Tag: 1983

INXS – The One Thing (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

A. Front

“The One Thing” is a song by Australian rock group INXS, released in July 1982 as the first single ahead of their third studio album, Shabooh Shoobah, which appeared in October that year.

In January 1982 INXS toured New Zealand as support act for Cold Chisel. Band manager Murphy, became convinced their future no longer lay with Deluxe Records. RCA (who distributed Deluxe) had employed music lover Rockin’ Rod Woods, who had been promoting Eric Clapton, Split Enz and some of the worlds biggest acts. Woods was passionate about the band and brought key music people along to their gigs. He encouraged RCA to sign them worldwide because Murphy had played him some demos of future songs. Deluxe had been unable to attract international interest, and the band decided to record a new song at their own expense, with Mark Opitz at Paradise Studios. The resultant single, “One Thing”, peaked at number 14 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Due to the success of the song Murphy hired Opitz to produce three more songs. Murphy also approached WEA Australia with copies of the song, leading to INXS signing a recording deal in July 1982 with WEA for releases in Australia, South East Asia, Japan and New Zealand, Atco Records (a subsidiary of Atlantic Records) for North America and Polygram for Europe and the UK.

Shabooh Shoobah was released in the United States in February 1983 and peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart. “The One Thing” brought INXS their first Top 40 hit in the US, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May-June 1983. It was a big hit on album-oriented rock radio, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, and was also a top 20 hit in Canada.

SIDE A:
The One Thing (Extended Version) 6:10
Producer – Mark Opitz

SIDE B:
Black And White (Extended Version) 4:56

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 The One Thing U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #30
1982 The One Thing U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks #2

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mercury ‎– INXS 212
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 33 ⅓ RPM, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Pop Rock
Credits: Artwork By [Sleeve Design] – Hamish
Written-By – A. Farriss*, M. Hutchence*

NOTES:
A-Side is 33 RPM
B-Side is 45 RPM
Both tracks are the Extended Versions but this is not mentioned on the sleeve.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

B. Back

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

KC – Give It Up (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

A. Side

DISCO FRIDAY!

Re-Rip Newly Remastered!

Originally I posted this one on March 25, 2011. 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 with my newer Ortofon Super 30 stylus. This 12″ is also being posted in 24 bit flac for the very first time!

“Give It Up” was a UK number one single for three weeks in August 1983 for KC & the Sunshine Band, although it was simply credited as KC in many countries, including the US. It went on to become the 18th best-selling single of the year in the UK. It was the last and most successful of the act’s 10 hits in the UK, and was somewhat of a comeback hit in the United States. Following the backlash against many disco artists on the charts in the early 1980s, the song peaked at #18 in the US in January 1984.

SIDE A:
Give It Up 5:18
Remix – John Luongo

SIDE B:
Give It Up (Instrumental)   3:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Mint (generic)

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1984 Give It Up U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #18
1984 Give It Up U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play #24

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MECA Records – D-5000
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Disco
Credits: Producer – H.W. Casey* , R. Finch*
Written-By – D. Carter* , H.W. Casey*

NOTES:
Original version appears on the lp:“KC TEN”

Find the 12″ On DISCOGS

B. Side

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Wham! – Club Fantastic Megamix (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

A. Front

Re-Rip Newly Remastered!

Originally I posted this one on June 24, 2011. 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 with my newer Ortofon Super 30 stylus. This 12″ is also being posted in 24 bit flac for the very first time!

“Club Fantastic Megamix” was a single released by Wham! in 1983, and was the last single release for the duo on Inner Vision Records. The single was released three months after Wham! had begun proceedings to leave the label, and was disapproved of by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. The single, which consisted of a mix of the tracks “A Ray of Sunshine”, “Love Machine”, and “Come On” off the album Fantastic,  reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was not released in the US.

SIDE A:
Club Fantastic Megamix 8:34
Mixed By, Arranged By – Megamix Club, The

(A.1) A Ray Of Sunshine
Written-By – George Michael

(A.2) Love Machine
Written-By – W Griffin*, W Moore*

(A.3) Come On
Written-By – George Michael

(A.4) A Ray Of Sunshine
Written-By – George Michael

SIDE B:
A Ray Of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix) 5:40
Written-By, Arranged By – George Michael

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Inner Vision – TA 3586
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Design [Sleeve] – Shoot That Tiger!
Photography – Chris Craymer
Producer – George Michael, Steve Brown

NOTES:
The album “FANTASTIC” also available on cassette.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

B. Back

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

 

Wham! – Club Tropicana (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

A. Front

Re-Rip Newly Remastered!

Originally I posted this one on March 25, 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 with my newer Ortofon Super 30 stylus. This 12″ is also being posted in 24 bit flac for the very first time!

“Club Tropicana” is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released in 1983 on Innervision Records. It was written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

The song was a mild departure from Wham!’s previous singles, which had all been motivated by social or political issues. “Club Tropicana”, however, was a satire of the boom for cheap package holidays for younger, single people of a hedonistic nature. It was specifically seen in the UK as a swipe at the very popular Club 18-30 scheme.

A memorable video directed by Duncan Gibbins was made at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza, with scenes of George and Andrew on the beach, making eyes at bikini-clad girls played by their backing singers Dee C. Lee and Shirlie Holliman. They were also seen relaxing by a pool and sipping cocktails, along with the famous scene of trumpet-playing taking place in the pool itself. A twist in the sexual tension between the two men and two women was revealed at the end, when it turned out that George and Andrew were airline pilots and Dee and Shirlie were stewardesses.

The song was released in July 1983 and peaked at #4 in the UK, going on to become the 39th best selling single of 1983. It was the fourth and final single to be taken from the album Fantastic. Wham! went on to dominate the UK charts, achieving four #1 singles before splitting at their height in 1986.

The B-side, “Blue (Armed With Love)”, is a semi-instrumental dub track of higher quality than is generally expected for B-side material, and would not have been out of place on Fantastic. It in fact appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese pic disc version of the album. During their “Club Fantastic” tour in late 1983 and in 1985 in China, they performed this song live, complete with sung verses, and the result was released as “Blue (Live In China)” on their 1986 LP Music from the Edge of Heaven as well as the B-side of 1985’s single release of “Last Christmas.” The studio version of the song has not appeared on CD except for a single CD in Japan. It was also overlooked for the 25th Anniversary rerelease of The Final, even though this version claimed to be accurate to the original release.

SIDE A:
Club Tropicana 4:27
Engineer – Tony Taverner
Producer – Steve Brown
Recorded By, Mixed By – George Michael , Steve Brown
Written-By – Andrew Ridgely*

SIDE B:
Blue (Armed With Love) 3:53
Engineer – Chris Porter

Club Tropicana (Instrumental) 3:30
Engineer – Tony Taverner
Producer – Steve Brown
Recorded By, Mixed By – George Michael , Steve Brown
Written-By – Andrew Ridgely*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Inner Vision – TA 3613
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Mastered By – Arun*

NOTES:
‘Club Tropicana’ is taken from the album & cassette “FANTASTIC” which also includes
‘Bad Boys’, ‘Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)’ and ‘Young Guns (Go For It!)’.
Special thanks to Margaret Holliman.
Thanks to everybody who has helped put the album & singles together.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

B. Back

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi