Category: Shannon

Shannon – Give Me The Music (Medley) (UK 12″) (1984)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Today on Burning the Ground, I’m excited to share a very special custom 12” single featuring the iconic American singer Shannon. This release brings together two rare and exhilarating tracks that highlight the best of her mid-80s dance floor dominance.

Side A: “Give Me The Music (Medley – AN Intermixture of Let The Music Play & Give Me Tonight)”
The first track is a carefully crafted medley of Let The Music Play and Give Me Tonight, titled Give Me The Music (Medley). This gem was originally found on the B-side of Shannon’s 1984 UK 12” single Sweet Somebody, but it’s a track that didn’t make it onto the 2006 remastered edition of her self-titled debut album. The medley flows seamlessly, capturing the infectious energy of both songs and delivering a nostalgic, club-ready experience that fans of Shannon’s early work will immediately recognize and love.

Side B: “Do You Wanna Get Away (Ultimix)”
On the flip side is a Hot Tracks remix service version of Do You Wanna Get Away (Ultimix), expertly remixed by Bradley D. Hinkle. Originally from Shannon’s second album of the same name, this Ultimix amplifies the dancefloor appeal with extended breakdowns and energized percussion—perfect for DJs or anyone looking to relive the peak of 80s freestyle and post-disco excitement.

Custom Artwork
To complete this one-of-a-kind release, I’ve created custom artwork that captures the spirit of Shannon’s music and the era she helped define. It’s a nod to the vibrant energy of early 80s club culture while giving this single its own unique identity.

This custom 12” single is a love letter to Shannon’s timeless contributions to dance music. Whether you’re a collector, a DJ, or a fan of 80s club classics, this release is a must-have addition to your collection.

**Just a quick heads up: I accidentally mislabeled side B. It should be “Do You Wanna Get Away (Ultimix).” I have re-uploaded the files with the correct tags. Please download the updated versions again from the site or your email.

SIDE ONE:
Give Me The Music (Medley) – An Intermixture Of Let The Music Play & Give Me Tonight 6:55
Producer – Chris Barbosa, Mark Liggett, Rod Hui
Written-By – Chris Barbosa, Ed Chisolm

SIDE TWO:
Do You Wanna Get Away (Ultimix) 8:05
Remix – Bradley D. Hinkle
Written-By – C. Barbosa*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Unofficial
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro

CREDITS:
Artwork Design – DjPaulT

NOTES:
Side One: Courtesy Emergency Records taken from “Sweet Somebody” UK 12″

Side Two: Courtesy Hot Tracks Remix Service taken from Series 4, Issue 6

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

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Shannon – Let The Music Play (Special Remix) (Germany 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Let The Music Play” is a song by American singer Shannon. The song was the first of Shannon’s four #1s on the US Dance chart, reaching the top spot in October 1983. The song also became a huge crossover hit, peaking at #2 on the soul chart and #8 on the US Singles Chart in February 1984. Some mark this as the beginning of the dance-pop era. “Let the Music Play” was Shannon’s only US Top 40 hit. It was ranked 43rd on the 2009 VH1 Special 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s.

The original version of the record was produced by Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa. By the early 1980s, the backlash against disco had driven dance music off mainstream radio stations in the US. The rhythmic ingenuity of “Let the Music Play” was largely due to Chris Barbosa, who wrote and arranged the original demo track. Rob Kilgore played all the instruments on this seminal track. It featured a series of keyboard chords and drum patterns produced by gating a Roland TR-808 drum machine. Specifically, a reverb was placed across the kick and snare and hard gated to change the sounds. Further, it was one of the first tracks to sync together a TR-808 and a Roland TB-303 bassline, notorious in later years for the instrument responsible for creating acid house. The TB-303 plays the bassline for the entire song; however, in this case, the filter is not adjusted, which was typical for acid house music. This technical achievement made the production even more groundbreaking, and it also resulted in a unique sound, called “The Shannon Sound,” which in time came to be known as freestyle. The Prophet-5 is used for the hookline and sound effects. The vocal on the chorus is sung by session guitarist/vocalist, Jimi Tunnell, who was uncredited. Shannon sings the answering line but it is Tunnell who sings the “Let the music play” hook.

Slant Magazine ranked the song #54 in its 100 Greatest Dance Songs-list in 2006, adding:

“Alongside Madonna’s “Holiday,” D.C.-born Jazz vocalist Brenda Shannon Greene’s “Let the Music Play” helped redefine dance music in the anti-disco early-’80s, setting the stage for the troubled genre for the next decade. Producers Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa, considered one of the founding fathers of Latin freestyle, merged the then-hip electro-funk sound with Latin rhythms, unwittingly creating the world’s first freestyle song.”

SIDE A:
Let The Music Play (Special Remix) 5:47

SIDE B:
Let The Music Play (Dub-Version) 6:12

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1984 Let The Music Play U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #8
1984 Let The Music Play U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles #2
1984 Let The Music Play U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Emergency Records ‎– 120·07·067, Bellaphon ‎– 120·07·067
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Germany
Released: Oct 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro, Freestyle

CREDITS:
Lacquer Cut By – SST (8)
Producer – Chris Barbosa, Mark Liggett, Rod Hui
Written-By –Chris Barbosa, Ed Chisolm

NOTES:
Super Sound Single
Made in Germany by Bellaphon-Records
10/83

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