Category: Book Of Love

September 28, 2021

Book Of Love – Boy (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

NEW 2021 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted November 19, 2015

“Boy” is the title of the 1985 debut single by the American synthpop band Book of Love. The song was included on the band’s eponymous debut album Book of Love in 1986.

Although the song failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it did make the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it peaked at no. 7 in April 1985.

“Boy” was written by band member Theodore (“Ted”) Ottaviano and features a prominent tubular bells melody. The band secured a recording contract when the demo of the song was given to DJ/producer Ivan Ivan, who then passed it along to Seymour Stein of Sire Records.

The song is said to describe the frustrations of a woman with an affection for “a boy who likes boys”, with songwriter Ted Ottaviano adding in a 2016 Village Voice interview that the song was “written about Boy Bar, which was a very exclusive gay club in the East Village.”

SIDE A:
Boy (Extended Mix) 4:28
Boy (Dub) 5:01

SIDE B:
Boy (7″) 3:03
Book Of Love 4:33

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	Boy	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#7

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 9 20299-0 A, Sire – 0-20299, I Square Records – 9 20299-0 A, I Square Records – 0-20299
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM, Allied Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Art Direction – Studio Zed, Zoë Brotman
Bells – Ted Ottaviano
Cover [Cover Concept] – Book Of Love, Zoë Brotman
Drums – Jade Lee
Engineer – Steve Peck
Keyboards – Lauren Roselli, Ted Ottaviano
Lacquer Cut By – HERbIE JR 🙂*
Lead Vocals – Susan Ottaviano
Mastered By – Herbie Jr.*
Producer – Ivan Ivan
Written-By – Theodore Ottaviano*

NOTES:
Recorded and mixed at Unique Recording, NYC
Mastered at Frankford Wayne, NYC.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
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 3.0 (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

December 23, 2016

Various – Selections From Yulesville and Winter Warnerland (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND HOLIDAY EXCLUSIVE

I couldn’t really figure out what to post for Christmas this year so I decided to put together a selection of tracks taken from two seperate Warner Brothers Christmas compilations. “Yulesville” (1987) and “Winter Warnerland” (1988). Most of the tracks were exclusive to these records at the time of their release. The selections that I chose are some of my favorites from these two records. I hope that they will become favorites for you too. Merry Christmas!

“We Three Kings” is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. in 1857. Produced by the prodigious Flood, who has worked with artists such as Erasure and Depeche Mode, Book Of Love’s holiday offering is positively regal, and should whet the appetites of kings, queens and everything in between..

“Silent Night” performed by British synth-pop band Erasure who at the time had just released their LP “The Circus” added not only a Christmas message but their own Erasurized version of this holiday classic.

“Blue Christmas” is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and most famously performed by Elvis Presley. Former LEMMON KITTEN, Danielle Dax who at the time had just relesed her album “Dark Adapted Eye” which featured the UK smashes “Cathouse” and “Big Hollow Man”. recorded her version of “Blue Christmas” which is so good, it ought to keep Elvis from coming back for more…(oops, did I say that?)

“I Believe in Father Christmas” is a song by English musician Greg Lake with lyrics by Peter Sinfield. Canadian band Honeymoon Suite recorded the song exclusively for the “Winter Warnerland” compilation and it’s a beauty.

Both tracks taken from the original vinyl release.

YULESVILLE:
Book Of Love – We Three Kings 3:17
Producer – Flood

Erasure – Silent Night/Erasure Christmas 0:54
Producer – Erasure

WINTER WARNERLAND:
Danielle Dax – Blue Christmas 1:35
Producer – Danielle Dax
Recorded by Danielle Dax and David Knight
Recorded at Fortress Dax Studio

Honeymoon Suite – I Believe In Father Christmas 3:06
Producer – Honeymoon Suite
Engineer – Michael Sarracini

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– PRO-A-2896, Warner Bros. Records ‎– PRO-A-3328
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Compilation, Promo, Red/Green Transparent
Country: US
Released: 1987/1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Alternative

CREDITS:
Engineer – Lee Herschberg, Marc Craue
Executive Producer – Greg Lee, Kevin Laffey
Mastered By – Bobby Hata

NOTES:
Taken from promotional compilation LP’s “YULESVILLE” and “WINTER WARNELAND”.

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: 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 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

October 31, 2016

Book Of Love – Witchcraft (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

Happy Halloween

“Witchcraft” is the seventh single released by the American synthpop band Book of Love. The song was the third, and final single from the band’s second album Lullaby, and was released on July 15, 1989.

“Witchcraft” was the only single from the album Lullaby that failed to make the Billboard charts. The track samples the classic 60’s TV series Bewitched, and also chants the names of the witches/characters from the show…”Enchantra, Endora, Tabitha, Esmerelda, Clara, Hagatha”. The song features quirky deadpan rap-style vocals from Susan Ottaviano, Jade Lee, and Lauren Roselli, with a Shakespeare-inspired incanting of ingredients for brewing a love potion.

