Colonel Abrams – Running

So I had a spare afternoon and all versions in front of me for *The Ultimate 'Running' Round Up*

CS001 single sided 12” circa 1991 ‘Running’
This was the first appearance on vinyl, possibly clipped from someones DJ set as there is no clean beginning or end, in the beginning (and at the splice) you can hear the tail end of something like a siren (hot tune alert?). This version also has some unique Boyd Jarvis keyboard overdubs, with some familiar Boyd touches like the Visual keyboard riff. Also worth noting is the track is spliced together so is twice as long as others at around 11mins 40. The levels are inconsistent but the vibe is strong.

TM001 12” circa mid to late 90s. ‘Running’/‘Release The Tension’
This white label contains the full demo version of ‘Running’ but lacks the additional Boyd overdubs as previously heard on CS001. Also the first appearance of the Colonels demo of ‘Release The Tension’. Quality wise this is the sharpest sounding release of the bunch.

EVRE004 Echovolt 12” 2015 ‘Running’/Release The Tension’/‘Celebrate’
This is the release apparently licensed directly from Boyd Jarvis. The audio is identical to the late 90s US white label, wether from tape or from vinyl, sadly I have to say this release does not sound quite as good as the white label, though I applaud the effort of doing the deal. This Echovolt release does also include an extra demo track called ‘Celebrate’ though to my ears sounds extremely slow so feel free to pitch this up by 5% to bring it inline with other Boyd Jarvis productions. This particular song is different to the other single called ‘Celebrate’.

To conclude, the hardened collector needs all 3 of these releases, and most heads would have purchased these as they each came out. ‘Runnin’’ and ‘Tension’ were both a staple of the 80s NY mix shows and were literally broadcast as you heard them to NY and beyond. Sound quality was never a question, this is simply what the underground sounded like.

“Running” got finished, cleaned up and released on Colonel Abrams 2nd LP in 1987. I prefer the demo. Record companies like sheen and polish, DJs and Dancers like the raw shit. When will they learn?!

Great raw vocals and production. Mediocre sound quality/mix. Worth having though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=einyyUQIf-A this video claims this dates back to 1984? anyone know if thats true? confirm? i thought it was from 1991?

Any idea who's responsible for the mix on this particular recording/pressing?