Category: Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me Feel (Special 12″ Single Mixes) (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1987

“The Way You Make Me Feel” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 9, 1987, as the third single from his seventh studio album, Bad. It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson.

The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics. “The Way You Make Me Feel” became Bad’s third consecutive single to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted mainly within the top ten and twenty internationally. A music video for the song was released at the time, showing Jackson pursuing and dancing with model Tatiana Thumbtzen.

The song has been performed on all of Jackson’s world concert tours as a solo artist and was planned to have been performed during the This Is It concerts from 2009 to 2010. Notable live performances of the song by Jackson include at the 30th Grammy Awards (1988).

“The Way You Make Me Feel” generally charted within the top ten and top twenty positions on music charts worldwide. The song climbed to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart’s issue date of December 26, 1987. After charting within the top ten for five weeks, the song peaked at number one on the Hot 100 on January 23, 1988. “The Way You Make Me Feel” became the album’s third consecutive single to reach number one on the Hot 100. The song charted on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number nine, and on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi Single Sales chart at the peak of number three. The song also charted at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart and Dance Club Play Singles chart.

The song entered the United Kingdom singles charts at number sixteen on December 5, 1987. The following week the song moved up thirteen spaces to number three, which was the song’s peak position. The song stayed at its peak position for two consecutive weeks, and remained on the country’s chart for ten weeks, before falling out of the top 100 positions, only to re-enter the charts two weeks later.

The song has sold over 2 million digital copies as of August 2018.

The music video for “The Way You Make Me Feel” was directed by Joe Pytka and was filmed in June 1987 at Skid Row, Los Angeles. It was choreographed by Jackson and Vincent Paterson. The short version of the video is six minutes and forty-four seconds long and the full version is nine minutes and thirty-three seconds long. The video begins with a group of men trying to pick up women, but failing. One of the men, Jackson, is told to go home and not to hang around with the other guys anymore. When Jackson walks home, an elderly man (played by Joe Seneca), who is sitting on the steps of his house, tells him to just be himself. Jackson notices a woman, played by model/dancer Tatiana Thumbtzen, walking down the streets alone.

Shortly after, Jackson walks out of an alley and stands in front of Thumbtzen while she is walking down the street. However, she ignores him and keeps walking, which prompts the other guys to make fun of him. Jackson shouts at them, which gets the attention of everyone, including Thumbtzen. After walking up to her, Jackson begins singing “The Way You Make Me Feel” to her while also dancing. Uninterested, Thumbtzen walks away. He follows her, having been cheered on by his friends to pursue her. This leads to the man to continue to pursue the woman throughout the neighborhood. The video ends with the man eventually winning the woman over, and embracing her, while a fire hydrant sprays out water. The videoclip features an appearance by his sister La Toya as one of Thumbtzen’s friends.

The music video was released on October 31, 1987, and received one nomination at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards Ceremony. The video, alongside Jackson’s “Bad” video, was nominated for Best Choreography, but lost to Jackson’s younger sister Janet’s video “The Pleasure Principle”.

The music video was included on the video albums: Video Greatest Hits – HIStory (long version on DVD and short version on VHS), Number Ones (short version), Michael Jackson’s Vision (long version) and the Target version DVD of Bad 25 (long version).

The introduction of the full version of the video also samples the Roy Ayers 1985 song “Hot” (written by Binky Brice, Philip Hunter Field and James Mtume) from his You Might Be Surprised album.

SIDE A:
The Way You Make Me Feel (Dance Extended Mix) 7:53
The Way You Make Me Feel (Dance Remix Radio Edit) 5:22

SIDE B:
The Way You Make Me Feel (Dub Version) 5:05
The Way You Make Me Feel (A Cappella) 4:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1987 The Way You Make Me Feel U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1987 The Way You Make Me Feel U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary #9
1987 The Way You Make Me Feel U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1
1987 The Way You Make Me Feel U.S. Billboard Hot DanceMusic/Maxi-Singles Sales #3
1987 The Way You Make Me Feel U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles #1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – 49 07487
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Dance-pop, Contemporary R&B

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Produced […] for Quincy Jones Productions.
Co-Produced […] for MJJ Productions.

Dedicated to Andrea Patel of Canada.
I love you.
Michael Jackson.

Special Versions From The EPIC Lp “BAD”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.



Diana Ross / Michael Jackson – Ease On Down The Road (UK 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1978

NEW 2021 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted November 9, 2012

“Ease on Down the Road” is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, performed in the original production by Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle. It was also released in 1978 as a duet between Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

The 1978 duet was released as the theme song of the film adaptation of The Wiz (itself an adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), and produced by Quincy Jones. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune was an R&B re-interpretation of both “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard” from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the song, Dorothy (portrayed in the film by Ross) and the Scarecrow (played by Jackson) dance their way down the Yellow Brick Road and give each other words of encouragement.

“Ease on Down the Road” is performed four times in The Wiz film: once by Dorothy and the Scarecrow, once by the two of them and the Tin Man (played in the movie by Nipsey Russell), by the three of them and the Cowardly Lion (played by Ted Ross), and finally during the end credits. In the album version, Jackson and Ross sing by themselves. The recording was one of Jackson’s first collaborations with Quincy Jones, who became his main producer during the late 1970s and 1980s.

In 1980, Jackson was a guest on Kraft Salutes Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary and, along with Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, The Seven Dwarves, Donald Duck, Pinocchio, Minnie Mouse, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, The Three Little Pigs and Goofy), performed the song in a medley with the Disney signature song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”.

It also earned Jackson his first Grammy Award nomination with Ross (previous two with his family group, The Jacksons) in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1979.

