Commodores – Animal Instinct (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

REQUEST

The Commodores made one final stab at regaining R&B glory when Lionel Richie and producer/arranger James Anthony Carmichael both left in the mid-’80s. J.D. Nicholas became their lead singer, and Dennis Lambert assumed production duties.

“Animal Instinct” was the second single released from the album Nightshift. Regarded as an out-of-the-ordinary track for the Commodores, “Animal Instinct,” featuring Orange on lead vocals, was released almost six months after the hit “Nightshift,” and petered out at #22 on the R&B charts, while only making it to #43 on the US pop charts and #74 in the UK.

SIDE A:
Animal Instinct (Club Mix / Dub Mix) 9:46
Remix – John Morales & Sergio Munzibai
Arranged By, Producer [Associate] – Peter Wolf (3)
Written-By – M. Page*

SIDE B:
Lightin’ Up The Night 4:05
Arranged By [Rhythm] – Jeff Lorber
Arranged By [Horn] – Jerry Hey
Written-By – D. Warren*, J. Lorber*

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

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Animal Instinct U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #43
1985 Animal Instinct U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #22
1985 Animal Instinct U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play #9

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Motown
Catalog#: 67211
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Producer – Dennis Lambert

NOTES:
Album version in “NIGHTSHIFT”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Grace Jones – Megamix (France 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1990

REQUEST

This 1990 ultra scarce Grace Jones Megamix was released only in France on Island Records as both a 7″ and 12″ promo single. Bothe the 7″ and 12″ include the 5:10 version of “Private Life” as the b-side. Instead of posting both singles seperately I have included the 7″ Version of the Megamix as a bonus track. The singles are both housed in a yellow and blue Island Records sleeve.

SIDE A:
MEGAMIX (9:15)
(A.1) La Vie En Rose
Written-By – Edith Piaf, Louiguy

(A.2) Pull Up To The Bumper
Written-By – Dana Mano*, Grace Jones, Koo Koo Baya*

(A.3) Slave To The Rhythm
Written-By – Woolley*, Darlow*, Lipson*, Horn*

(A.4) I’ve Seen That Face Before
Written-By – Written-By – A. Piazzolla*, B. Reynolds*, Wilkey*, N. Delon*

SIDE B:
Private Life 5:10
Written-By – C. Hynde*

MEGAMIX (7″ Version) (Bonus Track) 5:47
(B.2) La Vie En Rose
Written-By – Edith Piaf, Louiguy

B.3) Slave To The Rhythm
Written-By – Woolley*, Darlow*, Lipson*, Horn*

(B.3) Pull Up To The Bumper
Written-By – Dana Mano*, Grace Jones, Koo Koo Baya*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Island Records
Catalog#: 875 547-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Promo
Country: France
Released: 1990
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Disco

Find the 7″ and 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Bananarama – I Can’t Help It (Remix) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

REQUEST

“I Can’t Help It” is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It is included on their fourth studio album Wow! and was released as its third single except in the U.S., where it was the album’s second single (following “I Heard a Rumour”) and Australia, where it was the album’s fourth single (after “I Want You Back”). The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio.

The song is a disco-influenced pop tune similar to many hits produced by SAW during this time period

The single peaked at number twenty in the UK singles chart, #27 on the Australian ARIA chart (where it was released in August 1988 after I Want You Back), and just missed the top-forty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. A hit in nightclubs, “I Can’t Help It” climbed to number seven on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.

This is the final Bananarama single to feature Siobhan Fahey, who announced her departure shortly after its release.

The photos on the record sleeve were taken by famous American photographer Herb Ritts. The record sleeves for “I Can’t Help It” and “Love in the First Degree” were switched with each other for the UK and North American markets.

The song’s suggestive lyrics and music video further perpetuated Bananarama’s sensual visual image that the group began to incorporate with their previous album True Confessions.

The “I Can’t Help It” video featured muscle men dancing, colourful backdrops, and Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward in a milk bath filled with fruit and naked men. Siobhan Fahey, heavily pregnant at the time, also appears but was only shown on camera from the shoulders up. Music video directed by Andy Morahan.

SIDE A:
I Can’t Help It (The “Hammond” Version Excursion) 6:32

SIDE B:
Esctacy (Wild Style) 5:35

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1988 I Can’t Help It U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #47
1988 I Can’t Help It U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music\Club Play #7

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records
Catalog#: NANXR 15
Format: Vinyl, 12″
Country: UK
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Design [Sleeve Designed – Assisted] – Andrew Biscomb
Design [Sleeve Designed] – Peter Barrett (3)
Producer – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*
Remix – Pete Hammond

NOTES:
Special versions from the LP “WOW”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Patrick Cowley Featuring Sylvester – Do Ya Wanna Funk (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

REQUEST

Sylvester James (September 6, 1947 – December 16, 1988), better known as Sylvester, was an American disco and soul singer, and a gay drag performer. Sylvester was sometimes known as the “Queen of Disco,” although this moniker has also been bestowed on some of the women of the disco era (i.e. Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer). His most significant works are the songs “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, “Dance (Disco Heat)” (both 1978) and “Do You Wanna Funk” (1982).

Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 – November 12, 1982) was a disco and Hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist. He recorded in a style that has drawn comparisons to that of Giorgio Moroder and is often credited with pioneering electronic dance music.

Patrick Cowley met San Francisco-based musician Sylvester in the late 1970s. Sylvester had asked Cowley to join his studio band after hearing some of his early synthesizer recordings. In 1982 “Do You Wanna Funk” was released on the Megatone Records label and quickly entered the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart peaking at #4. In the UK “Do You Wanna Funk” entered the top 40 peaking at #32.

SIDE A:
Do Ya Wanna Funk 6:50

SIDE B:
Do Ya Wanna Funk (Instrumental Version) 6:50
Do Ya Wanna Funk (Radio Version) 3:29

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint (Company Sleeve)

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Do You Wanna Funk U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play #4

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Megatone Records
Catalog#: MT 102
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi-NRG, Disco
Credits: Arranged By [Vocals], Vocals, Lyrics By – Sylvester
Artwork By [Lithography] – David Willers
Artwork By [Logo & Graphics] – Jim Saunders
Producer [Associate] – Marty Blecman
Producer, Music By – Patrick Cowley

Find The 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 20
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi