I was reading on the IDBD about the German single featuring a faded out edit of Amsterdam, and it got me thinking about how I recall the song ending prior to hearing the RYCO CDs.

I haven't been able to play or access any vinyl for years, however I recall the version of Amsterdam on the Australian Sorrow single and most likely Bowie Rare ending just before the last note in which the wooden guitar is hit.

I can't see this variation documented anywhere, however I was so used to the single before getting the CD that the newer ending actually annoyed me, even though it is technically more complete.

Does anyone know if all the original vinyl versions differed to the CDs in this way or is it just the Aussie pressings that differed?

the australian sorrow single b-side is complete, although both sides of the single have their channels swapped. on the 4-song rebel rebel australian ep, however, the final hit of the guitar has been cut. they did correct the channels for this issue.

the Ryko version is actually a remix of the single version and has a much wider dynamic range, steadily gaining in volume as the performance intensifies. the single version is more compressed to give it a consistent volume level but the sound fills out as the guitars are added. the stereo separation and panning is also different on the Ryko.

the attached waveform shows, top to bottom, the German single fade, the standard single version and the Ryko remix. (the latter appears to be running slightly faster than the single, not sure which has the correct pitch)

differences such as these are usually down to the engineer who cuts the record... seems the ending of this track confused some.

taking this further, i can now confirm that what i've referred to as the "Ryko" mix was used on the Fashions picture disc (and presumably the Lifetimes single, could somebody check?) of Sorrow which was issued in 1982, eight years prior to the Ryko Pin Ups CD. furthermore, the same year's Bowie Rare LP uses the standard version but the Spain promo single for Bowie Rare reverses the channels! continuing this theme, the second CD issue for the Ziggy 30th anniversary on EMI reverses the channels of the "Ryko" mix! there are many pressings of this out there, but here's a round-up of what i have so far:

[Vinyl]
Australia (single) - complete, channels reversed
Australia (EP, original orange label) - complete, correct channels
Australia (EP, reissue brown label, text left) - missing last hit
Australia (EP, reissue brown label, text centred) - fade (diff point to germany)
France - complete
Germany - fade (diff point to Australia)
Germany Super-Sound-Single 12" (1982) - complete
Italy - complete
Spain (1982 promo) - complete, channels reversed
UK (original) - complete
UK (Fashions pic disc) - complete, remix
Bowie Rare (LP) - complete
Pin Ups (Ryko LP) - complete, remix

[CD]
Pin Ups (Ryko) - complete, remix
ZS30 (EMI) - complete, remix, channels reversed

in brief, from the above list we can see that the german and the reissue of the australian EP with centred text have faded versions (but not identical fades), the missing last guitar hit is unique to the Australian EP reissue with text aligned left, that the remix was first used in 1982 and subsequently on the two CD issues, and that at least three issues reverse the stereo channels.

other countries anyone?

Thanks Matt for posting your complete findings. I love topics like this one. Could you also post your findings of Space Oddity please? There's only so much I can add to the song's information in the IdbD entry but here was can discuss as many variations as we like.

Regarding ZS30: the stereo spectrum has been reversed on the entire album, so it does not surprise me Amsterdam has been switched as well...

yes, will do. that one has less variations - we're talking about the acoustic remake, not the original by the way.



yes, i realised that, should have made it clear. am i right in saying the japanese rectified the channel reverse issue for their market?

revisiting the original Australian Amsterdam question, i can now confirm another variation! as previously mentioned the standard 2 track single b-side is complete but with the channels reversed, while the 4 track Rebel Rebel ep corrects the channels but has the last guitar hit cut. i bought a different copy of the ep yesterday with an alternate label design and it fades the ending, but from an earlier point than the german single...

Australian single issues of Amsterdam -
Sorrow single - Reversed channels, complete original mix
Rebel Rebel EP (first issue, orange label) - Normal channels, complete original mix
Rebel Rebel EP (label copy aligned left) - Normal channels, ending cut, original mix
Rebel Rebel EP (label copy centred) - Normal channels, ending faded, original mix

for anyone keeping count that's six variations to date for a b-side... makes you wonder.

update: 6th feb.
finally got myself the original Rebel Rebel Australian EP with card sleeve and orange label. incredibly this version of Amsterdam is complete and with the correct channels. which means that all four Australian issues that i've found to date have differences on this track... well i find this stuff interesting!

NB: the two edited versions on the Australian EP reissues run fast too, both 3:17 against 3:22 for the original.

update: 8th april.
New Zealand and South African issues have the complete version but are both folded down to mono.