BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981
Originally posted October 13, 2011
“Rapture” is a song by the American pop rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican (1980).
In January 1981, “Rapture” was released as the second and final single from the album. The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It was the first No. 1 song in the U.S. to feature rap vocals. The song peaked at No. 4 in Australia and No. 5 in the United Kingdom.
“Rapture” is a combination of disco, funk, and hip hop with the rap section forming an extended coda. The song title “Rapture” served to indicate this element. While it was not the first single featuring rapping to be commercially successful, it was the first to top the charts. Its lyrics were especially notable for namechecking hip-hop pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash.
SIDE A:
Rapture (Special Disco Mix) 10:00
SIDE B:
Live It Up (Special Disco Mix) 8:14
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Rapture | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1981 | Rapture | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #33 |
| 1981 | Rapture | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
| 1981 | Rapture | U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | #35 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Chrysalis – CHS 12 2485
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: New Wave, Disco
CREDITS:
Mastered By – Tone*
Producer – Mike Chapman
Written-By – C. Stein*, D. Harry* (tracks: A)
NOTES:
Stereo. UK issue, “Made in France.”
Taken from ‘the latest album’, “Autoamerican”.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Mullard 12AX7 Preamp Vacuum Tube Pins
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Love it, thank you!
Loving this post Paul as I’m a big fan of Blondie, and it’s always a pleasure to hear your remastering. The funning thing is I was watching Blondie Live (Round Chapel 2017) on Thursday night and many tracks were from Pollinator plus the classics. I also watched a documentary about Blondie’s Drummer called My View: Clem Burke In the Fall of 2019 Blondie are releasing a boxset including the first six albums and two extra albums of Rarities/B sides on CD, Vinyl and Digital format, plus all remastered from the original analogue tapes, so definitely a great release. Have A… Read more »
wow,
Can’t wait to here your rip
many thanks!
Fond memories of watching the music video on MTV whilst living in NYC. That was probably the first time i heard the song. I remember the ”Live It Up” track as it was played on a few radio stations i listened to at the time.
Can’t wait to hear your 2018 remastered versions.
Thanks Paul 🙂
Fantastic, I have this 12″ somewhere, but haven’t listened to it for ages. Thanks!
Love those songs since the first time I heared them, in all situations and occassions. The extendeds are great. That whole album is great (especially if you like Blondie as I do, as a multi style-using musical entity that was right above just pop, just below the underground, over the top with sugared melodramatic, with a little punkrock on the side somewhere, still. While coming from entertaining punkrock heroined alcoholics and speedfreaks, they quite became a global phenomenon. But not smart if you dope up yourselves before singing those nasty contracts, and sign your songs’rights to someone else.. But hey,… Read more »
Thank you very much for sharing this.
More Blondie 12″s please. 😉
Rapture is such a classic…especially for those of us who grew up with the song (I was 10).
If you have not already heard it, a FANTASTIC mashup was made in 2006 of Riders On The Storm and Rapture…definitely check it out (and listen to it in its entirety): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Yxi2sN2e0
It’s quite tasteful. I believe it was commercially available but I have it on a few promo cds.
Thanks for the great rip, Paul!!!
-Fred
I do remember when that mix was released Fred it was a pretty cool mashup you are correct it was released commercially as Blondie vs. The Doors – Rapture Riders.
Have a great weekend 🙂
thanks paul, another ‘disco’, ‘rap’ classic. from one of my favorite artists blondie. she looks really hot on the cover too. rapture is just a fun song, and this extended version has extra verses in it unlike the album version: Man to man, body muscular Seismic decibel by the jugular Wall to wall, tea time technology And a digital ladder, no sign of bad luck in rapture anyways, thanks for posting a classic. i’m not as big a fan of the b-side, but its still decent. there were a ton or remade, remixed remodelled updated remixes, and that version of… Read more »
Love those extra verses such an iconic groundbreaking track. Have a great weekend -1 🙂
Such a great song in its monstrous disco mix. I love it. Even Erasure’s cover version is awesome. Can’t wait to come home abd listen to Rapture. But first it’s party time… Friday night already, over here.
Wait! I think I can you partying all the way from here lol 🙂 Have a nice weekend Song And Dance 🙂
WOOOOOOOWWWWWWW… It’s Friday and what better surprise than this, let’s dance and be happier, thank you very much Paul, for making my days more pleasant, sometimes I feel like a child at Christmas when he opens his gifts, that’s what I feel every time I see a new publication, infinite thanks.
Rafa
You’re very welcome Rafa 🙂
What a thrill and what a treat!! It’s Disco Friday!! Paul, this was one of the first 12-inches I ever bought too!! I’m all smiles! And that flip-side is just as great too! Man, I always feel, ahem, rapturous whenever you post music on your site and this one was a beloved song for so many of us. So much different than the album version. Hey, gotta love those disco whistles! Such a great MASSIVE track!! Thank you Paul!
Have a great weekend Paul and BTG community!!
Jeff
Have a great weekend Jeff 🙂
Thanks Paul. The UK 12” mix was excellent. The US Disco Mix was nice too.
You’re welcome Omar 🙂
The extended mix of “Live it Up” is one of my favorite 12″ mixes of that whole era. Thank you!
You’re welcome Deand