BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984
NEW 2020 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!
Originally posted May 11, 2010
“Wouldn’t It Be Good” is a song by English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw. It was released one month prior to his debut studio album Human Racing. The release was Kershaw’s second single and features the non-album track “Monkey Business” as the B-side.
“Wouldn’t It Be Good” was the second single from Kershaw’s debut solo album Human Racing and turned out to be among his more popular single releases. It spent three weeks at #4 in the UK charts and became a hit throughout Europe, as well as a top 10 hit in Canada and Australia. Kershaw is also most closely associated with this song in the U.S., where it narrowly missed going Top 40. Kershaw performed this song at Live Aid in London’s Wembley Stadium in July 1985.
Kershaw’s first single from this album had failed to be a major hit, and it was on the strength of this recording’s success that the earlier single, “I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, was promoted for a re-release. This time the single went all the way to #2 in the UK, becoming his highest-charting single there to date but not the most known.
SIDE A:
Wouldn’t It Be Good (Special Extended Mix) 6:40
SIDE B:
Monkey Business 3:28
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Wouldn’t It Be Good | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #46 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – 259 605-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Europe
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Photography By – Iain McKell
Producer – Peter Collins
Written-By – Nik Kershaw
NOTES:
Taken from the album “Human Racing”
Made in Germany by WEA Musik GmbH
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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Wouldn’t it be good if we could live without a head. 😉
I’m going to check it out I have another version.
MANY many thanks to you ! I was waiting for this one 🙂
Hi Paul, i still got this track the Originally posted 2010 Mp3 ,should i update ? Thanks
Hi Nick, of course, you should update 🙂
https://www.discogs.com/es/Tami-Show-Shes-Only-Twenty/master/347514
Thank you for your excellent contributions if you can this song – Tami Show – She’s Only Twenty
It great to see such an amazing and classic track reintroduced to everyone!
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Fluffy 🙂
Thanks Paul. Can I point out that creating that sleeve with two Niks in 1984 would have been a freaking nightmare! Would take 30 seconds in Photoshop now.
BTW, on a side note Paul, have you seen JT has been doing videos on Instagram about the evolution of early Duran basslines? He’s doing Rio today, with an interview in about 40 minutes time. xx
I imagine that cover was not easy to do in ’84. I have seen the John Taylor videos they are amazing! I saw an interview with Nick Rhodes and he said that John Taylor had COVID-19 but has recovered from it thabkfully.
The effect is quite easy to do optically using a double exposure. The Curtis Combo was a cheap filter available in the ’80s that could do that and more.
A fantastic singer-songwriter, Mr Nicholas David Kershaw. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I saw Nik live last year. It was really amazing. His voice was just awesome and I kicked myself for not having seen him live before that evening in May in a small Duesseldorf theatre. I do not agree with Stefano saying that “WIBG” is Nik´s best song ever, though. His albums contain so many wonderful diamonds of music and his b-sides are mostly great, as well. I love “Monkey Business” as well as “Dark Glasses” (from “Sun Go Down”) or “She Cries” and… Read more »
I love the blathering Song And Dance I really enjoy your knowledge. The two Nik singles you mentioned have always been the hardest one’s for me to find but I am still looking 🙂
Is this the first edition mix of “I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down”? https://www.discogs.com/Nik-Kershaw-I-Wont-Let-The-Sun-Go-Down-Extended-Dance-Mix/release/952994
Yes, it is, Paul. I almost got hold of it only two weeks ago but the English seller was not prepared to send to Germany. So he threw it away for ridiculous 5$. I offered 25 plus postage, but no. Unbelievable.
It certainly is! I’m a big fan and I’m proud to have this rarity in my collection. Yet ‘James Cagney’ 12inch is very likely rarer.
As a piece of vinyl it may be rare, but isn’t the James Cagney 12″ extended version actually just the album mix?
Hello! Yes you are correct! It is the album version.
One of my all-time favourites. I have beautiful memories when listening to this song. Like Stefano I also love the extended outro of the 12″ mix. Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome , Daniel 🙂
Thanks Paul. I also liked The Riddle and Radio Musicola.
You’re welcome, Omar 🙂
Good feelings always accompany me whenever there’s Nik Kershaw music around. I always remember the music video as it was one of the first vvideos I had ever seen. Thanks for all these nostalgic memories Paul. I really appreciate you.
Jeff
You’re welcome, Jeff 🙂
So earlier this week we get Go West, and now it’s Nik Kershaw.
You’re spoiling us, Paul 🙂
I am happy to do it, Steven 🙂
What a great 12 inch this one is. The best song Nik Kershaw ever wrote and recorded in my opinion. Specially like the extended outro compared to the album version. Well worth checking this out if you don’t know or recall the single.
This song is his most well known in America I think this was his only charting single here which is a shame.