BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983
REQUEST
“Modern Love” is a song written and recorded by David Bowie, and the first track on his album Let’s Dance. It was issued as the third single from the album in 1983.
Bowie has claimed the song is inspired by Little Richard, and it maintains the album’s theme of a struggle between God and man. Some commentators noted the similarities between the track and Elton John’s near-simultaneous hit “I’m Still Standing”, although both parties said the songs were recorded at roughly the same time with no knowledge of the other.
By the time “Modern Love” was issued and edited as a single, Bowie’s Serious Moonlight Tour was underway. The track had become a popular encore on the tour, and Jim Yukich’s video for the song used footage of Bowie and his band performing the song from concert in Philadelphia on 20 July 1983. A live version, recorded in Montreal on 13 July, was on the B-side.
The single reached No. 2 in the UK, and No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As well as being a staple of the tour, it featured in Bowie’s set at Live Aid in 1985, and in his subsequent Glass Spider and Sound+Vision tours of 1987 and 1990. A re-recording with Tina Turner was also featured on a Pepsi commercial in 1987.
SIDE A:
Modern Love (Studio Version) 4:47
Mixed By – Bob Clearmountain
SIDE B:
Modern Love (Live Version) 3:45
Mixed By – Jason Corsaro, Nile Rodgers
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Modern Love | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #14 |
| 1984 | Modern Love | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | #6 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI America – 7811-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Producer – David Bowie, Nile Rodgers
Engineer – Bob Clearmountain
NOTES:
From the LP “LET’S DANCE”
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
ty
Wow, what a great cover! Thanks Paul.
Really looking forward to this one – thanks so much, DjPaulT!
Oh and to clarify, not UPSCALING images but rather scanning them down to 2880 x 2880 if you indeed scan large 12-inch covers at 600 and or 300 dpi which would result in very large 3000 x 3000 AND HIGHER pixel resolution scans. It may make the downloads larger but as long as you don’t compress the JPGs down below ‘HIGH QUALITY’ will be worth it.
Almost everyone has high speed internet, etc. shouldn’t be that much of a jump in file size.
Cheers!
Thank you Paul! Sounds and looks amazing! What work! May I offer a suggestion – I was the one that suggested the scans be resized to 1440 x 1440 but that was about 3, 4 years ago. Today, we’re moving toward high resolution computer monitors ie, 4K and 5K monitors like the Retina monitors found in iMacs. So at this point I would recommend resizing the scans down to 2880 which is the pixel/resolution height of Retina monitors and future high resolution monitors for other platforms. I think cover scans at 2880 x 2880 would MATCH the 24-bit high resolution… Read more »
Great memories 🙂
Thank you CL 🙂
Great single by Bowie. I loved the Nile Rogers Co-Produced material.
Thanks Paul 🙂
I did too Junior. You’re welcome my friend 🙂
I had to look the commercial up…
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U7vYP1S9_qQ
It’s pretty fun I had to look it up the other day too. They don’t do those kind of things anymore 🙂
Cool, stylish, fascinating, in so many different ways, but always interesting throw so many decades! Although the 80s are his most commercial period, he himself claims in a great documentary about his whole career, that I recently watched: “The 80s weren’t musically good for me”.
Interesting Davos Via 45 🙂
I’m surprised that this song only reached #14 in america. I would’ve thought it went top 10 for sure! Thank you, Paul!
I was surprised at that too Woz. I heard it so much on the radio I always thought it charted higher 🙂
Awesome as ever!
Thank you Neil 🙂
Bravo!
Thank you 80spornstar 🙂
Awesome! Thanks Paul. I love 80s Bowie and I really wish his albums from this era would get some remastering/repacking… That said, most of his 80s EPs are thankfully available as digital singles (in lossless too if you know where to look) BUT there are some frustrating omissions – like this one! And China Girl, and Let’s Dance. Perhaps you can fill the gaps Paul?
I have both of those singles and many more Todd that I hope to post over time 🙂
Cool. Bowie was a mainstream top 40 hit machine during this era. At this point David Bowie and Robert Palmer were not so different. I remember being surprised there was no remix of this song back in the day. I always liked the Pepsi version with Tina Turner, too bad a full version of that wasn’t released.
I was also kinda let down that there was no remix especially with Nile Rodgers on board.
Let’s Dance was the album where I became a Bowie fan. His 80’s output is my favorite.
As far as I am concerned, he can do no wrong.
Thanks for the smile, Paul.
One of my all time favorite artists, of all time!
Saw him live in 1973!!
Thanks for the rip Paul 🙂
Bet that was a cool show. You’re welcome Ex15 🙂
Wow, that must’ve been so cool! What tour was it? Did you dress up?
I absolutely adore Hunky Dory, it’s probably in my Top 5 albums of all time. I discovered it when I was 14 and it spoke to me in so many ways, Quicksand, Kooks… they’re just so beautifully fragile.
I do love the singles off Let’s Dance, but they’re another world really. It’s odd he went so commercial on that album, when he’d always been about the art before. Still, no-one can touch him. He is chameleon, comedian, corinthian and caricature.
Sadly, I don’t remember as much as I should about the concert, but I do remember “Space Oddity, The Gene Genie and I think “Time” oh and microphones hit a problem on the encour, which was some Rolling Stones tracks!!
Some guys did were some rather colorful clothing!
It was was the Ziggy Stardust Tour, 11th June 1973 at Leicester De Monfort Hall.
lol, the idea of Bowie playing de Montford! Sweet.
Nothing wrong with the De Monfort Hall, remember David was in to his most successful chart era ever on the singles chart (hits and time on charts) and this year really did take his career into super stardom..
I also saw Sparks and Roxy Music (twice), during the same period. 🙂
🙂 No, I mean lol the idea of him playing such a relatively small place!
You definitely caught all the cool acts at just the right time, Ex15.
Well have a look at here, some very small venues!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggy_Stardust_Tour#Tour_dates
🙂
Excellent! Thanks Paul.
You’re welcome David thanks for the request and donation 🙂
Just heard this yesterday on the local college station. Great memories with this track. Loved the energy. I’m glad there is a live version to check out too. Paul, thanks for all these memory jolts in the perfect fidelity you always provide.
Jeff
You are so welcome Jeff 🙂
Bowie is a God. Thanks Paul. I have the original 12″ singles of this China Girl & Let’s Dance as well as pretty much everything he did in the 80’s. Loving The Alien is still my favorite Bowie single.
I agree Omar. I have pretty much all of his 12″ singles too 🙂