The thread about 7” singles made me think about the occasional delight of securing an EP or a 7” single track that runs at 33.
This is one. There Goes Concorde Again by And the Native Hipsters, of course. It is very long for a single and sounds better at 45rpm. To this day I still think it’s at the wrong speed.
O Superman might have been a similar deal. Also, the superb VFM from Toyah who released a couple of 4 track EPs.
The accepted wisdom was that the songs had to spin at 45 for jukeboxes and also Radio 1 DJs couldn’t risk being confused by different speeds. They used to actually physically play the records – imagine!
I seem to remember that many years ago I had a single by Ten Years after (Love Like a Man) that had the studio version on one side that played at 45 rpm whilst a live long version which played at 33 rpm on the other side.
Also I think I had a David Cassidy 33 rpm single – I Am a Clown was one of the songs on it I think……
That’s right, the live version, recorded at Bill Graham’s Fillmore, spun at 33. They had to print 33 RPM in black over the standard white 45 RPM template label for Deram singles.
My only other 33 RPM single is this, my gateway to prog. Eight minutes and 29 seconds of Roundabout by Yes. Value for money guaranteed by the full 10 mins 40 secs of ‘And You And I’ on the flip side.
I’m sure I have a Factory Records single which plays 33 on one side and 45 on the other. It’s early and my brain is not yet fully engaged, perhaps Doc Volume will put me right.
Edit: FAC23 – Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart A-side plays at 45rpm with two tracks on the b-side and plays at 33rpm.
That’s right. One of the 33rpm tracks on the B-side is an alternative version of Love Will Tear Us Apart, which I always preferred to the A-side version.
I had a 12″ single by New Age Steppers that was 33 on one side and 45 on the other.
Being quite dubby stuff it wasn’t always immediately apparent if it had been put on at the wrong speed.
I seem to recall that on a few occasions, the NME gave away 4-track EPs that played at 33 rpm.
One of them (which I still have) had Hüsker Dü doing “Ticket to Ride” on it.
I have a couple of those 7″ 33rpm things.
Temptation by New Order plays at 33
Why is it a delight if it plays at 33rpm?
A longer song – or even two songs per side!
Are EPs generally 33rpm or 45rpm? I have a Beatles 45 that is over 7 minutes long (Hey Jude), so one can at least get that much music on one side.
I remember that the Stranglers’ Black And White album included a free single of their version of Walk On By which played at 33. A mate of mine at uni taped my copy – he taped it running at 45 and didn’t notice until he played it with me in the room and i laughed just a little…
Back in the olden days of working for Our Price, the first Kylie single, played at 33, sounded exactly like Rick Astley.
Which we thought suspicious with them both being Stock Aitken &Waterman productions.
Maybe a closely followed guide vocal?
She has since proved her worth though 🙂
I do admire her for sustaining a career despite having no discernable talent apart from being able to pick a songwriter to do the work for her.
Don’t forget the wooden arse. That’s something special.
(What’d that Elvis? No that isn’t your cue. Get back in the box)
The Lynyrd Skynyrd EP had mismatched speeds.
Freebird (A Side) played at 33, Sweet Home Alabama and Double Trouble (B Side) at 45
The inverse of this is I have 3 Metallica albums that play at 45 (Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning & Master Of Puppets).
These were special editions/re-issues bearing the legend “Direct Metal Mastering”
There’s also the Cabs “2×45” – intended to be played at 45, but sounds pretty good at 33…
One of my favourite records. I can still remember buying it and wondering at the minimalist packaging, and learning to love the songs. It fitted right in next to my Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil albums – mysterious worlds revealing their secrets bit by bit.
I always like it when Cabaret Voltaire are referred to as “the Cabs”.
“The Volts” would be even better.
How about the ‘bare’ ‘taires?
Original copies of Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under A Groove” album were two 12″ discs with side one of the second disc at 45 rpm, being another iteration of the song “One Nation Under A Groove”, which was also track one, side one of the first disc.
Later versions had just one 12″ 33⅓rpm disc and the 4 tracks from the original 12″ second disc side two divided on both sides of a 7″ 33⅓rpm disc.
Re: There Goes Concorde Again – that explains it! I remember taping that song from Annie Nightingale’s Request Show many years ago. I heard it again much later and didn’t recognise it. AN had played it at 45rpm. I actually preferred the faster version.
My memory is fuzzy on this but I’m glad you have introduced Annie Nightingale into the mix because that was where I probably first heard it too. It does sound like the kind of record she likes. I tend to credit unusual records getting airplay to John Peel but that wasn’t always the case.
Mungo Jerry’s ‘In The Summertime’ was, apparently, the first ever “maxi single” with one track on the A side and two tracks on the B side. And it played at 33rpm.
It was also their first single and something like the third ever best selling UK single.
Yes, they gave good value. I have one of the follow-up singles, Lady Rose, which is followed by their take on the Leadbelly song ‘Have A Whiff On Me’. As I was only 12 when I bought it, I had no idea what the song was about. I was very fond of the line “Who needs friends when you can have snow?”
One 7 inch which was surprisingly NOT at 33.3rpm was Chris Rea’s song Nothing To Fear. Remember that one? It was an epic long song with a brooding, Floydian intro that went on for ages. I can’t put my hands on it right now, but I’m pretty sure the 7 inch was the full 8 or 9 minute version. I’m not sure how they squeezed it on to 7 inches to be honest.