Merry Christmas!

The Christmas season comes but once a year, a time to fill your hearts with love and cheer. I wish for all of you these two things, along with all the blessings a Christmas day can bring. Thank you all so much for the love and support you have given to me and Burning The Ground for the last ten years. May your Christmas or however you celebrate be bright and your New Year even brighter.

Love & Light

-DjPaulT

Madonna – Holiday (US 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Holiday” is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eponymous debut album Madonna (1983). Sire Records released it as the album’s third single on September 7, 1983.

Written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens of Pure Energy, the track was offered to Madonna by her producer John “Jellybean” Benitez when she was looking for a potential hit track to include in her debut album. After accepting the song, she and Benitez worked on it and altered its composition by the addition of a piano solo performed by their friend, Fred Zarr.

“Holiday” features instrumentation from guitars, electronic handclaps, a cowbell, and a synthesized string arrangement, while its lyrics speak about the universal sentiment of taking a holiday. Universally acclaimed by critics, the song became Madonna’s first mainstream hit single in the United States, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became her first top-ten single in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

SIDE A:
Holiday (Edit) 4:05
Producer –John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Curtis Hudson, Lisa Stevens

SIDE B:
I Know It 3:44
Producer – Reggie Lucas
Written-By – Madonna

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1983 Holiday U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #16
1983 Holiday U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #25
1983 Holiday U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 7-29478
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

NOTES:
From the Sire Album “MADONNA”

Find the 7″ 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

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

Sheila E. – The Belle Of St. Mark (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“The Belle of St. Mark” is a song recorded by singer/percussionist Sheila E. The song was released in November 1984 in the United States and in the Netherlands, and in February 1985 in other markets. It peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in December 1984 and #68 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles Charts in 1985. It reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and New Zealand as well as the top 20 in Australia, the UK, and Ireland, and was an NME “Single of the Week”.

The song’s lyrics tell of an androgynous “frail but passionate creature”, referred to as “he” throughout, but called the feminine “Belle”. The song implies the Belle is French (viz. the lyrics, “His Paris hair, it blows in the warm Parisian air / That blows whenever his Paris hair is there”) but St. Mark is commonly known as a location in Venice, Italy, although it may be a reference to St Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery namesake of St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, Manhattan.

SIDE A:
The Belle Of St. Mark (Dance Remix) 7:40
Producer [Directed By] – Sheila E., The Starr * Company
Remix [Remixed By] – David Tickle

SIDE B:
Too Sexy 5:06
Producer [Produced By], Arranged By – Sheila E.

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1984 The Belle Of St. Mark U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #34
1984 The Belle Of St. Mark U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #68

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 0-20285, Warner Bros. Records ‎– 9 20285-0 A
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Funk

CREDITS:
Written-By – Sheila E.

NOTES:
Special version from the LP “In The Glamorous Life”

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

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

Simple Minds – Sanctify Yourself (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986


NEW 2019 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!
Originally posted January 9, 2012

“Sanctify Yourself” is a song released by Scottish rock band Simple Minds as the second single from their seventh studio album Once Upon a Time. The song reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

SIDE A:
Sanctify Yourself (Extended Mix) 7:10

SIDE B:
Sanctify Yourself (Dub) 6:10

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Sanctify Yourself U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks #3
1986 Sanctify Yourself U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #14
1986 Sanctify Yourself U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play #24

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin– SM 1-12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 20 Jan 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Mixed By – Bob Clearmountain, Jay Burnett
Mixed By [Assisted By] – Moira Marquis
Producer – Bob Clearmountain, Jimmy Iovine
Written-By – Simple Minds
Photography – Anton Corbijn

NOTES:
Original version appears on the album “Once Upon A Time”

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

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.