Martika – Martika’s Kitchen (Netherlands 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1991

“Martika’s Kitchen” is the second single and title track released from Martika’s 1991 album of the same name. The single was written and produced by Prince, but failed to be a success in America, peaking at number 93 on the US pop chart. The vibrant and colorful video helped the song be a bigger hit in the UK, where it reached number 17.

On the b-side the Prince-penned gospel song “Love… Thy Will Be Done” had previously been released as the album’s lead single and peaked at #10 US and #9 UK.

SIDE A:
Martika’s Kitchen (7″ Edit) 4:10

Martika’s Kitchen (Alt. Dub Version) 5:09
Producer [Additional] – Martika
Producer, Arranged By – Paisley Park
Remix – Bob Rosa
Written By – Prince

SIDE B:
Love… Thy Will Be Done (Prince Mix) 5:58
Producer, Arranged By, Remix – Paisley Park
Written By – Martika, Prince

Broken Heart 4:29
Producer, Arranged By – Frankie Blue, Les Pierce
Written By – Frankie Blue, Les Pierce, Martika

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1991	Martika’s Kitchen	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#93

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia ‎– 657568 8
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Netherlands
Released: 1991
Genre: Electronic, Pop, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

NOTES:
Titles taken from the LP “MARTIKA’S KITCHEN”
Made In Holland

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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

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
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

November 12, 2013

Cyndi Lauper – Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China) (Netherlands 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)” is a song recorded by pop singer Cyndi Lauper for her 1988 film Vibes. It was written by Richard Orange, formerly of the band Zider Zee.

Characterised by a frenetic, fast pace and soaring delivery of the title lyric, the song is considered by some fans a little-known underrated gem. The single was released in 1988 as a track from her first starring-role film, Vibes, co-starring Jeff Goldblum. The song failed to find an audience in all but Australia and New Zealand, where it reached the Top 10. The song is considered, among Lauper fans, a rarity.

Lauper was also getting ready to release an album later that year called “Kindred Spirit” but the release was canceled, most likely due to the backlash of this release. Later on when Lauper released the album, now titled A Night to Remember, the track was not included on most formats of the album. It was only included on the Japanese edition as a bonus track and on the Japanese edition of Twelve Deadly Cyns…and Then Some.

SIDE A:
Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China) 4:00

SIDE B:
Boy Blue (Live)** 5:37

Maybe He’ll Know (Special Version)** 3:42
Remix – Phil Thornally

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China)	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#54

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 652813 6
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Netherlands
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Design – Stacy Drummond
Engineer, Mixed By – Gary Lyons
Executive Producer – Dave Wolff
Photography – Annie Leibovitz
Producer – Cyndi Lauper, Lennie Petze
Written-By – C. Lauper* (tracks: B), R. Orange* (tracks: A), S.B. Lunt* (tracks: B)

NOTES:
From the Columbia Motion Picture “VIBES”
** Special versions taken from the LP “TRUE COLORS”

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

November 11, 2013

Paul Hardcastle – 19 (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

Today we honor every service member who has ever worn one of our nation’s uniforms. Happy Veterans Day (US).

“19” is a song by British musician Paul Hardcastle released as the first single from his self-titled third studio album Paul Hardcastle (1985).

The song has a strong anti-war message, focusing on America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on the soldiers who served. The track was notable for early use of sampled and processed speech, in particular a stutter effect used on the words “n-n-n-n-nineteen” and “d-d-d-d-destruction”. It also includes various non-speech samples such as crowd noise and a military bugle call.

“19” features sampled narration (by Peter Thomas), interview dialogue (“I wasn’t really sure what was going on”) and news reports from Vietnam Requiem, an ABC television documentary about the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by veterans. In 2009, the song placed at 73 on VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s.

“19” topped the charts in the UK for 5 weeks, and reached the top 20 in the US, where it also topped the dance chart. For a while, it was the top selling single in 13 countries (helped by the fact that versions of the song were recorded in French, Spanish, German and Japanese), and it received the Ivor Novello award for Best-selling single of 1985. The song’s English language release came in 3 different 12″ versions (“Extended Version”, “Destruction Mix” and “The Final Story”), each with an alternative cover design.

SIDE A:
19 (Extended Version) 5:11

SIDE B:
19 (Destruction Mix) 6:55
The Asylum (It’z Weird) 3:38

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	19	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#15
1985	19	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#1
1985	19	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#1
1985	19	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles	#8

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Chrysalis ‎– 4V9 42875
Format:Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro
Credits: Artwork [Cover Art], Design – Janet Perr
Management – Simon Fuller (2)
Producer – Paul Hardcastle
Written-By –J. McCord* (tracks: A, B1), P. Hardcastle*, W. Coutourie* (tracks: A, B1)

NOTES:
In World War Two The Average Age Of The Combat Soldier Was 26. In Vietnam He Was 19

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

November 7, 2013

Rick Astley – Together Forever (Super Dub Remix) (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Together Forever” 1988 Super Dub Remix mixed by Pete Hammond for PWL.

A very rare 12″ release from Crocodile Records in the USA, giving you the very hard to get SUPER DUB Remix of Rick’s US #11 hit single “Together Forever” and a MEGAMIX on the flip side including “Don’t Say Goodbye”, “Never Gonna Give You Up”, “Whenever You Need Somebody” & “Together Forever”.

TThe mastering on this record is pretty good considering it was released on an independant label. There is a bit of a drop out during the end fade of both tracks but it doesn’t really affect the enjoyment of the record.

SDE A:
Together Forever (Super Dub Remix) 6:15
Engineer – Mark McGuire
Mixed By – Pete Hammond
Written-By – Stock – Aitken – Waterman*

SIDE B:
R. A. Megamix 9:38
Ba Don’t Say Goodbye
Bb Never Gonna Give You Up
Bc Whenever You Need Somebody
Bd Together Forever

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

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Together Forever	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1988	Together Forever	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#2
1988	Together Forever	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Crocodile Records (2) ‎– STU-1873
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Euro House
Credits: Co-Producer – P. Harding And I. Curnow*
Producer – Stock Aitken Waterman*

NOTES:
B-side is a Rick Astley Megamix
Recorded & Mixed at PWL Studios 1 & 2

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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