Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra – Xanadu (Europe 12″) (1980)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Today’s Pride Month feature transports us straight to a fantasy realm of disco lights, roller skates, and synth-drenched euphoria—“Xanadu” by Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra, the unforgettable title track from the 1980 cult musical film Xanadu.

I’m spotlighting the European 12” single, which includes the album version of “Xanadu” backed with “Fool Country,” a track featured in the film but not included on the official soundtrack. As a special treat, I’ve also added a bonus remix: the “Re-Glittered Mix” by Steve Anderson of DMC fame—a Pride-ready version that’s pure sparkle and spectacle.

🪩 Chart Success
“Xanadu” became a massive international hit. In the UK, it soared to #1 on the Singles Chart—making it ELO’s only UK #1 hit. In the U.S., it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning both Olivia and ELO another top 10 pop smash. The song’s jubilant fusion of Jeff Lynne’s symphonic rock production with Olivia’s airy, crystalline vocals captured the hearts of both disco and pop fans alike.

🎶 Soundtrack Anniversary
Here’s something special: the Xanadu soundtrack turns 45 years old today! Released in the U.S. June 1980, the album has become a cult classic—featuring side A by Olivia Newton-John and side B by ELO. While the film itself polarized critics, the music became a beloved part of pop culture, especially within LGBTQ+ communities who embraced its theatricality, glam, and fantasy.

🌈 A Legendary Mardi Gras Performance
Another magical Pride moment: In 2008, Olivia performed “Xanadu” live at Sydney’s Mardi Gras, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the event. Wearing a dazzling disco sequin kimono, she took the stage at 4AM at the Royal Hall Of Industries before a crowd of over 18,000 fans—serving vocals, glam, and sheer joy. The remix she performed to? Yes, the very same Steve Anderson Re-Glittered Mix included here. The audience, as you’d expect, went wild.

Why “Xanadu” for Pride Month?
Because it’s joyful. It’s camp. It’s fantasy. And it’s a radiant reminder that escapism, glamour, and individuality are powerful tools of self-expression. Olivia Newton-John has always been a beloved icon in the LGBTQ+ community, and Xanadu is one of the glittering jewels in her crown.

This track is an open invitation to dream—to step out of the gray and into the neon. And during Pride, what could be more fitting?

🎶 “Now that I’m here, now that you’re near… in Xanadu.” 🎶

SIDE A:
Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra – Xanadu 3:30
Producer – Jeff Lynne
Written-By – Lynne*

SIDE B:
Olivia Newton-John – Fool Country 2:28
Producer – John Farrar
Written-By – Farrar*

BONUS REMIX:
Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra – Xanadu (Re-Glittered Mix) 10:30
Remix – Steve Anderson And His Merry Mirrorball Men*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	Xanadu	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#8
1980	Xanadu	U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	#2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Jet Records – JET 12.185, Jet Records – 12.185
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single, Stereo
Country: Europe
Released: 1980
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Disco

NOTES:
Made in Holland

Side A Taken from the soundtrack album “Xanadu”

Bonus Remix taken from DMC Hit Mixes 195

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: 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:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 26, 2025

Divine – I’m So Beautiful (Germany 12″) (1984)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

“Out, out tonight — feel like going out in the night…”

Today’s Pride Month feature cranks the glitter to eleven with a high-energy, high-attitude anthem from one of the most iconic figures in drag and queer music history: Divine. Released in 1984, “I’m So Beautiful” is more than a Hi-NRG dancefloor stomper—it’s a declaration of radical self-love, delivered with all the camp, charisma, and defiance only Divine could muster.

Produced by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken before their rise as part of the Stock Aitken Waterman powerhouse, the track is pure mid-‘80s disco magic. Pulsing synths, fierce basslines, and Divine’s unmistakable, commanding vocals all collide to form a club anthem that oozes confidence from every beat.

✨ Lyrically Loud and Proud
From the moment Divine struts onto the track, she sets the tone:

“Out, out tonight / Feel like going out in the night
I’m gonna walk the street, walk the street
I wanna feel the heat, feel the heat
There ain’t nobody better than me / Can’t you see? Look at me!”

It’s a celebration of showing up, showing off, and not giving a damn what anyone thinks. It’s about seizing the spotlight, whether you’re dancing in a club or just walking down the street like it’s your runway.

And the chorus? It’s an eternal mood:

“I’m so beautiful / You’ve gotta believe that I am beautiful
I’m so beautiful, can’t you see? Look at me!”

This isn’t just camp. It’s empowerment. It’s freedom. It’s a disco-soaked act of self-affirmation at a time when drag queens and queer people were rarely seen—let alone celebrated.

👑 A Pride Anthem for the Ages
Divine was never just a performer—she was a force. A pioneer of gender rebellion, a star of John Waters’ underground cinema, and a drag icon who brought punk edge to disco elegance. “I’m So Beautiful” exemplifies everything that made her a legend: humor, heart, and a refusal to play by anyone else’s rules.

This song is a mirrorball manifesto, telling every outsider, every queer kid, every fabulous misfit: You are beautiful. Own it. Live it. Shine.

💖 So Turn It Up…
“Everybody’s welcome to this point of view / We’re all beautiful, can’t you see?”

Happy Pride, and remember: beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder—it’s in the boldness to be exactly who you are.

