Singles and EP's Gallery (45 RPM)
About the Twelve Inch Single
Some 12-in singles from this era play at 33 RPM, speed but 45 RPM is more common. The average pop song became longer, over time, while club DJ's wanted a sufficient sound level, and as a consequence the vinyl media standard changed away from the 7" single format. Since production costs for 7", 10", and 12" records were about the same by this time, there was less incentive to use the smaller formats. Some record companies chose to use the same recording master for both 12-in and 7-in singles. A new introduction of the 1980's was twelve inch single versions of chart hits. This trend hit a peak in 1983 with the release of Blue Monday by New Order (the best selling 12 inch single of all time). The release of tracks with the same playing time on a larger platter, and somewhat louder, adds to the idea of the 1980's being a decade of excess. A phenomenon not being contradicted by the release of so many different versions of Two Tribes (Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ZTT) on 12-inch that the chart rules were changed.
A standard 12-inch single is designed to spin at 45 RPM instead of 33-1/3 rpm. In contrast to 33 RPM albums, twelve inch 45 RPM recordings are traditionally louder and provide a broader dynamic range due to wider spacing of grooves. The 12-inch format gives a song more depth. But, as a consequence there is a reduction in the available playtime of the record by 35%. 12" record at 45 RPM allow for 15 minutes play per side. Although production quality of 12" records will vary depending on motivation in producing a 12" version on a single, they do offer the prospect of a more compelling sound e.g. through higher base levels. A 35% increase in groove velocity at any point on the disk, offers is a huge advantage. The groove still slows down as it moves inward, but the effects are greatly reduced. So, 12-inch 45's hold less music, but they sound better. In addition to playing faster, they technically store "more" of the music. Not more music as in more songs or longer play time, just a more accurate copy of the sound. Record producers sought a loud recording level to compensate for the poor signal-to-noise ratio, apparent when simply turning the volume up during playback. A loud recording level requires more space as the grooves' excursions (especially in the low-end so important for dance music) become much greater. Later music styles took advantage of this new format and recording levels on vinyl 12" maxis have steadily increased, culminating in the extremely loud (or "hot") cuts of drum and bass records of the 1990's and early 2000's.
The term "12-inch" usually refers to a single with several remixes. Now that advances in compact disc player technology have made the CD acceptable for mixing, the term maxi single is used more often. In the mid-late 1980's, prior to the rise in popularity of the CD single, vinyl maxi-singles for popular artists often included bonus songs that were not included on albums, in a manner similar to the older EP format.