Tag: Frank Roszak

Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (UK 10″ Limited Edition)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“West End Girls” is a song by the English pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song’s lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well-received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career.

The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records’ Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, Please. In October 1985, the new version was released, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986.

In December 1985, Parlophone Records in the UK released a limited edition 10″ with an untitled remix of West End Girls, commonly referred to as the 10″ mix. Packaged in a circular fold-out picture sleeve, sealed with a circular yellow picture sticker that identifies it as a “collectors edition”.

This version of “West End Girls” is the basis of the shorter version found on Razormaid Records Class X #3 CD. However, Razormaid was not responsible for the original version found on this 10″.

The version of “A Man Could Get Arrested” is Bobby Orlando’s production from the regular 12″ B-side.

SIDE A:
West End Girls (10″ Mix) 7:00
Engineer – David Jacob
Producer – Stephen Hague

SIDE B:
A Man Could Get Arrested 4:19
Producer – Bobby Orlando, Pet Shop Boys
Remix [Uncredited] – Frank Roszak, Pet Shop Boys

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 10R 6115
Format: Vinyl, 10″, Single, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: Dec 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Artwork [Uncredited] – Chris Lowe, XL Design
Photography By – Eric Watson (3)
Written-By – Tennant/Lowe*

NOTES:
Manufactured in the UK by EMI Records Ltd

Find the 10″ 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.

Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

“West End Girls” is a song by the British pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song is influenced by hip hop music, with lyrics concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career.

The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records’ Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, Please. In October 1985, the new version was released, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986.

SIDE A:
West End Girls (Dance Mix) 6:30
Engineer – David Jacob
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix – Frank Roszak, Pet Shop Boys
Vocals [Additional] – Helena Springs

SIDE B:
A Man Could Get Arrested 4:18
Producer – Bobby Orlando, Pet Shop Boys
Remix – Frank Roszak, Pet Shop Boys

West End Girls 3:57
Engineer – David Jacob
Producer – Stephen Hague
Vocals [Additional] – Helena Springs

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI Strip: Near Mint
Insert: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary #26
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs #1
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #36
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock #37

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI ‎– S14-133
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Japan
Released: 20 Mar 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design – C.S. Lowe*, XL*
Photography By – Eric Watson (3)
Written-By – Tennant/Lowe*

NOTES:
Comes with obi strip and lyric sheet.
Made In Japan.

Manufactured By Toshiba EMI

Find the 12″ 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 
Phono Pre-amp: Schiit Mani
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
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: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
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)
MP3 (320kbps)
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.

Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (The Shep Pettibone Mastermix) (Europe 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

A. Front

“West End Girls” is a song by British pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. It is a synthpop song, influenced by hip hop music. The lyrics focus on class, and inner-city pressure, and were inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career.

The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records’ Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, Please. In October 1985, the song was re-released, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986. In 1987, the song won Best Single at the Brit Awards, and Best International Hit at the Ivor Novello Awards. In 2005, 20 years after its release, the song was awarded Song of The Decade between the years 1985 and 1994 by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.

The B-side “A Man Could Get Arrested” was another track that was originally recorded with Bobby Orlando but not released until later. The 12″ version of this original cut was finished off by Neil and Chris after signing with EMI, and they went on to record a more complex and polished version for the 7″.

The song was inspired, according to Neil, by “an incident with a friend of ours where we ended up being chased by these lads through Russell Square and onto Kingsway. Bottles were thrown; there were bottles smashing in the street…But I made the song into a story about someone who is trying to get his girlfriend to have it off with him, basically, and he’s so frustrated that … he’s driven to distraction. It’s a song about sexual frustration.”

SIDE A:
West End Girls (The Shep Pettibone Mastermix) 8:09
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Shep Pettibone

SIDE B:
West End Dub 9:30
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Shep Pettibone

A Man Could Get Arrested (12″ Version) 4:18
Producer – Bobby Orlando, Pet Shop Boys, The*
Remix – Frank Roszak

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks #26
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play #1
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles #36
1986 West End Girls U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks #37

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 1C K 060 20 0998 6, EMI ‎– 1C K 060-20 0998 6
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Europe
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Written-By – Tennant / Lowe

NOTES:
Later pressings (1986-7) include a boxed logo and message on the front sleeve stating “Number 1 in England – Original Top Hit as seen on ‘Formel Eins'” (a German pop TV show).
A, B1: Mixing and additional production for Mastermix Productions.
Printed In Germany

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

B. Back

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
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 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi