B02.09 Wide Boy

 

7" Remix version vs The Collection version

 

As I went through discussion groups on Facebook or other Nik Kershaw forums, I came across some messages of fans claiming I was wrong and that the 7" version of "Wide Boy" is different from the 1991 "The Collection" version.

I'm not narrow-minded or closed to debate so I told myself that these fans might right.

And the only way to know and correct my Nik Kershaw website was to identify the differences in the mentioned versions.

 

Before going deeper in the analysis, there is one important thing to notice about "Wide Boy".

 

Il you listen to the album version, you should definitely concentrate on the part where Nik Kershaw sings the following lines (starting at 2:21) :

 

"With your symmetry teeth and your California tan
I'm here to tell you that you ain't no Superman
You're just a wide boy
A wide boy!"

 

You'll notice that an echo effect is added to Nik Kershaw's vocals when he sings "You're just a wide boy"

The echo goes : "You're just a wide boy [a wide boy... a wide boy... a wide boy...]

 

That echo effect is NOT on the 7" version.

 

And if you listen to the 1991 "The Collection" version, you won't hear any echo too!

"The Collection" version is therefore NOT the same as the album version like some fans claim.

 

Moreover, some seconds after that sentence, Nik Kershaw sings a final "A Wide Boy!"  (at 2:37 on the album version).

If you compare both the album version and the 7" version, you'll notice that "A Wide Boy!" is lower and merged in the background on the album version while is a lot clearer on the 7" version.

Again, "The Collection" version as the exact same clearer version than on the 7" version.

 

So, if you want to know if a version of "Wide Boy" is the same as on the album version, the first thing to do is check the "echo" part.

If you can hear it, than the chances that this is the album version are very high.

 

But, let's go back to the comparison between the 7" version and "The Collection" version.

 

I used my good old "Reaper" software and uploaded both my vinyl ripped version of "Wide Boy" and the track taken from "The Collection CD".

 

The first thing I noticed was different bpm speeds.

Yet, that could be the result of my vinyl-record player turning slightly too fast.

But it would not create any distortion in the measure-to-measure comparison.

 

Then I had an overall look at both sound waves and check and any noticeable differences.

Note that because the sources are different (vinyl vs CD), the soundwaves will somehow look a little different (EQ... trebles and bass... mediums).

But that doesn't mean the tracks do not come from the same master recording.

 

 

I Identified two differences that needed to be checked.

 

 

 

So, the next step was to check the audios of these two sections.

 

The first on is in fact due to a crack on the vinyl recording.

No difference between the two recordings.

 

The second one is in fact the sound of the mechanical arm taking off the vinyl record.

So, again, no difference between the two recordings.

 

No clear differences in the sound waves of the two tracks.

 

Next step is there to compare them, measures after measures.

It takes time!

But, in the end, you have a clear answer to the question: are these two tracks the same mix of the song?

 

First thing to notice is that the vinyl rip has more intense bass while the CD recordings has stronger medium and trebles.

Again, this is due to the different sources they come from.

 

Then I played each measure again and again and again.

One track.

Then the other.

Then the first one again.

Over and over.

 

And there is no doubt that both tracks are the EXACT SAME MIX.

 

If some fans still believe they are different, well, that's their point of view and I'm not going to force them to trust me.

But as far as I am concerned, I worked hard on both recordings and I can assure they are the same mix.

 

But... The 2005 "Now &Then" Video Version is a different MIX!

 


 

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