BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983
Re-Rip Newly Remastered!
Originally I posted this one on September 21, 2011. But for those who may have missed it or if you are a new reader just discovering BTG. I decided to give this one a new rip with my newer Ortofon Super 30 stylus. This 12″ is also being posted in 24 bit flac for the very first time using the Ortofon Super OM 30 stylus!
“Mr. Roboto” is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and performed by the band Styx on their 1983 concept album Kilroy Was Here. In Canada, where they were always more popular than in their native U.S., it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart, becoming their third single to top the charts in that country (following “Babe” in 1979-80 and “The Best of Times” in 1981). In the U.S., it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the band their first notable hit there since “Too Much Time on My Hands” in 1981. Mr. Roboto is one of Styx’s most popular songs.
The song tells part of the story of Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (ROCK), in the rock opera Kilroy Was Here. The song is performed by Kilroy (as played by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung), a rock and roll performer who was placed in a futuristic prison for “rock and roll misfits” by the anti-rock-and-roll group the Majority for Musical Morality (MMM) and its founder Dr. Everett Righteous (played by guitarist James Young). The Roboto is a model of robot which does menial jobs in the prison. Kilroy escapes the prison by overpowering a Roboto prison guard and hiding inside its emptied-out metal shell. When Jonathan Chance finally meets Kilroy, at the very end of the song, Kilroy unmasks and says, I’m Kilroy! Kilroy!, ending the song.
The robot-like catchphrase was created with a vocoder. The song heavily features the Oberheim OB-Xa and PPG Wave synthesizers.
Stan Winston designed the Roboto costume and mask, which is displayed prominently on the cover of the album Kilroy Was Here. The track was released as the first single from the album at the last minute instead of “Don’t Let It End” at the request of A&M Records.
This US 12″ promo contains the “Edited Version” on both sides.
SIDE A:
Mr. Roboto (Edited Version) 4:44
SIDE B:
Mr. Roboto (Edited Version) 4:44
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Mint (generic)
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Mr. Roboto | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #3 |
| 1983 | Mr. Roboto | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | #3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records – SP-17224
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
CREDITS:
Written-By: Dennis DeYoung
NOTES:
Promotion Copy – Not For Sale
From the A&M album “KILROY WAS HERE”
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
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
Thanks for more memories Paul!
This song is so camp & ridiculous! But enjoyable. Sounds very “from a musical that never was” — like most of Army of Lovers (of whom I’m a huge fan!). THANK YOU.
Domo arigato Mr. Paul.
It’s about 2:00 am Saturday, but I saw in my email that you posted this Paul, and I was so excited. As I am with all your 12” restorations, but this song has great memories of riding in the car with the older kids who had a license since I didn’t have a license or a car yet in 1983. I would be a freshman in High School when I remember hearing this, and pop radio sure loved it too. Styx always had a sound that people who liked different musical styles could enjoy, I remember listening to entire albums… Read more »
Nice!!!
Dear friend Paul..Thank you for your good taste in music..I want to ask you if you can publish Remix Versions of RIGHT SAID FRED ..from already Thank you very much ..a big hug from Argentina..
Nice..
Thanks as always for the rip Paul 🙂
Thanks for this, Paul. I’ll have to check out the differences between versions of this song. I’ve never noticed that there were different edits.
Thanks Paul.
Always liked this track, although it never made the charts in the Netherlands. Still, I got my hands on the 7 inch single with the edited version. Great memories. I also have the instrumental version of this track. Very interesting to hear how it seems to be a completely different tune without the vocals.
Enjoy Stefano this 12″ promo sounds really good always loved this track. Have a nice weekend 🙂
And of course it’s ALWAYS nice to see another 12 inch come back to life on this blog. Hooray to re-rips!
Great weekend Paul.
I’m thrilled that another one of you old postings is brought back Paul. Thanks for working really, really hard on doing this and so many other things. I can only imagine what’s going on behind the scenes and what’s in store for Burning The Ground. I find it all so stimulating. I know, I do go on about you and your work, but I really want you to know that I feel what you’re doing matters so much to me and to others around the globe. You are so perfect!!
Have a nice weekend Paul
Jeff
I feel the same Jeff. Great work done by Paul, and so much appreciated.
Thank you guys your comments mean a great deal to me hope you have a great weekend 🙂