Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986
“Bitter Desire” is a song by the Australian pop/new wave group Kids in the Kitchen. The song was released in April 1984 as the second single from their debut studio album Shine (1985) released as Kids In The Kitchen in the USA (1986). The song peaked at number 17 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
On 15 April 1984, the group performed “Bitter Desire” at the annual Countdown Music and Video Awards, where they were nominated for ‘Most Promising New Talent’ and ‘Best Debut Single’ for “Change in Mood”.
By the time of the single’s release and despite appearing in the videoclip for “Bitter Desire”, lead guitarist Greg Dorman and keyboardist Greg Woodhead had departed the line-up to be replaced by Claude Carranza and Alistair Coia, respectively.
Countdown Magazine said at the time of release,”Bitter Desire” should seal [their] fate. That record is simply the best Australian single so far this year, and displays a depth of inspiration beyond any mere beginner’s luck.”
++”Bitter Desire” was the band’s only single to have a 12″ released in the United States. All of the mixes are exclusive to this 12″.
SIDE A:
Bitter Desire (Club Mix) 5:58
Bitter Desire (Edit) 3:48
SIDE B:
Bitter Desire (Dub) 6:34
Not The Way 2:31
Mixed By – Craig Harnath
Producer, Mixed By – Mark S. Berry*
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-20554
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Artwork [Front Cover Illustration] – Jean Hoffman, Paul Hoffman (6)
- Engineer – Dave Ogrin (tracks: A1 to B1)
- Mixed By, Edited By – Freddy Bastone (tracks: A1 to B1)
- Producer – David Kershenbaum (tracks: A1 to B1)
NOTES:
Tracks A1 to B1: Original versions available on the “Kids In the Kitchen” album on Sire Records Recorded at AAV Studios.
Track B2: From the the “Kids In the Kitchen” album on Sire Records Recorded at Platinum Studios.
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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Thank you Paul!
As an Australian this band was far from obscure, it was part of my 80s pop childhood! I hope you can spotlight their other amazing tracks, including Change in Mood, Something You Said, Current Stand etc. Your audience here will love them!
Cheers, John
John, I brought the Shine album back from my trip to Australia in 1985 and everyone I shared it with was immediately excited about it. However, nobody could ever find it in the store or even order it. It’s a real shame! This band could have (and should have) been huge in the rest of the world.
Very catchy!! Completely new to me, and I can see how this should have been a bigger hit here in the US. I hope some of these artists reach out to you in appreciation of the spotlight you shine on their hits! Thank you Paul!!
You’re welcome, Retro Hound 🙂
Retro Hound, you know, I feel the same way. I’m quite sure that Paul is well known in the industry. Word does get around, eventually. I almost see that, perhaps, the labels, and/or artists should be aware of what he does. It pains me that no one hasn’t reached out to him to discuss what he does on Burning The Ground. Paul isn’t here to make a profit or anything like that. He’s here to archive great and lost tracks from the dance music genre. If you read his FAQs, he states that if someone has a problem with what… Read more »
Thank you so much Jeff! That means a lot to me. I think you and I certainly share a deep love and appreciation for the greatest era of music and are serious about its preservation. Paul has got to be the single greatest archivist/preservationist for this music we love. You would think at least someone would reach out to say thanks. As you mentioned the music business is exactly that – a business. So sad. It doesn’t even resemble the one that existed back in the day. Steve Lukather of Toto, one of the most prolific session musicians ever, said… Read more »
Reading this brought a tear to my eyes. Thank you, Retro Hound. You are extraordinary!!!
Jeff
Not obscure for me, because I was visiting family in Australia in 1985 and absolutely fell in love with Kids In The Kitchen (and The Church). To this day, Kids In The Kitchen’s “Shine” album and The Church’s “Of Skins And Heart” never leave my sight! Kids In The Kitchen should have been huge alongside Duran Duran, a-Ha, and other New Romantic bands, and I’m sure they would have, if they had been marketed more properly in the rest of the world. I strongly recommend listening to their full-length album “SHINE”. It’s on most streaming services now. THANK YOU for… Read more »
You’re welcome, Martika. I agree with you these guys had it all but somehow never broke outside of Australia. Thank you for embracing these often unknown gems 🙂
Like I said before, your “Obscure” series is my favorite ongoing 80s compilation!
Wow! This is awesome! Thank you so much for these exclusive mixes. I do have their CD Shine which contains another remix of Bitter desire (Kitchen Mix). These mixes are new to me.
You’re welcome, Daniel 🙂
Thanks for the work. Kids in the Kitchen was not that obscure in Europ. Maybe it was in the US?
Very obscure in America this was the only single released here.
Wow, don’t know this, but just glancing over the production and mixing credits makes me super curious! Absolutely LOVE the Totally Obscure 80s posts! ❤️ thanks again!
You’re welcome, ING. I hope you like this one 🙂
I’m so happy for an obscure 80’s record Paul. You’ve introduced me to so many wonderful songs and I really appreciate all the time you spend curating and ripping records to give us fans music we may have overlooked!! You’re the absolute best!!
Jeff
You’re welcome, Jeff. I hope you like this one 🙂
Greg Dorman rejoined the band in 2019 for a tour….