The B-side “Enchantra” is a completely different composition, aside from the fact that it uses the chant of Bewitched character names from “Witchcraft”.

The cover art of the 12″ was done by band members Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee. It consists of a picture of a Play-Doh “queen” (done by Lauren Roselli), with refrigerator magnet lettering of the band’s name and song title. Female names included as part of the back cover artwork (Enchantra, Hagatha, Clara, Endora, and Esmeralda) come from the song’s chorus. The witches named in the song’s chorus are all named as a part of the back cover art except Tabitha. The cover sleeve was featured in the 2011 book Put The Needle On The Record by Matthew Chojnacki, which celebrated the vinyl sleeves of records from the 1980s.

During the band’s Lullaby Tour in 1989, when performing “Witchcraft”, the band donned witches’ hats, making it a fan favorite of the band’s live shows.

“Enchantra” has been used as the intro track while the band takes to the stage during Book of Love’s 2013 shows.

SIDE A:
Witchcraft (Extended Mix) 5:16
Witchcraft (7″ Mix) 3:04
Enchantra 2:45
Written-By – J. Lee*, T. Ottaviano*

SIDE B:
Witchcraft (Enchantra Chanting) 6:24
Witchcraft (Dub) 5:22
Witch’s Honor 0:06

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 0-21251
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 13 Jul 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Art Direction – Jade Lee
Cover [Playdoh Queen] – Lauren Roselli
Edited By – Roger Pauletta
Engineer – Doc Dougherty
Producer – Flood, Ted Ottaviano
Producer [Additional], Remix – Book Of Love
Written-By – Theodore Ottaviano* (tracks: A1, A2, B1 to B3)

NOTES:
Original version on the sire album ‘Lullaby’, available on lp, cassette and cd.
MCMLXXXIX.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
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

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

November 24, 2015

Book Of Love – Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)” is the fourth single released by the American synthpop band Book of Love. The song was included on the band’s eponymous debut album Book of Love in 1986. The B-side to the single is a remixed version of “Modigliani” by Omar Santana, titled “Mo’dub’iani”.

“Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)”, was released as a single in early 1987, making it the fourth and final single release from their debut album. The song was a dance club hit, peaking at no. 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, becoming as popular as New Order and Depeche Mode singles in clubs at its peak. “Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)” is an ode to Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The track was penned by Jade Lee, Susan Ottaviano, and Ted Ottaviano (not related despite having the same last name), who had all been art school students and were inspired by the Italian painter’s paintings and history.

“Amedeo Modigliani had always been the band’s own version of a rock star. After all, we were all art school students. At the time I was working on the [Requiem Mass] remix I became submerged and almost obsessed in his life story. It read like a Bronte sisters novel. I wrote a short biography for the front cover of the 12 inch.” -Ted Ottaviano on Modigliani, 2008.

The cover of the single featured one of Modigliani’s famous paintings of his mistress Jeanne Hebuterne, along with Ted’s short bio: “Born in Livorno Italy on July 12, 1884, Amedeo Modigliani received little recognition for his paintings and sculpture during his lifetime. He had only a single one-man show, which instead of success brought scandal because of several nude paintings. He died of Tuberculosis at the age of 36. The day after his death, his mistress Jeanne Hebuterne, pregnant with his child, leaped from a fifth story window, killing both herself and the child. Within two years ironically, Modigliani’s work began to be recognized and his reputation was soon established.” For the back sleeve of the 12 inch single, Susan Ottaviano made drawings of each member of the band in the style of Modigliani. Similar, yet alternate large portrait drawings of the band were later used as large stage props behind the band on their Lullaby Tour in 1989.

The last line of lyrics in the song are in Italian, “Amedeo Amedeo, gli occhi tuoi, mi anno fatto innamorare” roughly translates to “Amadeo Amadeo, I fell in love with you when I saw your eyes.”

The four-minute ‘Requiem Mass’ remixed version of “Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)” was featured in an episode of Miami Vice on November 6, 1987, and both the original single and ‘Requiem Mass’ remix were used in the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

SIDE A:
Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (I Dream Of Jeanne Mix) 7:42
Modigliani (Requiem Mass) 3:59

SIDE B:
Mo’Dub’Iani 5:10
Edited By – Omar Santana

Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (7″ Re-Mix) 3:53

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1987	Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#17

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 0-20650
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design –Nick Egan
Engineer – Steve Peck
Illustration [Drawings Of Book Of Love] – Susan Ottaviano
Mastered By – Herb Powers*
Painting [Portrait Of Jeanne Hebuterne, Detail] – Amedeo Modigliani
Producer – Ivan Ivan
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Ted Ottaviano
Written-By – Jade Lee, Susan Ottaviano, Theodore Ottaviano*

NOTES:
From the Sire Records LP “BOOK OF LOVE”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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