Author: DjPaulT

June 19, 2025

Dead Or Alive – I’ll Save You All My Kisses (Japan 12″) (1987)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

NEW 2025 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Originally posted the US 12″ on July 20, 2012

🔥This post features a brand-new, meticulously restored 2025 transfer, giving this sparkling gem the clarity, punch, and presence it deserves. Audiophiles and fans alike—get ready to hear this one like never before.

💋 “My kisses are exclusive—no one can afford them.” 💋

Today’s Pride Month selection whirls us back to 1987, into the glitter-drenched world of one of the boldest, most flamboyant acts of the era—Dead or Alive. I’m thrilled to feature their underappreciated but wildly addictive single, “I’ll Save You All My Kisses,” the fourth release from their Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know album.

While it didn’t dominate the charts like “You Spin Me Round,” this track has long been a fan favorite—a Hi-NRG love letter draped in sequins and synths. Produced by the unstoppable Stock Aitken Waterman, it’s packed with hard-edged drum machines, shimmering layers of synth, and Pete Burns’ signature theatrical delivery.

💿 This 12″ single (Japan release) is all about the drama:

The Long Wet Sloppy Kiss Mix — stretched to 7:10 of pulsing, dancefloor perfection.

The Sonia Mezumbda Memorial Mix — a tighter, high-energy edit clocking in at 5:19 (edited by Mark McGuire).

A quick word on that mysterious mix name:
According to fan lore from the now-defunct Right Stuff forum, Sonia Mezumbda—likely real name Sonya Mazunda—was said to have done backing vocals for Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1982. Whether she passed away or the title was simply a tribute, it’s unclear—but it adds a bittersweet edge to this already emotionally charged track.

And of course, there’s Pete. 💄
More than a frontman, he was an icon of queer defiance. Gender-blurring, razor-sharp, and impossible to ignore, Pete Burns brought a fierce confidence to everything he did. He didn’t ask for permission—he demanded attention. “I’ll Save You All My Kisses” isn’t just a club-ready track—it’s a statement. It says: I know my worth, and you better be special if you’re going to get close.

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, Pete’s unapologetic self-expression was a beacon. And during Pride Month, this kind of synth-drenched empowerment hits especially hard. This track is about passion, power, and the pleasure of owning your narrative.

🎧 So cue up the strobes, turn it all the way up, and strut like you’re wearing six-inch platforms and a crown made of mirror shards. Because these kisses are couture, darling—and not everyone’s on the guest list.

SIDE A:
I’ll Save You All My Kisses (The Long Wet Sloppy Kiss Mix) 7:10

SIDE B:
I’ll Save You All My Kisses (The Sonia Mezumbda Memorial Mix) 5:19
Edited By – Mark McGuire

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – 12・3P-834
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Stereo
Country: Japan
Released: Aug 26, 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Design [Assisted By] – Andrew Biscomb
Design [Sleeve Design] – Peter Barrett (3)
Photography By – Paul Cox (5)
Photography By [Additional Floral Photography] – Simon Marsh (2)
Producer – Stock, Aitken & Waterman
Remix – Dead Or Alive, Phil Harding
Written-By – Dead Or Alive

NOTES:
From the LP “Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know”

Includes OBI, and insert

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
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 25 (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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 18, 2025

Army Of Lovers – Crucified (UK 12″) (1991)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Today’s Pride Month feature turns the volume all the way up with one of the most flamboyant, theatrical, and gloriously over-the-top dance anthems of the early ’90s—”Crucified” by Army of Lovers. Released in 1991, this iconic track is pure high-camp Eurodance bliss, complete with operatic vocals, pulsing beats, religious imagery, and tongue-in-cheek decadence. It’s not just a song—it’s a spectacle.

Led by the charismatic Alexander Bard, Army of Lovers brought androgyny, queer expression, and maximalist fashion to the pop stage at a time when very few acts dared to. “Crucified” became their breakthrough single, topping charts across Europe and becoming a beloved club staple in the U.S., particularly within LGBTQ+ circles. The track hit #6 on the U.S. Billboard Dance chart and has since become a cult classic.

With lyrics like “I’m crucified, crucified like my savior / Saintlike behavior, a lifetime I prayed,” the song blends religious melodrama with self-aware sensuality. It’s part satire, part celebration—winking at the sacred and profane with the same fierce energy. Its mix of Eurodisco, house, and choral elements creates something that feels both nostalgic and ahead of its time.

“Crucified” is Pride in sonic form: bold, unapologetic, theatrical, and impossible to ignore. It’s a song that demands you live out loud and without shame, even when the world tries to put you in a box.

💃 Whether you’re twirling in a club, voguing in your living room, or just need a reminder of how fabulous self-expression can be, this one is for you.

🎧 From Sweden with love, glitter, and subversion—Army of Lovers gave us an anthem that still feels like a revelation.

