oldtimer
Superball 
Posts 5
Registered 10-5-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 10-9-2002 at 01:54 AM |
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Love in a vacuum [indie 45]
As many of you know, Aimee Mann first came to prominence in 1983 on the strength of 'Til Tuesdays' winning a "Battle of the bands" competition
sponsored by a Boston radio station, and the buzz that was simultaneously being generated by their self-produced 45rpm single version of "Love In a
Vacuum."
Later, "Love in a vacuum" was the first single off of their first album; it got decent air play, mainly in the cortheast, though I don't think it
charted. It was followed by the release of "Voices Carry" as the 2nd single off the album. That, of course, became 'Til Tuesday's biggest (and
only) "hit," if you go by those things, which all of us being Aimee Mann fans by definition don't!
Anyway, the version of "Love in a Vacuum" that appears on that first album (1985's "Welcome Home") is not the same version as the 45...Epic
rerecorded it for the album...unfortunately, the album version suffers from both a lack of spontaneity and from overproduction as compared with the
45..(the producer was obviously trying to get a Bangles and Go-Go-ish type sheen)...it seems like one of those deals where the record company told
their newly signed band, "We know how to make a hit..we're going to record it this way." Yeah, right.
The indie version is far, far superior...it really shows off Aimee's early vocals at their freshest and showcases her obvious enthusiasm and
sensitivity for the material, her psyche still unmarred by subsequent record company screwings.
Getting (finally) to my point, I haven;t heard the "Love in a vacuum" indie version since hearing it on the radio in 1984 before I left Boston. I
unfortunately was not able to hunt up a copy at that time (I don't even know if or how many copies were on the market)...one other tidbit from that
time...in late 1983, I believe, following that "Battle of the bands" win, Aimee and Til Tuesday were booked into their first decent-sized shows as
headliners in a Boston club...I think it was at the Paradise, but it could have been at Spit? (really)..(I;m pretty sure it was one of those dives
near Fenway)...anyway, I'll describe that concert some other time but:
Does anyone know where I can get a copy of that original indie 45 ?
Does anybody else know of the existance of this record, it's history, what happened, etc., etc.
I've been trying to get a line on this thing for years, without success...pls help!
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Jillpw
Posts 910
Registered 8-22-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 10-9-2002 at 02:52 AM |
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Love In a Vacuum 45
A good source for collectors records is Gemm.com and they have a few copies of the Love in a Vacuum single listed (plus a radio 12 inch with the
single and album version). If neither of these is the right version you can keep checking back:
http://www.gemm.com/c/search.pl?sid=9165465&key=41081&field=ARTIST+OR+TITLE&wild=Til+Tuesday
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oldtimer
Superball
Posts 5
Registered 10-5-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 10-9-2002 at 03:27 AM |
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Love in a vacuum
Thanks for the tip, Jillpw. I checked the gemm site; all the "love in a vacuum" singles they have seem to be the Epic ones (which are the studio,
redone version)...It doesn't seem like they have the original indie one...I suspect that that first version was printed in very limited quantities,
and may not even have had much distribution outside the boston area...(it's sort of like the situation w/ Patti Smith's first single, "Piss
factory." The original self-released 45 is impossible to get, while the Sire rerelease--which, and this is the big difference with this one, is NOT a
rerecording--is relatively easy to find.
Anyway, appreciate the gemm suggestion; I'll keep an eye on them....meanwhile, can anybody else shed light on this, esp from a discography point of
view, since my info here is obviously incomplete...
