Singles Box III - Missing guitar...?

Okay, I need some expert confirmation...

The version of "Who Wants To Live Forever" which appears to be on the new Singles Collection III boxed set is at first glance the Single Version. Since this version is harder to come by, as it wasn't on Hits II, Classic Queen, Absolute Greatest or any other release besides the single and the video, I have a copy lifted from the Video Hits 2 DVD which sounds great.

Now, here's the issue:

The version on the Singles III box is missing a very noticable guitar wail, compared to every other version I possess.

The "wail" in question appears at the following times on the following versions:

Album Version - 3:18
Video Hits II DVD version - 3:19
Karaoke Mix - 3:19

Singles III Version - NO GUITAR after the chorus at about 3:19

I'd like to know from someone with the actual original single, who can confirm whether or not the ORIGINAL single has the guitar wail at about 3:19.

If the original single contains this guitar wail, the version just issued on the Singles III box is an error.

I have just listened to the 7" and 12" and both are missing the guitar wail at that point in the song, so it would appear the box set has the correct single version; and the video version is different. It would be interesting to see if the videos are the Flix II VHS and Laser discs are the same is the DVD.

Very well spotted. I, like most people, always thought the single and video versions were the same.

For those who want to compare.

I made a short compilation of both versions. The first clip is the 2010 Singles Collection version, without the first guitar wail, the second is the original version, including both guitar wails.

Believe In Yourself, are the clips you posted:

1) 2010 Singles Collection/Original Single Version
+
2) Album Version

?

 I ask simply for the purpose of clarity, whether you're confirming Jam Monkey's observations. It's sounds like you are, I just like being 100% certain.

Thanks, both of you for your insight.

I'm sorry for not making myself clear enough.

The first one is a clip I made from the 2010 Singles collection.
The second one is a clip from the 1986 video version (from youtube)

I checked all of my versions of WWTLF on CD, but none of them has the 4:00 min edit (the 1992 re-issue has the album version). I do have the original 7" and 12' singles from 1986, but I can't play them, because I don't have a record player at the moment.

According to ultimatequeen.co.uk and The Queen Vault the 7" version and the video version are exactly the same.
http://www.queenvault.com/akom.html

Who Wants To Live Forever (Single Edit) 4:00
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK Who Wants To Live Forever 7" vinyl, UK Who Wants To Live Forever 12" vinyl
This is an edit that takes quite a bit from the album mix. The long 2 minute outro and the "who waits forever anyway" parts are omitted here altogether. In it's place is the who wants to live forever chorus part until it fades out at 4:00. The audio from the single version is also used in the video.

So, at first I also thought the video version was the same as the original 7" edit. But after reading Jam Monkey's post, this appears not to be true.

I have no reason to doubt Jam Monkey, but maybe others, who can play the original vinyl versions can confirm Jam Monkey's observation?

Well, after all, my contributions are quite useless, aren't they? ;)

take care,
John

It looks like I may be wrong...  the singles collection 3 seems to have the correct version.

I will have to check my Greatest Flix 2 tape  vs. Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD to see if the video versions are the same.

As far as I know, the 7" and the original VHS single had the same version, but that was certainly different to the GVH2 (and GF2?) versions.

So suddenly it appears we have a whole new version of the track? Very interesting discovery indeed :) 

V.

I have no reason to doubt Jam Monkey's confirmation, as he appears to have checked the original 1986 7" and 12" singles.

Therefore, we are left with the following:

The ORIGINAL Single Version does NOT contain the guitar wail at 3:19. This version was accurately reproduced on the recently released 2010 Singles Collection III boxed set.

All other known versions DO feature this guitar bit after the "Who wants to live forever" chorus, including:

Album Version
Karaoke Mix
Greatest Video Hits II DVD
Classic Queen VHS (I checked)
Greatest Hits II Edit

It's not surprising, when you think about it, the Karaoke Mix is actually the Video Version, as it was the companion CD for the Laserdisc and DVD releases out of Japan, which feature all the video versions (The Invisible Man, Friends Will Be Friends, etc.)

It's amazing it's taken this long for someone to spot it. I've always found it fancinating that we have all these different versions with only minnor differences. You would expect remixes and edits etc, but there are many examples like this of only tiny differences between versions.

It's long been my ambiton to collect all the Queen items with different versions on, and I am almost there; but it is a very frutrating and expensive hobby.

I have one of those South American DVD bootlegs of 'Greatest Flix II'. I just listened to it, and the guitar wail IS included in that version. Just like on 'Greatest Video Hits 2'.

I really didn't think anyone would spot this.
I'm impressed it got spotted in under a week of it's release.
So there is another 'first' on these 'Singles Collection' boxes then, if only a small thing.....not all bad then eh?

Yup, another first!

Well, this is the first time the 1986 Single Version has seen a re-release, so it's no wonder no one spotted it until now. 

A Kind Of Magic = Album Version
7" & 12" = Single Version
Greatest Hits II = Hits II Edit
Classic Queen - Album Version
Greatest Karaoke Hits CD = Karaoke Video Mix
Absolute Greatest = Hits II Edit
Single Collection III = Single Version

Greatest Flix II = Video Version
Classic Queen = Video Version
Greatest Karaoke Hit DVD = Karaoke Video Mix
Greatest Video Hits II = Video Version

I checked out good old Discogs to find some releases with WWTLF

The Dutch 7"/CDS re-release from 1992 has the 5:17 album version:
http://www.discogs.com/Queen-Who-Wants-To-Live-Forever-Friends-Will-Be-Friends/release/540832

The New-Zealand Cass-single from 1986 has both the single version and the album version:
http://www.discogs.com/Queen-Who-Wants-To-Live-Forever/release/958098

The Australian 7" of Pain is so close to pleasure from 1986 has the 7" edit of WWTLF as B-side
http://www.discogs.com/Queen-Pain-Is-So-Close-To-Pleasure/release/1487343

While we are at it....

The version of Hang On In There that appears on singles box 3 isn't the same one that appears on the original I Want It All CD single; instead it is the album version.