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1. Gary Evans 06.23.06 / 8am

   What gets me is that the original C & P 85 version I have on vinyl and cassette is not what you get on the cd version – this is quite different especially at the start – any reasons?
2. Gary Evans 06.23.06 / 8am

   In fact the demo version above seems to be what is on the cd!
3. Marco Raaphorst 06.23.06 / 9am

   No the demo is a slightly different version. I want to A/B compare it to the original CD version. Haven’t heard the vinyl version though.

   There are differences between vinyl and CD. For example when a sound is totally out of phase, the needle will jump, so this can never be used on vinyl, but on CD you can. Vinyl can also contain less low-frequencies compared to CD. But I am not sure if any of these reasons are the reasons for creating different versions for vinyl/cassette and CD.
4. Paul 06.23.06 / 1pm

   I have just purchased the CD version of Cupid, i think the version of Perfect Way sounds weak. I was so disppointed. Way better on vinyl.
5. Roberto 06.23.06 / 4pm

   From what I recall, the version that appeared on Vinyl and cassette was a remix (the US single version ?) and the CD version was the “original”.

   I agree, the version I have on my original cassette is much better than the CD version.
6. Roberto 06.23.06 / 4pm

   Oh, and I have also heard that there are CD’s knocking about with the “remixed” version on, but there is no way of identifying them other than listening to them.
7. Ellen 06.23.06 / 5pm

   I bought C&P (vinyl) as a present for a friend in 1987-88 or so. To my surprise there was a different Perfect Way version on it, compared to the one i bought in 85. I can’t check what version that is, sadly. It was a present. Still regret not having bought something else for him!
8. Kirk 06.24.06 / 10am

   I agree, the version of Perfect Way on my old US vinyl album is superior to the one on the cd currently available. When will C&P (and Provision) get a remaster?
9. Roberto 06.24.06 / 10am

   If Green owns the masters, then given his propensity to shun his past, maybe never :(

   I agree though, that a nice Scritti ReMastered Album Box Set is a nice idea ;) But the fact that three albums (Songs To Remember/Early/WBBB) are on Rough Trade, and the other three (C&P85/Provision/A&B) are on Virgin, might cause more legal problems.

   Something along the lines of the Adam Ant remasters would be really good, with the remastered album and a collection of related demo’s/out-takes/b sides on the same CD. Check out the Ant collection here…. http://www.adam-ant.net/2004remastered.html

   In my opinion, that collection, along with Ant Box is a definitive set.

   A Scritti version would be just as definitive and important.
10. Free Moral Agent 06.25.06 / 5pm

    I have the demo version on a Japanese pressing of Cupid. By far though, the best, absolute killer remix of perfect way is without a doubt the U.K. 12″ “version” remix. agree?
11. John 06.27.06 / 4am

    Thaks for posting these. I very much ejoyed them. Made the more poignant as I have just learned that Arif Mardin (Green’s “avuncular” figure from the C&P recordings) has just passed away.
12. Roger Kirby 07.04.06 / 9pm

    I bought Cupid & Psyche on cassette in 1987 and enjoyed Perfect Way as it was then. Bought it on CD in ’89 and detected no difference, apart from the sharper sound of CD. Still worth rocking too.
13. Jimbo 04.26.07 / 9pm

    I think the most obvious addition in the final mixes is the reverse gate effect on the Fairlight drums, which makes the lead in to the verse so dramatic and euphoric. Also, there are some major eq changes to the Fairlight bass, which may have been doubled up with a Yamaha DX7.

    On my European CD copy of Cupid and Psyche, the bridge is not ‘broken down’, and the space created in the promo version is not there, which is a shame. Furthermore, on some single versions the dark guitar sample bars before the ‘happy’ fairlight piano sample middle 8 is missing, I am not sure if this improves the flow or not.

    Perfect way really is a lesson in how to produce a great pop song, it has been a joy to rediscover the album, and appreciate the trickery in arrangement and production that accompanies the genuinely cerebral songwriting.
14. Marco Raaphorst 04.27.07 / 7am

    Perfect Way is a perfect song. I am sure it made Paddy McAloon crazy. In a positive way that is :)
15. AAM 07.14.07 / 9am

    The demo version is an earlier version with several textural and harmonic elements missing that were eventually added into to final track/versions.
    Also, Green’s vocal riffing (“Ooos”) are more rampant in the demo and only occur specifically and sparingly (on the 3rd beats, generally) in the later versions.
16. Mike N 04.23.08 / 1pm

    Coming back to this discussion months later, when I’ve been trying to put together a complete ‘digital archive’ of my entire Scritti Politti collection, I’m struck by the fact that we haven’t resolved very much about what versions are to be found where. From recording and research so far, I’ve only really got as far as knowing that there are between six and ten versions of Perfect Way (look at http://www.discogs.com/artist/Scritti+Politti to find some fairly clear listings). I have five versions – possibly six – but I believe that the US 12″ A-side (Way Perfect Mix) and the US 7″ B-side (Way Perfect Edit) are also different from any I have. The bits above about different versions on different editions of the album are complex and don’t all agree with each other, but I’ll try to check the differences as my archiving continues…

    Then again, has anyone actually already got a list of all the versions anywhere?
17. Sebastian "Tré" Morgan 03.20.09 / 1am

    I came across this “(demo)” version some weeks ago on YouTube as the soundtrack to some anime melodrama (natch!). So I just sort of assumed it was from a Japanese release of some kind. Obviously, this recording is from vinyl. Anyone have any idea what exactly this version is on? (I haven’t read the other comments yet; perhaps I’ll find the answer there…) I’ve been collecting every known mix of this song for many years, and I’m very intrigued by this!
18. Mike N 04.15.09 / 1pm

    Hi Sebastian. As you can see further above, I’ve been working on this one too. I still don’t quite have it worked out but there are at least 8 versions.

    The demo version you have found is likely to be the same one available for download at the top of this page – this excellent site is probably where the YouTube-user got it from! The debate about what this ‘demo’ actually is has still got me confused – seems to turn up on some 7″ singles and on some versions of the C & P album. I keep meaning to set aside an evening just to compare all the ‘undecided’ versions that I have.

    The ones I know are…
    Original UK CD version 4:43
    Original UK LP version 4:31
    UK 12″ 4:34
    UK 12″ ‘Version’ 5:01
    UK 7″ (and most other 7″) 4:02
    US 12″ ‘Way Perfect’ 5:26
    US Promo 12″ ‘Way Perefect Version’ 7:27
    US 7″ ‘Way Perfect Version Edit’ 4:27
    …but I don’t think the full list is as simple as that at all. Some mixes that happen to be the same length as each other are unlikely to be the same mixes (the UK 12″ b-side ‘Version and the US 12″ b-side Way Perfect Version are both 5:01). All the 7″ a-sides are the same length (4:02) but a lot of people seem to think the US, UK, German ones are different to each other. Meanwhile, the two versions on this site described as ‘promo’ and ‘remix’ are the same 7:27 US promo 12″ version but one has been recorded from vinyl in a way that’s left it a slightly different length and with rather different audio compression.

    This is all very geeky, of course, but some of the mixes are much more fun to listen to than others!
19. Keenan 04.12.12 / 6am

    I just bought C & P on CD (says it’s a US Printing) and was puzzled by the different version of Perfect Way. The version I’m used to is the same as or similar to the ‘demo’ version above (I shall hereafter refer to it as such), and honestly I prefer it. The mix seems lighter and more open, and I like that pause after the intro, without the drum fill. The version on my CD is mixed louder than than the other tracks, and sounds mildly distorted and harsh. Green sounds like he’s singing in a tunnel and gets drowned out by the instrumentation in the chorus. The music video on Youtube uses this version, but what’s weird is that almost every other version I’ve found on the interwebs is the aforementioned ‘demo’ version.

    So if any of you peeps have a CD (in good condition) with the ‘demo’ version on it and want the other one, I’ll swap ya for it :)
20. Lorenzo 07.25.12 / 8am

    Hello everybody,
    as a SP fan I experienced quite the same surprise when a few years ago I bought the CD version of C&P (UK: CDV2350).

    On this CD I found what Keenan refers to as the ‘demo mix’ version.
    I also own a vinyl I bought back in ’85 (Italian print) and it contained the other ‘dynamic’ mix, with overdubs and all.

    All this is really puzzling! Well, I am ready for swapping it. Let me know.

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