What are some songs that in your opinion sound great on the album, but are ruined on their radio edit?

For me, the best example here is UB40's "Red Red Wine". I love the album version of that song, it's either my second or very favorite song from "Labour of Love" and UB40 in general, competition being "Sweet Sensation".
However, the song is ruined on the radio edit version, because they removed the best part of the song, which is Astro's toasted "red red wine you make me feel so fine, you keep me rocking all of the time" that gives me chills every time I hear it. That verse was the best part of the song for many people, it's beyond me why they removed it for the radio edit.

What are songs that you feel are great on their album version but ruined by radio edit?
Do you agree with me on UB40's "Red Red Wine"?
Let me know in the comments.

"Layla" by Derek and the Dominoes was ruined by the radio edit. When the song was a big hit in 1972 (despite the fact that it was originally released in 1970) it was a hit without the extended piano coda. It was edited right out of the song for the 45. But, at this late date it's a moot point. Because--and this brings me to my point--in this day and age absolutely nobody remembers the edited 45 that was played on the radio in 1972 and now all that is ever heard is the original, full length song. "Layla" is only one of many songs in this unusual phenomenon of songs that were big hits in edited versions, but the edited version now being completely forgotten. When any of these songs now get played on oldies or classic hits radio it is always in their full length versions. Given the ephemeral nature of 45 rpm records the edited versions are long forgotten, and may only make an appearance as a bonus track on a compilation or box set, if even that. Some more examples:

Moody Blues-"Nights In White Satin". Like "Layla", "Nights In White Satin" was a "delayed hit" in 1972, despite having originally been released in 1967. And like "Layla" the ending was completely cut off for the 45 which received heavy airplay.  In the case of "Nights In White Satin" the omitted part was the spoken word poem/recitation that ends the song.

Rolling Stones-You Can't Always Get What You Want". Yet ANOTHER delayed hit in 1972, originally released in 1968. For the single the chorale at the beginning is omitted, and some other bits are edited out. The big hit edited version is forgotten today.

Ten Years After-"I'd Love To Change The World". A good chunk of the guitar solo was omitted for the single. One never hears that version now.

Aerosmith-"Dream On". Like "I'd Love To Change The World", a good bit of the guitar playing was omitted for the hit single. You'd be hard pressed to hear the edited version today.

Or how about Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"? In 1967 the lyric "makin love in the green grass" was deemed too risque, and for the single was replaced with "laughin' and a runnin'" from a previous verse. In the case of "Brown Eyed Girl" one still occasionally hears the "laughin' and a runnin'" version, but mostly it's the unedited version one hears now.

Not so much ruined, but the version of Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean that appears on his 1984 album Suddenly is a longer version that features a really great synth solo at 3:58

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One that IS ruined for me is the radio edit of Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran.  The one that appears on the original 1982 Harvest Records release of their album Rio is a longer version that is the only version of the song that I will accept.

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Interestingly enough, there is a song that was edited to make it LONGER rather than shorter. "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells was originally released as a 3:23 single. For the subsequent album the single was extended with two instrumental verses and a guitar solo plus various effects making it five and a half minutes long. I guess you could call it a reverse edit. I think the longer version is the preferred version for most people, as it suits the psychedelic nature of the song.

I think that when a radio station fades a song at a certain point rather than play the whole thing out, that counts as an edit in my book. Case in point, Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra" (1982). Too many stations fade it at about the 3:40 mark rather than play out the rest of it to 5:08. And those last 88 seconds consist of some great instrumentation that too many listeners get deprived of. (However, I have heard the whole thing on certain radio stations over time.)

"Everyday" by Phil Collins is a great ballad, with one of the primary factors being the elegant piano intro. The radio edit just skips to the drop. I can't get over that.

I think that when a radio station fades a song at a certain point rather than play the whole thing out, that counts as an edit in my book. Case in point, Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra" (1982). Too many stations fade it at about the 3:40 mark rather than play out the rest of it to 5:08. And those last 88 seconds consist of some great instrumentation that too many listeners get deprived of. (However, I have heard the whole thing on certain radio stations over time.)


Yes!

Another prime example of this is Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits.  The winning moment of that song is the guitar solo at the end, but time and time again, radio fades it out just at that moment.

Moody Blues-"Nights In White Satin". Like "Layla", "Nights In White Satin" was a "delayed hit" in 1972, despite having originally been released in 1967. And like "Layla" the ending was completely cut off for the 45 which received heavy airplay.  In the case of "Nights In White Satin" the omitted part was the spoken word poem/recitation that ends the song.




I agree with you there. I love that poem at at the end.

Some others:

The Devil Went Down to Georgia-Charlie Daniels Band. Album: "I told you once you son of a b!tch, I'm the best that has ever been." Radio: "I told you once your son of a gun, I'm the best that has ever been". Not the same punch.

