BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985
“Eaten Alive” is 1985 single released by American entertainer Diana Ross on the RCA label. It was the first release off her Eaten Alive album, which was ultimately a critical and commercial failure in the states, but, did reach Top 10-Top 20 rankings in a few European countries like Norway and The Netherlands.
The song was written by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Michael Jackson the latter also co-producing with Barry and his team. Jackson and Barry Gibb can be heard singing in the background of the song with Jackson at times co-singing lead with Ross. The song was a disappointment in the United States, peaking at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it fared much better on the R&B singles chart – where it reached the Top 10 – helped by BET’s heavy rotation of the music video.
In the song’s original copyright registration from 11 March 1985, it was credited to Barry Gibb and Maurice Gibb. It was not until Michael Jackson heard the demo of it that he suggested the chorus could be improved. The second copyright registration was filed on 1 June 1985 (the same day that Diana performed a sold-out concert at Joe Louis Arena in her hometown of Detroit) with the note ‘words and music in the choruses have been completely rewritten’.
The video, inspired by The Island of Doctor Moreau was directed by David Hogan and featured the singer playing a cat-like demon seducing a man played by Joseph Gian after having been pursued by chimeras.
SIDE A:
Eaten Alive (Extended Version) 5:52
SIDE B:
Eaten Alive (Instrumental) 5:52
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Eaten Alive | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #77 |
| 1985 | Eaten Alive | U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles | #10 |
| 1985 | Eaten Alive | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: RCA Victor – PD-14183, RCA Victor – PD14183
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Engineer – Jack Joseph Puig, Karl Richardson
Mixed By – Francois Kevorkian*, Ron St. Germain
Producer – Albhy Galuten, Barry Gibb, Karl Richardson, Michael Jackson
Written-By – B. Gibb*, M. Gibb*, M. Jackson*
NOTES:
From the “Eaten Alive” album
Made in U.S.A.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
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
DAC/Phono Pre-amp: 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 USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
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
Cada día que pasa y me sorprendes con las versiones que compartes, realmente solo me queda que aplaudirte y darte los agradecimientos respectivos, desde la Araucanía, región que vive momentos complicados, pero sabremos salir adelante, solo aplausos para ti.
Thank you, Paul. I didn’t realize this was considered a failure, ast certainly got a lot of club play at the time.
In the clubs, it did well reaching #3 on the U.S. dance chart however it was a failure on the Hot 100 pop singles chart only reaching #77.
I too am a big fan of this song Paul. I first heard it courtesy of a phenomenal mix on the Hot Tracks remix service. Even now, I can hear that mix in my head. I can’t believe it (also) didn’t do all that well. At least it was top three on the Dance Chart. So looking forward to hearing the original mix. Thanks again Paul for providing another original version of the songs I love.
Jeff
The song really has it all not sure why it and the album flopped. It may have been due to age Diana was in her forties I think and radio sometimes gives up on aging women which is sad.
Yes, this song has it all Paul! Thank you for showing it some love. I had no idea that “Chain Reaction” was from this album too and I adored that one just the same.
Jeff
And yet another cracker, Paul. I love that song and just cannot believe it flopped in the US and was only a mediocre success elsewhere. It has it all, doesn’it. It makes you wanna sing along, it makes you wanna dance. And yet it failed. What a shame. I have the 12inch in my collection and am excited that I have it in pristine quality now. Me happy 😉
With Barry Gibb and MJ on board, you would think this song would have been massive. Well, at least we can still savor it now 🙂
I always loved the Sheer Dynamics of this song its absolutely killer. I had no idea the Gibbs were involved my head is spinning i can clearly hear them now. Nutty.