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80s instrumental versions

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Sunnypad
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80s instrumental versions

#447448

Postby Sunnypad » October 3rd, 2021, 12:27 pm

Back in the 80s....there used to be an instrumental version of pretty much everything...I was looking for an album, spotify playlist etc, but can't find anything.

DAK of any? I'm probably using the wrong search term or something.

Thanks.

Itsallaguess
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447455

Postby Itsallaguess » October 3rd, 2021, 12:40 pm

Sunnypad wrote:
Back in the 80s....there used to be an instrumental version of pretty much everything...I was looking for an album, spotify playlist etc, but can't find anything.

DAK of any? I'm probably using the wrong search term or something.


Are these any good?

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nEzukIcf8B16DKyWviMWR?si=92fbfM3OQCapgt3bDV0siA&nd=1

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xMN1fXJapOxGWn2bJT8Vu?si=PhRaEWFxTQmhpB3if9Pv7w

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Ku6RHWIkp23ETPahicDpO?si=Sh5XVVxuT9SejDubqKlFqg

If you search Spotify for 'instrumental covers', there's quite a few albums and even more playlists....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

servodude
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447457

Postby servodude » October 3rd, 2021, 12:48 pm

Might you be thinking of "muzak"?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzak

It's not specifically 80s though

Instrumental stuff popular round then would have been Jean-Michel Jarre, or Hooked on Classics... Classy stuff

-sd

Sunnypad
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447491

Postby Sunnypad » October 3rd, 2021, 2:12 pm

Definitely not Muzak! :o

I meant in the 80s, most bands seemed to issue an instrumental version of their own record, so like a B side, so you could enjoy just the music of New Order or Depeche Mode.

In the 90s, they were played a lot in nightclubs.

I definitely don't mean covers.

It's often an extended mix.

The electronica stuff was so big in clubs and now the 80s are back :D so I thought there'd be something but maybe it's very much the province of commercial places. Last bar I was in, we said "great playlist" and the bar manager started saying how much they pay for them....

AleisterCrowley
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447496

Postby AleisterCrowley » October 3rd, 2021, 2:32 pm

Try searching for 'dub version' or 'dub mix'

Itsallaguess
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447501

Postby Itsallaguess » October 3rd, 2021, 2:46 pm

Sunnypad wrote:
I meant in the 80s, most bands seemed to issue an instrumental version of their own record, so like a B side, so you could enjoy just the music of New Order or Depeche Mode.

In the 90s, they were played a lot in nightclubs.

I definitely don't mean covers.

It's often an extended mix.


Ah - that's a better explanation then...

Try these -

80's - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nhbFil0oGSPNsy4e8Q1hk?si=Zg-61BhNTUeEjcmF_91UMQ

80's and 90's - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3K4sdeH7JmRyL87FYIdXWf?si=hNKi5FlwQgWeaPxajVUnEw

Spotify search terms '80s extended remix' and '90s extended remix' will deliver lots of other great remix playlists..

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

Sunnypad
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447502

Postby Sunnypad » October 3rd, 2021, 2:47 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:Try searching for 'dub version' or 'dub mix'


Sorry, not what I was after. Maybe it's not there but I am very surprised by that.

Sunnypad
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447503

Postby Sunnypad » October 3rd, 2021, 2:49 pm

Itsallaguess wrote:
Sunnypad wrote:
I meant in the 80s, most bands seemed to issue an instrumental version of their own record, so like a B side, so you could enjoy just the music of New Order or Depeche Mode.

In the 90s, they were played a lot in nightclubs.

I definitely don't mean covers.

It's often an extended mix.


Ah - that's a better explanation then...

Try these -

80's - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nhbFil0oGSPNsy4e8Q1hk?si=Zg-61BhNTUeEjcmF_91UMQ

80's and 90's - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3K4sdeH7JmRyL87FYIdXWf?si=hNKi5FlwQgWeaPxajVUnEw

Spotify search terms '80s extended remix' and '90s extended remix' will deliver lots of other great remix playlists..

Cheers,

Itsallaguess


Not instrumental though.

Ach well, these are good in any case, thank you.

AsleepInYorkshire
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447505

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » October 3rd, 2021, 3:04 pm

Try "backing tracks 1980's" or the year you want

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPt47Hr-XYM

Or Karaoke 1980's or again versions of this search

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grPxTMCGjRQ

AiY

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447508

Postby AleisterCrowley » October 3rd, 2021, 3:42 pm

Sunnypad wrote:
AleisterCrowley wrote:Try searching for 'dub version' or 'dub mix'


Sorry, not what I was after. Maybe it's not there but I am very surprised by that.


The dub versions really started out with reggae , but were common in house/electronic music

Here's a definition;
https://theedmist.co/2015/05/04/the-edm ... dub-mix-n/

In dance music, a dub or dub mix is a version of a track in which the main vocals have been removed. This is also known as an instrumental version, especially in other genres such as pop music

Which sort of sounded like what you were after !

