Songs where the Remix becomes the standard

Garbage - #1 Crush
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground

 

Pearl Jam - Even Flow (or maybe that was re-recorded?)

 

Ugh. No. Those 80s dance remixes of Springsteen, Billy Joel, and McCartney hits (to name a few) were just dreadful. I mean, if they work for you that’s fine. Enjoy what you enjoy. I’m just glad that trend disappeared with the 80s itself. I’ll stick with the original versions.

 

Dunno if it’s the “standard” or not, but the 45 remix of Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” seems to be the go-to version at radio for decades now.

This is a rare case where I actually like the remix quite a lot. It’s longer, has additional vocals and it’s respectfully done (Not some outlandish “dance” remix as was the style for a time).

Strange that, AFAIK, it’s never been released on CD:

 

Placebo's "Nancy Boy"!

When their first album came out, this version was on it :



And less than a year later, it was re-pressed using the completely re-recorded single version (just check the music video). They apparently hated the original album version.

It's a damn shame because back in high school Irecorded the first pressing of the album on cassette (it belonged to a school mate who didn't really care about music, just had some CDs laying around) and by the time I purchased the CD, it was the newer version - which I wasn't aware of. Not that the new version is bad (I think it's better, actually) but I also like the original, and it's nice to have the original album, the original intent. Just like Mike Oldfield's "Hergest Ridge" came out in 1974 and was remixed in 1976, making the original unavailable for decades!

Yes! The remix was a European hit and, honestly, I know many people who haven't heard the original version.

 

Steve Winwood's "Valerie" in 1987, remixed (and re-recorded as well, which I'm not sure qualifies it) by Chris Lord-Alge. I like them both, but I much prefer the sparse original, along with the rest of Talking Back to the Night.

 

Whitesnake: Slide It In, all the original mix for the new mix (known since 1984 by Us Mix)

 

Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) has certainly been responsible for two examples of this.

Firstly he remixed the 1997 UK #60 Cornershop - Brimful of Asha hit (& 1997 John Peel Festive 50 #1), and turned it into a 1998 UK #1 hit.

Secondly he took this 1976 recording & 1979 UK #42 single:


... and in 2003 under a pseudonym his Southern Fried remix took it to UK #1.

 

Wow, really? I had no idea their first album was remixed so shortly after it came out! Are there big differences between the first mix of "Dream On" and the remix? If there's more Mellotron on the first mix, I'm going to melt!

 

Over the years Placebo came out with a few good “re-workings” of their own songs.

 

The single mix of "Rock the Casbah."

"Of that crazy casbah ji-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i....!!"

 

Lindisfarne's American remix of Lady Eleanor is the standard to me.

 

"Gimme Some Lovin" - Spencer Davis Group. I had no idea there were two versions until recently. The later Jimmy Miller version tarted up for the US market is now the familiar one with additional vocals and backing instruments.

Here's the original version.

 

Well, not a remix, but it's only when they re-recorded the song that it became a hit. Many don't even know there was this first version. I love both!

 

Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past" became a U.S. hit in 1972 in a remixed version that had one flute part from the original mix erased and replaced by an organ overdub. The original 1969 stereo mix was included in the Stand Up box set a few years ago.

 

I only ever hear the Run-DMC/Aerosmith version of Walk This Way on the radio. Never the original.

 

Queen's 'I Want To Break Free'. Radio stations usually play the single mix, which actually is longer than the album version.

 

Here's a good one. This is the original single, which doesn't have that two-note hook everybody knows from the 12-inch version.

 

The single remix of Pat Benetar's We Live for Love replaced the original version after the first pressing of her Chrysalis debut.

The (crappy) remix of Men Without Hats' Safety Dance replaced the album version on later pressings of their debut.

There are several versions of Thomas Dolby's Golden Age of Wireless with various song replacements.

 

Radiohead’s Talk Show Host was remixed and included on the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack and that version has become the standard.

Remixes of songs happens very frequently in modern pop music with single/video versions often being very different from the album equivalents.

 

Sadly (in my opinion), most of The Beatles catalog is and will be remixed and in turn, those remixes will be what goes forward as the standard. Odd to think that some people will never hear the original stereo, let alone the original mono mix, they will always think what they are hearing is the "real" Beatles music. It isn't.

 

Singles longer than the album versions are so odd to me.

Here’s a prime example. I don’t think it’s a different mix, just that the album version fades early while the 45 jams out longer and comes to (IMO) a pretty cool, crashing finish. Love the “Helter Skelter” homage too. Shame this one’s never been released on CD either:

 

Here’s another where the 45 is longer than the album. On the soundtrack album (and film itself) it ends with the drums at about 3:05 and leaves out the coda, which goes on for than a full minute. Which is a shame it gets left out, since I think it’s great stuff:

 

It seems like the album came out in 1977 and for the 1978 single release, they redid the track, added some guitars and Eddie did a new vocal. I remember hearing both back then. But, pretty quickly on, the album version became the standard version. I like the single version - its a bit sloppier and quite a bit more energy (and its shorter - a good thing in this case!!)

 

the happy mondays: hallelujah; wrote for luck; rave on;