Month: October 2012

The Sisters Of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Lucretia My Reflection” is a song from the album Floodland by The Sisters of Mercy. It was released as the third single from the album in 1988.

The song was written by Andrew Eldritch for Patricia Morrison, who “always strikes me as a Lucretia [Borgia]-type person.” Its lyrics concern the fall of an empire, war and the consequent destruction of other aspects of life.

The mechanical structure of “Lucretia My Reflection”, with its repeating bassline and drums, coupled with the song’s cold lyrics, would go on to be a major influence on the industrial music genre, especially when coupled with the music video containing images of pounding machinery and grainy imagery.

“Lucretia My Reflection” debuted on the US Dance Chart on July 30, 1988 and remained there for six weeks peaking at #30. Iternationally the single paked at #20 in the UK and #22 in Ireland.

SIDE A:
Lucretia My Reflection (Remix) 4:20
Lucretia My Reflection (LP Version) 5:00

SIDE B:
Lucretia My Reflection (Extended Remix) 9:50

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1988 Lucretia My Reflection U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play #30

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Elektra – ED 5321
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Goth Rock
Credits: Producer – Alexander
Words By, Music By, Producer – Andrew Eldritch

NOTES:
LP Version from Elektra LP 60762 – “Floodland”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

The Cure – Let’s Go To Bed (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

Re-Rip Remaster

Originally I posted this one back in September of 2010. But for those who may have missed it or if you are a new reader just discovering BTG. I decided to give this one a new rip using my newer upgraded equipment. This 12″ is also being posted in 24 bit flac for the very first time!

“Let’s Go to Bed” is a 1982 single by The Cure. It later appeared on the album Japanese Whispers.

In the aftermath of the bleak Pornography, Robert Smith returned from a month-long detox in the Lake District to write the antithesis to what The Cure currently represented. Written as a sarcastic reflection on sexual imagery in pop music, the single was a surprise hit. It was most successful in Australia, reaching #15.

The origins of “Let’s Go to Bed” lie in “Temptation”, one of the demos for Pornography. The song is a relatively upbeat, guitar-driven instrumental. In August of 1982, soon after Simon Gallup’s departure from the band, Smith demoed a vocal version of the track, entitled “Temptation Two”, a psychedelic piece not far removed from the Pornography album but somewhat lighter in tone. At the end of the song, Smith sings a string of wordless syllables, nearly identical to the “doo doo doo”s of the later song. The final version was debuted on Kid Jensen’s radio show on 27 November 1982.

Robert Smith has often stated that he wished its b-side, the darker “Just One Kiss” (also first performed during the session) was released as a single.

SIDE A:
Let’s Go To Bed  7:45

SIDE B:
Just One Kiss  7:18
Let’s Go To Bed (Edit) 3:35

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Let’s Go To Bed U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 #109
1982 Let’s Go To Bed U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks #32

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-29689, Sire – 9 29689-0A
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop
Credits: Producer – Chris Parry
Written-By – Tolhurst*, Smith*

NOTES:
Front cover says: Specially Priced Maxi Single

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

The Belle Stars – Iko Iko (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

R E Q U E S T

The Belle Stars were an all female British rock band, founded in London in 1980 by former members of the 2 Tone ska revival band, The Bodysnatchers.

Iko Iko” is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two “tribes” of Mardi Gras Indians. The lyrics are derived from Indian chants and popular catchphrases. The song, under the original title “Jock-A-Mo”, was written in 1953 by James “Sugar Boy” Crawford in New Orleans, but has spread so widely that to popular belief, it is commonly assumed to be a much older folk song.

The story tells of a “spy boy” or “spy dog” i.e. a lookout for one band of Indians encountering the “flag boy” or guidon carrier for another band. He threatens to set the flag on fire.

The Belle Stars version of “Iko Iko” appeared in the opening scene of the 1988 film “Rain Man” starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Frequently, this version is incorrectly attributed to the Indigo Girls. The song was originally released in 1982 reaching #35 in the UK and then remixed and re-released in 1987 for the Rain Man” soundtrack reaching #7 in Australia and #14 on the US Billboard singles chart in 1989.

SIDE A:
Iko Iko (12″ Mix) 4:50
Iko Iko (7″ Mix) 3:14

SIDE B:
Iko Iko (Bonus Beats) 3:18

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1989 Iko Iko U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #14
1989 Iko Iko U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #7

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records – V-15475
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Reggae
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Engineer – Paul Brown
Executive-producer – Barry Levinson, Mark Johnson (22)
Producer – Brian Tench
Remix, Producer [Additional Production], Edited By – Boris Granich, Christer Modig
Written By – Hawkins-Jones-Hawkins-Jones-Johnson-Jones-Thomas

NOTES:
(Original version appears on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP “Rain Man” C1-91866)
Additional Production and Edit for Powermix Productions.
“Iko Iko” originally released in 1982, and remixed in 1989 for this release.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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