Category: Erasure

Erasure/Depeche Mode – World Beyond Blue (US 12″ Promo) (1990)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

WORLD BEYOND BLUE

Razormaid Digital Mixes by Art Maharg
a DjPaulT Custom 12″ Single.

There are moments in synth-pop history where two parallel worlds feel destined to collide.

On one side, you have the romantic sweep and melodic grandeur of Blue Savannah — all widescreen emotion and soaring drama. On the other, the sensual restraint and hypnotic pulse of World in My Eyes — minimalist, shadowed, intimate.

Both were released in 1990.
Both club staples.
Both were transformed in the underground by Razormaid.

This custom 12″ — World Beyond Blue — imagines a promotional DJ pressing that could have existed at the height of remix service culture, when vinyl still ruled the booth and extended mixes were crafted with surgical precision.

The Remixes

Both tracks were remixed by Art Maharg, co-founder of the legendary Razormaid Remix Service.

Maharg’s approach was never about excess — it was about architecture. Precision edits. Clean digital transitions. Rebuilt intros and outros designed for seamless beatmatching. His mixes weren’t just longer — they were engineered for DJs.

The “Digital Mix” designation feels especially appropriate here. In 1990, that word carried weight. It meant modern. It meant crisp. It meant future-facing.

Why These Two Tracks?

Blue Savannah is expansive and emotional — almost celestial in tone.
World In My Eyes is grounded and physical — a whisper in the dark.

Together, they represent two poles of early 90s electronic pop:
light and shadow, devotion and desire, horizon and interior.

World Beyond Blue lives in the space between them.

The Sleeve Concept

I designed this to feel like a minimalist promotional pressing, the sleeve embraces a midnight blue-to-black gradient — a distant glowing horizon fading into darkness. No band photography. No logos. Just typography and atmosphere.

It’s meant to feel discovered. Like something that surfaced from a DJ crate three decades late.

The Era

1990 was a turning point.

Erasure were riding the success of Wild!
Depeche Mode had just released Violator — a record that would redefine their trajectory.

Razormaid, operating quietly in the background, was reshaping how club versions functioned. These weren’t label-sanctioned commercial remixes — they were tools. Functional, extended, and often superior for the dancefloor.

This custom 12″ pays tribute to that craft.

There’s something beautiful about imagining alternate vinyl histories — releases that never officially existed but absolutely should have.

World Beyond Blue is one of those records.

Turn it up.
Dim the lights.
Let the horizon glow.

— Paul

SIDE A:
ErasureBlue Savannah (Digital Mix) 6:40
Remix [Digital Mix] – Art Maharg
Taken From Razormaid This Is Only A Test!

SIDE B:
Depeche ModeWorld In My Eyes (Digital Mix) 7:40
Remix – Art Maharg
Taken From Razormaid Cycle Two – Sector Three

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Razormaid Records – c2-s3, Razormaid Records – SP-013
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Custom Sleeve Artwork [Design] – DjPaulT

NOTES:
For Promotional Use Only

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

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.


Erasure – Crackers International (Part II) (UK 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1988

REQUEST

NEW 2024 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Originally posted December 19, 2016

Summer Dreams of Winter Days 🙂

“Crackers International” is a Christmas EP released by English synth-pop duo Erasure in November 1988, in between the albums The Innocents (1988) and Wild! (1989). The EP reached number one in Denmark and Argentina and peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Additionally “Crackers International (Part II) was released in the UK by Mute Records in a very limited-edition, seasonal pressing. Released originally in 12” vinyl with extended versions of “Stop!” and “Knocking on Your Door”, both remixed by Mark Saunders, it also added the holiday standard “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.

To promote the EP “Stop!”, which was released as a single in the US, it barely made an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 (number 97). On the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart “Stop!” / “Knocking on Your Door” peaked at number four as a double-sided entry. “Stop!” also reached number 2 on the UK singles chart.

A simple music video was released for “Stop!” showing Clarke and Bell performing the song on a stage surrounded by “stop”, “no entry”, “give way” and similar road signs.

SIDE A:
Stop! (Mark Saunders Remix) 5:46
Producer – Erasure
Remix – Mark Saunders
Written-By – Clarke/Bell

SIDE B:
Knocking On Your Door (Mark Saunders Remix) 6:04
Producer – Erasure
Remix – Mark Saunders
Written-By – Clarke/Bell

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 3:10
Arranged By – Erasure
Mixed By – Mark Saunders
Written-By – Trad.*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S.CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1989 Stop! U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #97
1989 Stop! / Knocking On Your Door U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music / Club Play #4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute – L12 Mute 93
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, EP
Country: UK
Released: Nov 28, 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Recorded At – Power Plant Studios
Mixed At – Power Plant Studios

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
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 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

Erasure – Blue Savannah (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1989

NEW 2023 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration!

Originally posted, June 16, 2014

“Blue Savannah” is a song by British synth-pop duo Erasure that was issued as a single on 26 February 1990, from their fourth studio album, Wild! (1989). The song was written by members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Mute Records released it in Europe as the album’s third single, and Sire Records released it in the United States as the album’s second single. Considered one of the band’s signature songs, the duo still perform it regularly in concerts. It has been described as an uplifting love song; the instrumentation is crisp and heavily synthesized, accented with sweeping, programmed piano.

“Blue Savannah” became one of Erasure’s most successful singles, peaking at number three on the UK singles chart. It also returned the band to the Top 20 in Germany, where the song hit number thirteen. The release of the single brought about the usual array of remixes and B-sides. Although several club mixes of “Blue Savannah” were issued commercially, the US promo only Shep Pettibone “Out of the Blue” mix proved to be most popular in dance clubs.

In the US “Blue Savannah” peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart.

The Shep Pettibone mixes were only originally released on this U.S. promo.

SIDE A:
Blue Savannah (Out Of The Blue Mix) 6:44
Blue Savannah (Remix/Edit) 3:52

SIDE B:
Blue Savannah (Blue Dub) 6:42

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1990 Blue Savannah U.S. Billboard Hot Maxi-Singles Sales #12
1990 Blue Savannah U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #44

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– PRO-A-3801
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
From The Sire/Reprise Album WILD!
Promotion Only.
Not For Sale.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
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
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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.



Erasure – A Little Respect (Big Train Mix) (Germany 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1988

Celebrating Pride 2021

“A Little Respect” is a song written and recorded by the English synthpop duo Erasure, released in September 1988. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell’s vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents. Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure’s second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

In June 2021 “A Little Respect” was voted the ‘Ultimate Pride Anthem’ by Virgin Radio UK listeners.

SIDE A:
A Little Respect (Big Train Mix) 6:06
Engineer – Bob Kraushaar
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix – Phil Legg

SIDE B:
Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor (Rico Conning Mix) 6:04
Engineer –  Mike Rogers
Producer – Erasure
Remix –  Rico Conning

Love Is Colder Than Death 2:10
Engineer – Mike Rogers
Producer – Erasure

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1988 A Little Respect U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #14
1988 A Little Respect U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute ‎– INT 126.895, Mute ‎– L12 MUTE 85
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Limited Edition, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Germany
Released: Sep 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Written By – Clarke/Bell
Written-By – BellClarke

NOTES:
1988 Mute Records Ltd

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


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.