Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

“I Want Candy” is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that went to number 11 in the United States. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.

English new wave group Bow Wow Wow released their version as the first and only single from their EP The Last of the Mohicans. For many in America, “I Want Candy” was their first introduction to young lead singer Annabella Lwin and the band. The song barely scraped the Top 50, but became an enduring new wave classic. The song gave its name to the band’s 1982 release, I Want Candy, which was mainly a compilation, but included a couple of new cuts produced by Kenny Laguna (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts).

The popularity of Bow Wow Wow’s recording, highly associated with 1980s pop music, is partly due to the memorable video that got heavy play in the early days of MTV.

The Bow Wow Wow recording appeared on two VH1 countdowns:

No. 86 on VH1’s “100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s”
No. 8 on VH1’s “100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s”

The 12″ single release contains the longer “Remix” version.

SIDE A:
I Want Candy (Remix) 3:33
Written-By – Berns*, Feldman*, Goldstein*, Gottehrer*

SIDE B:
Cowboy 3:32
Written-By – Barbarossa*, Gorman*, Ashman*, Grillet*, Pietri*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	I Want Candy	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#62
1982	I Want Candy	U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	#22
1982	I Want Candy	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#36

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: RCA ‎– RCAT 238
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave

CREDITS:
Producer – Kenny Laguna

NOTES:
Side A is a Remix but not listed as such on sleeve or label

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: 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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

May 20, 2016

Van McCoy – The Hustle (Disco Mix) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1979

“The Hustle” is a disco song by songwriter/arranger Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony. It went to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts during the summer of 1975. It also peaked at number 9 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) and number 3 in the UK. It would eventually sell over one million copies and is one of the most popular songs of the disco era. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1976.

While in New York City to make an album, McCoy composed the song after his music partner, Charles Kipps, watched patrons do a dance known as “the Hustle” in the nightclub Adam’s Apple. The sessions were done at New York’s Media Sound studio with pianist McCoy, bassist Gordon Edwards, drummer Steve Gadd, keyboardist Richard Tee, guitarists Eric Gale and John Tropea, and orchestra leader Gene Orloff. Producer Hugo Peretti contracted piccolo player Philip Bodner to play the lead melody.

According to producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, who owned the Avco record label that originally released “The Hustle”, McCoy met with them shortly before his death in 1979 to discuss ideas for a new, longer version of the song, in order to appease Avco’s UK and German affiliates who were clamoring for a 12″ disco single release. The new version, clocking in at just under 6-and-a-half minutes, was assembled posthumously as a remix, using parts of the original recording plus new parts, including drum, Syndrum, and a “little” Moog synthesizer. It was credited to Van McCoy alone or with an unnamed orchestra, mixed by “The Mix Masters”, identity unknown.

The b-side “Love Is The Answer” is also an extended “Disco Mix” but not credited as such on sleeve.

SIDE A:
The Hustle (Disco Mix) 6:27

SIDE B:
Love Is The Answer (Disaco Mix) 8:12

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1976	The Hustle	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1976	The Hustle	U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: H & L Records ‎– 9198 436
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1979
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco

CREDITS:
Disco Mix By – The Mix Masters
Arranged By – Van McCoy
Conductor – Van McCoy

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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

May 18, 2016

Madhouse – 6 (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

Madhouse is a jazz fusion band from Minneapolis that was created by Prince.

“6” was the first and only single to be released from Madhouse’s first album 8. It was released one week before the album, marking the first official release of any kind by Madhouse.

The single also contained an edit and an extended version of Six, as well as a non-album track, Six And ½. As with the accompanying album, the single’s name is written numerically (6), while the title track is written in full (Six), although the extended version (6 (End Of The World Mix)) is written numerically.

The single failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles Chart, number 14 on the Billboard Crossover 30 Chart and number 24 on the 12-inch Singles Sales Chart.

SIDE A:
6 (End Of The World Mix) 6:12

SIDE B:
Six 3:37
Six And 1/2 2:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1987	6	U.S. Billboard Hot Black singles	#5

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Paisley Park ‎– 9 20608-0 A, Paisley Park ‎– 0-20608
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 14 Jan 1987
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style: Jazz-Funk, Funk

CREDITS:
Design – Laura LiPuma
Photography By – Richard Litt
Recorded By, Mixed By – Susan Rogers
Written-By – Madhouse

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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

May 17, 2016

Age Of Chance – Kiss (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Kiss” is a 1986 single originally recorded by Prince and The Revolution.

An industrial cover of the song was released in November 1986 by British alternative rock-dance crossover band Age of Chance. Bass player Geoff Taylor described it as: “We basically removed the sex and replaced it with lump hammers.”

The single reached No. 1 on the UK Indie Charts in late 1986. It spent 11 weeks on the mainstream pop charts in the United Kingdom, starting at 6 December 1986 and peaking at No. 50 in early 1987.

In New Zealand it charted for four weeks, peaking at No. 21.

In the United States, it spent six weeks on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart, peaking at No. 35 on 23 May 1987.

SIDE A:
Kiss (Vocal) 3:06
Written-By – Prince And The Revolution

SIDE B:
Kiss (Collision Cut) 4:11
Remix [Constructed By] – Crush Commander
Written-By – Prince And The Revolution

Crash Conscious 2:56
Written-By – Taylor*, Perry*, Howson*, Elvidge*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1987	Kiss	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#35

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin ‎– 0-96780
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Rock
Style: Industrial, Alternative Rock

CREDITS:
Artwork [Sleeve Made In] – The Designers Republic
Engineer – Robert Gordon
Producer – Age Of Chance

NOTES:
Recorded at FON Studios Sheffield 1986
Crush Commander appears courtesy of Riot Bibble
Tracks A & B1: Controversy Music (ASCAP)
Track B2: Fon Music/Age Of Chance 1986

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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