SickthingsUK

When i hear this song on B$B (i have the deluxe reissue) the vocals are coming out only in my right ear bud. On the Box set Life and Crimes the vocals are centered. Are there 2 versions of this song?

Keith1980 wrote:When i hear this song on B$B (i have the deluxe reissue) the vocals are coming out only in my right ear bud. On the Box set Life and Crimes the vocals are centered. Are there 2 versions of this song?

Pretty observant! The "single" mix had centered vocals. Most likely to ensure proper playback from various radio stations.

There are more then two.. sort of

I'm no expert but..

The original mix of Elected had the vocals panned to one side. But that was a problem as some mono equipment only played one channel (not a mix or the two, I remember hearing this happen at least once), so you couldn`t hear the vocal. The Box Set version is presumably a different (single?) mix to solve that problem.

There is also the 'Alice Does Alice' version which is a new recording but purposely very very close to the original version. This was the version released last year for the Election.
I think the DVD-A version is also a different mix.

This is my guess off the top of my head. I'm sure someone with greater knowledge can explain it in more detail if needed.

EDIT: Dano beat me too it

Also,　there are 2 versions of Desperado.
Killer mix and Greatest Hits mix are different.
I prefer Greatest Hits version…

Does anyone know why the album version had the vocals panned to the right channel only?

I've always assumed it was the effect Ezrin (?) wanted. The Beatles did that in several of their songs, too. Having fun with stereo....

In early Van Halen recordings, Eddie's guitar only comes out one channel (left, I think, but I can't check right now).

Hunter

VinceLeeRose wrote:Does anyone know why the album version had the vocals panned to the right channel only?

I guess only Ezrin could answer that. Maybe giving the vocal an effect so it kind of sounds like the vocal is being sung through a megaphone. I got the sense that is what they were going for. As far as remixing it for radio, that would have been a must for AM radio play, as AM was mono throughout the seventies and a simple fold down of the two channels would have left the vocals low in the mix (my guess)

Toronto Bob wrote:

VinceLeeRose wrote:Does anyone know why the album version had the vocals panned to the right channel only?

I guess only Ezrin could answer that. Maybe giving the vocal an effect so it kind of sounds like the vocal is being sung through a megaphone. I got the sense that is what they were going for. As far as remixing it for radio, that would have been a must for AM radio play, as AM was mono throughout the seventies and a simple fold down of the two channels would have left the vocals low in the mix (my guess)

I have asked here before if the 45 mono mixes were dedicated mixes or just collapsed stereo and no one seems to know.

From SickThings:
"I've always assumed it was the effect Ezrin (?) wanted."

Yes, although he was never really happy with his mix on the original recording. For example, the vocals could have been more prominent.

My auld dad gave me his hand-me-down stereo unit which only played one Chanel and for years I thought elected was an instrumental apart from the speech section!

dadascot wrote:My auld dad gave me his hand-me-down stereo unit which only played one Chanel and for years I thought elected was an instrumental apart from the speech section!

That's pretty funny.

dadascot wrote:My auld dad gave me his hand-me-down stereo unit which only played one Chanel and for years I thought elected was an instrumental apart from the speech section!

That must have been a common occurrence here in Scotland , as we had the exact same thing .....My mother had a teak stereogram that had only one speaker working .....


Elected baffled me completely ...where is Alice's voice ? ...


As did Slade's Coz I Luv You , where the violin solo pans left to right and back again , as does the guitar .....


I remember a neighbor repaired it , and what a revelation to hear EVERYTHING ....