I grabbed a few cases of 45s on my last trip across town. Found a lot of my old favorites, but some are still missing. What I did find, that I'd forgotten I owned, was the 45 RPM single version of "To Wait For Love".
Even in its sad state (thanks to the cheap plastic!), my ears tell me that this is quite a different version from the LP version! As Harry has mentioned, the ending does not fade out as soon (in fact, it repeats an entire chorus of the ending). The lead vocal track is also very different--Herb phrases the ..."to wait for love, is just to waste your life away..." section differently, and there are a couple of other touches to the vocals that are different from the LP version. The mix, to my ears, is also different. Part of it could be from this being a mono single, but it sounds like the strings are a bit more "forward" than the LP, and there is less reverb, overall, compared to the LP.
That said, I do like the LP version better. It sounds a little more restrained and formal--the single comes across as though it was trying too hard to be a hit, and sounds a little awkward at times.
The differences are very minor, but noticeable if you know what to listen for. I didn't realize it was this different from the album version, though.
BTW, the Bacharach Box hinted that this song just didn't seem destined to be a hit single, since both Tony Orlando and Herb Alpert had only minor success with it, but it is still one of my favorite Bacharach melodies, even if the lyrics don't quite do it for me.
-= N =-
Even in its sad state (thanks to the cheap plastic!), my ears tell me that this is quite a different version from the LP version! As Harry has mentioned, the ending does not fade out as soon (in fact, it repeats an entire chorus of the ending). The lead vocal track is also very different--Herb phrases the ..."to wait for love, is just to waste your life away..." section differently, and there are a couple of other touches to the vocals that are different from the LP version. The mix, to my ears, is also different. Part of it could be from this being a mono single, but it sounds like the strings are a bit more "forward" than the LP, and there is less reverb, overall, compared to the LP.
That said, I do like the LP version better. It sounds a little more restrained and formal--the single comes across as though it was trying too hard to be a hit, and sounds a little awkward at times.
The differences are very minor, but noticeable if you know what to listen for. I didn't realize it was this different from the album version, though.
BTW, the Bacharach Box hinted that this song just didn't seem destined to be a hit single, since both Tony Orlando and Herb Alpert had only minor success with it, but it is still one of my favorite Bacharach melodies, even if the lyrics don't quite do it for me.
-= N =-