Bonnie Tyler – Band Of Gold (US 12″)
Posted by DjPaulT on June 6th, 2011
BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986
REQUEST
“Band of Gold” is a popular song written by Holland–Dozier–Holland under the pseudonym Edythe Wayne, and Ron Dunbar, and first recorded by Freda Payne. A hit for Payne in 1970, the song has been covered by numerous artists, notably dueling 1986 versions by contrasting pop divas Belinda Carlisle and Bonnie Tyler.
The song tells a story of a recently married woman whose husband is incapable of loving her (even though he tried), resulting in the couple sleeping in separate rooms on their honeymoon, to her dismay. It would appear that the marriage ended in the husband’s abandoning his bride, leaving her with no more than the titular ‘band of gold’.
Despite both coming off major hits and working with noted musicians, neither the Belinda Carlisle nor the Bonnie Tyler versions were major hits. Tyler’s was produced by Jim Steinman, the man behind earlier hits by Tyler and Meat Loaf, and later hits by Celine Dion, and the track was given Hi-NRG remixes by Arthur Baker. The song was the third single off her Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire, which also features the hit “Holding Out for a Hero”. Tyler’s version peaked at #81 on the UK singles chart and #6 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts Singles Sales Chart in 1986.
* I also posted Belinda Carlisle’s version a few months ago you can get it here.
SIDE A:
Band Of Gold (Long Version) 7:23
Remix – Arthur Baker
SIDE B:
Band Of Gold (Album Version) 5:42
Remix – Larry Alexander
Band Of Gold (Dub Version) 6:58
Remix – Arthur Baker
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Very Good Plus (company sleeve)
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Band Of Gold | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts Singles Sales | #6 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: CBS
Catalog#: 44-05976
Format: Vinyl, 12″
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
Credits: Producer – Jim Steinman
NOTES:
Special versions from the LP “Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire”
Find the 12″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super 20
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 16bit 44kHz using Adobe batch processing
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi PNG format, resized to JPEG format for posting.
PW: burningtheground
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June 6th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Boo-freakin-YAH!! Thank you!! My vinyl copy of this ran into ninja kitty. Great to have it back…thank you so so so much!
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DjPaulT Reply:
June 6th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
You’re welcome!
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June 6th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
‘Secret Dreams And Forbidden Fire’ is one of my favourite albums from 1986! It is a shame that the album and most singles released from it (except for Holding Out For A Hero, recorded two years prior for the Footloose soundtrack) did not do well in the Charts. That album, which I have to collect a copy on CD later, is superbly good for fast rides. There is a Bryan Adams track ‘No Way To Treat A Lady’ which is really cool, and a power ballad ‘Lovers Again’. Highly recommended for fans of Jim Steinman theatrical productions.
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Matracas Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 10:26 am
Thanks for the recommendation of the Adams/Valance penned song “No way to treat a lady” I love it. In Mexico the only remotely promoted single on radio was “If you were a woman…” and the truth is i never liked that one.
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Chwee (Singapore) Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 10:48 am
Do you know Bonnie Raitt also recorded No Way To Treat A Lady in her 1986 album Nine Lives. You can hear a sample of it here: http://www.jimvallance.com/01-music-folder/songs-folder-may-27/pg-song-raitt-no-way-to.html I think she was also nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performer for this song, but lost to Tina Turner’s Back Where You Started, also written by Bryan Adams (and J. Vallence, I think).
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June 6th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
I did not know what to expect from this, but I really like it! Sylvester’s version is still my all-time favorite, and Freda Payne’s original the close 2nd, but this is going to be staying high in the listening queue for awhile. Thank you so much!!! That’s when I love your site the most, when it guides me to discovering something new!!! =)
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Chris Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 8:33 am
Belinda Carlisle did a pretty good interpretation of this track, plus she had Freda singing backup. I remember back when I was in the Indiana Record Pool; I got Bonnie’s and Belinda’s 12″ the same month. Might explain why neither failed to chart well. (As a bonus, the Belinda came on gold vinyl.) There’s my 2 cents worth; now I’m officially broke.
[Reply]
DjPaulT Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 8:47 am
I posted Belinda’s version a few months back you can get it here: http://burningtheground.net/2010/07/belinda-carlisle-featuring-freda-payne-band-of-gold-us-12/
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June 6th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Thanks we like this song a lot – hugs, Jase
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June 6th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Still hard to listen to the long version as it does not seem to work for me. I do like the dub as a filler. Great post, as my ninja dog got a hold several years back!
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June 10th, 2011 at 10:32 am
OMG!! I LOVE THIS SONG!! Paul, if I didn’t love you before (which I did), I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE NOW!! LOL. You are the BEST, buddy. Thanks so much. This post made my day. This should have been a hit for Bonnie. Love her.
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June 12th, 2011 at 1:29 am
Thanks so much for this.
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July 13th, 2011 at 10:15 am
I always thought that Belinda’s and Bonnie’s versions were much better than the original. Don’t get me wrong, I like Freda’s version, but to me, it just seems that this song should be more uptempo and faster like Belinda’s and Bonnie’s. Freda’s seems to drag after you hear the other two versions. It was a shame how neither of the remakes did anything on the charts. And it is sad how Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire did nothing either.
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July 22nd, 2011 at 5:51 am
Always loved the Freda Payne version, but my heart’s with this Hi-NRG stormer! Fantastic! Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!
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