I wanted to share a quick update on this year’s October fundraiser and thank everyone who has donated so far.
As of this morning, we have reached $750, which brings us halfway to the $1,500 goal.
I am incredibly grateful for your support, kindness, and generosity.
This year’s fundraiser is especially important because I need to cover my two-year hosting renewal, which is $422.14, along with the other ongoing costs involved in keeping Burning The Ground online and running smoothly.
If you would still like to help with this year’s fundraiser, you can make a secure donation via PayPal using the Donation Page or by clicking any of the yellow Donate buttons throughout the site.
Please know that every donation, no matter the amount, truly helps and is very much appreciated.
Thank you again to everyone who has contributed so far, and thank you to all of you for continuing to support Burning The Ground.
I’m very thankful to have such a wonderful community here.
October is here, and that means it is time once again for the annual Burning The Ground fundraiser.
This year is especially important because my two-year web hosting renewal is due. The renewal cost is $422.14, and as always, my overall fundraising goal for October is $1,500.
If you’d like to support Burning The Ground, you can donate securely via PayPal through the Donation Page or by clicking any of the yellow Donate buttons throughout the site.
I have to admit that I felt a little anxious about asking for support this year.
I have been away from BTG more than usual lately. First, I took some vacation time. Then, shortly after returning home, we experienced a death in our family. That understandably pulled me away from the blog again for a while.
Thank you to everyone for your patience, kindness, and support during that time. Your comments, messages, and warm welcome back meant a great deal to me.
Burning The Ground has been part of my life for many years. What started as a place to share my love of 12-inch singles has grown into a large archive of past posts and a community of people who share that same love of music.
Keeping BTG online also comes with real expenses.
There is web hosting, site maintenance, records, equipment, replacement styli, supplies, and all of the work that goes into cleaning, transferring, restoring, researching, and preparing each post.
The $422.14 hosting renewal is the immediate expense this month. The rest of the $1,500 goal helps cover the other costs involved in keeping BTG going throughout the year.
Because of storage limitations, I cannot keep every older download active indefinitely. However, the archive of past posts remains online to read, browse, and revisit.
If you are able to contribute, every donation helps, no matter the amount.
Please do not feel obligated to donate. I know everyday expenses are high for everyone. If you are not in a position to contribute financially, you are still every bit as welcome here.
Visiting the site, leaving a comment, sharing a memory, and being part of the BTG community are all forms of support that I appreciate.
To everyone who has donated in past fundraisers, thank you. Some of you have supported BTG year after year, and I never take that generosity for granted.
If you would like to help with this year’s fundraiser, you can donate securely through PayPal using the Donation Page or any of the yellow Donate buttons throughout the site.
My hope is that we can once again reach the $1,500 goal and keep Burning The Ground spinning.
Thank you for sticking with me, welcoming me back, and continuing to support BTG.
By 1984, the Steve Miller Band had already enjoyed more than a decade of success, with classics such as “The Joker,” “Fly Like An Eagle,” and “Rock’n Me.” The band’s 1982 smash “Abracadabra” introduced Miller to a new generation of listeners, combining his familiar rock sound with synthesizers and a dance-friendly beat. Two years later, Miller continued experimenting with that formula on “Shangri-La.”
Released in 1984 as the lead single from the band’s thirteenth studio album, Italian X Rays, “Shangri-La” found Steve Miller moving even further into the electronic sounds of the decade. Written by Miller and bassist Kenny Lee Lewis, the song combined synthesizers, a funky bass line, electronic textures, and Miller’s unmistakable vocals. It was quite a departure from the guitar-driven rock that had made the band famous during the 1970s.
Italian X Rays was also a departure from a recording standpoint. The album was recorded digitally and made extensive use of electronic instruments and computer technology. Miller was enthusiastic about the new recording process and embraced the possibilities it offered.
“Shangri-La” reached No. 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 84 in Canada. Although it never matched the enormous success of “Abracadabra,” the single remains an interesting example of an established rock act experimenting with the increasingly electronic sound of the mid-1980s.
For the 12″ release, Capitol enlisted legendary New York DJ and remixer François Kevorkian, along with Jay Mark, to give “Shangri-La” a dance-floor makeover.
Kevorkian was already one of the most respected names in dance music, having worked with artists ranging from D-Train and Yazoo to Depeche Mode. His approach to remixing went well beyond simply extending a song. He could completely reshape a recording, bringing out its rhythm, creating new instrumental passages, and giving it an entirely different atmosphere.
The Extended Version of “Shangri-La” allows the song’s infectious groove to take center stage. The longer arrangement gives the percussion, electronic instrumentation, and funky bass line room to breathe, transforming Miller’s pop-rock single into something much more suited to the dance floor.
