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Close (to the Edit)
Encyclopedia
"Close" was a single by Art of Noise, released on various formats in May 1984. It was closely related to their earlier single (and hip-hop club hit) "Beat Box", though the two tracks were developed as separate pieces from an early stage.
The first release of a version of "Close (to the Edit)" was as a nominal remix of "Beat Box" under the title "Beat Box (Diversion Two)". This was then re-edited and partly remixed with different effects applied, to become the version of "Close (to the Edit)" which appeared on the subsequent album Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?
. Paul Morley's sleevenotes for the single simplify the relationship between "Diversion Two" and "Close", noting only that 20 seconds were "snipped out".
The song takes its title from Close to the Edge by Yes
, and also samples "Leave It
" by the same group. The single heavily features the recorded sample
of a car, a VW Golf
, belonging to band member J. J. Jeczalik's neighbour, stalling and restarting. The short spoken-word vocal performed by Gary Langan
's then-girlfriend, Karen Clayton (who had also performed a similar vocal task on the single "Poison Arrow
" by the group ABC
, which Langan had co-produced). The "Hey!" sample - used in a number of songs most notably in "Firestarter
" by The Prodigy
and "Back in the Day
" by Christina Aguilera
(uncredited) - was the voice of Camilla Pilkington-Smyth.
The single was released in the UK on what had become ZTT's customary array of formats: standard and picture disc
7"s, three 12" singles (one a picture disc) and a cassette single, each featuring a number of unique mixes. The many remixes were given their own titles derived from the overall title, including "Edited", "Closely Closely (Enough's Enough)" and "Closed". An extended version appeared on the album Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?
.
The cassette single version, That Was Close, was a medley of a number of the mixes from the various formats, featuring Diversion Eight, Diversion Two, Closest, Close-Up, the album version of Close (to the Edit) and Closed. This medley lasted in excess of 20 minutes in length, repeated on both sides of the cassette, and featured the voice of caricature actor Chris Barrie
. It appeared only in one other format at that time, a white label
vinyl (which was actually pressed a bright green colour), and remained otherwise unavailable in any format until it was included in its entirety on the 2006 CD box-set compilation And What Have You Done With My Body, God?.
An edited version of this song was included on the Amiga
monthly educational disk, Ready Robot Club. It took use of the Amiga's incredible sampling abilities, and many samples of the song could've possibly competed with samples used in the original song.
The single was Art of Noise's first major UK hit, reaching number eight in the UK singles chart.
. According to an interview
with the band,
"The male members of the band were slightly disturbed that they were made to come off as Huey Lewis and the News
," Paul Morley
said in an interview at the time, "so one of the reasons we tend to hide behind masks or not appear at all is because it opens up more possibilities how Art of Noise can be presented. Sometimes you had video art directors get excited about how they were going to present Art of Noise, and in that particular case, he interpreted it as a strange young girl with Huey Lewis & The News. Half of it was fun and half of it was slightly sad."
"I thought it was a fun video," Anne Dudley
said, "but some people thought it was unnecessarily violent. It was banned in New Zealand as encouraging violence towards children. Nothing could have been further from our minds."
The video later won the MTV Video Music Awards for Most Experimental Video
and the Best Editing
in 1985.
A second video version, composed almost entirely of surreal animation, aired in the UK, directed by Matt Forrest, with some clips from the original version.
A third video version, mostly the second video version, included various shots of the band in-studio. ZTT Records
have made all of these videos viewable on YouTube
.
The video was parodied in the season 3 episode of The Venture Bros.
, "What Goes Down Must Come Up".
US:
Total length: 20:36
"Edited" was very similar to the LP version, but with some additional overdubs. "A Time to Hear (Who's Listening)" was a montage of extracts and out-takes from the album Who's Afraid of The Art of Noise?.
Several earlier demo versions and rejected mixes appeared on the box set And What Have You Done With My Body, God?.
The first release of a version of "Close (to the Edit)" was as a nominal remix of "Beat Box" under the title "Beat Box (Diversion Two)". This was then re-edited and partly remixed with different effects applied, to become the version of "Close (to the Edit)" which appeared on the subsequent album Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?
Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?
The Art of Noise! was Art of Noise's debut full-length album, released in 1984, and featured the UK hit singles "Close " which reached No 8 in the UK chart in November 1984 and the double-A sided "Moments in Love"/"Beat Box," which made it to no. 51 during April 1985 in the UK.-Track listing:All...
. Paul Morley's sleevenotes for the single simplify the relationship between "Diversion Two" and "Close", noting only that 20 seconds were "snipped out".
The song takes its title from Close to the Edge by Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, and also samples "Leave It
Leave It
"Leave It" is a song by Yes. It appears on their 1983 album, 90125. The song featured repeated single issues, most backed with remixes of the song or an a cappella version. The original version was occasionally placed as the B-side of "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and on another instance, the original...
" by the same group. The single heavily features the recorded sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of a car, a VW Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, belonging to band member J. J. Jeczalik's neighbour, stalling and restarting. The short spoken-word vocal performed by Gary Langan
Gary Langan
Gary Langan is an audio engineer and record producer.-Biography:In 1983, Langan co-founded the ZTT Records label with Trevor Horn, Paul Morley and Jill Sinclair...
's then-girlfriend, Karen Clayton (who had also performed a similar vocal task on the single "Poison Arrow
Poison Arrow
"Poison Arrow" is a New Wave single released and popularised by ABC in 1982 and also included on their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love. It reached #6 on the UK singles chart, #4 in Australia and also was their first entry on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, at #25...
" by the group ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
, which Langan had co-produced). The "Hey!" sample - used in a number of songs most notably in "Firestarter
Firestarter (song)
"Firestarter" is a song by the English band The Prodigy, released on 18 March 1996. It was the first single from their third album The Fat of the Land, and their tenth single. It was also the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks...
" by The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
and "Back in the Day
Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)
Back to Basics is the third studio album by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, first released on August 10, 2006 by RCA Records...
" by Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
(uncredited) - was the voice of Camilla Pilkington-Smyth.
The single was released in the UK on what had become ZTT's customary array of formats: standard and picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
7"s, three 12" singles (one a picture disc) and a cassette single, each featuring a number of unique mixes. The many remixes were given their own titles derived from the overall title, including "Edited", "Closely Closely (Enough's Enough)" and "Closed". An extended version appeared on the album Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?
Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?
The Art of Noise! was Art of Noise's debut full-length album, released in 1984, and featured the UK hit singles "Close " which reached No 8 in the UK chart in November 1984 and the double-A sided "Moments in Love"/"Beat Box," which made it to no. 51 during April 1985 in the UK.-Track listing:All...
.
The cassette single version, That Was Close, was a medley of a number of the mixes from the various formats, featuring Diversion Eight, Diversion Two, Closest, Close-Up, the album version of Close (to the Edit) and Closed. This medley lasted in excess of 20 minutes in length, repeated on both sides of the cassette, and featured the voice of caricature actor Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie is a British actor. He first achieved success as a vocal impressionist, notably in the ITV sketch show Spitting Image...
. It appeared only in one other format at that time, a white label
White label
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities to evaluate the quality of the disc production...
vinyl (which was actually pressed a bright green colour), and remained otherwise unavailable in any format until it was included in its entirety on the 2006 CD box-set compilation And What Have You Done With My Body, God?.
An edited version of this song was included on the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
monthly educational disk, Ready Robot Club. It took use of the Amiga's incredible sampling abilities, and many samples of the song could've possibly competed with samples used in the original song.
The single was Art of Noise's first major UK hit, reaching number eight in the UK singles chart.
Music videos
Three promotional videos were recorded for the single. The original version, featuring a little girl in punk garb leading three business suit-clad men in the destruction of various musical instruments, was directed by Zbigniew RybczyńskiZbigniew Rybczynski
Zbigniew Rybczyński is a Polish filmmaker who has won numerous prestigious industry awards both in the United States and internationally. He was also a teacher of cinematography, and digital cinematography. Currently he is a researcher of blue and greenscreen compositing technology at Ultimatte...
. According to an interview
with the band,
"The male members of the band were slightly disturbed that they were made to come off as Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
," Paul Morley
Paul Morley
Paul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
said in an interview at the time, "so one of the reasons we tend to hide behind masks or not appear at all is because it opens up more possibilities how Art of Noise can be presented. Sometimes you had video art directors get excited about how they were going to present Art of Noise, and in that particular case, he interpreted it as a strange young girl with Huey Lewis & The News. Half of it was fun and half of it was slightly sad."
"I thought it was a fun video," Anne Dudley
Anne Dudley
Anne Dudley is an English composer and pop musician, and was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in both the classical and pop genres. She is perhaps best known, however, as one of the core members of the synthpop band Art of Noise and also as a film...
said, "but some people thought it was unnecessarily violent. It was banned in New Zealand as encouraging violence towards children. Nothing could have been further from our minds."
The video later won the MTV Video Music Awards for Most Experimental Video
MTV Video Music Award for Most Experimental Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Most Experimental Video was first awarded in 1984. The last of this award was given out in 1987, after which it was replaced with Breakthrough Video the following year....
and the Best Editing
MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Editing in a Video. Five artists are tied for the record of biggest winner in this category, each having won the award twice: Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Madonna, The White Stripes, and Gnarls Barkley. The latter two, in fact, won...
in 1985.
A second video version, composed almost entirely of surreal animation, aired in the UK, directed by Matt Forrest, with some clips from the original version.
A third video version, mostly the second video version, included various shots of the band in-studio. ZTT Records
ZTT Records
ZTT Records is a record label founded in 1983 by NME journalist Paul Morley, record producer Trevor Horn, and businesswoman Jill Sinclair. The label's name was also printed as "Zang Tumb Tuum" and "Zang Tuum Tumb" on various releases....
have made all of these videos viewable on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The video was parodied in the season 3 episode of The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
, "What Goes Down Must Come Up".
7"
UK:- "Close (To The Edit)" 3:51 - edit of LP version
- "A Time To Hear (Who's Listening?)" 3:27
US:
- "Close (To The Edit)" 4:10 - early fade of LP version
- "(do) donna (do)" - extended mix of LP version
1st 12"
- "Close-Up" 7:37 - some pressings call this "Close (To The Edit) (Extended Remix)"
- "Close-Up (Hop)" 5:10
- "A Time To Hear (You're Listening)" 3:27 - same as 7" b-side with slightly different title
2nd 12"
- "Closely Closely (Enough's Enough)" 7:11
- "Close-Up (Hop)" 5:10
- "A Time To Hear (Who's Listening)" 3:27
12" Picture Disc
- "Edited" 5:32
- "Close-Up (Hop)" 5:10 - unlisted
- "A Time To Hear (Who's Listening)" 3:27 - unlisted
Cassette single - "That Was Close"
Continuous medley comprising:- "Diversion Eight" 2:05
- "Close (To The Edit) (album version)" 5:34 - listed as "Diversion Two"
- "Closest" 0:43
- "Close-Up" 7:18
- "Close (To The Edit) (7" version)" 3:26
- "Closed" 1:30
Total length: 20:36
"Edited" was very similar to the LP version, but with some additional overdubs. "A Time to Hear (Who's Listening)" was a montage of extracts and out-takes from the album Who's Afraid of The Art of Noise?.
Several earlier demo versions and rejected mixes appeared on the box set And What Have You Done With My Body, God?.