Category: Michael Jackson

December 21, 2021

Diana Ross / Michael Jackson – Ease On Down The Road (UK 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1978

NEW 2021 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted November 9, 2012

“Ease on Down the Road” is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, performed in the original production by Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle. It was also released in 1978 as a duet between Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

The 1978 duet was released as the theme song of the film adaptation of The Wiz (itself an adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), and produced by Quincy Jones. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune was an R&B re-interpretation of both “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard” from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the song, Dorothy (portrayed in the film by Ross) and the Scarecrow (played by Jackson) dance their way down the Yellow Brick Road and give each other words of encouragement.

“Ease on Down the Road” is performed four times in The Wiz film: once by Dorothy and the Scarecrow, once by the two of them and the Tin Man (played in the movie by Nipsey Russell), by the three of them and the Cowardly Lion (played by Ted Ross), and finally during the end credits. In the album version, Jackson and Ross sing by themselves. The recording was one of Jackson’s first collaborations with Quincy Jones, who became his main producer during the late 1970s and 1980s.

In 1980, Jackson was a guest on Kraft Salutes Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary and, along with Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, The Seven Dwarves, Donald Duck, Pinocchio, Minnie Mouse, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, The Three Little Pigs and Goofy), performed the song in a medley with the Disney signature song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”.

It also earned Jackson his first Grammy Award nomination with Ross (previous two with his family group, The Jacksons) in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1979.

Released as a single by MCA Records in late summer 1978, the song missed the U.S. Top 40 by one position, peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #17 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart the same year.

SIDE A:
Ease On Down The Road (Full Length US Version) 6:04
Performed By – Diana Ross, Michael Jackson
Written-By – Charlie Smalls

SIDE B:
Poppy Girls 3:26
Performed By – The Wiz*
Written-By – Anthony Jackson, Quincy Jones

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1978	Blue Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#41
1978	Blue Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	#17

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – 12 MCA 396
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco

CREDITS:
Producer – Quincy Jones, Tom Bahler

NPTES:
Full length US version from the soundtrack album and the film “The Wiz” over 6 minutes long.

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.

April 1, 2021

Michael Jackson – Remember The Time (US 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1991

“Remember the Time” is a 1992 single by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on January 14, 1992, as the second single from Jackson’s eighth studio album, Dangerous. The song was written and composed by Teddy Riley, Jackson, and Bernard Belle, and produced by Riley and Jackson. The song’s lyrics are written about remembering having fallen in love with someone.

“Remember the Time” was generally well-received by contemporary critics. The song was commercially successful, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles as well as the Mainstream Top 40 chart. It is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, the song was a Top 10 hit in nine countries, peaking at No.1 in New Zealand, at No.2 in Spain, and No.3 in the United Kingdom.

“Black or White” was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from his eighth studio album, Dangerous. He co-wrote, composed, and produced it with Bill Bottrell. The song is a fusion of pop-rock, dance, and hip hop. Epic Records described the song as “a rock ‘n’ roll dance song about racial harmony”.

“Black or White” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 7, 1991, making it the fastest chart-topper since the Beatles’ “Get Back”. It stayed there for a total of seven weeks. Jackson became the first artist to have number one hits in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with the song. It is certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Around the world, “Black or White” hit number one in 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Eurochart Hot 100. It was the best-selling single worldwide of 1992.

**The “Underground Club Mix Edit” is exclusive to this US 7″ single.

SIDE A:
Remember The Time 4:00
Mixed By – Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley
Producer – Michael Jackson
Written-By – B. Bell, M. Jackson, T. Riley*

SIDE B:
Black Or White (The Underground Club Mix Edit) 3:33
Edited By – Hex Hector, Ricky Crespo, Robert Clivillés
Executive Producer –Michael Jackson
Lyrics By [Rap Lyrics] – Bill Bottrell
Producer – Bill Bottrell, Michael Jackson
Producer [Additional Production] – David Cole
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Robert Clivillés
Written-By, Composed By – Michael Jackson

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 34-74200
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: House, New Jack Swing

NOTES:
Side A was taken from the Epic release “DANGEROUS”

Side B Is an Edited version of the “Underground Club Mix”, and is Previously Unreleased.

Find the 7″ 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

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

October 7, 2020

Michael Jackson – Beat It (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Beat It” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album, though Jackson had never previously shown an interest in the genre. Jackson later said of “Beat It”, “I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song… That is how I approached it and I wanted the children to really enjoy it—the school children as well as the college students.”

