BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982
NEW 2021 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!
Originally posted March 21, 2013
“Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released as the title track of the 1982 erotic horror film Cat People. Recorded in July 1981, the song was written by Bowie with Italian producer Giorgio Moroder. The 1981 recording has been described as one of “the finest of Bowie’s recordings of the 1980s”. A re-recorded version of the song created a year and a half later, appears on the album Let’s Dance (1983).
The director Paul Schrader engaged Bowie for a theme song in 1981, with Moroder having already recorded most of the music. Bowie was to put lyrics to the main theme.
The song itself, in keeping with the dark tone of the film, has some goth rock influences, with Bowie singing in a deep baritone croon while being backed up by a female chorus. Bowie’s octave leap on the word “gasoline” has been called “a magnificent moment” and “among the most thrilling moments he ever committed to tape”.
Because of Moroder’s contract, the single was issued by MCA Records. The full-length 6:45 version appeared on the soundtrack album, the U.S., and European 12″ single’s, while a 4:08 edited version was made for the 7″ release. The single reached No. 26 in the UK, No. 13 in Canada, and No. 67 in the US – Bowie’s biggest hit there since “Golden Years”. It peaked at No. 1 in New Zealand, remaining there for three weeks, as well as in Sweden for four weeks. It was also No. 1 in Norway for seven consecutive weeks, and then returned to the top for a further week.
The single was released three separate times by MCA, first in March 1982 with “Cat People” as the A-side, then again two months later with “Paul’s Theme” as the A-side, and finally in November 1982 with “Cat People” back on the A-side. Yugoslav-born Hungarian composer Sylvester Levay contributed to the orchestration.
In December 1982, Bowie re-recorded the song for his album Let’s Dance, released the following year. This version was also released as the B-side to the title track’s single release and performed on Bowie’s Serious Moonlight Tour. He had originally planned on using the original version of the song, but Moroder’s label MCA Records refused to license it to EMI America. In the re-recorded version of the song, Stevie Ray Vaughan provided the guitar solos and riffs in the song.
**Although the disc label gives a duration of 6:41 for side B, this 12″ contains a rare 9 minutes plus extended version. According to some sources, the Australian 12″ was mistakenly pressed with this longer version and remains up to now unreleased in any other form.
SIDE A:
Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (Edited Version) 4:08
SIDE B:
Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (OZ Extended Version) 9:23
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Cat People (Putting Out Fire) | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #67 |
| 1982 | Cat People (Putting Out Fire) | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #14 |
| 1982 | Cat People (Putting Out Fire) | U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | #9 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – DS 12087
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition, Reissue, 9:23 extended version
Country: Australia
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Producer – Giorgio Moroder
Written-By – D. Bowie*, Moroder*
NOTES:
Taken from the soundtrack “CAT PEOPLE”
Side B version is exclusive to this release.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-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
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