Xymox – Obsession (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

“Obsession” is the first single taken from the third full-length album Twist of Shadows by Dutch band Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox.

Released in March 1989 “Obsession” shot up to #16 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. By June 1989 it had also reached #12 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

SIDE A:
Obsession (Club Mix) 6:37
Obsession (Edit) 4:15

SIDE B:
Hitchikers‘ Dance Guide 4:51

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Obsession	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#12
1989	Obsession	U.S. Billboard Alternative Rock Tracks	#16

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Wing Records ‎– 871 707-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Management – Raymond Coffer Management*
Photography By – Richard McMillan
Producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Peter Walsh
Sleeve – Vaughan Oliver, v23
Written-By – A. Wolbert*, R. Moorings*

NOTES:
Mastered at Sterling.
Published by VOF XYMOX, Inc.
Printed in the U.S.A.

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
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7 TubeGold Pins
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
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: 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

January 26, 2018

Human League – Sound Of The Crowd (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981

“The Sound of the Crowd” is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It became the band’s commercial breakthrough, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1981.

Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Ian Burden, the song was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios, Reading, in March 1981. Originally released as a stand-alone single in April 1981, it was subsequently re-recorded and incorporated into the studio album Dare, later in the year.

“The Sound Of The Crowd” was the first Human League song to feature female vocals, from new band members Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, interacting with Philip Oakey’s baritone lead.

Apart from the catchy imperatives such as “Get in line now!” and “Get around town!”, the song contains some more obscure lyrics such as “Make a shroud pulling combs through a backwash frame” and “Stroke a pocket with a print of a laughing sound”. Discussing the song in a 2009 interview Ian Burden said:

On The Sound of the Crowd I scribbled down some stream-of-consciousness words so that I could demonstrate the vocal parts to him (Oakey) without having to do the naff la-la-la-hum-hum-hum type of explanation. He went off and wrote a new chorus vocal, but surprisingly kept my verse lyrics!

The single was the first to feature a distinctive, though short-lived, marketing tactic, where Human League singles were labeled ‘Red’ or ‘Blue’ to help buyers differentiate between the band’s musical styles. ‘Red’ was for dance tracks, ‘Blue’ for pop songs. “The Sound Of The Crowd” was designated ‘Red’. When asked to explain the system, vocalist Sulley explained that “Red is for posers, for Spandy (Spandau Ballet) types.” Oakey added: “Blue is for ABBA fans.”

The group first appeared on Top of the Pops to perform the song on 30 April 1981 when it was at no. 53 in the UK Singles Chart. The single entered the UK Top 40 a week later at no. 34 and after three weeks it reached its peak position of no. 12. A second Top of the Pops performance took place on 21 May 1981 when the single was at no. 15.

The original 7″ B side “The Sound of the Crowd (Add Your Voice)” is an instrumental remix of the A-side, an edit of which was later used as the closing track of the remix album Love and Dancing, issued in 1982 under the name of The League Unlimited Orchestra. A longer instrumental version of “The Sound of the Crowd” was featured on the B side to the 12″ release.

SIDE A:
The Sound Of The Crowd (Complete) 6:28

SIDE B:
The Sound Of The Crowd (Instrumental) 4:10

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin ‎– VS 416-12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 20 Apr 1981
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style:Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Mastered By [Disc Cut At Tape 1 By] – Denis Blackham
Photography By [Photographs By] – Adrian Wright*
Producer – Martin Rushent, The Human League
Written-By – Burden*, Oakey*

NOTES:
RED

“Still vocals and synthesizers only.”

Etched in A-side runout groove: A BILBO ELECTRONIC BOPPA!

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

January 25, 2018

Soft Cell – Bedsitter (Europe 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981

“Bedsitter” is a song by British synthpop duo Soft Cell, from the album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. Released as a single in October 1981, it reached no. 4 in the UK.

A song that explored the underbelly of the London club scene of the time, it has been described by critic Jon Savage as one of the greatest songs of the 1980s.

Early Morning Dance Side:
Bedsitter 7:52
Written-By – D. Ball*, M. Almond*

Late Night Listening Side:
Facility Girls 7:19
Written-By – Ball*, Almond*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Vertigo ‎– 6400 516, Vertigo ‎– 64 00 516
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Europe
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: New wave, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Artwork [Padded Cell] – Huw Feather
Other [Make Up] – Vivien P
Photography By – Peter Ashworth
Producer – Mike Thorne

NOTES:
German release under license from Some Bizarre.

Made in West Germany

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

January 23, 2018

Duran Duran – Careless Memories (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981

“Careless Memories” is the second single by Duran Duran, released on 20 April 1981.

The band’s debut single “Planet Earth” had been a Top 20 hit, so it was regarded as a major setback when “Careless Memories” stalled at No. 37 in the UK charts, particularly as it was to herald the June release of the debut album Duran Duran.

It has since come to light that the decision to release the single was not the bands but EMI’s. After its failure, executives decided to let Duran Duran choose their own single releases. The band’s first selection was “Girls on Film” and it duly became their first Top 5 hit in the UK.

The song “Khanada” (pronounced “keh-NAY-duh”) was included as the B-side to the single. It is reported to have been written for fashion designer Jane Kahn who owned, with partner Patti Bell, the Hurst Street shop Kahn & Bell where Duran Duran (and numerous other clubgoers of the day) shopped for clothes.

“Careless Memories” is one of three original-era singles that didn’t include a remix of the title track (although the fade-out on the 12″ is slightly longer), the other two being “Save A Prayer” and “A View to a Kill”. To compensate for this, EMI issued a bonus B-side on the 12″, a faithful cover of David Bowie’s “Fame”. However, the “Careless Memories” 12″ version fades out at 3:44 seconds, the 7″ version three seconds earlier at 3:41. The 7″ version is included in the “Singles Box Set 1981-1985” but runs to 3:44 as it includes three seconds of silence after the fade out. The album version has a cold end.

SIDE A:
Careless Memories 3:46
Written-By – Duran Duran

SIDE B:
Fame 3:18
Written-By – Alomar*, Bowie*, Lennon*

Khanada 3:27
Written-By – Duran Duran

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI ‎– 12EMI 5168, EMI ‎– 12 EMI 5168
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Photography By – Peter Ashworth
Producer – Colin Thurston

NOTES:
B2 styled with diacritics as “KHĀ̑NĀDĂ” on back sleeve and labels.

Assorted Images ®

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi