note...following the drums advice would probably be a hard task with prog bands.

 

The worst edit in the history of edits is at around 1:29 of Count V's "They're Gonna Get You Someday".

This is an example of marking the tape, and then as a halloween joke, making the razor cut a quarter inch to the left of the mark.

Or maybe playing with the cat while watching Peyton Place while waiting for a pop tart while editing tape.

Or maybe just figuring no one would listen to this b side. But we did.

 

Two Queen ones that are universally despised.....

US Single Edit of Liar - from the original 7" vinyl and then later on the Elektra Spun Gold Killer Queen 7"
US Promo Edit of It's Late - appeared on the US Elektra 7" white label promo and the Japanese 7" single. Later released on the NOTW 40th Anniversary edition box set.

 

You mean like editing out the cool guitar solo in Free's "All Right Now"?

 

Side one of one of my all-time favorite albums, Bob Seger's "'Live' Bullet," has a couple of the worst edits I've ever heard. The cuts between "Travelin' Man," "Beautiful Loser," and "Jody Girl" are a master class in bad editing. They are so jarring and weird.

 

Agreed! the 45 version smokes the LP version which tends to loiter around until the drum break and scream

 

disagree, the single version punches hard compared to the tepid album version, dude has a solo on practically every other Free song ever done. Thx!

 

Led Zeppelin, on the remaster of The Song Remains the Same, Whole Lotta Love ... not only do they cut out a full minute of brilliance, they mess up the timing! It sounds like a bad record skip.

 

The worst I've heard is the single edit of one of my all-time favorite songs - Roundabout

The edit at 1:30 (approx), just hurts my ears to hear it. Ugh. It's 8:29 or nothing, for me!