SIDE A:
I’m So Beautiful (Mix) 7:55
Mixed By – Barry Evangeli
Written-By – M. Stock/M. Aitken*

SIDE B:
I’m So Beautiful (Divine Mix) 4:42
Written-By – M. Stock/M. Aitken*

Show Me Around 3:20
Written-By – The Toy Shop

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Proto (2) – 120·07·117, Bellaphon – 120·07·117
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Stereo
Country: Germany
Released: Oct 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG

CREDITS:

Artwork [Hair, Make-up] – Van Smith
Directed By – Matt Aitken, Mike Stock
Lacquer Cut By – SST (8)
Management – Bernard Jay Management Inc., New York*
Photography By [Photos] – Greg Gorman
Producer – Barry Evangeli, Pete Waterman

NOTES:
Manufactured and Distributed by Bellaphon Germany

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 25, 2025

Malcolm McLaren And The House Of McLaren – Deep In Vogue (UK 12″) (1990)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Today’s Pride Month post dives into one of the boldest pre-mainstream celebrations of ballroom culture: Deep in Vogue by Malcolm McLaren and the House of McLaren. Released in 1989—before Madonna brought voguing to the masses—this track was a cultural time capsule and a tribute to the underground scene that shaped a generation of queer identity, dance, and fashion.

Malcolm McLaren, best known as the former manager of the Sex Pistols, was no stranger to subculture. With Deep in Vogue, he turned his fascination to New York’s ballroom scene—specifically the voguing houses that thrived in Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ communities. Collaborating with Mark Moore (of S’Express) and William Orbit, McLaren sampled raw audio from Paris Is Burning (prior to its theatrical release), as well as original beats, house grooves, and runway-ready attitude.

This wasn’t just music—it was documentation.

The single features the fierce chant: “Strike a pose! Strike a pose!” long before those words became iconic. It features contributions from members of the House of McLaren, and it’s steeped in the language, style, and pageantry of ballroom culture. Unlike the glossy pop of Madonna’s “Vogue” the following year, this record feels gritty, real, and reverent—a beat-driven love letter to the creativity and resilience of LGBTQ+ communities who carved out safe spaces in a hostile world.

This 12″ helped usher voguing into the mainstream without stripping away its defiance. It’s a celebration from the underground rather than about it. A song that not only embraces Pride, but helps define it through self-expression, movement, and the refusal to apologize.

For anyone passionate about queer history, dancefloor evolution, or the intersections of activism and art, Deep in Vogue remains essential listening. It’s more than a house track—it’s a mirrorball manifesto.

The song’s music video features none other than Willie Ninja, the legendary godfather of voguing, whose style, grace, and competitive fire helped define an era. His presence in this video is not just fierce—it’s foundational. Willie helped bring ballroom to the world stage, and his legacy continues to inspire dancers, artists, and activists today.

Tragically, like so many icons from this period, Willie Ninja was lost to AIDS-related complications in 2006. His story, and that of countless other queer talents of color, is a heartbreaking reminder of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic devastated an entire generation of artists, thinkers, and performers. Deep in Vogue doesn’t just celebrate a culture—it preserves it, and the people who made it unforgettable.

💿✨ Celebrate Pride. Celebrate expression. Celebrate the ballroom.

SIDE A:
Deep In Vogue (Banjie Realness) 9:04
Producer – David Lebolt, Malcolm McLaren, Phil Ramone
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Mark Moore, William Orbit

SIDE B:
All Night Long 4:55
Producer – Malcolm McLaren

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – WALTZ T6
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1990
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Producer – Malcolm McLaren (tracks: A)
Remix – Mark Moore (tracks: A), William Orbit (tracks: A)

NOTES:
Made in the U.K.
From the LP “WALTZ DARLING”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 23, 2025

Quarterflash – Walking On Ice (Remix) (US 12″ Promo) (1985)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

🌈 Pride Month – Off the Beaten Path 🌈

Every June, I like to mix things up a bit — blending the obvious Pride floor-fillers with songs that carry an emotional weight, or simply capture the spirit of resilience, intensity, and passion that defines so much of the LGBTQ+ experience. Today’s post is one of those unconventional choices.

This is the 1985 single remix of Quarterflash’s “Walking on Ice,” taken from their third studio album, Back Into Blue.

Released on Geffen Records, this version was featured on both the 7″ single and a rare US 12″ promo sent to radio stations. The remix is subtle yet effective, smoothing out the original album version and giving it a more polished, radio-friendly edge without losing the moody tension that makes the song so compelling.

Quarterflash, fronted by the incredible Rindy Ross, were known for their fusion of rock, pop, and that unmistakable saxophone. While they’re most associated with early hits like “Harden My Heart,” it’s songs like “Walking on Ice” that reveal their darker, more emotionally complex side.

“I walk on ice, I play with fire / For loving you, baby, I’d dance on wire…”

The lyrics paint a picture of love as risk, as danger — a balancing act that many LGBTQ+ listeners, especially those who came of age in the ’80s, will recognize all too well—loving boldly, despite fear. Risking it all to be true to yourself. These are Pride themes, even if they come wrapped in a rock ballad rather than a club banger.

🎧 This remix may not be flashy or well-known, but it has a place in the Pride Month soundtrack — a moment to reflect, to feel, and to remember that Pride isn’t just about celebration. It’s also about survival, truth, and heart.

SIDE A:
Walking On Ice (Remix) 3:46

SIDE B:
Walking On Ice (Remix) 3:46

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Geffen Records – PRO-A-2400
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock

CREDITS:

Producer – Steve Levine
Remix – Mike Shipley
Written-By – Marv Ross

NOTES:
Promotion Copy – Not For Sale

From the Quarterflash album “Back Into Blue”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.