Aldo Nova - Fantasy (12" Extended By Rock Mix)

Issued in Canada March 1982 on Portrait Records (catalogue number unknown...see text).

Montreal's Aldo Caporuscio didn't take up the guitar until age 15. But inspired by Jimi Hendrix, he set about practicing as often as possible. When not teaching himself to play guitar, he also taught himself to play keyboards. By 1980, he was playing the part of George Harrison in the stage musical "Beatlemania." During this time, he worked as a recording engineer in Montreal, and learned recording and production skills. Unlimited access to equipment allowed him to record demos for what would be his first album.

In 1982, under the professional name of Aldo Nova, he secured a publishing and recording contract with Portrait Records, distributed by CBS. The label was so impressed by his demos, they let him put some of them on his first album, unretouched. In an unusual move, they also allowed him to produce his own album, which almost never happens with a new artist signing.

"Aldo Nova" was released in February 1982, and eventually it went double platinum in both Canada and the US, selling over a million copies worldwide. It was one of the first albums to be issued in a limited edition CD, back when CDs were a brand new format.

"Fantasy" was the first single from the album. It entered the RPM 50 on March 13, 1982 at #43 with a bullet, and spent two weeks at #14 at the end of March and into April. In the US, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 on March 27 and reached #23. "Fantasy" was not only one of the first music videos to receive exposure on MTV, it was one of the first to utilize special video effects, back when those were a new format, too.

The 7" of "Fantasy" was edited to 3:15. The LP version ran 5:04. There are several variations on the 12" single. I do not have a physical copy of any of them. After several hours of scouring the web, I can only find reference to an extended mix that runs 6:14. The one featured in this post runs 8:45. There are no musical additions to this mix; the extra length is gained strictly by looping parts and editing them in sequence. Vocals have been removed from some of the looped sections, so this mix could not be replicated by editing the album version. This record, which is listed under the name of "By Rock Mix," seems to be extremely scarce. I can't find any copies for sale. If anyone reading this has a copy, would you please post a message indicating the catalogue number? Thank you in advance.

This used to be a CBS product. However, currently, the copyright in this sound recording is owned by Universal Music Group. They have graciously allowed it to remain on YouTube. If you like this music, please support the artist and buy Aldo Nova recordings issued by UMG.

To hear this record in stereo, type the following code - &fmt=18 - on the end of the URL and hit Enter to reload the page.