Tag: 1983

August 13, 2013

Agnetha Fältskog – Can’t Shake Loose (Special AOR Remix) (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Can’t Shake Loose” is a 1983 song from former ABBA star Agnetha Fältskog’s solo album, Wrap Your Arms Around Me. It was the third single release in Europe and the first to be issued in the United States.

The song was written by Russ Ballard, who also wrote the successful “I Know There’s Something Going On” for Agnetha’s former ABBA colleague Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida).

“Can’t Shake Loose” proved rather successful on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where an Edited Remix of the song broke into the Top 30 peaking at #29 in November 1983. As usual, Fältskog made only limited promotion, but she did travel across the Atlantic from Sweden in August 1983 to appear on American television. “Can’t Shake Loose” also performed well in Canada, where it reached #26. In the UK and Australia, however, the track proved less successful, reaching #63 and #76, respectively.

In North America a remix was used as the single version while in Europe the album version was used.

SIDE A:
Can’t Shake Loose (Special AOR Remix) 3:15

SIDE B:
Can’t Shake Loose (Special AOR Remix) 3:15

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	Can’t Shake Loose	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#29

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Polydor ‎– PRO 216-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Soft Rock
Credits: Producer – Mike Chapman
Remix – Rob Freeman
Written-By – Russ Ballard

NOTES:
From the Polydor LP:
“WRAP YOUR ARMS AROUND ME”

Promotional Copy Not For Sale
Plays same track both sides.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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

August 5, 2013

Dead Or Alive – Misty Circles (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE BURNS!

“Misty Circles” is a song written and recorded by English New Wave/dance band Dead or Alive. It was co-produced by the band and Zeus B. Held and released as the first single from Dead or Alive’s first album Sophisticated Boom Boom.

“Misty Circles” was the first song to be released by Dead or Alive after being signed to a major label, Epic Records. The band’s prior single releases were issued independently. This song was not very successful, but it managed to peak at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1984, the song was placed on the B-side of “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. As both sides earned significant play in American nightclubs, they charted together as a double-sided hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at number four. The band performed it before a live audience on Razzmatazz, which features Pete Burns wearing a wardrobe similar to Boy George’s, and thus created some temporary friction between the two singers in later years.

OTHER SIDE:
Misty Circles (Dance Mix) 9:14

THIS SIDE:
Misty Circles (Dub Mix) 6:13
Selfish Side 2:35

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	Misty Circles	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– TA 3399
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 22 Apr 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop
Credits: Art Direction – Roslav Szaybo
Artwork By – Torchlight, London
Other [Thanks To] – Tim Palmer
Producer, Mixed By – Dead Or Alive, Zeus B. Held
Recorded By – Dave Allen* (tracks: A, B1)
Written-By – Dead Or Alive

NOTES:
“MISTY CIRCLES” from the album:
“SOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

July 25, 2013

Howard Jones – What Is Love? (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“What Is Love?” was the 2nd single by musician Howard Jones. Released in November 1983, from the album Human’s Lib, it reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the singer’s highest chart placing to date. In the US it peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the summer of 1984.

The song was originally entitled “Love?” on the demo tape which Howard Jones recorded in 1982, which itself was available at his gigs. Howard Jones also used the question mark motif around this time on posters advertising his gigs; posters which also hung behind him on stage at his early 1980s Marquee Club appearances and which read simply “Howard Jones?”.

The song was used in the 1984 film Supergirl.

SIDE A:
What Is Love? (Extended Version) 6:31
Producer – Rupert Hine

SIDE B:
It Just Doesn’t Matter 3:35
Engineer, Mixed By – Mark Lusardi*
Producer – Howard Jones

Hunt The Self (Recorded Live At The Marquee) 5:39
Engineer – Mark Lusardi*
Mixed By – Mike Roarty

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	What Is Love?	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#33
1984	What Is Love?	U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	#20

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: WEA ‎– HOW 2T, WEA ‎– 249570-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 26 Nov 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Lyrics By – Howard Jones, William Bryant
Music By – Howard Jones

NOTES:
Also available “HUMAN’S LIB”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

July 24, 2013

Red Rockers – China (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

Red Rockers were a New Wave band from New Orleans, Louisiana, active from 1979 to 1985. They are best known for their 1983 hit single “China”.

“China” was originally one of the ten songs on Red Rockers’ second full-length album, Good as Gold. The single was released by the joint label Columbia/415. Released in 1983 “China” became the breakout single for the band. Although the song did not reach the Billboard Top Ten, it had an enduring lifespan. The song’s popularity was enhanced by its colorful music video, which was a regular selection on MTV during its early years. The video was filmed in New Orleans, the band’s hometown.

“China” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 6, 1983 and spent ten weeks on the survey peaking at #53.

In spite of – or perhaps because of – its amorphous qualities, the song remains an accessible touchstone for American pop cultural references to China more than a quarter of a century after its release.

SIDE A:
China 3:57

SIDE B:
China (Dance Mix) 5:59
Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today) 4:15

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	China	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#53

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia ‎– 44-03629, 415 Records ‎– 44-03629
Format: Vinyl, 12″, EP, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop
Credits: Producer – David Kahne

NOTES:
Special Version from the Columbia Lp: “GOOD AS GOLD”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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