Following the successful Thriller singles “The Girl Is Mine” and “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” was released on February 14, 1983, as the album’s third single. “Beat It” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for three weeks. It also charted at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. Billboard ranked the song No. 5 for 1983. It is a certified 5x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). With over 7 million copies sold worldwide, it is one of the best-selling singles of all time. “Beat It” was a number one hit in Europe, reaching number one in Spain and the Netherlands. The single, along with its music video, helped propel Thriller into becoming the best-selling album of all time.

“Beat It” received the 1984 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards.

Eddi Van Halen Guitar Solo

Eddie Van Halen, lead guitarist of hard rock band Van Halen, was asked to add a guitar solo. When initially contacted by Jones, Van Halen thought he was receiving a prank call. Having established that the call was genuine, Van Halen used a Hartley–Thompson amplifier borrowed from guitarist Allan Holdsworth and recorded his guitar solo free of charge. “I did it as a favor”, the musician later said. “I was a complete fool, according to the rest of the band, our manager, and everyone else. I was not used. I knew what I was doing—I don’t do something unless I want to do it.” Van Halen recorded his contribution following Jones and Jackson arriving at the guitarist’s house with a “skeleton version” of the song. Fellow guitarist Steve Lukather recalled, “Initially, we rocked it out as Eddie had played a good solo—but Quincy thought it was too tough. So I had to reduce the distorted guitar sound and that is what was released.” Two versions of the solo were recorded. Van Halen reported in 2015 that he also rearranged the song and asked Jones to edit the chords so his solo could be in the key of E.

Right before Van Halen’s guitar solo begins, a noise is heard that sounds like somebody knocking at a door. It is reported that the knock was a person walking into Eddie’s recording studio. Another story has claimed that the sound was simply the musician knocking on his own guitar. The sound, however, is that of Jackson knocking on a drum case, as he is credited in the album’s liner notes.

The engineers were shocked during the recording of Van Halen’s solo to discover that the sound of his guitar had caused the monitor speaker in the control room to catch fire, causing one to exclaim, “This must be really good!”

SIDE A:
Beat It* 4:17
Guitar – Eddie Van Halen, Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather
Producer – Quincy Jones

SIDE B:
Burn This Disco Out 3:40
Producer – Quincy Jones
Written-By – R. Temperton*

Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough (Live Version) 4:25
Performed By – The Jacksons
Producer – The Jacksons

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	Beat It	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1983	Beat It	U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	#14
1983	Beat It	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– TA 3258
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop/Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Pop

CREDITS:
Written-By – M. Jackson* (tracks: A, A2)

NOTES:
*Taken from the album ‘Thriller’

Find the12″ 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.

September 22, 2020

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Billie Jean” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from Jackson’s sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. “Billie Jean” blends post-disco, rhythm and blues, funk and dance-pop. The lyrics describe a woman, Billie Jean, who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son, which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies’ claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5.

“Billie Jean” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart within three weeks, and became Jackson’s fastest-rising number one single since “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” in 1970, which he recorded as a member of the Jackson 5. It remained at number one for nine weeks on the chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1983. “Billie Jean” is certified 6x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was also a number one hit in the UK, France, Switzerland and Belgium for example, and reached the top ten in many other countries. “Billie Jean” was one of the best-selling singles of 1983, helping Thriller become the best-selling album of all time, and became Jackson’s best-selling solo single.

Jackson’s performance of “Billie Jean” on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever won acclaim and was nominated for an Emmy Award. It introduced several of Jackson’s signatures, including the moonwalk and white sequined glove, and was widely imitated. The “Billie Jean” music video, directed by Steve Barron, was the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on MTV. Along with the other videos produced for Thriller, it helped establish MTV’s cultural importance and make music videos an integral part of popular music marketing. The spare, bass-driven arrangement of “Billie Jean” helped pioneer what one critic called “sleek, post-soul pop music”. It also introduced a more paranoid lyrical style for Jackson, a trademark of his later music.

“Billie Jean” was awarded honors including two Grammy Awards and an American Music Award. In a list compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV in 2000, the song was ranked as the sixth greatest pop song since 1963. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed it at number 58 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Frequently listed in magazine polls of the best songs ever made, “Billie Jean” was named the greatest dance record of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners.

SIDE A:
Billie Jean (Long Version) 6:21

SIDE B:
Billie Jean (Instrumental Version) 6:21

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve/OBI: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	Billie Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1983	Billie Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#1
1983	Billie Jean	U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	#9

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12・3P-490
Series: Michael Jackson Jumbo Single Series 1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Funk, Soul, Pop

CREDITS:
Co-producer – Michael Jackson
Producer –Quincy Jones
Written-By – M. Jackson*

NOTES:
Special Versions
Taken from the LP “Thriller”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

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.