Katrina And The Waves – Plastic Man (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

NEW 2020 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted June 18, 2013

“Plastic Man” is an early single by British-American rock band Katrina and the Waves released in 1984 in the UK. The single was issued before the band had international success with their hit “Walking on Sunshine”.

The b-side “Going Down To Liverpool” was written by Katrina And The Waves guitarist Kimberley Rew. The song was first released on the band’s 1982 EP titled Shock Horror! (with the band then simply named The Waves) and also included on their 1983 debut album Walking on Sunshine, which was only released in Canada. The version included on both releases featured Rew on lead vocals.

When the band signed with major label Capitol Records, the song was re-recorded with Katrina Leskanich on lead vocals and included on their 1985 self-titled album. Although never released as a single, it was featured as the b-side of two of the bands’ singles, Plastic Man and their breakthrough hit Walking on Sunshine.

The song was also covered by the girl group The Bangles in 1985.

SIDE A:
Plastic Man (Expanded Version) 5:31

SIDE B:
Going Down To Liverpool 3:45

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Silvertown ‎– STST 7
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Photography – John De La Cruz
Producer – Pat Collier
Written-By – K. Rew*

NOTES:
Recorded at Greenhouse & Alaska, London

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
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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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Walter C
Walter C
November 21, 2020 4:47 am

Hello Paul, here’s another one I prefer the old rip but this time I found something else, I noticed that the bass end is in mono (check around 1:38). I know this is a common trick used in mastering, but the original producer of this track mixed the kick to sound very wide in stereo and it is lost in your custom “remaster”.

Mark
Mark
Reply to  Walter C
November 21, 2020 8:57 am

I love Paul’s work and noticed you never comment unless it is to be negative about a new transfer.

Marcus
Marcus
October 24, 2020 3:47 am

First time i hear this single. Like most i only heard the hits from the band. One of the reasons why i love this site that unearths the lost treasures.

Thanks Paul 🙂

David G
David G
October 24, 2020 12:15 am

Wow — thanks for this! Katrina & the Waves was one of my very favorite bands in the ’80s. I saw them in concert, opening for George Michael, in 1985 or 1986. Truly a great concert. I bought their U.S. debut album, then I found out they’d released several albums in Canada prior to that, so I sought those out and bought those three albums (Shock Horror, Katrina & the Waves, and Katrina & the Waves 2). While I bought every 12″ single I ever found, I never came across a copy of this one, so this is a fantastic… Read more »

Joey
Joey
October 23, 2020 2:51 pm

That cover reminds me of a cross between Clockwork Orange and Paul McCartney. On a different note, Your recent Halloween compilation reminded me and it being Oct 23, do you think you might ever do your special magic on the early Dead or Alive Singles, I’m Falling and Number Eleven?

Grant
Grant
October 23, 2020 2:22 pm

Looooove Katrina & The Waves – thank you for this!

Richard the Big Bunny
October 23, 2020 2:14 pm

I love this track and the 12-inch (Expanded Version) is so much better than the 7-Inch! More lyrics. More music. Fantastic! And a world away from Walking On Sunshine. This is very much Alt.Electro.

Daniel
Daniel
October 23, 2020 2:06 pm

Thank you Paul for this re-rip. But thanks a million for yesterday’s post. Crazy in the night was one of the singles I’ve been waiting for. Great dance mix and awesome dub mix. Now only the other single Abadabadango from Kim Carnes’ same album is missing. Hope you will post it too. Have a nice weekend and stay healthy.

Jeff
Jeff
October 23, 2020 12:00 pm

Knowing “Walking On Sunshine” like most people, I’m delighted that you Paul continually showcase so much more besides all the obvious hits, Burning The Ground is so excellently diverse. Thank you so much for your music archive and kudos on your incredible legacy of beautifully preserved records that might be lost to time.

Have a great weekend Paul.

Jeff