Category: Jeff Lynne

August 14, 2015

Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra – Xanadu (Australia 7″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1980

So Xanadu week has finally come to a close and I have saved the best for last. The origins of this 7″ promo are unclear. A friend of mine who lives in Australia sent me this record a few months back he told me that it was an Australian test promo. However the record label and sleeve do not mention the country of release. The front cover is similar to the Spain 7″ but there is no Spanish text anywhere. This promo does contain an interesting version of “Xanadu” on it’s b-side. I think this version is the sampler version found on a rare Japanese promo. Either way I am just very lucky to have it to share with you.

“Xanadu” is the title song from the album Xanadu, the soundtrack to the 1980 film of the same name.

The song is performed by the Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John. Newton-John sings the primary vocals, with ELO adding “parenthetic” vocals in the style of their other songs on the “Xanadu” soundtrack, along with providing the instrumentation. A rare collaboration for ELO, the single reached no.1 in several countries and was the band’s only UK #1 single when it peaked there for two weeks in July 1980. The song peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

SIDE A:
Xanadu 3:30

SIDE B:
Xanadu (Special Disco Version) 4:48

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	Xanadu	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#8
1980	Xanadu	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: JET Records– JET 181
Format: Vinyl, 7″ Promo, 45 RPM
Country: Australia
Released: 1980
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Jeff Lynne

NOTES:
Special Dj Copy From “XANADU”

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

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

August 12, 2015

Electric Light Orchestra – I’m Alive (US 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1980

“I’m Alive” is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released as a single in May 1980. It is featured in a sequence near the beginning of the feature film Xanadu. The song also appears on the soundtrack album Xanadu. In the UK the single peaked at#20 in the US #16.

In the film the song is heard as the Muses emerge from a graffiti-like portrait; Olivia Newton-John, playing Kira (Terpsichore), emerges last. The film’s version of the song contains a fairly lengthy instrumental introduction, a small segment of which is used for the album version.

The song has been recently updated in the version of Xanadu on Broadway.

Included in the song’s closing coda is Morse code which spells out “E.L.O.”, they did something similar to this on two of their other songs, “Ocean Breakup” from 1973’s On the Third Day and 1983’s “Secret Messages”.

The b-side “Drum Dreams” is also featured in the film “Xanadu” in a slightly different version and is played during a skating sequnce with Gene Kelly during the film’s finale, although the song is featured in the film it does not appear on the soundtrack LP or CD.

SIDE A:
I’m Alive 3:46

SIDE B:
Drum Dreams 3:00

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	I’m Alive	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#16

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCA-41246
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genre: Electronic
Style: Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Jeff Lynne
Written-By – Jeff Lynne

NOTES:
From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “XANADU”

Recorded in Europe

Find the 7″ on DISCOGS

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

February 21, 2014

Jeff Lynne – Doin’ That Crazy Thing (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1977

DISCO FRIDAY!

In 1977, Jeff Lynne released his first solo single, the disco-flavoured “Doin’ That Crazy Thing” backed with “Goin’ Down to Rio”. The song was intended to start a bew dance craze that Lynn had thought up while taking a short break from being Electric Light Orchestra’s frontman. The 12″ single’s sleeve came with instruction how to do the “Crazy Thing”. Despite ELO’s high profile at that time, it received little airplay and failed to chart.

This single would mark the first time that Lynne’s named appeard on a release by itself.

SIDE A:
Doin’ That Crazy Thing 3:25

SIDE B:
Goin’ Down To Rio 3:45

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: United Artists Records ‎– JT-DW1072, Jet Records ‎– JT-DW1072
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
Credits: Producer –Jeff Lynne
Written-By – J. Lynne*
Coreography – Linda Szmyd, Roberta Riddle
Art Direction – Ria Lewerke
Photography – Gary Regester
Album Design – Ginder Canzoneri/Rod Dyer

NOTES:
Special Disco Record

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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 Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
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

May 7, 2013

Jeff Lynne – Video! (German 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Video!” is a song by Jeff Lynne from the soundtrack to the film Electric Dreams in 1984. It is one of two songs that Lynne and keyboard player Richard Tandy provided for the film’s soundtrack. The single version is 3:26 in length, while the version included in the film is longer, at 4:18.

The chorus of “Video!” is originally taken from the unreleased Electric Light Orchestra song “Beatles Forever”, which was originally to have appeared on the album, Secret Messages, when it was planned to be a double album.

“Video!” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on August 18, 1984 and later peaked at #85 on the survey.

The b-side of the 12″ includes the “Instrumental” version of “Video!” and a non album track “Sooner Or Later” also recorded with his keyboardist Richard Tandy. All tracks are vinyl only and have not appeared on CD.

SIDE A:
Video! (Single Version) 3:26

SIDE B:
Sooner Or Later 3:51
Video! (Instrumental) 3:25

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Video!	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#85

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin ‎– 301 374-213
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Producer – Jeff Lynne
Written-By – Jeff Lynne
Artwork By [Design] –JC-1201D< E >

NOTES:
Taken from the Original Soundtrack of the film “ELECTRIC DREAMS”.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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