The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Never Can Say Goodbye” is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5 in 1971.

In 1987, British synth-pop band The Communards had a hit with a pop-dance cover of the Clifton Davis classic, which was featured on their second album, Red.

Their version reached number four in the UK Singles Chart, number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart in the U.S. The group had reached number one on those charts covering another 1970s classic, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, in 1986.

The Communards version was also featured in the episode “Father’s Day”, which was set in 1987, in the first series of the revived Doctor Who. It also could be heard in the final episode of Whites, featuring a dance number by Stephen Wight and recently as the signature tune to the British comedy series Vicious.

SIDE A:
Never Can Say Goodbye 11:14

SIDE B:
Never Can Say Goodbye (Dub Mix) 5:45
Never Can Say Goodbye (Instrumental) 5:42

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company)

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Never Can Say Goodbye	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#51
1988	Never Can Say Goodbye	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– L33-17469
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Remix – Shep Pettibone
Written-By – Clifton Davis

NOTES:
Promotion Only Not For Sale
For Mastermix Productions
Original version appears on the MCA LP “RED”
Recorded In England

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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 Removeal: 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 5, 2015

Robbie Nevil – Back On Holiday (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Back On Holiday” was the first single from American pop singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist Robbie Nevil’s second album “A Place Like This”. The single debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on December 11, 1988 peaking at #34, the single also reached #52 on the Billboard R&B chart.

SIDE A:
Back On Holiday (Ibiza Mix) 8:58
Back On Holiday (Dance Edit) 4:57

SIDE B:
Back On Holiday (Carribbean Mix) 7:14
Back On Holiday (Montego Bay Mix) 4:14

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Back On Holiday	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#34
1988	Back On Holiday	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#52

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI-Manhattan Records ‎– V-56108
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: RnB/Swing, House

CREDITS:
Engineer [Assistant] – Paul Logus
Engineer [Remix] – Hugo Dwyer
Guitar – Felicia Collins
Mixed By – Chris Porter
Percussion – Bashiri Johnson
Producer – Robbie Nevil
Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Synthesizer – Ed Terry

NOTES:
Original version appears on the LP “A PLACE LIKE THIS”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

December 31, 2014

Prince – Partyman (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas. Wishing all of you a healthy and happy 2015.

“Partyman” is a song by Prince from his 1989 Batman album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, “Batdance”. The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene in which the Joker and his minions gleefully deface the exhibits in the Gotham City Art Museum before meeting Vicki Vale.

The song became the only Batman single to perform better in the UK charts, where it peaked at number 14, as opposed to the U.S. (where it peaked at number 18). The upbeat and humorous number features horn samples and Prince’s sped-up “Camille” vocals, as well as a vocal performance by Anna Fantastic. The 12″ single extends the song to about six minutes in length (labeled as the “Video Mix”), and features the B-side “Feel U Up”, a previously unreleased Camille track which would later be available on The Hits/The B-Sides compilation.

“Feel U Up” was originally cut in 1981, but re-recorded in 1986 for the Camille album. Despite being intended for a totally different project, the horn arrangement and vocal style complement “Partyman” perfectly. The 12″ single also included a “Purple Party Mix”, which starts with a string of samples from Prince’s earlier hits and contains different lyrics. A track identified as a “music mix” is an instrumental of the “Purple Party Mix”.

The song’s accompanying music video, directed by Albert “Al” Magnoli, again presents Prince’s “Gemini” persona dressed in a “half-Joker” costume.

Owing to licensing problems, “Partyman”, like all of the Batman-era hits, has failed to appear on any Prince compilation album, barring the UK singles promoting The Hits/The B-Sides.

SIDE A:
The Purple Party Mix 6:02
Remix – Femi Jiya, Prince

Partyman Music Mix 4:31
Remix – Femi Jiya, Prince

SIDE B:
Partyman (The Video Mix) 6:14
Remix – Femi Jiya, Prince

Feel U Up (Short Stroke) 3:44

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Partyman	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#18
1989	Partyman	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#45
1989	Partyman	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#5

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 0-21370
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: House, Synth-pop, Funk

CREDITS:
Design – Tom Recchion
Producer, Arranged By, Composed By, Performer – Prince

NOTES:
Remixed 4 Paisley Park Productions.

Original version of “Partyman” available on the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Soundtrack album BATMAN, a Warner Bros. film.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

December 20, 2014

Howard Jones – A Personal Christmas And New Years Message (Japan 7″ Flexi Disc)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

Released as a special red vinyl flexi disc in Japan 1984 British pop singer Howard Jones sends out a special Christmas and New Years message to fans. This special flexi disc was was released to the Japanese fans only, and Howard talks about his love of Japan, the new album and tour.

As with most flexi discs they often don’t sound that great. This flexi disc was in very nice condition. I made every attempt to make it sound as good as possible. Merry Christmas!!

SIDE A:
A Personal Christmas And New Years Message 2:24

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: WEA ‎– PS-1024-1
Format: Flexi-disc, 7″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition, Red
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Non-Music, Stage & Screen
Style: Spoken Word

NOTES:
Limited Edition Red Vinyl Flexi disc in picture sleeve with Japanese text on reverse

Find The Flexi On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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

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