Burning The Ground Exclusive 1979
NEW 2024 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration
Originally posted May 20, 2012
“Hell on Wheels” is a disco song performed by American singer-actress Cher from her sixteenth studio album, Prisoner. It was written by Bob Esty and Michele Aller and produced by Esty. It was released as the album’s first and only international single in late 1979. The song was also added to the Roller Boogie soundtrack in 1979. Lyrically, the track is about “follow what you like”.
The song was released with “Git Down (Guitar Groupie)” on its B-side. Strangely “Git Down (Guitar Groupie)” in the Japanese single was a “Theme from Roller Boogie”, despite the song never appearing in the movie or the soundtrack album.
Despite a worldwide commercial release, “Hell on Wheels” did not achieve any success other than charting only on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at a disappointing number fifty-nine. “Hell On Wheels” was also her last hit for Casablanca Records.
The video for “Hell on Wheels” was tough for Cher to shoot. She was required to skate down steep, mountainous roads while sporting a broken arm. In the video, Cher is roller skating and being followed by a huge truck driven by two men who use the truck’s maximum speed to catch up with her. Following this, Cher convinces many people who use different types of transportation to follow her and take a ride with her.
The video was premiered on the late-night NBC television show The Midnight Special. Promotional clips were also shown during a 1979 interview with Phil Donahue on The Phil Donahue Show. Despite “Hell on Wheels” being her first official music video, it was never released on The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection.
SIDE A:
Hell On Wheels 7:05
SIDE B:
Git Down (Guitar Groupie) 7:10
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Hell On Wheels | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #59 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Casablanca – NBD 20189 DJ
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Disco
CREDITS:
- Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Bob Esty
- Recorded By, Engineer [Re-mix], Co-producer – Larry Emerine
- Written-By – Bob Esty, Michele Aller*
NOTES:
Promotional Copy Not For Sale
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
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 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
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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It speaks volumes about Casablanca’s internal strife that “Hell On Wheels” didn’t at least hit the BB dance chart, or chart anywhere else in the world. A good read about the label’s history is worth checking out: …And Party Every Day. (I’m sure RetroHound or Jeff will quickly recognize what song that title is from!) The book was written by the label’s business manager Larry Harris, who was probably the only one in the building sober enough to take notes!
Cher was a regular at both Flipper’s and Osko’s back in the roller skating days of 1978-1981 here in L.A. Flipper’s co-owner was Denny Cordell, owner of formerly Tulsa-based Shelter Records (Leon Russell, Dwight Twilley Band, J.J. Cale). The film Thank God It’s Friday was filmed at one of them. These links show the debauchery of the L.A. club scene parallel to the NYC Studio 54 debauchery, which gets more press. Before MTV, Casablanca Records was a major client who produced that movie and several music videos in the area until the drugs and Polygram’s money ran out, Neil Bogart… Read more »
I don’t remember this one, and I’ve never seen that video…. a full on music video, love it… she roller skates down the highway chased by horny truckers to a back-roads gay biker bar, a subversive video for it’s time, I like how they included the two drag queens in the red car, I’m sure no-one would have given it a second guess back in the day…. and all of the foaming beer innuendo is priceless. Thanks Paul, that was entertaining.
You’re welcome, Joey. Love what you had to say. 🙂
And on second thought, I have to wonder if the intro of the video with the two truckers was any inspiration for Pet Shop Boys “The Truck Driver and His Mate.”
Yay! It’s Disco Friday! Time to put on my boogie shoes and dance to DJ PaulT’s newest dancefloor banger! The beginning sounds like Funkytown and/or I Was Made For Loving You. Otherwise, I’m not at all familiar with the song, but it sounds great! And Cher can really rollerskate! WOW!
THANK YOU, Paul!!!
You’re welcome, Martika. have a nice weekend 🙂
Hell yeah!! (sorry Jeff, couldn’t resist). Great disco contribution from the iconic Cher. I can’t believe it only reached #59 on the charts, should have been a much bigger hit! Maybe because it was so closely linked to the movie Roller Boogie, which although had a cult following, was savaged by the critics. But what really blows my mind is that video!! First, and this is pre-MTV, check out those production values! This is high quality, professional filmmaking. Love all the glances those truckers give Cher. Is it me or does it remind everyone of The Village People, LOL. Really… Read more »
Totally, Village People you can really see their influence in the video clip. Love the guitar in this track too. I hope you have a far-out weekend, Retro Hound. 🙂
Man, Retro Hound, I thought the same thing watching the video!! It was so great seeing all the reactions, the frothing beer bottles, and even the “rooster” in one scene. Definitely a clip that got the male and female attention!
Jeff
I noticed the rooster! Too many inappropriate puns come to mind, but you get the point 🙂 But all the quick cuts, close-ups, beer frothing, truck grills, etc. must have really influenced MTV… maybe even Miami Vice!
I loved all the inappropriate visual puns!! It is such a fun video and I’m happy you enjoyed it too!
Jeff
lol… it’s too funny that we all picked up on the Village People look-alikes. It must have been intentional.
Hell Yes!!! I love this selection for the end of the week, Paul!! It’s so awesome, and it’s……….. CHER!! She’s so great, an icon if there ever was one! I love this song so much more than her “Take Me Home” disco hit too! This really rocks in every way! The music video is a lot of fun and I’m impressed that Cher did this with a broken arm. The woman is a champion!! Thanks, a trillion times over for this past week, Paul!! Excellent selections that I am over the moon with!! You deserve so much credit for giving… Read more »
You’re welcome, Jeff. I have never been the biggest Cher fan but I have to give her credit she never did anything half-assed. “See somethin’ you want, better get down on it”. Priceless
You’ve got to admit, her music releases are anything but formulaic. Her catalog runs the gamut from ballads, upbeat easy listening/AC, pop, folk, rock, disco/dance, techno, and ABBA tributes. Few artists can boast such variety, and few can perform such varied styles as well as she can.
Anyone else get “transfer expired”?
It should be working now, Chris.
heart emoji 🙂