Burning The Ground Exclusive

Remembering the late Peabo Bryson today with a bit of an overlooked soundtrack cut from 1983.

“D.C. Cab” was the title track from the Motion Picture Soundtrack D.C. Cab, the cult comedy directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Mr. T, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey, and Marsha Warfield. The soundtrack was a very 1983 affair, packed with R&B, pop, and dance names including Irene Cara, Shalamar, DeBarge, Stephanie Mills, Karen Kamon, and Giorgio Moroder.

Peabo Bryson’s contribution sits in a fun little corner of his catalog. Most listeners know him for those smooth, romantic ballads and his later Disney classics, but “D.C. Cab” gives us a different side of Peabo. This one has more street-level sparkle, more movie-theme energy, and a bright early ’80s R&B bounce that fits the film’s scrappy, oddball charm.

As the title track, “D.C. Cab” had the job of selling the attitude of the movie. It is not trying to be a grand ballad. It is not trying to pull tears from the balcony. Instead, it rolls along with that soundtrack polish, a little bit of grit, and Peabo’s unmistakable voice giving the whole thing more class than a film about a wild taxi company probably deserved.

Released as the fourth and final single from the soundtrack, “D.C. Cab” spent nine weeks on the Billboard Black Singles chart. In the February 11, 1984 issue of Billboard, the single reached its peak at #53.

It may not be one of Peabo Bryson’s best-known singles, but that is part of the fun. Soundtracks from this era often tucked away these little surprises, songs that lived between radio formats, movie marketing, and the clubs. “D.C. Cab” is one of those records. It captures a moment when movie soundtracks could be wonderfully strange, tossing together big voices, rising acts, disco veterans, and studio pros to create something that could only have happened in the early ’80s.

A music video was not released for this single.

Peabo Bryson left behind a huge legacy, from quiet storm favorites to pop duets that became part of music history. “D.C. Cab” may be a smaller stop on that ride, but it is still worth pulling over for.

SIDE A:
D. C. Cab (Remixed Version) 5:38

SIDE B:
D. C. Cab (Dub Version) 5:04

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – MCA-13988
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop, Rock
Style: Hi NRG, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

• Executive Producer – Ronny Vance
• Producer, Written-By – Larry John McNally, Richard Feldman, Rick Kelly

NOTES:
From the original Motion Picture Soundtrack “D.C. Cab”
An RKO-Universal Picture
“Peabo Bryson appears courtesy of Elektra / Asylum Records

Buy the 12” at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: 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

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