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Like their previous three albums Alabama released this LP early in the calendar year and mined it for singles for the balance of that year. The album made history because it was the first country album to be shipped platinum and the first country album by a group to score four #1 singles. Four songs from that album were remixed and/or edited for single release.
Roll On (18 Wheeler) had three edits. The sound of the engine starting and CB radio effects at the beginning were deleted. (One of their tour bus drivers provided the CB talk) Also the air horns & sound of the truck driving away at the end were eliminated. A repeat of the chorus just before the final ending was also cut. The single version opens cold with their vocal.
[album 4:24/single 3:42]
If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band) released as the third single received a remix and edits. The remix increased the level of the drums that are heard more prominently. The 41 second “Eyes Of Texas” prelude on the LP was excised as was a repeat of the chorus just before the first fiddle breakdown. The fade-out of the final fiddle breakdown was also trimmed by several seconds. This record holds the distinction of having the longest title to ever reach #1 on the country chart!
[album: 4:25 with Eyes Of Texas into & 3:44 without / single:3:20]
I’m Not That Way Anymore preceded If You’re Gonna Play In Texas on the LP and was released as that single’s flip side. It received enough significant airplay to merit a “tag-along B side” listing on the Billboard survey. Randy’s spoken words over the intro were extracted for the single as was an extra chorus just prior to the guitar solo near the end. [album 4:47 / single 3:59]
(There’s A) Fire In The Night was remixed for the single release increasing the volume of the drums and making the overall recording sound brighter. The ending faded 14 seconds earlier than the LP. [album 4:12 / single 3:58]
I saw the original “banned” video for Fire In The Night in 1984 when the RCA promotion guy brought a VHS tape to my radio station. Thought it was an interesting interpretation of the song but also believed the video was a bit too intense for the 1984 country audience. Most people did not get tattoos back then. if you saw them on a guy it was usually a biker or somebody that served in the military. The only time you saw them on a woman was if she was a biker or in the circus. The fact that tattoos played a prominent part in the video made the story seem even creepier at the time.
Tattoos are still creepy
That banned video is really bizarre – compelling, but definitely creepy.