Category: The Belle Stars

December 2, 2015

The Belle Stars – World Domination (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

REQUEST

“World Domination” is the twelfth single release by English new wave band The Belle Stars. The song failed to chart in the UK but did very well in the United Staes where it paeked at #2 om the Billboard dance chart in Ocyober 1986.

Track A is an especially remixed version for North America and differs from the Extended Version issued in Europe.

The instrumental on track B is based on the remix featured on the A-side.

SIDE A:
World Domination (Extended Version) 5:44

SIDE B:
World Domination (Instrumental) 5:07

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1986	World Domination	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCA-23671
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design –Stephen Male
Edited By – Albert Cabrera
Engineer [Remix] – Michael R. Hutchinson*
Photography By – Nick Knight
Producer – Allen George, Fred McFarlane
Producer [Post] – Dominic Bugatti
Remix – Shep Pettibone
Written By – Shone-Owen-Joyce-Bugatti

NOTES:
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Pressed By – MCA Pressing Plant, Gloversville

Find the 12″ 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

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

February 19, 2015

The Belle Stars – Sign Of The Times (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Sign of the Times” is a song by English pop/new wave band The Belle Stars, released as the lead single from the band’s only self-titled studio album. The single was the fourth single from their only album, and their seventh single overall. “Sign of the Times” was the band’s first single that was an original song since 1981’s Another Latin Love Song. Its lyrics describe the band explaining how they feel their lover is unfaithful of their love, hence the lyric “You say you love me, but want success.” The single was the band’s first to make it into the top 10, reaching #3 in the UK singles chart. In the US “Sign Of The Times” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 7, 1983 peaking at #75 while on the dance chart the single peaked at #43.

SIDE A:
Sign Of The Times (Remixed Extended 12″ Version) 5:39
Engineer – Julian Mendelsohn, Pete Hammond, Phil Chapman, Phil Harding
Mixed By – Nigel Green
Producer – Pete Collins*

SIDE B:
Madness 3:18
Engineer, Producer – Brian Tench

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	Sign Of The Times	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#75
1983	Sign Of The Times	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#43

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 0-29657
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Written-By – Hirst*, Matthias*, Parsons*, Shone*, Joyce*, Owen*, Barker*

NOTES:
From the LP “THE BELLE STARS”

Find the 12″ On DISCOGS

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: 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

February 18, 2015

The Belle Stars – Indian Summer (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

REQUEST

“Indian Summer” is a 1983 song by English pop/new wave band The Belle Stars, released as their fifth and final single from their only self-titled studio album and their ninth single overall. The song peeked at #52 for three weeks on the UK singles chart.

Indian Summer is a song about a lover had for a day. The songs chorus: “We were lovers for a day; never again will it ever be that way” likely talks about how the band only had one hit and it never seemed to resurface them. Many of the band also believed that the single caused a rivalry with Bananarama’s Cruel Summer.

SIDE A:
Indian Summer (Down Beat & Cool) 5:23
Producer, Brian Tench
Written-By – Penny Leyton

SIDE B:
Sun Sun Sun (Up Beat & Hot) 6:27
Producer – Peter Collins
Remix – Duncan Bridgeman, Joe Dworniak
Written-By – Clare Hirst

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Stiff Records ‎– S BUY 185
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Written-By – Jennie Matthias, Judy Parsons, Lesley Shone, Miranda Joyce, Sarah-Jane Owen, Stella Barker

NOTES:
Special versions from the LP “THE BELLE STARS”

Find the 12″ On DISCOGS

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

October 17, 2012

The Belle Stars – Iko Iko (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

R E Q U E S T

The Belle Stars were an all female British rock band, founded in London in 1980 by former members of the 2 Tone ska revival band, The Bodysnatchers.

Iko Iko” is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two “tribes” of Mardi Gras Indians. The lyrics are derived from Indian chants and popular catchphrases. The song, under the original title “Jock-A-Mo”, was written in 1953 by James “Sugar Boy” Crawford in New Orleans, but has spread so widely that to popular belief, it is commonly assumed to be a much older folk song.

The story tells of a “spy boy” or “spy dog” i.e. a lookout for one band of Indians encountering the “flag boy” or guidon carrier for another band. He threatens to set the flag on fire.

The Belle Stars version of “Iko Iko” appeared in the opening scene of the 1988 film “Rain Man” starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Frequently, this version is incorrectly attributed to the Indigo Girls. The song was originally released in 1982 reaching #35 in the UK and then remixed and re-released in 1987 for the Rain Man” soundtrack reaching #7 in Australia and #14 on the US Billboard singles chart in 1989.

SIDE A:
Iko Iko (12″ Mix) 4:50
Iko Iko (7″ Mix) 3:14

SIDE B:
Iko Iko (Bonus Beats) 3:18

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Iko Iko	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#14
1989	Iko Iko	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#7

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records – V-15475
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Reggae
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Engineer – Paul Brown
Executive-producer – Barry Levinson, Mark Johnson (22)
Producer – Brian Tench
Remix, Producer [Additional Production], Edited By – Boris Granich, Christer Modig
Written By – Hawkins-Jones-Hawkins-Jones-Johnson-Jones-Thomas

NOTES:
(Original version appears on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP “Rain Man” C1-91866)
Additional Production and Edit for Powermix Productions.
“Iko Iko” originally released in 1982, and remixed in 1989 for this release.

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