Category: Olivia Newton-John

May 31, 2017

Olivia Newton-John – The Rumour (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

I have so many great memories dancing to this track back in ’88. I thought it was so cool that Olivia was getting heavy club play I love hearing it beat mixed in with all the other club hits of the day.

Thank you Olivia for all of the Love & Light you have shared with me and so many others over the years. Get well soon.

Originally posted August 17, 2012

“The Rumour” was the first single released from Olivia Newton-John’s 1988 MCA Records album of the same name. “The Rumour” was produced by Elton John and James Newton Howard, and was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song also included backing vocals and piano by Elton John. The single only reached #62 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

“The Rumour” was issued as a 12″ single featuring remixes by Shep Pettibone helping it become a top twenty dance hit peaking at #17 on the Billboard Dance Chart in October 1988. “The Rumour” also charted in Australia #35, Germany #36 and UK #86.

SIDE A:
The Rumour (12″ Extended Mix) 6:41
The Rumour (7″ Mix) 3:59

SIDE B:
The Rumour (12″ Dub) 4:14
The Rumour (Instrumental) 4:00

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	The Rumour	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#62
1988	The Rumour	U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks	#33
1988	The Rumour	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#17
1988	The Rumour	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#42

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – MCA-23890
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Mixed By – Shep Pettibone, Steve Peck
Producer – Elton John, James Newton Howard
Remix [Additional Production] – Shep Pettibone
Written-By – Elton John & Bernie Taupin

NOTES:
Original versions appears on the Olivia Newton-John album “THE RUMOUR”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/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

November 3, 2016

Olivia Newton-John – Landslide (US 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

Very excited I am going to see Olivia tonight right here in Tulsa, she will be performing at The Joint at the Hard Rock. Olivia is currently promoting her new album “LIV ON” which is available now.

“Landslide” is a song by Australian singer Olivia Newton-John from her twelfth studio album Physical. It was released in several countries as the third and last single from the album in April 1982. In United Kingdom, however, it was released in January 1982 as the second single (“Make a Move on Me” was the third and last single). The single didn’t achieve the success of its predecessors from the album, but peaked at the top 20 on the UK Singles Charts. The song also wasn’t performed during the Physical Tour, but had some performances in television programs during the international promotion.

In the United States “Landslide” peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 12, 1982 peaking at #52.

Of note the 7″ version is slightly different from the 4:23 LP version.

SIDE A:
Landslide (7″ Version) 3:58
Written-By – John Farrar

SIDE B:
Recovery 4:18
Written-By – John Farrar, Tom Snow

VINYL GRADE:
Sleeve: Near Mint
Vinyl: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	Landslide	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#52

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label:MCA Records ‎– MCA-52069
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Pop/Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Photography [Photos] – Herb Ritts
Producer – John Farrar

NOTES:
℗1981 Original sound recording made by Olivia Newton-John
Taken from the album “PHYSICAL”

Find the 7″ 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

September 25, 2015

Olivia Newton-John – Livin’ In Desperate Times (US 7″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

Happy Birthday Olivia Newton-John!

Produced by David Foster the epic track “Livin’ In Desperate Times” was the second single released from the Soundtrack to the film “Two Of A Kind”. “Livin’ In Desperate Times” debuted on the Billboard Top 40 on February 25, 1984. The single remained on the chart for five weeks peaking at #31.

ABOUT THE VERSIONS:

In 1998 MCA Records released the soundtrack for the motion picture “Two Of A Kind” on CD for the first time, however the mix of “Livin’ In Desperate Times” was not the original album version that appeared on the vinyl, cassette and 8-track releases in 1983. Instead MCA chose to use a sloppy newly made edit because the original master could not be found. Subsequently this new edit was also used on the “Gold” compilation in 2005. Both the 7″ remix and original LP version remain unreleased on CD or digital format.

The US 7″ promo of “Livin’ In Desperate Times” has the 7″ remix on both sides. Because the original LP version is just as sought sought after I used it as the b-side.

SIDE A:
Livin’ In Desperate Times (7″ Remix) 3:58
Engineer, Mixed By – Humberto Gatica
Producer – David Foster
Written-By – Barry Alfonso, Tom Snow

SIDE B:
Livin’ In Desperate Times (Original LP Version) 4:09
Engineer, Mixed By – Humberto Gatica
Producer – David Foster
Written-By – Barry Alfonso, Tom Snow

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Livin’ In Desperate Times	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#31

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCA-52341
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Promo, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Pop
Style: Synth-pop

NOTES:
From MCA-6127, Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “Two Of A Kind”
Management: Roger Davies
Photos From The MCA Video EP “Twist Of Fate” Directed By Brian Grant.

Find the 7″ on DISCOGS

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

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”

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