To me, "definitive" means "if you change anything, it won't be as good". There's very few releases that meet that criteria (and they don't qualify for this thread, so I shouldn't mention them – but Robert Johnson's Centennial Collection from 2011 is one of them). I definitely understand your definition, but I would call that "original" rather than "definitive", and rarely do those overlap, at least digitally.
The 2014 “Back to Black Vinyl” release of Carpenters’ The Singles 1969-1973 used the individual track versions of each of the songs. As Carpenters fans know, Richard mixed that album so that the first four songs would flow into one long piece with new instrumental bridges between the songs. Clearly a case of someone grabbing the digital versions of the songs they already had on hand rather than requesting the album master to produce the new vinyl release.
The 2020 Special Edition release of Amy Grant’s album Unguarded uses a slightly different version of the song Wise Up that clips the first few seconds of the song as compared to the original release of the album. It is not noted as such and neither Amy nor her management has ever addressed why the change was made.
When Cursive released their early singles compilation The Difference Between Houses and Homes, they used a different version of one song from their Disruption 7”. I know this is a niche interest but it still bothers me!
My reasoning is a result of the word definitive being based upon the word "define". And an album as originally released defines that album. A perceived quality plays no part. I see "definitive" to be how most people who had the album as part of their lives would think of it if you were to mention the title to them. Changes to the album make it different from the version which defines it. And even in the (IMO) rare cases where the changes are for the better, the album doesn't become definitive as a result. That's how I see it, anyway.
The first version of Kylie's Greatest Hits, on PWL, accidentally uses the album versions of Locomotion, What Do I have to Do and Finer Feelings.
That's fair. (What's The Story) Morning Glory by Oasis is one of the worst-sounding albums in history, but the ultra-compressed, totally treble-free, wonky "fake real stereo" sonic mud brick that is the original CD is how people remember that album. Chris Blair (we think) mastered the single for "Some Might Say" with full dynamic range, and lots of people say it "doesn't sound like Oasis". Personally, I think that's down to a lack of low midrange which dials back the guitars, but I understand the thinking. Now me personally, the only way that album's mastering can be used in the same sentence as "definitive" is if you're describing it as the definitive example of how not to master an album.
The CD of Santana's 1978 Columbia album Inner Secrets features the 12" single extended mix of the song One Chain (Don't Make No Prison). It doesn't bother me since I never heard the original LP version. It would have bothered me if they had done that with the song Open Invitation. It's an outstanding album by the way.
back in the 90's there was a version of Red Rubber Ball by the Cyrkle on a CD comp without the organ! Can't remember the comp?
That’s bad why? I hate the fact that most CD copies of ZZ Top’s Eliminator now contain the single mix of Legs rather than the album version.
If the olden days of vinyl counted, and apologies if this was brought up here, but what about the take of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" used on the U.S. release as opposed to that on the UK issue?
In the early 80's reissue of Martha & the Vandellas' Greatest Hits the version of Heatwave has two extra bars of music in the middle and fades out early.
Leader of the Pack. In the original US single after the 'look out, look out, look out, look out' bit there's a 'Be My Baby' riff for 4 bars. In most early compilations two bars are missing. In the Mercury/Kama Sutra reissues the 4 bars are back but the line 'One day my dad said find someone new' is edited out.
Best Of – Volume I "Initial pressings of the album contained an alternate edit of "Runnin' with the Devil" where the verses, chorus and solos were arranged in a different order than that of the original album version. It was reported that this was accidental and subsequent pressings have replaced this version with the one found on Van Halen. However, some radio stations still play this erroneous version of the song."
*Thompson Twins-Doctor! Doctor! 1996 Old Gold Single, carries an alt mix/different vocal take of Hold Me Now. No indication of it being so. *Just Say Sire, The Sire Records Story 2005 Uses a unique edit of Erasure's Oh L'Amour (The Funky Sisters Remix), no indication.
I can't recall the specific details, but the story goes like this. They recorded the first version in May or early June of 1965. This is the version that went on to become a UK single, and which appears on most CDs (The Singles Plus, The Complete Animals, A's B's and EPs, etc.). Later in June, they re-recorded it – I want to say it's because the band weren't satisfied with the performance, but I can't remember for sure. This version is identifiable from the chant leading into the chorus – the first recording is just "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah", while the re-recorded one is "work, work, work, work". This is the version that appeared on the US MGM Animal Tracks LP. Mickie Most at some point issued an order that the re-recorded version was not to be used and that the original recording would become the only version in circulation. I don't recall the reason, but it may have simply been for the sake of consistency – the UK was already familiar with the first version, and maybe Most didn't know the alternate take had been shipped to the States. At any rate, the first version was the most common version until 2004, when ABKCO released the second take, subtitled "US version", on the compilation Retrospective. Since then, the re-recorded version has become the more common of the two. Personally, I much prefer the second version from late June, which I feel is much tighter and packs a stronger punch. But both versions are great.
I can't remember for sure and it might just be my opinion clouding my memory, but I seem to remember that it was re-recorded because the band thought they could do it better. But I'm not sure where I read that. I might have heard it directly from Hilton one of the times that I met and worked with him. (One of the nicest people this planet has ever been blessed to contain!) At any rate, I'm happy to have both, but I do prefer the "US version" of the two.
In the US, on the Uni label Elton John's Where To Now, St. Peter? from Tumbleweed Connection lp is a different version than the UK release. Doubled vocals on the chorus for the US, not the UK. Guitar notes appear in totally different places between the two versions.
Icon is from 2014, so it's probably the remastered version of the song from 25th Anniversary edition of the Peace Sells album released in 2011. Maybe. Ugh, stuff like this makes my head spin.
The Hendrix Family / Legacy Recordings reissued "In the West" with an alternate performance of "Little Wing" and "Voodoo Chile". On the original issue, "Little Wing" was taken from the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) performance for the never officially released Performance film (I believe "Voodoo Child" was as well). This is most unfortunate as the RAH version of "Little Wing" is the single best Hendrix live performance of any song he recorded live, IMHO. Instead, a Winterland performance of "Little Wing" and a San Diego performance of "Voodoo Child" were used on the Legacy reissue.
The back cover of Varese Sarabande's "The Zombies Greatest Hits" compilation states that the original mono single versions were used but "Leave Me Be" is a different take from the actual 45.
I prefer the "wrong" mix. In principle this should bother me, but I justify my preference with the thought that the alternate mix was used more or less exclusively for nearly 40 years and Van -- who never complains about anything, right? -- apparently didn't raise a fuss. If he didn't care that the wrong mix was used, why should I?
Oh, yeah, forgot about the year the Icon got released. So just to straight up the whole thing: on Icon all tracks were remastered again regardless of previous reissues (kinda like what Andy Sneap did on Warchest in 2007), so the thing is we have Wake Up Dead with the 2004 mix and a new 2014 remastering (lower RMS than original 2004 CD) and Peace Sells with original 1986 mix but with a new 2014 remastering (again with lower RMS than even 2011 boxset remaster).
