Burning The Ground
Yesterday we went back to Summer School.
Today we are…
Running Scared.
And longtime readers of this series may be thinking, “Haven’t we been here before?”
Yes, we have.
Earlier in Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition, we visited the 1986 film Running Scared for Kim Wilde’s “Say You Really Want Me.”
Apparently one trip to Chicago was not enough.
For the second-to-last entry in the series, we return to the soundtrack for Klymaxx and “Man Size Love.”
Running Scared, directed by Peter Hyams, stars Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal as Chicago police detectives Ray Hughes and Danny Costanzo, two wisecracking partners who decide they have had enough of police work and plan to retire to Key West.
Naturally, there is one more case to finish first.
Because retirement in an ’80s buddy-cop movie is never that easy.
The film was released on June 27, 1986, and also stars Jimmy Smits, Steven Bauer, Darlanne Fluegel, Joe Pantoliano, and Dan Hedaya. It went on to earn more than $38 million at the US box office.
Then there is the soundtrack.
This was no collection of leftovers.
Rod Temperton played a major role in the project, with Temperton, Dick Rudolph, and legendary engineer Bruce Swedien producing the soundtrack album. Temperton also wrote several of its songs.
And look at the lineup.
Klymaxx.
Michael McDonald.
Ready For The World.
New Edition.
Patti LaBelle.
Kim Wilde.
Fee Waybill.
There is a lot happening on this record.
“Man Size Love” opens the soundtrack, and it was written by Rod Temperton, the man whose résumé includes Heatwave’s “Boogie Nights,” George Benson’s “Give Me The Night,” and, of course, Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” and “Thriller.”
So expectations are already pretty high.
Temperton produced “Man Size Love” with Dick Rudolph and Bruce Swedien, giving the record the kind of polished pop, R&B, and dance production you would expect from that team.
Big synthesizers.
A funky bass line.
Those unmistakable mid-’80s drums.
And Klymaxx coming at the song with plenty of attitude.
Subtle?
Not particularly.
But with a title like “Man Size Love,” subtle probably was not on the agenda.
Klymaxx were already enjoying a major breakthrough by this point. Their previous single, the ballad “I Miss You,” had climbed all the way to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Man Size Love” proved they could follow a big ballad with something completely different.
The single reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 43 on the R&B chart, and No. 18 on Billboard’s Dance Club chart. It also reached No. 55 in Canada.
Across the Atlantic, the single received another chance in early 1987 and reached No. 86 on the UK Singles Chart.
There was also an official promotional video for the song, giving Klymaxx plenty of visibility during the summer of 1986.
But, of course, we are here for the 12-inch.
And this one does not disappoint.
The US 12-inch takes “Man Size Love” far beyond the soundtrack version, with an Extended Remix and Instrumental on one side before things become considerably more adventurous with the Man Size Mix and Son Of Man Size Mix.
Whoever named these mixes understood the assignment.
The Man Size Mix stretches the track to nearly nine minutes, while the Son Of Man Size Mix gives us another alternate treatment. Louil Silas Jr. was involved with the extended remix work, with Taavi Mote engineering the remix.
Once again, the 12-inch becomes more than simply a longer version of the hit.
The rhythm gets pulled apart.
Vocals move in and out.
Percussion gets extra room.
Little pieces of Rod Temperton’s arrangement that pass quickly in the regular version suddenly get their own moment.
This is exactly why I love these records.
The soundtrack gives you the song.
The 12-inch lets you climb inside it.
“Man Size Love” was later included on Klymaxx’s self-titled 1986 album, but its original identity remains strongly connected to Running Scared.
And it was not the only hit the movie produced.
Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, while New Edition’s “Once In A Lifetime Groove” became a Top 10 R&B and Dance hit.
For a buddy-cop comedy, Running Scared certainly knew how to fill a dance floor.
So here we are.
Four weeks.
Dozens of movies, singers, remixes, dubs, bonus beats, gophers, summer schools, and more 12-inch vinyl than any sensible person should probably own.
And now only one entry remains.
But before we roll the final reel tomorrow…
Klymaxx has one request.
No small love.
No medium love.
Today…
we’re going Man Size.
SIDE A:
Man Size Love (Extended Remix) 4:43
Engineer [Remix] – Bruce Swedien
Man Size Love (Instrumental) 4:39
Engineer [Remix] – Bruce Swedien
SIDE B:
Man Size Love (Man Size Mix) 8:41
Engineer [Remix] – Taavi Mote
Remix – Louil Silas Jr.
Man Size Love (Son Of Man Size Mix) 6:47
Engineer [Remix] – Taavi Mote
Remix – Louil Silas Jr.
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
| “Man Size Love” Chart Performance 1986 | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 55 |
| UK Singles Chart | 86 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot Black Singles | 43 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance/Disco | 18 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – MCA-23642
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: Jul 1986
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: Synth-pop, Electro
CREDITS:
- Arranged By [Horns] – Larry Williams
- Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By, Remix – Bruce Swedien
- Producer, Remix – Dick Rudolph*
- Producer, Written-By, Arranged By, Arranged By [Horns], Remix – Rod Temperton
NOTES:
Theme from the Motion Picture, “Running Scared”
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (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
PLEASE READ
There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other
**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!
Password: burningtheground
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Thank you Paul for one more great job done! Running Scared movie is one of my favourites with a great soundtrack, I like all the songs which are in excellent sound quality and style of my preference. Just for the record, the mastering process was done using the newest and expensive Japanese mastering Mitsubishi X-850 digital 32-track reel to reel tape recorder, which was delivering excellent results.I love great mastered vinyl!
Mitsubishi X-850 digital 32-track reel to reel tape recorderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az3jhXlqZgU
Thank you, Paul. Eight fabulous ladies are having a Meeting in the “Ladies of the 80s” Room. They had some fantastic songs-always a bit too “poppy” for my taste, but definitely worth a listen. And once again, a film I haven’t seen. I don’t know if I have the energy to go back and watch all these movies now. I rather doubt it 😉
Thank you so much, Toxicaudio! “Eight fabulous ladies having a meeting in the Ladies of the 80s room” gave me a laugh. I like that image.
Klymaxx definitely leaned toward the poppier side of R&B and dance, but they knew how to make a record with hooks, and “Man Size Love” is a good example of that.
And I completely understand about the movies. At this point, this series may have accidentally assigned everyone several weeks of homework. You are officially excused from catching up on all of them.
The music can do the heavy lifting.
Thank you again!
File this under the rare “Songs I Know & Like But Forgot Exist”. Even worse, I think my brain merged it with NO FRILLS LOVE and eventually forgot MAN SIZE LOVE! 🙂
Thank you so much, Richard! “Songs I Know & Like But Forgot Exist” could probably be an entire category on Burning The Ground. And I can absolutely understand your brain somehow filing “Man Size Love” together with “No Frills Love.” Sometimes after forty years, titles, hooks, and memories start sharing the same little folder in our heads. That is one of my favorite things about doing this series. A record appears and suddenly you think, “Wait… I know this!” Then all those old musical memories start waking up again . Glad I could rescue “Man Size Love” from the forgotten-files… Read more »
Can’t talk long, I am busy climbing inside this 12″! This is one of those breezy, poppy, almost bubblegummy fun songs that you can just throw on and enjoy. I always thought it was unexpected that the soundtrack for Running Scared was stacked with so many great artists! Sweet Freedom was the big hit, but Man Size Love got top billing as the first track on the album – take that Michael McDonald!! The extended mix doesn’t really reinvent much, but then you hit the Man Size Mix which does spice things up a bit and really is more of… Read more »
Thank you so much, JP! “Busy climbing inside this 12-inch” made me laugh. I agree, “Man Size Love” is one of those records that does not need to be complicated. It is bright, catchy, a little over-the-top, and just plain fun. And yes, putting it first on the Running Scared soundtrack definitely gave Klymaxx bragging rights over Michael McDonald for at least one side of vinyl. The Man Size Mix is where things get a little more adventurous, and your “extends the man size love to full length” line may be the best description of it yet. And now you… Read more »
Written/produced by Rod Temperton, the guy who co-wrote “Thriller”, “Off The Wall” and “Rock With You” …. can’t go wrong with that. Thank you for another superb selection!
Indeed! I’ll add it to my Rod Temperton Playlist in iTunes — yes, really.
Thank you so much, Axel F80! Rod Temperton’s name on a record is definitely a pretty good sign that you are in safe hands.
His résumé is incredible, and what I love about “Man Size Love” is that you can still hear that gift for melody, rhythm, and big polished hooks even though the song is far removed from something like “Rock With You” or “Thriller.”
He had a real knack for writing songs that sounded instantly familiar without feeling ordinary.
I’m glad you enjoyed this one. Thank you again!
Man Size! King Size! Big Size!! Forgive me for going there, but with a title like this by a group called, Klymaxx, I really couldn’t resist! This is a massive 12-inch, Paul, ready to fill up our “aural openings” and like you said in your terrific song description, the 12-inch “lets you climb inside it.” I’ve never heard these mixes before but I’m already moist and excited! I really love Klymaxx for all their songs, but this one in particular sounds amazing with your descriptions! Thank you, Paul, for all these female oriented songs these past weeks. It’s been a… Read more »
Thank you so much, Jeff! With a title like “Man Size Love” and a group called Klymaxx, I knew this one was going to invite a few creative comments. What really sold me on the record, though, is how much personality the 12-inch mixes have. The Man Size Mix in particular gives the track more room to stretch out and lets you hear even more of that polished Rod Temperton production underneath. I’m glad you have enjoyed all of these female soundtrack selections over the past few weeks. It has been a lot of fun digging through the collection and… Read more »
Pure fun! and I really love the instrumental! thanks!
Thank you so much, Raymond! “Pure fun” is exactly how I hear this one too.
And I’m with you on the instrumental. Stripping away the lead vocal really lets that Rod Temperton production shine, especially all the little rhythmic and keyboard details underneath.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again!
My favorite Klymaxx song!
Mine too!
This soundtrack was excellent… er, still is excellent! I need to dig my copy up!
“The soundtrack gives you the song.
The 12-inch lets you climb inside it.”
Enough said!!!!
Thx!
Thank you so much, ING! I like that correction. The Running Scared soundtrack was excellent, and it still is. Definitely dig that copy out. There is a lot more on there than just “Sweet Freedom,” and revisiting it after all these years is a reminder of how stacked some of those 80s soundtracks really were. And I’m glad that line connected with you. That is exactly how I feel about so many of these records. The soundtrack gives you the familiar version, but the 12-inch often opens the door and lets you hear what was hiding underneath. Enough said indeed!… Read more »