Book Of Love – Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls/Tubular Bells (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

A. Front

R E Q U E S T

Book of Love was, from 1984 to 1993, a popular synthpop and dance music band, alongside Sire Records labelmates Depeche Mode and Erasure. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also included Ted Ottaviano (no relation to Susan), Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee.

The band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later based out of New York City. The band gained its first exposure as the opening act on Depeche Mode’s Black Celebration tour.

Their biggest success came on the US dance charts, placing seven singles in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart between 1985 and 1993. The group’s largest exposure on pop radio was with the song “Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls.” The song, from its album Lullaby, was originally the second half of a medley with the group’s house-music version of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells,” a 1973 instrumental that served as the eerie theme music of the classic horror film The Exorcist. Edited down to single length, “Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls” became Book of Love’s only Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 90 in 1988.

SIDE A:
Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (Extended Mix) 7:19
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Bob Brockmann*
Keyboards, Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bob Brockmann*, Scott Blackwell
Written-By – Theodore Ottaviano*

Tubular Bells (7″ Mix) 4:23
Mixed By – Alan Meyerson
Written-By – Mike Oldfield

Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (7″ Mix)
Mixed By – Alan Meyerson
Written-By – Theodore Ottaviano*

SIDE B:
Tubular Bells / Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls (Regan’s House Medley) 14:24
Engineer [Remix] – Bob Brockmann*, Hugo Dwyer
Keyboards, Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bob Brockmann*, Scott Blackwell
Written-By – Mike OldfieldTheodore Ottaviano*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1988 Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #90
1988 Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play #5

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 0-20963, Sire ‎– 9 20963-0, I Square Records ‎– 0-20963, I Square Records ‎– 9 20963-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: House, Synth-pop
Credits: Design – Jade Lee
Mastered By – José Rodriguez
Photography By – David La Chappelle*
Producer – FloodTed Ottaviano
Vocals – Susan Ottaviano

NOTES:
Cover says “Specially Priced Maxi-Single”.
Front cover photo of the group says “MCMLXXXVIII” next to it, vertically, which corresponds to the date of release, 1988.
Tracks A1 and B: Remix, additional production and keyboards for Broadbeard Productions.
Mastered at Sterling Sound
Original versions from the Sire Album “Lullaby.” Available on LP, Cassette and Compact Disc (1/4/2-25700)

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

B. Back

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
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

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Max Davallo
Max Davallo
May 11, 2020 6:31 pm

Any chance this one can be re-uploaded and possibly remastered as well? Thank you!

Nacho Valenzuela
Nacho Valenzuela
April 29, 2020 8:54 pm

Hello DjPaul, I’m a big fan of 80’s music and I realized that the download of this file is no longer available, would you please upload it again. Thank you very much.

Richard the Big Bunny
October 17, 2016 1:13 am

Thanks so much! 🙂

putuco
putuco
July 21, 2016 4:56 pm

Thanks for this single, I had this exact version in the club, this one not borrowed.

If you have the Lullaby 12” would be massive!
thanks again Paul

DTS
DTS
March 27, 2015 3:09 pm

Hi Paul,

Was it you sho previously posted Book Of Love’s 12″ single for “Witchcraft?” If so, any chance of bringing it back? It’s the one item missing from my BOL collection.

DTS

woz
woz
February 1, 2013 12:42 pm

Thank you!

The Doctor
The Doctor
January 31, 2013 11:14 am

Heh — I’m going to slip that “House Medley Mix” into a playlist sometime and see how many people I can seriously creep out with it. 😀

Doug
Doug
January 30, 2013 10:29 pm

Thanks! I actually didn’t know this song before today, but it’s great to find new stuff (to me) on this blog– would love to hear more of their singles!

Reid Van Ness
Reid Van Ness
January 30, 2013 9:21 pm

my life is now complete.. thank you so very much! xoxoxox

Gilbert
Gilbert
January 30, 2013 6:12 pm

CLASSIC!!! Probably their best single ever! Tubular Bells still scares my younger brother whenever i play it. Thanks Paul!

The Doctor
The Doctor
Reply to  Gilbert
January 31, 2013 11:07 am

Mike Oldfield’s original version has been known to freak people out, too. 🙂 Especially the “Piltdown Man” middle section of side 2…

Drake
Drake
January 30, 2013 5:11 pm

Thanks!
I dont have many stuff of Book of love , but this 12″ is great!

Max
Max
January 30, 2013 4:23 pm

GREAT SONG!

Joe
Joe
January 30, 2013 4:17 pm

Hi – thanks for this. Bit of a random one request here! You don’t by anychance have the US promo of Bon Jovi’s Wanted Dead or Alive with the short single (video) mix. Looking to complete a collection and strugglin to get this!
thanks

Joe
Joe
Reply to  DjPaulT
January 31, 2013 2:04 am

Mega thanks! really appreciated.

Goodguy
Goodguy
January 30, 2013 2:58 pm

Thanks for the rip Paul. Yet, try as I might, and I have many times over the years, I could never totally get into BOL. I like Boy and Alice Everyday (stronger tracks than this, in my opinion), but I always felt their producers (Flood, Ivan Ivan, etc) did more to shape their sound than they did themselves. I know some refer to them contemporaneously with the cream of European-based synthpop, but I continue to find myself preferring even other American synthpoppers of their era (ABox, InSoc, FOAB, etc.) over them. I feel bad saying it, because I like to… Read more »

Goodguy
Goodguy
Reply to  DjPaulT
January 30, 2013 3:24 pm

I disagree. I didn’t get hooked, but I don’t hate them! 🙂

ric
ric
Reply to  DjPaulT
January 31, 2013 8:26 pm

I feel the same way as Goodguy, I don’t hate BOL, but I never became quite the huge fan like I was of most other Synthpop bands. Always felt a distance between.
But this is the one that left the most impression on me.
Have the scary house mix on Just Say Yo, so it’s great to have your other “unbrickwalled” versions.
Thanks Paul!

mjb
mjb
January 30, 2013 2:21 pm

Thanks for this. I’ve long had Regan’s House Medley on the Just Say Yo compilation CD, and your rip is nearly identical to the vintage mastering, as always. It’s great to finally hear these other versions. Once again, DjPaulT comes through where the record labels utterly fail. Here are these fantastic versions in their properly mastered glory, full dynamic range and lossless if we want it. What can we get from “legitimate” services? MP3 or AAC of the single version of “Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls” and the album version of “Tubular Bells”…both of them brickwall-remastered, ripped from a “Best… Read more »

woz
woz
Reply to  mjb
February 1, 2013 12:40 pm

Agree with you that DJPT offers rips that are usually better than what the record companies make available. He should be knighted or sainted or something.

Charley in OKC
Charley in OKC
January 30, 2013 1:34 pm

I got to see them in Norman, then Tulsa, during their 1991 or 92 tour in support of the Candy Carol album. I got to meet them after the Tulsa show, since the boyfriend of one of the opening act girls recognized me from the Norman show. I’ve always been a big fan of theirs.

Charley in OKC
Charley in OKC
Reply to  DjPaulT
January 31, 2013 8:36 pm

Well thanks! Was hoping to catch a glimpse of you at the Olivia concert, but it was surprisingly crowded! I need to get you a list of my “12 inch singles and see if there are any you might want, as they are just collecting dust here in my house.

Will McCammon
January 30, 2013 1:19 pm

I was always under the impression that Susan and Ted Ottaviano were cousins (at least distantly).