New Wave Outpost Forum

If anyone has this set I'm curious to know if there is any mixes exclusive to this set only

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Hardest ... ase/190138

Hello,

I helped compile the Hardest Hits compilation CD's.

Are you asking exclusive mixes to the series or what only appears here and nowhere else up to this point on any other official CD ?

The only exclusive mix I'm aware of would be the '91 mix of "The Way Of Life" by The Puppets on Volume 1.

It's possible there may be a few others as the labels would sometimes not send the exact mix we were looking for and may have ended up with a promo only mix or two. By then it was too late to submit another request as it often took many months to get the mixes from the labels and didn't want to delay the releases any further.

Answering the other question requires a lot of investigative work, I would use the tools now available in Discogs to try and figure that out.

If I had one do over I would have included the version on the 12" of "92 In The Shade" ( Remix ) 6:02 by The West End Dance Project as it's a stronger mix. I thought that was the version ( 12" ) that was going on Volume 2. With the running time clocking in at just under 78 minutes for Vol. 2 perhaps that is why it wasn't used.

It would have been great to have always included the 12" mix for all the songs but either we couldn't get that mix from the label or space was getting tight on the release.

Unfortunately approx. 30% of the songs on both the Hardest Hits ( all 5 ) and Classic Alternatives ( first 3 ) CD series combined were not from masters and with it being the first half of the 90's an inexpensive way to clean up the sources weren't as readily available.

I left the company shortly before Classic Alternatives Volume 3 was released.

We did the best we could with what we had to work with.

Thanks

Thank you for all the info. It looks like a great compilation. I'm hoping I can track it down.

swerve wrote:Hello,

I helped compile the Hardest Hits compilation CD's.

Are you asking exclusive mixes to the series or what only appears here and nowhere else up to this point on any other official CD ?

The only exclusive mix I'm aware of would be the '91 mix of "The Way Of Life" by The Puppets on Volume 1.

It's possible there may be a few others as the labels would sometimes not send the exact mix we were looking for and may have ended up with a promo only mix or two. By then it was too late to submit another request as it often took many months to get the mixes from the labels and didn't want to delay the releases any further.

Answering the other question requires a lot of investigative work, I would use the tools now available in Discogs to try and figure that out.

If I had one do over I would have included the version on the 12" of "92 In The Shade" ( Remix ) 6:02 by The West End Dance Project as it's a stronger mix. I thought that was the version ( 12" ) that was going on Volume 2. With the running time clocking in at just under 78 minutes for Vol. 2 perhaps that is why it wasn't used.

It would have been great to have always included the 12" mix for all the songs but either we couldn't get that mix from the label or space was getting tight on the release.

Unfortunately approx. 30% of the songs on both the Hardest Hits ( all 5 ) and Classic Alternatives ( first 3 ) CD series combined were not from masters and with it being the first half of the 90's an inexpensive way to clean up the sources weren't as readily available.

I left the company shortly before Classic Alternatives Volume 3 was released.

We did the best we could with what we had to work with.

Thanks

I have to say that the Hardest Hits series is probably the best compilation of new wave songs/extended mixes there is!

Thanks for the great work and product produced.

I will have to agree with Schwenko on his comment. The best New Wave compilations ever. I just wish there were more volumes. Retro:active series would be second.

Just adding my 2 cents to agree with the group, that the Hardest Hits collection was by far the pinnacle of rare 80's tracks! I also really enjoyed the "Pop & Wave" collection released in the 90's as well; however, they featured more of the mainstream tracks, with the occasional rarity.

When I stumbled upon Hardest Hits volume 1 in a local CD shop, and saw that it had a Jon St. James track on it, I remember squealing in the store with excitement!! Didn't matter that the CD was priced at $25, which back in 1991 was WHACK for a new CD! I must have played that CD hundreds of times before finally ripping it to my PC!

Thank for helping bringing that CD to life, swerve!

I think you meant to type swerve.

Glad to read people consider the series to be special.

The legacy of CFNY circa 1978 to 1987 and the difficulty at the time to acquire many of the records that appeared on the series and the cost to get them second hand in the Toronto area back in the late 80's / early 90's spurred on this endeavour.

Funny, even though it is a Canadian release, it is cheaper to buy from Amazon US Marketplace than Amazon CA Marketplace.
Grab the boxset with 3/4/5 while you still can.

Thanks for the work Swerve! That series stands the test of time.