BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982
“Buffalo Gals” is a 1982 hip-hop single released by Malcolm McLaren and the World’s Famous Supreme Team, from McLaren’s 1983 album Duck Rock. The song is composed of extensive scratching with calls from square dancing. The music video prominently features the Rock Steady Crew.
While in New York City looking for a support act for Bow Wow Wow, McLaren got the idea for the song when he went to an outdoor concert (known as a “Block Party”) by Afrika Bambaataa and Universal Zulu Nation. This is where he was exposed to Hip-Hop for the first time and discovered the scratching technique he would use on this song. Most of the scratching and the beat of the song were composed by Trevor Horn.
In the liner notes for Duck Rock, McLaren wrote that this track was “recorded with the World’s Famous Supreme Team and Zulu singers backing them up with the words ‘she’s looking like a hobo.’ The performance by the Supreme Team may require some explaining, but suffice to say they are DJs from New York City who have developed a technique using record players as instruments, replacing the power chord of the guitar with the needle of a gramophone, moving it manually backward and forwards across the surface of a record. We call it scratching.”
Charisma Records were not initially keen on releasing the song but releasing after a strong positive response to the first broadcast of the track by DJ Kid Jensen.
The single peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart and #33 on the US Billboard Dance Chart.
SIDE A:
Buffalo Gals (Scratch) 3:42
Performed By – Malcolm McLaren And The World’s Famous Supreme Team**
Written-By – Dudley*, McLaren*, Horn*
SIDE B:
Buffalo Gals 3:42
Performed By – Malcolm McLaren And The World’s Famous Supreme Team**
Written-By – Dudley*, McLaren*, Horn*
Buffalo Gals (Trad. Square) 3:41
Performed By – Malcolm McLaren
Written-By – McLaren*, Trad.*
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Buffalo Gals | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #33 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Charisma – MALC 12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: Electro, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Design – Nick Egan
Photography By – N. Matthews*, R. Beeche*
Producer – Trevor Horn
NOTES:
Mastered at TOWN HOUSE
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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Thank you so much for this Paul. I didn’t know what to expect from him but this is really great.
Thx Paul. I wonder what’s the difference between the first two tracks in this download, they seem the same to me. As fas as I can remember (I owned the Dutch 12″ once) the Scratch Version lengths about 4.20 minutes and starts with a DJ announcing The World Famous Supreme Team. Or is that (yet) another version?
Muito obrigado !!!
one of my absolute fav tracks thanks Paul
I’ve got a scratch that’s making me itch. I’m an ant! Classic lines. Never found out what a buffalo gal is. A gal who buffs a car down lo?
Hey Paul! This is awesome. The follow up to this jam was a track by World Famous Supreme Team, “Hey DJ”. I actually bought it on 45 when it was released. It was later sampled on a few other songs, including Honey by Mariah Carey. One of my all time faves, and it even samples Buffalo Gals. Any chance you could do your magic on a transfer of that one?
Hi guys, I was away for a couple of weeks and I find all these latest contributions Paul, and I was stunned, just thank you since I will be listening to good music in the middle of winter in these parts and in quarantine, thank you many but many, for sharing and allowing us to be encouraged, greetings to all
Hot Track! Please set post ROBORAP – COME ON
thank you for this! Track #3 is a treat!! 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂
Needs to be played to any Neneh Cherry fans out there who think Buffalo Stance was an original recording!
I remember the Top Of The Pops performance of Buffalo Gals. Such a fun track that was quite groundbreaking too.
Cheers Paul 🙂
Cheers! Marco 🙂
Oh Man, thank you Paul! I have always loved the “D’ya like scratchin'” LP, but never knew about this 12″ – thank you!
You’re welcome 🙂
Nicely done 👍 thanks Paul for this classic 80’s.
I used to listen to the supremteam when they were on WHBI back in the days.
Amazing, thanks again Paul.
You’re welcome 🙂
Wow – Anne Dudley got a writing credit?? I didn’t know she’d worked on this. Thanks Paul.
You’re welcome, Jermajesty. Good to see you btw 🙂
yep – this is one of the albums the ZTT team worked on before ZTT. It took me *way* too long to realise that “Buffalo Gals” contains no actual scratching – it’s a samples record, using a Fairlight as a sampler.
Hello Paul, I hope you are well in these times of social distance, thank you for this gem that contains the traditional square, the only one of its kind in the entire network, for more than 10 years you have been the only one who has published it. Thank you again.
track #3 is such a treat!!!
You’re welcome 🙂
Thank you Paul. I didn’t know about the traditional square version. This is so much fun and it really makes me feel good. Double dutch is also a feel good song and is my favorite by Mc Laren. I remember you posting the re-rip in the very first days when I discovered Burning the ground. Almost 5 years already… how time flies
Time really does fly 🙂
OMG Thank you so much Paul!
This was the first 7″ single I ever bought with my own money.
From a store called Mighty Music Machine in Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds.
It started my love affair with Malcolm McLaren.
Any chance you could do Madame Butterfly?
Thanks so much for everything you do xx
Yes I have that one hopefully I will get to it soon 🙂
“All that scratchin’ is making me itch!” I am so overjoyed that you posted this Paul! It was my first introduction to the turntable technique of scratching. I had never heard of such a thing before and I was immediately hooked. This gave me an interest and love for crazy DJ skills. It also made me love Malcolm McLaren and all he was responsible for. It was also an introduction to the Art Of Noise team behind the production. Paul, you’ve touched me posting this. So much of McLaren’s work needs to be re-introduced, re-valued and re-appreciated. He was… Read more »
Thank you, Jeff 🙂
Thanks!
You’re welcome 🙂
Thanks Paul. Please post more Mclaren stuff like Waltz Darling etc.
You’re welcome 🙂