BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

Brand NEW 2019 transfer using a new piece of equipment the Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC which I purchased a couple of days ago. I am still evaluating the GT40a but so far I am very impressed. This piece of equipment has been around for a while and has great reviews and won some awards along the way. Full specs and pictures coming over the weekend.

Originally posted March 15, 2012

“If You Leave” is a 1986 song by the British synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980’s “Enola Gay”, the track has been described as the band’s signature song.

“If You Leave” is the group’s highest-charting single in the United States, where it reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand and charted at number 15 in Australia. A distinguishing track of the 1980s, it has had an enduring presence on radio.

The band wrote “If You Leave” after John Hughes decided to change the ending to Pretty in Pink after poor test audience reactions. Hughes had asked the band for a song for the new ending two days before they were due to begin a tour, and “If You Leave” was written and recorded in under 24 hours as a result. The song was deliberately written at a tempo of 120 BPM, to match the speed of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, which the dancers in the scene had initially danced to. Despite this, singer Andy McCluskey later noted that an editing error meant the dancing appears out of sync regardless. The original ending featured another OMD song, “Goddess of Love”, which was released on The Pacific Age later in 1986.

** Vinyl appears to be standard black, but is actually pressed on very dark brown, barely translucent vinyl, sometimes referred to as “audiophile” or “virgin” vinyl, possibly unstickered Quiex II pressing, which A&M often used in the 1980s.

SIDE A:
If You Leave (Extended Version) 6:00
Producer – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Tom Lord-Alge

SIDE B:
La Femme Accident (Remixed Version) 5:35
Producer – OMD*Recorded By [Re-recorded By] – OMD*, Tom Lord-Alge

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records ‎– SP-12176
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM, R
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design – Caz Hildebrand
Written-By – OMD*

NOTES:
“If You Leave” Original version appears on the Motion Picture Soundtrack “Pretty In Pink”
“La Femme Accident” Original version appears on the A&M album “Crush”

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, ocenaudio
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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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