Author: DjPaulT

Howard Jones – Pearl In The Shell (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

REQUEST

This 12″ is the UK release which includes an eight minute version of “Total Conditioning” that does not appear on any Howard Jones CD release, including the 12″ Collection compilation which only contains a 6:58 version making this 12″ a true HoJo collectible. I posted the US 12″ Promo back in April of 2010 and it includes the Remix Version of “Pearl In The Shell” you can get it here.

“Pearl in the Shell” is the fourth and final single released by musician Howard Jones from the album Human’s Lib. Released in May 1984, the song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. It features a saxophone solo by Davey Payne of Ian Dury’s band The Blockheads.

“Total Conditioning” is an extended version of the song “Conditioning” also taken from Human’s Lib the mix feature a medley  at the end of the track of all ten songs from Humans Lib as well as Always Asking Questions.

SIDE A:
Pearl In The Shell 3:55
Saxophone [Uncredited] – Davey Payne, Stephen W. Tayler
Saxophone [Uncredited] – Davey Payne, Stephen W. Tayler
Producer – Rupert Hine
Lyrics By – Howard Jones
Engineer – Stephen W. Tayler

Law Of The Jungle 3:16
Lyrics By – Howard Jones
Engineer – Mike Roarty

SIDE B:
Total Conditioning 8:01
Producer, Remix – Rupert Hine
Lyrics By – William Bryant
Engineer – Stephen W. Tayler

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1984 Pearl In The Shell U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Did Not Chart

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label:WEA Records Ltd., WEA
Catalog#: HOW 4T, 249370-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 26 May 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Music By – Howard Jones
Photography – Mike Prior

NOTES:
Taken from the album ‘Human’s Lib’
A2 – Recorded in Howard’s Front Room, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
Cover photo courtesy of No1.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
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

Elton John – Healing Hands (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

“Healing Hands” was the final hit single of the 1980s for British pop-star Elton John, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and recorded on his million-selling 1989 album Sleeping with the Past. The single was released during the late-summer of 1989, and was a top-twenty hit in the US. It was paired as a double A-side single with Sacrifice”, which became Elton’s first solo number 1 single in the UK. The song was inspired by the Four Tops song “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”. Produced by Chris Thomas, it was the first of three singles released from the album, with the follow-ups being “Sacrifice” and “Club at the End of the Street”.

“Healing Hands” did moderately well as a single in the United States, climbing to #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart the week of October 21, 1989 (dislodging Madonna’s “Cherish” from the #1 position). The song failed to make the UK Top 40 on its initial release, as did the follow-up, “Sacrifice.” However, after Steve Wright of BBC Radio One added “Sacrifice” to his station’s playlist, “Sacrifice” was re-released in the UK with “Healing Hands” as the flip side. The double A-side record topped the UK chart for five weeks starting June 23, 1990, becoming the first solo #1 UK hit of Elton John’s career.

Musically, the song is complex, with the verses in the key of B flat, and the chorus in the key of D major. An instrumental solo, in the related minor key of G minor, serves as a bridge.

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint

SIDE A:
Healing Hands (Extended Re-Mix)  5:05
Edited By – Tony Shimkin
Engineer – Goh Hopola
Remix, Producer [Additional], Edited By – Shep Pettibone
Written-By – Elton John/Taupin*

SIDE B:
Healing Hands (7″ Version)  4:22
Written-By – Elton John/Taupin*

Dancing In The End Zone 3:52
Written-By – Davey Johnstone , Elton John/Taupin*

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: The Rocket Record Company
Catalog#: EJS 1912
Format: Vinyl, 12″
Country: UK
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Pop, Rock
Style: Soft Rock, Pop Rock
Credits: Lyrics By – Taupin*
Producer – Chris Thomas
Recorded By – David Nicholas

NOTES:
“Healing Hands (7″ Version)” taken from the forthcoming album ‘SLEEPING WITH THE PAST’

DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
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

Bananarama – Hot Line To Heaven (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Hot Line to Heaven” is a song co-written and performed by English girl group Bananarama. The song appears on their second, self-titled album and was released as a single in the UK in 1984.

In its album version, “Hot Line to Heaven” is a seven-plus-minutes mid-tempo pop song. It was edited to about three-and-a-half minutes for its single release. After Bananarama recorded the soundtrack song “The Wild Life” (from the film of the same name), the edited version of “Hot Line to Heaven” was pressed onto the Bananarama album in order to make room for the late-addition of “The Wild Life”. This was only a temporary pressing, however, as Bananarama’s track listing was restored several months later, with the full version of “Hot Line to Heaven” intact.

The single did not perform well on the charts and was not released anywhere but in the UK. As was the case with the Bananarama album, the dark lyrical content did not meet with mainstream acceptance and became the group’s lowest charting UK single since their debut “Aie a Mwana”.

The B-Side track “State I’m In” is actually an extended version of the song. The album version only clocks in at 2:47 making this 12″ a true gem.

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint

SIDE A:
Hot Line To Heaven 7:09

SIDE B:
State I’m In (Extended Version) 4:38

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records
Catalog#: NANX 8
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Artwork By [Sleeve Design, Collage] – Laurence Stevens
Photography [Back] – Steve Rapport
Photography [Front] – Norman Seef
Producer, Arranged By – Steve Jolley & Tony Swain
Written-By – Woodward* , Dallin* , Fahey* , Steve Jolley & Tony Swain

DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
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

Elton John – I’m Still Standing (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

REQUEST

“I’m Still Standing” is a song on English pop-rock performer Elton John’s 1983 album, Too Low for Zero. He sings about making a comeback despite problems in daily life. The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was shot in Cannes and Nice on the Côte d’Azur in France and features the colours of the French flag. Bruno Tonioli, a judge on the hit shows Strictly Come Dancing for BBC (UK) and its American adaptation, Dancing with the Stars for ABC in the US, appears as one of the dancers in the video.

The song became a big hit for John on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at #4 in the UK, reached #1 in Switzerland and #12 in the US.

The b-side “Earn While You Learn” is an instrumental piece performed by Lord Choc Ice which is one of Elton John’s aliases. The song did appear as a bonus track on the 1998 remastered CD version of “Too Low For Zero” which is now out of print.

SIDE A
I’m Still Standing (Extended Version) 3:46

SIDE B
Earn While You Learn 6:42
Performed By – Lord Choc Ice

RELEASE/PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Label: The Rocket Record Company
Catalog#: EJS 112
Format: Vinyl, 12″
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: New Wave, Pop Rock
Credits: Producer – Chris Thomas (tracks: A) , Clive Franks (tracks: B) , Elton John (tracks: B)
Recorded By – Bill Price
Written-By – Elton John & Bernie Taupin (tracks: A) , Lord Choc Ice (tracks: B)

NOTES
Original sound recording made by Rocket Records
Big Pig Music LTD.

DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
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