Month: August 2022

August 3, 2022

Kurtis Blow – The Breaks (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1980

“The Breaks” is a 1980 single by American rapper Kurtis Blow from his self-titled debut album. It peaked at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first certified gold rap song, and the second certified gold 12-inch single. In 2008, the song ranked #10 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs.

“The Breaks” repeats the word “break” (or any of its homophones) 84 times over six and a half minutes. It features six breakdowns (seven including the outro) while there are three definitions for “break,” “to break” or “brakes” used in the lyrics. Unlike most hip-hop songs which sample prerecorded funk, the funk beat in this song is original (contrary to suggestions that it sampled “Long Train Runnin'” by The Doobie Brothers).

The single hit #87 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and #9 on the U.S. Billboard dance chart.

It sold over 500,000 copies, becoming the first rap song to earn a gold certification from the RIAA and the second 12-inch single to earn a gold certification, following “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer.

SIDE A:
The Breaks (Vocal) 7:46

SIDE B:
The Breaks (Instrumental/Do It yourself) 5:52

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	The Breaks	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#87
1980	The Breaks	U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	#4
1980	The Breaks	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance /disco Club Songs	#9

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mercury – MDS-4010, Mercury – 6167.941
Format:
Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, 19 – Bestway Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Funk / Soul

CREDITS:
Lacquer Cut By –HW*
Producer – J.B. Moore, Robert Ford Jr.
Written-By – J. Moore, K. Walker, L. Smith, R. Ford, R. Simmons*

NOTES:
Printed in U.S.A.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO 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

**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.

August 2, 2022

Public Enemy – 911 Is A Joke (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1990

“911 Is a Joke” is a 1990 song by American hip hop group Public Enemy, from their third album, Fear of a Black Planet. The song is solely performed by Flavor Flav. It was released as a single and became a hit in April 1990, reaching number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and number one on the Hot Rap Singles chart, becoming their second number-one rap chart hit after “Fight the Power”. It also reached number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. This was due largely to its sales, which were unusually high for the level of mainstream airplay it received; Billboard reported that only one of the stations on its Top 40 panel was playing it.

The song is about the lack of response to emergency calls in a black neighborhood, but specifically references the poor response by paramedic crews and not the police, which is a common misconception regarding the track; the “911” in the title of the song refers to 9-1-1, the emergency telephone number used in North America.

The song was written by Public Enemy member Flavor Flav and producers Keith Shocklee and Eric “Vietnam” Sadler of The Bomb Squad, Public Enemy’s production team. Flavor Flav is the featured vocalist.

Among the samples used in “911 Is a Joke” is Vincent Price’s laughter from “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. Other samples include “Flash Light” by Parliament, “Misunderstood” by Mico Wave, “Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins, “Gottago Gottago!” by Robin Harris, “Devil With the Bust” by Sound Experience, “Feel Like Dancing” by Wilbur “Bad” Bascomb, and “Hit by a Car” and “Singers” by Eddie Murphy. According to law professors Peter DiCola and Kembrew McLeod, if the samples used on “911 Is a Joke” and the other tracks on Fear of a Black Planet had been cleared for copyright under 2010 rates, each copy of the album would have generated a loss of five dollars per album sold, instead of a profit.

In 1995, English pop rock band Duran Duran covered “911 Is a Joke” on their Thank You album.

SIDE A:
911 Is A Joke (Vocal) 3:19
911 Is A Joke (Instrumental) 3:19

SIDE B:
Revolutionary Generation (Vocal) 5:45
Revolutionary Generation (Instrumental) 5:45

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1990	911 Is A Joke	U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles	#1
1990	911 Is A Joke	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	#15
1990	911 Is A Joke	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#26

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Def Jam Recordings – 44-73179, Def Jam Recordings – 44 73179, Columbia – 44-73179, Columbia – 44 73179
Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Apr 1990
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Hip Hop

CREDITS:
Art Direction, Design – The Drawing Board
Management –Rush Artist Management
Mastered By – Howie Weinberg
Photography By – Jules Allen
Producer – Carl Ryder, Eric (Vietnam) Sadler*, Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, The Bomb Squad
Written-By –The Bomb Squad

NOTES:
A1, B1] Snatched Off The LP: Fear Of A Black Planet.
Also Available On A Cassette Maxi-Single

Printed In U.S.A.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

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.

August 1, 2022

Grandmaster & Melle Mel – White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1983

“White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” is a song by Melle Mel, released as a 12″ in 1983 on Sugar Hill Records. The song, which warns against the dangers of cocaine, addiction, and drug smuggling, is one of Melle Mel’s signature tracks. The bassline is taken from a performance of the Sugar Hill house band (featuring bassist Doug Wimbish) covering “Cavern”, a single by New York City band Liquid Liquid.

When originally released on Sugar Hill Records, the record was credited to Grandmaster & Melle Mel (some international issues carried the credit Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel). By this time, Grandmaster Flash had already stopped touring with Mel and was suing Sugar Hill Records for back royalties. The animosity between the two artists continued well into the future.

“White Lines” peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart in 1983. The song fared better in the United Kingdom, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1984, spending 17 consecutive weeks in the top 40. It was the 13th best-selling single of 1984 in the UK, selling more than several number one hits that year.

The song was co-written by Melle Mel and Sylvia Robinson. Originally, it was intended to be an ironic celebration of a cocaine-fueled party lifestyle, but it was abridged with the “don’t do it” message as a concession to commercial considerations.

The lines “A businessman is caught with 24 kilos / He’s out on bail and out of jail and that’s the way it goes” refers to car manufacturer John DeLorean, who in 1982 became entrapped in a scheme to save his company from bankruptcy using drug money. Some of the lyrics in “White Lines” (“something like a phenomenon”) echoed lyrics from the song “Cavern” by Liquid Liquid (“slip in and out of phenomenon”), in addition to the note-by-note appropriation of the bass line from “Cavern” with a rapping track overlaid. Sugar Hill did not get proper clearance to use “Cavern,” resulting in years of lawsuits, ultimately in Liquid Liquid’s favor. As a result of the $600,000 judgment against Sugar Hill, the label declared bankruptcy to circumvent paying the judgment.

**The two tracks on the b-side are listed as seperate tracks on the record label. However they are one continuos track. To keep the integrity of the original vinyl I did not seperate them.

SIDE A:
White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) 7:36
White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (Bonus) 2:19

SIDE B:
White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (Bonus Break)/
White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (Short Version) 6:57

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	White Lines (Dn’t Do It)	U.S. Billboard Hot Black singles	#47
1983	White Lines (Dn’t Do It)	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#9

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sugar Hill Records – SH 465
Format:
Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Hip Hop

CREDITS:
Arranged By –Reggie Griffin
Engineer, Mixed By –E.T. Thorngren*
Engineer, Mixed By, Producer, Written-By – Sylvia Robinson (Sylvia Inc.)*
Mastered By – Pa*
Producer –Joey Robinson, Jr., Melle Mel
Written-By – Melvin Glover

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

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.