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447537

Postby Sunnypad » October 3rd, 2021, 5:35 pm

AiY - that first link is gorgeous, thank you


Aleister - I really can't type that name without thinking of witchcraft :lol: - I meant the bands' own instrumental mixes, which I'm beginning to think only existed on B sides! I must look at vinyl when I go to mum's.

I can imagine that stuff also gets sold for soundtracks rather than being freely available.

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447556

Postby Gerry557 » October 3rd, 2021, 7:08 pm


Mike4
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447560

Postby Mike4 » October 3rd, 2021, 7:17 pm

Sunnypad wrote:Definitely not Muzak! :o

I meant in the 80s, most bands seemed to issue an instrumental version of their own record, so like a B side, so you could enjoy just the music of New Order or Depeche Mode.

In the 90s, they were played a lot in nightclubs.

I definitely don't mean covers.

It's often an extended mix.


Well I certainly remember these tracks you are describing being commonplace.The same music but with the vocal track deleted from the mix.

I never understood the point of them as karaoki had not been invented at that time.

AleisterCrowley
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447575

Postby AleisterCrowley » October 3rd, 2021, 8:13 pm

Partly so DJs could do mixes and 'mash ups'?
A cynical part of me also suspects they were a cheap way to fill a B side..
My 12" of Blue Monday (original FAC73 of course) has 'The Beach' on the B-side, which is basically a remixed instrumental of Blue Monday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn66szsjUGw

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447576

Postby AleisterCrowley » October 3rd, 2021, 8:20 pm

Sunnypad wrote:AiY - that first link is gorgeous, thank you


Aleister - I really can't type that name without thinking of witchcraft :lol: - I meant the bands' own instrumental mixes, which I'm beginning to think only existed on B sides! I must look at vinyl when I go to mum's.

I can imagine that stuff also gets sold for soundtracks rather than being freely available.


Yes, lots of bands would have a dub mix on the B sides (for clubs/DJs)
As an example
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Cut_a_Long_Story_Short
12-inch single[45]
"To Cut a Long Story Short" (Mix 1) — 6:30
"To Cut a Long Story Short" (Mix 2) ("Version" version [dub mix]) — 3:56

A :twisted: C

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447578

Postby Lootman » October 3rd, 2021, 8:23 pm

Mike4 wrote:
Sunnypad wrote:In the 90s, they were played a lot in nightclubs.

Well I certainly remember these tracks you are describing being commonplace.The same music but with the vocal track deleted from the mix.

I never understood the point of them as karaoki had not been invented at that time.

There was definitely karaoke in the 1990s because I attended a few bars and clubs featuring it in the mid-1990s, due to having a friend who who was crazy about it, and eventually ended up getting banned from most of the places offering it.

Its origins go back to the 1960s and 1970s:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaoke#History

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447605

Postby servodude » October 3rd, 2021, 11:13 pm

Sunnypad wrote:I meant the bands' own instrumental mixes, which I'm beginning to think only existed on B sides!


Ah the "instrumental mix" now there's a thing

Mike4 wrote:I never understood the point of them as karaoki had not been invented at that time.


By the late 80s karaoke had made it to the UK (been in Japan since the 70s)
- but it was normally using re-creations of the tracks using half [expletive deleted] FM synth replicas of the instruments
- one guy, one sequencer, one way split on the recording royalties

AleisterCrowley wrote:...they were a cheap way to fill a B side.


Some were just a cheap way to fill a B side but that wasn't all of it...
Given the multi-track nature of recording it wasn't uncommon to have (partially) mastered every thing but the vocals so that you could fold it back for the temperamental talent to hear what they were used to while they were trying to re-do their part in the iso' booth
- depending on how big your studio that mastering might need to have been destructive (freeing tracks in the process)
- what you ended up with was a karaoke version of the real thing for the singer to karaoke over (or indeed various singers and you can decided which one you release)
- and then you could use that to fill the B-side ;)

The extended instrumental mix though was a club thing (you didn't need to explore the symbolism of the lyrics while you had difficulty focusing on the sweaty people around you)
- given the nature of the styles involved and the era you could just re-configure the sequencer and retrigger bits on the AkaiS900 ("sample it, loop it, f**ck it, eat it and spit it out")
- then invite some pals round to have a go at it
- then stick everything on your 12" ;)

They'll be hidden on spotify somewhere

- sd

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447606

Postby Sunnypad » October 3rd, 2021, 11:17 pm

Sd "They'll be hidden on spotify somewhere "

Very well hidden!

servodude
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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447617

Postby servodude » October 3rd, 2021, 11:56 pm

Sunnypad wrote:Sd "They'll be hidden on spotify somewhere "

Very well hidden!


Yeah it can be difficult at times :(

probably easiest to search by artist (if you can think of an example)
- then find the track in question, check the versions available and see if it's on a compilation

youtube might be more fruitful; if a bit harder to navigate

- sd

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Re: 80s instrumental versions

#447862

Postby pochisoldi » October 4th, 2021, 8:13 pm

For an instrumental version of Depeche Mode's Master and Servant, you need to search for "Master and Servant (Voxless)". It was on the B side of one of the 12" singles.

Can't remember any other instrumental versions that got a commercial release.


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