Category: George Michael

Wham! – Freedom (Long Mix) (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

NEW 2022 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted April 16, 2014

++The U.S. “Long Mix” is an alternate mix which is about one minute shorter than the “Long Version” released in Europe and Japan.

“Freedom” is a hit song by British pop duo Wham!. “Freedom” was number one in the UK for three weeks, and featured on the album Make It Big, which was issued at the same time. “Freedom” was the 10th biggest-selling single of 1984. This song also reached number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the US in September 1985. The music video, coinciding with the 1985 US release, features the band touring around Beijing, China.

The song finds George Michael telling a girl that he wants to fully commit to her, and not have one of those relationships where they can see other people.

When Wham! went to China in April, 1985, they became the first Western Pop act to play a concert in that country. While there is absolutely nothing political about the song, footage from the trip was used to make a music video for the track, implying a more global meaning of the title.

The video opens with about a minute of the band talking under clips of the Chinese people and the countryside. Wham! was one of the biggest acts on MTV at the time, but the network, fearing the short attention spans of their viewers, wanted to cut out the intro (this was before Michael Jackson changed the game with “Thriller”). The band’s manager, Simon Napier-Bell, refused, and MTV ended up airing the full video. Napier-Bell apparently found the negotiations with MTV much easier than those with the Chinese government.

In an interview with the Christmas 2009 issue of THE BIG ISSUE, Michael said of this song, that when he wrote it he knew he had arrived: “When I was 19, I wrote Freedom – the original version – and I thought, ‘I can’t believe I’ve just done that!’ I was absolutely thrilled. Because until then I had no real understanding of my abilities, but with Freedom, I started to take myself seriously as a writer.”

SIDE A:
Freedom (Long Mix) 6:17

SIDE B:
Heartbeat 4:42
Freedom (Instrumental) 5:04

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1984 Freedom U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #3
1984 Freedom U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks #4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia ‎– 44-05238
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Arranged By, Producer – George Michael
Written-By – G. Michael*

NOTES:
Taken from the Columbia LP: “MAKE IT BIG”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO 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

 

**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.



Elton John – Wrap Her Up (Germany 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

NEW 2021 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted March 28, 2010

“Wrap Her Up” is a song by English rock performer Elton John, featured on his 1985 album, Ice on Fire. George Michael is also featured on the song. Released as a single, it reached number 12 in the UK Singles Chart, number 22 on the Australian Singles Chart, number 26 in Canada on the RPM Top Singles chart, and number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

George Michael was quoted at the time in Smash Hits magazine that “it sounded like I had my willy in a garotte” because of the falsetto he sings throughout the song.

The song is notable for the number of famous women’s names dropped toward the end of the song, including Kiki Dee, who had duetted with Elton on the hit song “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” in 1976, and also provided background vocals for “Wrap Her Up.” The rest of the list includes (in order) Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Doris Day, Billie Jean King, Samantha Fox, Joan Collins, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Grace Jones, Priscilla Presley, Vanessa Williams, Dusty Springfield, Nancy Reagan, Rita Hayworth, Madonna (as “Material Girl”), Julie Andrews, Superwoman, Annie Lennox, Mata Hari, Anouska Hempel, Shirley Temple, Tallulah Bankhead, Linda Lovelace, Little Eva, Nastassja Kinski, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Pat Fernandez (a close friend of George Michael who appeared in two Wham! videos), and Elsie Tanner.

SIDE A:
Wrap Her Up (Extended Remix) 10:12
Engineer – Stuart Epps
Featuring [Uncredited] – George Michael
Mixed By – Graham Dickson
Producer – Gus Dudgeon

SIDE B:
Restless (Live At Wembley Stadium 1984) 4:26
Engineer – Mike Robinson
Mixed By – Clive Franks

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

 

Year Single Chart Position
1986 Wrap Her Up U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #20

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: The Rocket Record Company ‎– 884 387-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

NOTES:
“Wrap Her Up” original version appears on the LP “ICE ON FIRE”

1986 German tour dates listed on the back cover.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
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.

Andrew Ridgeley – Red Dress (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1990

NEW 2021 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted April 17, 2012

“Red Dress” is the second and final single released from Andrew Ridgeley’s only solo album Son Of Albert. “Red Dress” was the only track on the album to feature George Michael on backing vocals. The single was not successful and failed to make an impact on the charts. A promotional video was filmed for the single showing a shirtless Ridgeley playing guitar.

SIDE A:
Red Dress (12″ Mix) 6:38

SIDE B:
Red Dress (Instrumental) 4:15

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label:  Epic – AJR T2
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Red Vinyl
Country: UK
Released: 1990
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop/Rock

CREDITS:
Backing Vocals [uncredited] –  George Michael (tracks: A)
Producer – Andrew RidgeleyGary Bromham

NOTES:
Taken from the LP  “Son Of Albert”
This 12″ is pressed on Red Vinyl

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
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.

Wham! – The Edge Of Heaven (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

“The Edge of Heaven” is a song by English pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!’s farewell single.

With the known desire of George Michael to move into a more adult market, Wham! had announced in the spring of 1986 that Michael and his musical partner Andrew Ridgeley would go their separate ways after a farewell single, album and concert. The album was called The Final and the concert was held in front of 72,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday 28 June 1986. Prior to the official release date of the single, the song had been performed during their 1985 “Whamamerica!” tour.

The single, a five-minute tale of emotional and physical frustration within a relationship, was a slick and upbeat — albeit harder-edged than earlier works — a pop tune which became the fourth and final No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart (and the final US Top Ten hit, reaching #10) for the duo. Elton John, a friend of Michael and Ridgeley, played piano on the track.

Michael has said the lyrics to the song were “deliberately and overtly sexual, especially the first verse”. The reason for this, he says, was he thought no one would care “because no one listens to a Wham! lyric. It had got to that stage.”

Epic released a double record set in the UK, with an updated version of Wham!’s early signature song “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)” on the flip of disc one, and two new songs – “Battlestations” and a cover of the Was (Not Was) song “Where Did Your Heart Go?”—on the flip of the second disc. “Where Did Your Heart Go?” was later given equal billing and reached a lowly position in the UK Top 40 as a result.

In the United States, “The Edge of Heaven” was backed with a live version of “Blue” from Wham!’s tour of China. “Where Did Your Heart Go?” was released separately as the follow-up and the fourth and last single from Music from the Edge of Heaven (the shortened American version of The Final), and charted at #50 (backed with “Wham! Rap ’86”).

**As a special bonus track, I have added the mega-rare “Extended Edit” of “Battlestations” which should have been released as a single in my opinion. The track is remixed and edited by Steven Bourasa for the Hot Tracks remix service.

SIDE A:
The Edge Of Heaven 4:31
Written-By – G. Michael*

SIDE B:
Where Did Your Heart Go? 5:41
Written-By – Don Was & Dave Was*

BONUS TRACK:
Battlestations (Extended Edit) 6:36
Edited By – Steven Bourasa*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1986 The Edge Of Heaven U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #10
1986 The Edge Of Heaven U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary #22

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12・3P-748
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Japan
Released: 21 Jul 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Engineer – Chris Porter
Producer, Arranged By – George Michael

NOTES:
Special thanks to Elton for The Edge Of Heaven

“Battlestations” taken from Hot Tracks Series 5, Issue 11

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
DAC/Phono Pre-amp:
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 USED:
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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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