Go-Go's Info and Request
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 12:14 pmHaving been a huge Go-Go's fan since 1981, I've been confused since the "Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's" set came out, as the track list states: "We Got The Beat (Single Mix)". Single mix? It didn't sound any different than every other Go-Go's CD in my collection. I assumed it was just a typo for the last 26yrs.
I recently watched the FANTASTIC Showtime documentary "The Go-Go's" and bought their fun new song "Club Zero", and found myself plunging headfirst back down the Go-Go's rabbit hole lol.
Well, after 26yrs, I finally did some research on the "Single Mix" mystery and found my answer. The first recording of "We Got The Beat" was of course released in 1980 as a 7" single on Stiff Records in the UK (this version was finally released on CD in 1994 on "The Whole World Lost Its Head" CD-Single). After being signed to I.R.S. Records in 1981, the song was re-recorded for the "Beauty And The Beat" album. However, I was unaware that when I.R.S. Records decided to release "We Got The Beat" as a single in January of 1982, they remixed and edited the track slightly from the version released on initial pressings of the "Beauty And The Beat" album! I was only 11yrs olds at the time and had bought both the "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat" singles before saving up enough money to buy the full LP AFTER "We Got The Beat" was a huge hit. So my LP had the NEW Single Mix of "We Got The Beat" on it instead of the ORIGINAL 1981 re-recording, which meant that the Single Mix was the only mix I had ever heard (or, at least, owned).
Armed with this new knowledge, I was dying to heard what that original 1981 version sounded like!
Funny thing is, about 6yrs ago, I was doing a ton of scanning and photoshopping of 80's album art and had purchased a nearly mint copy of "Beauty And The Beat" with the BLUE background. My copy had the PEACH background and I always thought the blue cover was better. Anyway, realizing I never actually LISTENED to this "new" copy, I dragged out my turntable and hooked everything up and started playing the record. Right away it sounded a little different to me. Then, after the first chorus, there was a longer instrumental break than I had been accustomed to! And there was no piano - or if there was, it was very low in the mix. Finally, the breakdown near the end had no hand claps! So I actually had this elusive original LP Mix in my closet for the past 6yrs lmao!
So the newer Single Mix has completely replaced the original LP Mix ever since 1982! Which means it never appeared on any CD release. Then I remembered in 2016, when Edsel announced their remaster of "Beauty And The Beat", "We Got The Beat (Single Mix)" had shown up AGAIN, this time listed as a Bonus Track. Could that mean that Edsel had in fact reinstated the Original LP Mix as Track 6 on that first disc??? A look at the Discogs entry indicates this may be the case. Track 6 is listed as 2:36 while Track 13 shows 2:31 which is the length of the slightly shorter Single Mix.
So, long story short (haha!), did anyone here pick up the Edsel "Beauty And The Beat" remaster from 2016? Is Track 6 really the ORIGINAL LP Mix? Beyond that, are the other bonus tracks on Disc 1 of better sound quality than they were on the 1994 "Return To The Valley..." set (that release has always kinda sounded muffled to me)??? Anyone willing to share Track 6 in FLAC?
I recently watched the FANTASTIC Showtime documentary "The Go-Go's" and bought their fun new song "Club Zero", and found myself plunging headfirst back down the Go-Go's rabbit hole lol.
Well, after 26yrs, I finally did some research on the "Single Mix" mystery and found my answer. The first recording of "We Got The Beat" was of course released in 1980 as a 7" single on Stiff Records in the UK (this version was finally released on CD in 1994 on "The Whole World Lost Its Head" CD-Single). After being signed to I.R.S. Records in 1981, the song was re-recorded for the "Beauty And The Beat" album. However, I was unaware that when I.R.S. Records decided to release "We Got The Beat" as a single in January of 1982, they remixed and edited the track slightly from the version released on initial pressings of the "Beauty And The Beat" album! I was only 11yrs olds at the time and had bought both the "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat" singles before saving up enough money to buy the full LP AFTER "We Got The Beat" was a huge hit. So my LP had the NEW Single Mix of "We Got The Beat" on it instead of the ORIGINAL 1981 re-recording, which meant that the Single Mix was the only mix I had ever heard (or, at least, owned).
Armed with this new knowledge, I was dying to heard what that original 1981 version sounded like!
Funny thing is, about 6yrs ago, I was doing a ton of scanning and photoshopping of 80's album art and had purchased a nearly mint copy of "Beauty And The Beat" with the BLUE background. My copy had the PEACH background and I always thought the blue cover was better. Anyway, realizing I never actually LISTENED to this "new" copy, I dragged out my turntable and hooked everything up and started playing the record. Right away it sounded a little different to me. Then, after the first chorus, there was a longer instrumental break than I had been accustomed to! And there was no piano - or if there was, it was very low in the mix. Finally, the breakdown near the end had no hand claps! So I actually had this elusive original LP Mix in my closet for the past 6yrs lmao!
So the newer Single Mix has completely replaced the original LP Mix ever since 1982! Which means it never appeared on any CD release. Then I remembered in 2016, when Edsel announced their remaster of "Beauty And The Beat", "We Got The Beat (Single Mix)" had shown up AGAIN, this time listed as a Bonus Track. Could that mean that Edsel had in fact reinstated the Original LP Mix as Track 6 on that first disc??? A look at the Discogs entry indicates this may be the case. Track 6 is listed as 2:36 while Track 13 shows 2:31 which is the length of the slightly shorter Single Mix.
So, long story short (haha!), did anyone here pick up the Edsel "Beauty And The Beat" remaster from 2016? Is Track 6 really the ORIGINAL LP Mix? Beyond that, are the other bonus tracks on Disc 1 of better sound quality than they were on the 1994 "Return To The Valley..." set (that release has always kinda sounded muffled to me)??? Anyone willing to share Track 6 in FLAC?
