A Song For You 393 511-2 mixes on various versions

Rumbahbah

Well-Known Member
Wasn't sure if there was already a thread on this, but recently found a cheap CD German copy of A Song For You which featured the distorted heart and logo on the cover (I've never seen a CD version of this, hence why I bought it). The catalogue number is 393 511-2, but the matrix code on the CD is 393 511-2 04. I gather this catalogue number has featured a number of pressings that haven't always used the same remixes as each other. From listening to it, 'Top of the World' is the 1973 single mix and 'Hurting Each Other' and 'It's Going to Take Some Time' are both definitely remixes, but 'I Won't Last a Day Without You' is the album version, not the 1974 single version.

Does anyone know if this pressing the same as the MFSL disc or is it different yet again from that?
 
Yes, it should be the same as the MFSL disc.

The story goes like this. A&M released A SONG FOR YOU on CD back in the big CD release era of the mid to late 80. That original CD used the single version of "Top Of The World" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You", but everything else was original LP mixes.

Then MFSL wanted to license A SONG FOR YOU for a release in their series, and Richard responded with a whole lot of remixing. Everything up through "Piano Picker" was updated on that version of the album, with "I Won't Last A Day" reverting to its original album mix.

Then as more CD releases were needed as time went on, the MFSL version became the de-facto master used for most releases through the 90s, up until the Remastered Classics were issued, and then everything reverted to the original album mixes.

So you have a 90's era CD that used the updated masters compiled for the MFSL.
 
Yes, it should be the same as the MFSL disc.

The story goes like this. A&M released A SONG FOR YOU on CD back in the big CD release era of the mid to late 80. That original CD used the single version of "Top Of The World" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You", but everything else was original LP mixes.

Never could wrap my head around that one, considering the disingenuous nature of the actual master that was created, in contrast with the title and selling point of the release. If you're going to list it as 'original master recording' w/24k material and black/gold face, at least include ALL of the original mixes. Especially during that time period when 3/4 of the entire original catalog wasn't even available on CD. Aesthetically it was cool, but a bit disappointing upon first listen despite the improved audio quality.
 
Thanks for the info Harry, I'll have to listen more closely to the tracks as I'm not all that familiar with the remixes of the album tracks. Somehow I've managed never to hear this remix of 'It's Going to Take Some Time' before - the redone keyboard is quite a surprise (not sure if it's a good one or a bad one) when you're expecting the original!

I wonder how the revised sleeve design made its way on to versions of the CD - I thought Richard got A&M to dump this sleeve back when the album was originally released?
 
Never could wrap my head around that one, considering the disingenuous nature of the actual master that was created, in contrast with the title and selling point of the release. If you're going to list it as 'original master recording' w/24k material and black/gold face, at least include ALL of the original mixes. Especially during that time period when 3/4 of the entire original catalog wasn't even available on CD. Aesthetically it was cool, but a bit disappointing upon first listen despite the improved audio quality.

I bought the MFSL CD purely because it was advertised as the original master recording and hence I expected all original album mixes. I was very disappointed to find it contained no such thing when it came to those tracks.
 
I have CDs with both images of the heart. My oldest is a CD 3511, made in West Germany by PolyGram for the USA. It has the same inner-ring catalog number that you posted above, 393-511-2 01 *, and has the skewed logo/heart on the cover.

The other thing that started happening beginning with the MFSL release is that the original innersleeve lyrics and images were included in the booklets
 
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