Released as a single by MCA Records in late summer 1978, the song missed the U.S. Top 40 by one position, peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #17 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart the same year.

SIDE A:
Ease On Down The Road (Full Length US Version) 6:04
Performed By – Diana RossMichael Jackson
Written-By – Charlie Smalls

SIDE B:
Poppy Girls 3:26
Performed By – The Wiz*
Written-By – Anthony JacksonQuincy Jones

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1978 Blue Jean U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #41
1978 Blue Jean U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles #17

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – 12 MCA 396
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco

CREDITS:
Producer – Quincy JonesTom Bahler

NPTES:
Full length US version from the soundtrack album and the film “The Wiz” over 6 minutes long.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

Michael Jackson – Remember The Time (US 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1991

“Remember the Time” is a 1992 single by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on January 14, 1992, as the second single from Jackson’s eighth studio album, Dangerous. The song was written and composed by Teddy Riley, Jackson, and Bernard Belle, and produced by Riley and Jackson. The song’s lyrics are written about remembering having fallen in love with someone.

“Remember the Time” was generally well-received by contemporary critics. The song was commercially successful, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles as well as the Mainstream Top 40 chart. It is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, the song was a Top 10 hit in nine countries, peaking at No.1 in New Zealand, at No.2 in Spain, and No.3 in the United Kingdom.

“Black or White” was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from his eighth studio album, Dangerous. He co-wrote, composed, and produced it with Bill Bottrell. The song is a fusion of pop-rock, dance, and hip hop. Epic Records described the song as “a rock ‘n’ roll dance song about racial harmony”.

“Black or White” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 7, 1991, making it the fastest chart-topper since the Beatles’ “Get Back”. It stayed there for a total of seven weeks. Jackson became the first artist to have number one hits in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with the song. It is certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Around the world, “Black or White” hit number one in 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Eurochart Hot 100. It was the best-selling single worldwide of 1992.

**The “Underground Club Mix Edit” is exclusive to this US 7″ single.

SIDE A:
Remember The Time 4:00
Mixed By –  Bruce SwedienTeddy Riley
Producer – Michael Jackson
Written-By – B. Bell*, M. Jackson*, T. Riley*

SIDE B:
Black Or White (The Underground Club Mix Edit) 3:33
Edited By – Hex HectorRicky CrespoRobert Clivillés
Executive Producer –Michael Jackson
Lyrics By [Rap Lyrics] – Bill Bottrell
Producer –  Bill BottrellMichael Jackson
Producer [Additional Production] – David Cole
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Robert Clivillés
Written-By, Composed By – Michael Jackson

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 34-74200
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: House, New Jack Swing

NOTES:
Side A was taken from the Epic release “DANGEROUS”

Side B Is an Edited version of the “Underground Club Mix”, and is Previously Unreleased.

Find the 7″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

Michael Jackson – Beat It (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Beat It” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album, though Jackson had never previously shown an interest in the genre. Jackson later said of “Beat It”, “I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song… That is how I approached it and I wanted the children to really enjoy it—the school children as well as the college students.”

Following the successful Thriller singles “The Girl Is Mine” and “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” was released on February 14, 1983, as the album’s third single. “Beat It” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for three weeks. It also charted at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. Billboard ranked the song No. 5 for 1983. It is a certified 5x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). With over 7 million copies sold worldwide, it is one of the best-selling singles of all time. “Beat It” was a number one hit in Europe, reaching number one in Spain and the Netherlands. The single, along with its music video, helped propel Thriller into becoming the best-selling album of all time.

“Beat It” received the 1984 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards.

 

Eddi Van Halen Guitar Solo

Eddie Van Halen, lead guitarist of hard rock band Van Halen, was asked to add a guitar solo. When initially contacted by Jones, Van Halen thought he was receiving a prank call. Having established that the call was genuine, Van Halen used a Hartley–Thompson amplifier borrowed from guitarist Allan Holdsworth and recorded his guitar solo free of charge. “I did it as a favor”, the musician later said. “I was a complete fool, according to the rest of the band, our manager, and everyone else. I was not used. I knew what I was doing—I don’t do something unless I want to do it.” Van Halen recorded his contribution following Jones and Jackson arriving at the guitarist’s house with a “skeleton version” of the song. Fellow guitarist Steve Lukather recalled, “Initially, we rocked it out as Eddie had played a good solo—but Quincy thought it was too tough. So I had to reduce the distorted guitar sound and that is what was released.” Two versions of the solo were recorded. Van Halen reported in 2015 that he also rearranged the song and asked Jones to edit the chords so his solo could be in the key of E.

Right before Van Halen’s guitar solo begins, a noise is heard that sounds like somebody knocking at a door. It is reported that the knock was a person walking into Eddie’s recording studio. Another story has claimed that the sound was simply the musician knocking on his own guitar. The sound, however, is that of Jackson knocking on a drum case, as he is credited in the album’s liner notes.

The engineers were shocked during the recording of Van Halen’s solo to discover that the sound of his guitar had caused the monitor speaker in the control room to catch fire, causing one to exclaim, “This must be really good!”

SIDE A:
Beat It* 4:17
Guitar – Eddie Van Halen, Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather
Producer – Quincy Jones

SIDE B:
Burn This Disco Out 3:40
Producer – Quincy Jones
Written-By – R. Temperton*

Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough (Live Version) 4:25
Performed By – The Jacksons
Producer – The Jacksons

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1983 Beat It U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1983 Beat It U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks #14
1983 Beat It U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #1

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– TA 3258
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop/Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Pop

CREDITS:
Written-By – M. Jackson* (tracks: A, A2)

NOTES:
*Taken from the album ‘Thriller’

Find the12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.