The Dub Version takes things even further, shifting attention away from the conventional song structure and toward the instrumental and rhythmic elements. It’s a particularly interesting listen for anyone who enjoys the more experimental side of eighties remixing.
Today’s featured record is my Canadian 12″ pressing on Capitol Records (V 75076). In addition to the Extended and Dub versions of “Shangri-La,” the record includes the original album version of “Abracadabra,” making this an especially nice pairing of Miller’s early-eighties dance-oriented material.
It’s also a reminder of an era when record companies weren’t afraid to hand a rock recording to a club remixer and see what happened. Sometimes those unlikely combinations produced some of the most interesting 12″ singles of the decade.
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records – V 75076
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: Canada
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Pop Rock
NOTES:
Track A: “(Album Version available on forthcoming LP “ITALIAN X RAYS” SJ-12339)”
Track B1: “(Album Version available on forthcoming LP “ITALIAN X RAYS” SJ-12339)”
Track B2: “(from the LP “ABRACADABRA” ST-12216)”
Yesterday I posted the UK 12″ of “Always Something There To Remind Me,” featuring the 5:43 “American Remix” by John “Jellybean” Benitez. Today we’re staying with Naked Eyes for a companion release that helps complete the story of this classic single and its sometimes confusing assortment of mixes.
Today’s record is the U.S. promotional 12″ issued by EMI America, catalog numbers SPRO-9891 and SPRO-9892.
Unlike yesterday’s Jellybean remix, this promo contains the earlier extended version produced and mixed by Tony Mansfield.
The A-side is simply titled “Long Version” and runs 6:13.
This is the Tony Mansfield extended mix of “Always Something There To Remind Me,” the version that has sometimes been referred to over the years as the original UK 12″ mix. It predates Jellybean’s later remix and takes a different approach to extending the song.
Rather than radically rebuilding the track, Mansfield expands his original production and gives the arrangement more room to breathe. The familiar electronic textures, percussion, keyboards, and those unmistakable chimes are all given additional space without losing the character of the original recording.
For me, that is part of what makes this version so appealing. It sounds like an extended version from the era when a 12″ mix did not necessarily have to completely reinvent a song. Sometimes you simply wanted more of the record you already loved.
And at 6:13, that is exactly what you get.
The flip side contains the appropriately titled “Short Version,” running 3:40. With both versions on the same promotional disc, American radio programmers and DJs could choose between the longer mix and the more compact version depending on what they needed.
This promo also clears up another part of the mix confusion discussed in yesterday’s post.
SPRO-9891 contains the 6:13 “Long Version,” which is the Tony Mansfield mix.
A later U.S. promotional 12″, SPRO-9924, contains the approximately 5:41 “Remixed Version” by John “Jellybean” Benitez. That Jellybean remix was later issued in the UK as the “American Remix,” which is the 5:43 version I posted yesterday.
So if you’re trying to keep all of this straight, the easiest way is by running time:
The 6:13 “Long Version” is the Tony Mansfield mix.
The approximately 5:41 to 5:43 “Remixed Version” or “American Remix” is the John “Jellybean” Benitez mix.
Simple enough once you know what you’re looking for. Getting there is another story.
The confusion has not been helped by various compilations and reissues over the years assigning the wrong mix names or credits. That is one reason I wanted to post these two records together. Hearing them directly from the original vinyl makes the differences much easier to identify.
It also gives us another opportunity to celebrate the work of producer Tony Mansfield.
Mansfield was an important part of the early Naked Eyes sound. His production helped give “Always Something There To Remind Me” that combination of polished pop, electronics, and drama that still jumps out of the speakers more than forty years later.
Of course, at the center of it all is Pete Byrne’s vocal.
Following the sad news of Byrne’s passing on September 14, listening to these records has taken on added meaning. Yesterday’s post was dedicated to his memory, and I wanted to continue that tribute today with another important piece of the Naked Eyes catalog.
It is remarkable how a recording can instantly transport you back to a certain time. For many of us, “Always Something There To Remind Me” is permanently tied to 1983, MTV, radio, and that wave of British synth-pop that seemed to arrive almost overnight.
And with both the Tony Mansfield and Jellybean mixes now represented here on Burning The Ground, we can finally hear two very different extended interpretations of the record from the original vinyl.
Which one do you prefer?
The Tony Mansfield 6:13 “Long Version,” or Jellybean’s punchier 5:43 “American Remix”?
For me, there is room for both.
Rest in peace, Pete Byrne.
SIDE A: Always Something There To Remind Me (Long Version) 6:16
SIDE B: Always Something There To Remind Me (Short Version) 3:41
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI America – SPRO-9891, EMI America – SPRO-9892
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop