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

SIDE A:
Crucified (The Nuzak Remix) 8:04
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Nuzak

SIDE B:
Crucified (Yherushalaim Dub) 7:42
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Nuzak

Crucified (Radio Edit) 3:32

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1991	Crucified	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music / Club Play	#6

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Ton Son Ton – SONL-17, Ton Son Ton – SONL 17
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1991
Genre: Electronic
Style: Euro House, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Backing Vocals – Erika Essen-Möller, Jean-Paul Wall, Katarina Wilczewski, Malin Bäckström, Rickard Evenlind*
Bass – La Camilla
Co-producer, Engineer – Per Adebratt
Computer – Alexander Bard
Executive-Producer – Ole Hakansson*
Film Director [Video Clip Directed By] – Fredrik Boklund, Martin Persson
Hair, Make-Up – Jean-Pierre Barda
Keyboards, Programmed By – Anders Wollbeck
Lead Vocals, Drums – Jean-Pierre Barda
Photography By – Carl-Johan Paulin
Producer – Alexander Bard, Anders Wollbeck
Promotion [Promotion Supervisor] – Jonas Holst
Sleeve, Design – Marie S-Wollbeck*
Stylist – Camilla Thulin
Vocals – Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda, La Camilla

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for 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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 17, 2025

Depeche Mode – Strangelove (US 12″) (1988)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

NEW 2025 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Original post date: July 22, 2013

Today’s Pride Month post dives deep into one of Depeche Mode’s most seductive and emotionally tangled singles: “Strangelove.” Originally released in 1987 as the lead single from Music for the Masses, it marked a sonic and thematic shift for the band—moody, magnetic, and rich with contradiction.

“Strangelove” is all about duality—desire vs. guilt, pleasure as pain, salvation wrapped in sin. And for anyone who’s ever loved in secret, or wrestled with their identity in the shadows, lines like “I give in to sin because I like to practice what I preach” hit like a thunderclap. At a time when queer love was often hidden or coded, Depeche Mode gave us a space to feel seen, without ever having to say it outright.

For today’s post, I’m spinning the 1988 U.S. 12″ of “Strangelove”—a stateside-exclusive remix known as the Highjack Remix, remixed by Bomb the Bass. It’s a version that takes the original’s dark sensuality and launches it into overdrive: thumping bass, fractured samples, and a jacked-up energy that’s ready for the club floor and the mirrorball of your mind.

The B-side features a standout too—“Nothing (Zip-Hop Mix)”—remixed by the legendary Justin Strauss. Sleek, rhythmic, and full of low-end bounce, it’s one of those understated Depeche tracks that quietly demands your attention.

This 12″ remains a fan favorite and club essential. It peaked at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #24 on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 1988, but more importantly—it struck a deep chord. It became an anthem not just for synth lovers, but for anyone navigating the gray zones of desire, shame, and self-discovery.

For Pride Month, “Strangelove” stands as a reminder that identity and emotion are rarely simple—and that’s where their power lies. Depeche Mode has long held a special place in LGBTQ+ hearts, offering music that embraces complexity, intensity, and unflinching honesty.

SIDE A:
Strangelove (Highjack Remix) 6:31
Remix – Bomb The Bass

Strangelove (Remix Edit) 3:50
Remix – Bomb The Bass

SIDE B:
Nothing (Zip-Hop Mix) 7:03
Edited By – Chep Nunez*
Engineer [Remix] – Hugo Dwyer
Programmed By [Additional] – Eric Kupper
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Justin Strauss

Nothing (Dub) 6:38
Edited By – Chep Nunez*
Engineer [Remix] – Hugo Dwyer
Programmed By [Additional] – Eric Kupper
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Justin Strauss

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Strangelove (1988)	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#50
1988	Strangelove (1988)	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#24

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-21022, Sire – 9 21022-0, Mute – 0-21022, Mute – 9 21022-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: Aug 23, 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Design, Photography – T&CP Assoc.*
Producer – David Bascomb*, Depeche Mode
Written-By – M.L. Gore*

NOTES:
Also known as Strangelove ’88.

The mix of track B1 is also known as “Justin Strauss Mix”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for 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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 16, 2025

Haddaway – What Is Love (US 12″) (1993)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

💿 “What Is Love” – The Song That Defined a Generation of Dance Floors (and Head Bobs) 💿

Today’s Pride Month spotlight takes us to the high-energy pulse of the early ‘90s club scene with a track that needs no introduction — Haddaway’s “What Is Love.” Released in 1993, this Eurodance anthem quickly became a worldwide smash, going Top 10 in more than 30 countries and peaking at #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in the UK. But more than that, it became a movement.

The song’s urgent cry — “What is love? Baby don’t hurt me, no more…” — is still echoing in clubs, memes, and pop culture, forever immortalized by that unforgettable Night at the Roxbury head-bobbing sketch on Saturday Night Live (and later, the film).

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, “What Is Love” was much more than just a dancefloor filler — it was an anthem of questioning, vulnerability, and defiance. The pulsing synths, soaring vocals, and hypnotic rhythm invited bodies and hearts to move freely, express openly, and love boldly. Whether you were in a club in Berlin, a pride float in São Paulo, or a college dorm in Ohio, you felt this song.

🪩 As we celebrate Pride Month, this track reminds us of the freedom found in movement, in music, and in unapologetic self-love. So whether you’re dancing solo, with friends, or just head-bobbing in your car — this one’s for you.

🏳️‍🌈✨ Love is love. And love is loud.

SIDE A:
What Is Love (12″ Mix) 6:41

SIDE B:
What Is Love (Refreshmento Extro Mix) 5:30
Producer [Additional], Remix – The Rapino Brothers

What Is Love (Refreshmento Extro Instrumental) 5:31
Producer [Additional], Remix – The Rapino Brothers

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1993/94	What Is Love	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#11
1993/94	What Is Love	U.S. Billboard Dance Music / Club Play	#9
1993/94	What Is Love	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music / Maxi-Singles Sales	#6

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – 07822-12574-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: Jan 18, 1993
Genre: Electronic
Style: Euro House

CREDITS:

Art Direction – Thomas Sassenbach
Design – Ariola
Engineer – Gary Jones
Photography By – Alfred Särchinger
Producer – Halligan*, Torello*
Written-By – Dee Dee Halligan, Junior Torello

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for 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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.