then again I could be wrong
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Jillpw
Posts 910
Registered 8-22-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 10-9-2002 at 12:35 PM |
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Possible Explanation/ VC Album Review
According to the following review of the VC album from the AMG, the version you are talking about was actually a demo, so it is probably very hard to
find:
'Til Tuesday's debut album, Voices Carry, contains hip photo imagery (Aimee Mann's smile on the back is priceless and beautiful) and excellent
songwriting, all credited to drummer Michael Hausman, guitarist Robert Holmes, keyboard player Joey Pesce, and bassist/singer Aimee Mann. The
follow-up would be more specific as to who wrote what. While most bands from Boston suffered from lack of production, Mike Thorne does a decent job on
much of the album and excellent work on the title track. Former manager Randall Barbera spoke with this writer prior to the album's recording, when
Human League/Pete Shelley producer Martin Rushent was being considered for the task. The question for fans was, like the Cars before them, what was
wrong with the hit demo of "Love in a Vacuum," which saturated Boston airwaves prior to the record deal? As good a job as Mike Thorne did on the
song "Voices Carry," the world at large has not heard the inspired and innovative recording that was the original "Love in a Vacuum." If memory
serves, Will Garrett did the production work, and like certain tracks by the band Private Lightning, the demo to "Love in a Vacuum" was superior to
what came out on Epic. As Roy Thomas Baker polished "Just What I Needed" for the Cars, filling it with Queen-style thickness, the new wave edge of
the demo, on release on Rhino's Cars Deluxe, will give a good example of the transition these songs go through. The big difference is that the
original "Love in a Vacuum" was perfect and needed no changing, and the Mike Thorne version is over-produced, creating a good album track when the
true follow-up hit was actually in hand. Epic/Legacy simply has to expand this disc with the original 'Til Tuesday demos. "Don't Watch Me Bleed"
has the same kind of mesmerizing bass that makes "Voices Carry" so captivating, while the final track, "Sleep," could be the Human League going
deep into the underground. The song would also work well with a girl group hero like Barbara Harris of the Toys, showing the versatility of this
unique ensemble. Aimee Mann's major-label debut shows rapid maturity when compared to her Bark Along With the Young Snakes EP, and there's something
about this combination of Pesce, Hausman, and the brilliant Robert Holmes that would make a 'Til Tuesday reunion a welcome thing. The haunting lyrics
and dark tones of the keys and bass on songs like "I Could Get Used to This" or "No More Crying" separate this recording from the work of similar
'80s bands. "Looking Over My Shoulder" has a bubbling intensity which Holmes' guitar adds drama to. Voices Carry may have achieved success because
of the MTV video, but there were nine other songs to go along with the hit, and this album and its follow-ups should have had as much commercial
success as the Cars, because artistically, they are equal to that band's dynamic debut. Joe Viglione
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oldtimer
Superball
Posts 5
Registered 10-5-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 10-9-2002 at 04:13 PM |
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Love in a vacuum
Well, I'm glad to see the AMG and me are in agreement on the demo version being far superior...if Aimee ever puts out a "best of" on her own (as
opposed to that butchered unauthorized-even-though-it-was-from-the-record-company CD), maybe she'll include it, assuming she hasn't gotten screwed
out of the copyright to that recording...anyway, if anybody ever comes across that demo, pls post on this board...a 30-second mp3 excerpt would
probably be "legal," so maybe we could get that somehow...thanks for the info, jill pw
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pmswift
Satellite
Posts 23
Registered 9-23-2002 Location Ohio Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 10-9-2002 at 09:39 PM |
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Love in a Vacuum
"Love in a Vacuum" was the third official release off of the "Voices Carry" album (not the "Welcome Home" album) from Epic. The first release
was "Voices Carry" followed by "Looking Over My Shoulder" and then "Love in a Vacuum". You can even tell in the video for "Love in a Vacuum"
that it was released later because Aimee looks more like she did in the "Welcome Home" time period. I've even read somewhere that LIAV was
originally going to be the first single but the record company instead decided on "Voices Carry". However, I am not doubting that LIAV was released
as a self-produced single before signing with Epic.
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Joe Viglione
Amateur
Posts 2
Registered 8-12-2007 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 8-12-2007 at 02:54 AM |
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Love In A Vacuum
Maybe we can get a petition going to ask/demand Sony/BMG add the demos to the first album?
Thanks for reading my AMG review.
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Jillpw
Posts 910
Registered 8-22-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 8-12-2007 at 03:45 AM |
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Hi Joe,
Thanks for writing it. :-)
Jill
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lou
Wise Up
Posts 851
Registered 7-9-2004 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 8-12-2007 at 04:13 AM |
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That's the internet for you. This stuff just lies out there for Years, and then someone comes along and reads and responds to a thread from like
.. 5 years ago when some of the people might be Dead by now, and then someone like me comes along and thinks the whole thing was written in the last
few days, and is trying to figure out how someone like "Old Timer" could have registered in 2002 and still have only 5 posts after all
these years, 3 of them on this thread, and how did he know he was going to be an old-timer to the board when he first signed up.. was he
speculating?
I'm left to wonder what ever happened to "Old Timer"; did he ever get his unreleased demo single, and what happened to Joe
Viglione's paragraph markers?
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Joe Viglione
Amateur
Posts 2
Registered 8-12-2007 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 8-15-2007 at 02:21 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Viglione
Maybe we can get a petition going to ask/demand Sony/BMG add the demos to the first album?
Thanks for reading my AMG review.
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jacobmarley
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 posted on 8-19-2007 at 09:21 PM |
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Cool read here....thanx!
"Why do people take drugs anymore when reality has become hallucination?!"
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shyam
Say Anything
Posts 1
Registered 12-9-2008 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 12-9-2008 at 06:59 AM |
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The demo - here it is!
Go here:
http://www.studiowner.com/media_library_track.asp?a=596
Sign in to access their files, and enjoy. I like both versions, but the demo is purer and more raw, and for that reason, I prefer it.
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huntre
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| posted on 12-9-2008 at 06:32 PM |
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Thanks.
No bout a doubt it, the demo has an edge to it that the later version doesn't. Very cool to finally hear it.
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antuck
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| posted on 12-9-2008 at 10:01 PM |
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That looks like a cool site. Enjoyed the 'Til Tuesday songs. Looks like a site to visit when bored and looking for something unusual.
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