BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981

“(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” is a song written and performed by British synthpop band Heaven 17. It was a minor hit in the UK in 1981, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also a minor dance hit in the US.

“(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” was written by Heaven 17 members Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory and included on their 1981 debut album Penthouse and Pavement. It was the first single released by the band.

In the lyrics fascism and racism are described in an ironic fashion, using the lexicon of funk music. The lyrics of the song also reference the UK and US political leaders of the time, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan, respectively, and include denunciations of both racism and fascism. According to the book Banned!: Censorship of Popular Music in Britain, 1967-92, the song was banned by the BBC due to concerns by Radio 1’s legal department that it was extremely offensive to Ronald Reagan as he was the new US President at the time of the song’s release.

Despite being banned by the BBC, “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” reached number 45 on the UK singles chart. It debuted on that chart on 21 March 1981 and peaked one week later. The single peaked at number 72 in Australia, and was also a minor dance hit in the US, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in 1981.

SIDE A:
(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang 4:53

SIDE A:
The Decline Of The West 7:04

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin– VS 400-12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Artwork By [Packaged By] – B.E.F. In Association With Bob Last
Bass, Guitar [Rhythm] – John Wilson (2)
Producer, Arranged By – Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware
Synthesizer, Backing Vocals – Martyn Ware
Synthesizer, Saxophone – Ian Craig Marsh
Vocals – Glenn Gregory

NOTES:
‘Decline Of The West’ From the cassette package Music For Stowaways by The British Electronic Foundation.

Made In England

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