American Pie-Don McLean. They totally cut out verses. Some I heard where they cut off the first verse, last verse and a verse in the middle.


Cat

American Pie-Don McLean. They totally cut out verses. Some I heard where they cut off the first verse, last verse and a verse in the middle.


I think there was a version of "American Pie" specifically for the radio (or maybe radio stations made their own edit). I've got the actual 45 I bought in 1971 and side 1 fades out during a short instrumental between one of the the verses (I forget exactly where offhand)  and fades back in on side 2, but between the two sides it's the entire song.

I think there was a version of "American Pie" specifically for the radio (or maybe radio stations made their own edit). I've got the actual 45 I bought in 1971 and side 1 fades out during a short instrumental between one of the the verses (I forget exactly where offhand)  and fades back in on side 2, but between the two sides it's the entire song.



I think my sister had the same 45. Yeah, it was a LONG song and stations in those days had a rule about not playing songs longer than a certain time.


Cat

Duran Duran's The Reflex.

I remember hearing it on the radio, loving it, bought the album and it was even better with the additional beginning.

I think there was a version of "American Pie" specifically for the radio (or maybe radio stations made their own edit). I've got the actual 45 I bought in 1971 and side 1 fades out during a short instrumental between one of the the verses (I forget exactly where offhand)  and fades back in on side 2, but between the two sides it's the entire song.

I've always heard the whole thing on radio... all 8 1/2 minutes of it.

Light My Fire by the Doors. To pare it down to under 3 minutes for radio airplay, they completely cut out Ray Manzerak's and (most of) Robby Krieger's solos, which complety ruins the song for me. Inexplicably, they still play the truncated version on oldies stations, which irritates the hell out of me.

Also, once I was listening to an oldies station while driving through rural Kansas  and Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison was playing. When the verse came on when he sings, "Sometimes I get overcome thinking about...making love in the green grass, behind the stadium with you..." they replaced "making love in the green grass" with "laughing and a-running." I was like, "Really?"  ::) ::) ::)

I swear if Ned Flanders ran for governor of Kansas he'd win in a landslide.  ::)

Yes!

Another prime example of this is Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits.  The winning moment of that song is the guitar solo at the end, but time and time again, radio fades it out just at that moment.


And speaking of Dire Straits, "Money For Nothing" often gets chopped in half. That is, only a 4-minute version of it gets played (rather than the full 8 minutes). Things that get cut out include all but one instance of the "I want my... I want my M.T.V" line at the beginning, one particular verse, much of the instrumental portions, even the long outro.

I've always heard the whole thing on radio... all 8 1/2 minutes of it.



They didn't in 1971. It wasn't until later that they started to.


Cat

They didn't in 1971. It wasn't until later that they started to.


Cat

That figures; I wasn't around then so I don't know which super-long songs got trimmed down while they were climbing the charts. Thanks for that info. O0

"Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty has part of the last instrumental portion taken out in some cases, specifically, between the end of the second verse and the electric guitar solo. This unnecessary edit cuts the track from 6 minutes to just over 4 minutes. It's just not the same if the whole thing isn't played through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWNUPmx1CFE

Notably, the portion from about 3:40 to 4:39, and then maybe the last 30-40 seconds or so.

That figures; I wasn't around then so I don't know which super-long songs got trimmed down while they were climbing the charts. Thanks for that info. O0


That's the exact phenomenon I was referring to in my earlier, detailed post. Songs that were hits in edited versions, but said edited versions now being long forgotten in favor of the full length versions. I mean, nobody remembers the "hit" version of "Layla" with the integral piano coda omitted. If that got played today people would feel ripped off. "Where's the rest of the song?".  I might add, this was sort of the attitude of us FM  "album people" in the early 70s. We felt "hipper" than the AM top 40 people buying single buying public because we were listening to the longer, cooler versions of things.  ;D  8)  ;D

What are some songs that in your opinion sound great on the album, but are ruined on their radio edit?

For me, the best example here is UB40's "Red Red Wine". I love the album version of that song . . .
However, the song is ruined on the radio edit version, because they removed the best part of the song, which is Astro's toasted "red red wine you make me feel so fine, you keep me rocking all of the time" that gives me chills every time I hear it. That verse was the best part of the song for many people, it's beyond me why they removed it for the radio edit.

What are songs that you feel are great on their album version but ruined by radio edit?
Do you agree with me on UB40's "Red Red Wine"?
Let me know in the comments.

To answer the question posed in your introductory post, I must agree with you on "Red Red Wine." Many radio stations I've heard do play that whole long "last part" (the part sung by Astro). However, there is a shorter version of the Astro portion. What I hate is when it's cut out completely.

Steely Dan - Do It Again
They almost always cut out Donald Fagen's organ solo (except for the last note), which I think is the best part of the song.