Razormaid Digital Mixes by Art Maharg and Joseph Watt A DJPaulT Custom 12″ Single.
Spooky Season Spins kicks off today with something a little different.
October does not always have to mean ghosts, vampires, and horror movie themes. Sometimes the right atmosphere comes from something colder, harsher, and far more mechanical. For this installment, we are heading straight into the factory with a custom 12″ that I have titled Industrial Assault.
This two-track single brings together Bigod 20 and TGT (The Genetic Terrorists), with both selections originally appearing on Razormaid Chapter R-25.
Opening Side A is Bigod 20 with “America,” re-edited by Razormaid co-founder Art Maharg.
Bigod 20 was part of the German Electronic Body Music and Industrial scene, and “America” has exactly the kind of atmosphere I wanted for an October post. It is dark, repetitive, confrontational, and driven by electronics that feel more like machinery than traditional instrumentation.
Maharg’s Razormaid treatment pushes that feeling even further. The track moves with a relentless pulse, using repetition and carefully placed edits to make the whole thing feel increasingly tense.
There may not be a monster hiding in the shadows here, but the track still feels threatening.
For Spooky Season Spins, that counts.
Flip the record over, and things become even more brutal.
“Machine Gun” by TGT, or The Genetic Terrorists, was re-edited for Razormaid by Joseph Watt.
The title gives you a pretty good indication of what is coming. Hard electronic percussion, samples, repetition, and a cold mechanical rhythm dominate the track.
Watt’s edit has that classic Razormaid DJ sensibility. Rather than simply stretching the original recording, the arrangement uses its strongest rhythmic elements to keep the track moving. It is sparse in places, aggressive in others, and never particularly interested in making the listener comfortable.
That is exactly why it works here.
Both “America” and “Machine Gun” were taken from Razormaid Chapter R-25, which also gives this custom single a nice connection. Side A represents Art Maharg, while Side B represents Joseph Watt, bringing both Razormaid co-founders together on one very Industrial piece of vinyl.
So for this edition of Spooky Season Spins, forget the haunted houses and graveyards for a moment.
Welcome to the factory.
Cold steel. Concrete. Smoke stacks. Machines running somewhere in the darkness.
Released in 1989, “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” became one of the defining records of the closing months of the 1980s. Built around Caron Wheeler’s unforgettable vocal, the record combined soul, R&B, hip-hop rhythms, strings, and the laid-back club sound that made Soul II Soul stand apart from almost everything else on the radio at the time.
Led by Jazzie B, Soul II Soul had already scored a major hit earlier in the year with “Keep On Movin’,” also featuring Wheeler. “Back To Life,” however, took the group to another level.
One of the most interesting things about the song is that the version everyone knows was not originally included on the group’s debut LP, Club Classics Vol. One, in that familiar form. The album contained a mostly a cappella version of “Back To Life,” with the rhythm entering near the end as the track moved into “Jazzie’s Groove.” Jazzie B and producer Nellee Hooper later returned to the song and rebuilt it for single release, adding the shuffling beat, piano, strings, and other elements that turned it into the classic we know today.
The result was massive.
“Back To Life” reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1989 and remained there for four weeks. In the United States, the single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart.
Chart (1989)
Peak Position
UK Singles Chart
1
US Billboard Hot 100
4
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles
1
US Billboard Dance Club Play
1
Eurochart Hot 100
1
Canada RPM Top Singles
11
Canada RPM Dance/Urban
1
Netherlands
1
New Zealand
4
West Germany
4
Ireland
6
Sweden
3
Switzerland
2
Belgium
4
Austria
13
Finland
14
The song also earned Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler the 1990 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocal. Soul II Soul also picked up a second Grammy that year for the instrumental “African Dance.”
For today’s post, I am featuring the US 12″ single released by Virgin Records, catalog number 0-96537.
This pressing is particularly nice because Virgin packed five different versions onto the record.
The centerpiece is the 7:37 “12″ Mix.” This full-length club treatment gives that familiar rhythm and bass groove plenty of room to breathe. Instead of simply stretching the radio version, the mix lets the arrangement unfold slowly, making Caron Wheeler’s vocal sound even more powerful when it enters.
The 3:29 “A Cappella Intro Version” is also included, an interesting link between the song’s a cappella beginnings and the finished single.
The 3:50 “LP Version” takes us back toward the original album presentation, making the contrast between the original concept and the hit single especially interesting when all of the versions are heard together.
Flip the record over and things get even more DJ-friendly.
“Jam & The Groove,” running 5:08, takes the familiar elements of the record and rearranges them into a more groove-centered workout, while the 4:38 “Bonus Beats” puts the rhythm section front and center. In 1989, mixes like these were made with DJs in mind, giving them extra material for mixing and extending a track on the dance floor.
SIDE A:
A1. Back To Life (12″ Mix) 7:37
A2. Back To Life (A Cappella Intro Version) 3:29
A3. Back To Life (LP Version) 3:50
SIDE B:
B1. Back To Life (Jam & The Groove) 5:08
B2. Back To Life (Bonus Beats) 4:38
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
The five-track configuration and running times are specific to this 1989 US Virgin 12″ pressing.
More than three decades later, “Back To Life” still sounds remarkably fresh. That deep rolling beat, the sweeping strings, the sparse arrangement, and Wheeler’s voice gave the record a sound that was unmistakably Soul II Soul.
And then there is that opening.
The moment you hear “Back to life, back to reality,” you know exactly what record is coming.
For those of us who love the 12″ format, Virgin 0-96537 is also a great example of why these singles are worth preserving. You are not getting one extended mix with a throwaway B-side. You get several different ways of hearing one of 1989’s most important records, including mixes that show how the track developed from its unusual a cappella beginnings into an international hit.
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
Extended mixes, dubs, instrumentals, bonus beats, promo pressings, gophers, summer schools, weird science, and more soundtrack trivia than any reasonable person probably needs.
And now the closing credits are about to roll.
For the final entry in Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition, I wanted something big.
Something legendary.
Something with enough energy to send us out properly.
So how about the Queen of Soul taking on the Rolling Stones?
Today’s selection is Aretha Franklin and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” recorded for the 1986 Whoopi Goldberg comedy of the same name.
That should do it.
Directed by Penny Marshall, Jumpin’ Jack Flash stars Whoopi Goldberg as Terry Doolittle, a computer operator at a New York bank who unexpectedly begins communicating with a British intelligence agent trapped behind the Iron Curtain.
Remember when computers were mysterious enough that Hollywood could make almost anything happen through one?
Apparently Weird Science was not the only movie taking advantage of that.
Terry becomes caught up in espionage, secret codes, assassins, and government agents while trying to help the mysterious man using the code name “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Naturally, the Rolling Stones song becomes part of the puzzle.
The Stones’ original recording is heard in the film, but when the closing credits arrive, the microphone is handed over to Aretha Franklin.
And Aretha does not exactly tiptoe into the room.
Her version of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was produced by none other than Keith Richards.
Yes, Keith Richards produced Aretha Franklin singing a Rolling Stones song.
The 1980s really could make some wonderful things happen.
Keith also plays guitar on the recording, joined by fellow Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The session included Randy Jackson on bass, Chuck Leavell on keyboards, Steve Jordan on drums, and Aretha herself on piano.
That is quite a band.
Steve Lillywhite engineered the session, adding yet another major name to an already impressive list of credits.
And then there is Aretha.
She does not attempt to imitate Mick Jagger.
Why would she?
She takes the song, plants both feet firmly on the ground, and turns it into an Aretha Franklin record.
There is gospel in it.
There is soul.
There is rock.
There is attitude.
And there is that voice.
Keith Richards gives the record plenty of grit, but Aretha takes complete ownership of the song.
The connection to the movie continued with the music video, which was directed by Penny Marshall and features Whoopi Goldberg alongside Aretha, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood.
Whoopi even gets pulled into the action with Aretha, making the video feel like a playful extension of the film rather than simply another promotional clip.
With Aretha Franklin, Whoopi Goldberg, and two Rolling Stones all sharing the screen, subtlety was clearly not the goal.
And thank goodness for that.
Interestingly, despite being recorded for Jumpin’ Jack Flash and playing over the film’s closing credits, Aretha’s version was not included on the original soundtrack album.
There is another one for the soundtrack-collector mystery file.
The song instead appeared on Aretha’s 1986 album Aretha and was released as a single by Arista.
It became another solid chart success for her, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 20 on Hot Black Singles, No. 33 on the Dance chart, and No. 36 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Yes.
Aretha Franklin on the Mainstream Rock chart.
I love that.
The single also charted internationally, including the UK, Germany, and Switzerland.
Then we get to the US 12-inch.
And this is where things become interesting for collectors.
The US promotional 12-inch was issued by Arista under catalog number AD1-9529, but there are two variations of the record circulating with the same catalog number.
Both sleeves list the Album Version among the tracks.
One pressing actually contains it.
Mine does not.
Even though the sleeve says it is there.
My copy contains four mixes of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” with the Album Version completely absent from the record itself.
You have to love vinyl collecting.
Sometimes even the record does not know what is on the record.
What my copy does give us is a terrific group of alternate mixes that take Aretha’s rock-and-soul performance into much more rhythmic territory.
Additional production and remix work was handled by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero, a team whose names will be very familiar to anyone who spent time reading the fine print on 1980s 12-inch singles.
The Street Mix pushes the rhythm forward and gives the track a tougher, more contemporary mid-’80s feel.
There is also a shorter Street Mix Radio Edit, bringing that same treatment into a more compact form.
Then we get the Master Dub Mix and Beat Dub Mix, where the record begins to come apart in all the ways we 12-inch collectors love.
Drums move forward.
Vocals appear and disappear.
Guitars, percussion, and little pieces of the arrangement suddenly have room to breathe.
Aretha Franklin.
Keith Richards.
And a dub mix.
That alone might explain why I have been doing this series for four weeks.
This record also seems like an appropriate place to finish because it represents so much of what Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition has been about.
A major artist doing something unexpected.
A song connected to a movie in a slightly unusual way.
A 12-inch with mixes that tell another part of the story.
And, in this case, even a pressing variation that can make two supposedly identical copies something quite different.
That is the fun of collecting these records.
You think you know the single.
Then you flip it over.
Read the label.
Compare the sleeve.
Listen closely.
And discover there is still another story hiding in the grooves.
When I began this series, I originally planned to do it for one week.
Then you wanted another.
And another.
And another.
So here we are four weeks later.
I want to thank everyone who followed along, downloaded the transfers, shared memories, corrected details, added stories, discovered records they had never heard before, or rediscovered something they had forgotten.
Your enthusiasm turned a one-week idea into something much bigger.
Tomorrow I begin a two-week vacation, and the turntable will be taking a little break along with me.
But this is not goodbye to Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition.
There are still plenty of records left.
And as we established earlier…
This is the ’80s.
Everything gets a sequel.
So someday, the ladies will return.
For now, though, the lights are coming up.
The theater is emptying.
The final record is spinning.
Four weeks.
Dozens of records.
One last blast from the soundtrack.
And who better to take us home than Aretha Franklin?
It’s all right now.
The closing credits are rolling.
And Jumpin’ Jack Flash is a gas, gas, gas.
SIDE A: Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Street Mix) 6:10
SIDE B: Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Street Mix-Radio Edit) 4:39 Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Master Dub Mix) 4:35 Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Beat Dub Mix) 4:11
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” Chart Performance (1986)
Peak Position
Germany Singles Chart
42
Netherlands Dutch Top 40
48
New Zealand Singles Chart
43
Sweden Singles Chart
14
Switzerland Singles Chart
19
UK Singles Chart
58
US Billboard Hot 100
21
US Billboard Hot Black Singles
20
US Billboard Dance
33
US Billboard Mainstream Rock
36
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – ADI-9529
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
Spooky Season Spins kicks off today with something a little different.
