Burning The Ground Exclusive 1983
RETURN OF THE JEDI 40th ANNIVERSARY
“Ewok Celebration”, known commonly as “Yub Nub”, is a 1983 song that appears in the end of the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi, during the celebration of the Ewoks on Endor with members of the Rebel Alliance after the destruction of the second Death Star. The song was replaced with a different orchestral piece in the 1997 special edition re-release.
In 1983, American record producer and musician Meco recorded a version of the song “Ewok Celebration” which reached No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
SIDE A:
Ewok Celebration (Club Version) 6:58
Lyrics By [Ewokese] – Ben Burtt
Lyrics By [Original English] – Joseph Williams
Rap – Duke Bootee
SIDE B:
Ewok Celebration (Dub Version) 4:36
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Ewok Celebration | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #60 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – AD 1 9053
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro
CREDITS:
- Producer – Lance Quinn, Meco Monardo, Tony Bongiovi
- Remix – John Morales & Sergio Munzibai
- Written-By – John Williams (4)
NOTES:
From the Motion Picture “RETURN OF THE JEDI”
An M&M Mix
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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Duke Botee laid down the rhymes (!). Even elecro/hip hop heads from back in the day will have missed this one. Talk about switching gears from Mesage II (Survival) in 82. At least Duke got back on track with his solo album and then his own Beauty and the Beat label. which featured many now classic 12″ releases, such as King Kut and Triple Threat. Let the DMX just keep rocking those sampled Art Of Noise drums on the alternate Oberheim EEPROM …
Very, very thanks!!!
I had never heard this version. It’s great.
Can you share Lapti Nek if you have it?
1983 remains one of my favorite years for music, and “Ewok Celebration” has always been one of the reasons for that! It was a novelty record, but it didn’t come across as one. Meco transformed the original John Williams film version into a bonafide pop song with a fantastic arrangement and spectacular production. The jungle rhythms, the pitched vocals of the “Ewoks”, the rap by Duke Bootee which also provided the “vehicle” for sound-effect snippets from the film…it could have all been a total cheese fest, but it’s not! Still love it every bit as much today! I didn’t discover… Read more »
Similar thought here… I discovered the promotional 12” at some point probably in the mid-90’s & picked it up more or less as a Star Wars collectible and of course I loved his take on the Star Wars theme. Cool to see the regular cover art!!!
Add this to the list of 12-inchers I didn’t know exist but am now thrilled! Thank you for this massive celebration of, in my humble opinion, the last great Star Wars movie and truly deserving of all the hype it received. And of course the care and attention you give each of your transfers!
You’re welcome, Retro Hound. I agree with you JEDI was the last great Star Wars film.
I was 12 when “Return Of The Jedi” came out and had been a huge fan since seeing “Star Wars” as one of my earliest filmgoing experiences in 1977. I can see how older fans at the time may have felt it was a bit childish, but to 12yr old me, it was absolute perfection. I loved the progression of the characters, the heightened humor and thought the “Ewoks” were friggin awesome!
I was a bit younger than you Fred. I agree, it was a great progression from Empire and the Ewoks, although cutesy, were nicely integrated into the action and story. Empire will always remain my favorite. Even then it resonated with its darker, romantic and more mature themes. But what a way to go out with Jedi!
This may be the first 12″ single I ever bought (and I still have it)! I was such a nerdy kid.
Being a nerdy kid is a good thing Olivande 🙂
Hola DJ Paul
Gracias por este maxi que me transporto a mi infancia y en aquel entonces solo eran 3 las peliculas de Star Wars y para mi este es el final mas emocionante donde puedes ver a un Anakin pasado al lado luminoso junto a su maestro Obi Wan y el master Joda celebrando con esta joya musical en el planeta endor junto a los Ewok sencillamente Magistral. Muchas gracias por compartir estos recuerdos Sr Paul.
De Nada Super Javi 🙂
I know Meco has done many Star Wars themes but I didn’t know about this 12″. Thanks very much for posting this Paul!
You’re welcome, Kevin 🙂
I thought this was bigger on the charts. I guess it was us at my college radio station that played it a lot! Go figure!! That, Meco! He really loved his Star Wars!!
Great production on this. It was certainly a novelty record, but there was thought and care behind it. I’m thrilled for this 12-inch version. We only had the 7-inch single. Thanks so much Paul for digging through the archives for this! We can now properly hear this record in superior fidelity! Thank you again Paul for your tireless work and devotion to past dance records!!!
Jeff
This a great remix I like the work John and Sergio did here an M&M Mix that I am sure would fill a dance floor then and now 🙂