Released in 1984, “Eighties” arrived during a period when Killing Joke were beginning to bring a little more melody into their dark, aggressive post-punk sound without losing any of the intensity that made them so distinctive.
The single actually predates the band’s 1985 album Night Time, where “Eighties” would later appear as the closing track. Released as a single in the spring of 1984, “Eighties” reached No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for five weeks. Despite becoming one of Killing Joke’s best-known recordings, the single does not appear to have charted on the major national singles charts outside the UK.
At the center of the record is that unforgettable guitar riff from Geordie Walker. Cold, repetitive and almost hypnotic, it locks in with Paul Raven’s bass and Paul Ferguson’s pounding drums while Jaz Coleman delivers the vocal with his usual sense of urgency. The result sits somewhere between post-punk, rock and dance music. Killing Joke could be brutal, but they also understood rhythm.
And then there is the connection that almost everyone eventually notices.
Listen to the opening guitar figure of “Eighties,” then listen to Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” The resemblance is hard to miss. It has become one of the most talked-about similarities in alternative rock history.
Of course, “Eighties” was already several years old before Nirvana arrived. Hearing it today is a reminder of just how much influence Killing Joke had on the alternative and industrial rock that followed.
For the 12-inch release, “Eighties” was given the full extended treatment with the 6:27 “Serious Dance Mix.” Rather than turning the song into something completely different, the longer version gives its relentless rhythm and guitar attack more room to breathe. The UK 12-inch also includes the original version and “The Coming Mix.”
The record was written by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Paul Raven and Geordie Walker. “Eighties” would eventually become one of Killing Joke’s most recognizable recordings, even though it was never a major chart hit.
That seems fitting. Killing Joke were never really about fitting comfortably alongside whatever else was on the radio. “Eighties” sounds tense, mechanical and strangely danceable all at once.
More than forty years later, that guitar riff still jumps out of the speakers immediately.
And once you hear it, you probably won’t forget it.
SIDE A: Eighties (Serious Dance Mix) 6:30
SIDE B: Eighties 3:52 Eighties (The Coming Mix) 3:54
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EG – EGOX16, EG – 821 224-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: Apr 1984
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Post-Punk, Synth-pop
NEW 2026 Transfer NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration
Hello again everyone!
It feels really good to finally be back at Burning The Ground.
What was originally supposed to be a short break for vacation turned into a much longer absence than I had planned. Shortly after we returned home, my partner’s father passed away unexpectedly. The past couple of weeks have been difficult for our family, and I simply needed some additional time away.
I want to thank everyone who continued to visit Burning The Ground while I was gone, and especially those of you who reached out and checked in. Your continued support of BTG means more to me than you probably realize.
When I started thinking about what record should be the first one back on the turntable, this one seemed almost too perfect.
“Hello Again.”
Sometimes the record chooses itself.
Longtime BTG readers may remember this 12″ from the early days of the site. I originally posted it on December 2, 2010, then returned to it with a new rip in June 2015. Eleven years later, I thought it was time to pull this record from the archive once again and give it a completely new transfer using my current setup.
“Hello Again” was released in 1984 as the fourth single from The Cars’ fifth studio album, “Heartbeat City.” Written and sung by Ric Ocasek, the track became the fourth Top 20 single from the album in the United States, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 8 on Billboard’s Dance Music/Club Play chart and No. 22 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
“Heartbeat City” was produced by The Cars along with Robert John “Mutt” Lange. For the 12″ release, “Hello Again” was handed over to legendary producer and remixer Arthur Baker. Andy Wallace and The Latin Rascals provided additional editing, while Chris Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge handled remix engineering.
The result is a nearly six-minute Extended Remix Version that takes the electronic side of the original even further. The German 12″ also includes the Dub Version, giving Arthur Baker and company even more room to play with the track’s rhythms, vocals, and electronic effects.
The B-side contains the shorter Single Version.
More than anything, though, the title of this record just felt right for today.
After vacation, loss, and some unexpected time away, I’m ready to get back to sharing the records we all love. I have plenty of vinyl waiting in the stacks and quite a few things planned for Burning The Ground in the weeks ahead.
So…
Hello again.
Turn it up, enjoy the music, and welcome back to Burning The Ground!
SIDE A: Hello Again (Extended Remix Version) 5:56 Hello Again (Dub Version) 6:12
SIDE B: Hello Again (Single Version) 3:47
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
Chart (1984)
Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
20
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock
22
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play
8
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Elektra – 966 929-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: New Wave, Pop Rock, Synth-pop
Extended mixes, dubs, instrumentals, bonus beats, promo pressings, gophers, summer schools, weird science, and more soundtrack trivia than any reasonable person probably needs.
And now the closing credits are about to roll.
For the final entry in Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition, I wanted something big.
Something legendary.
Something with enough energy to send us out properly.
So how about the Queen of Soul taking on the Rolling Stones?
Today’s selection is Aretha Franklin and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” recorded for the 1986 Whoopi Goldberg comedy of the same name.
That should do it.
Directed by Penny Marshall, Jumpin’ Jack Flash stars Whoopi Goldberg as Terry Doolittle, a computer operator at a New York bank who unexpectedly begins communicating with a British intelligence agent trapped behind the Iron Curtain.
Remember when computers were mysterious enough that Hollywood could make almost anything happen through one?
Apparently Weird Science was not the only movie taking advantage of that.
Terry becomes caught up in espionage, secret codes, assassins, and government agents while trying to help the mysterious man using the code name “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Naturally, the Rolling Stones song becomes part of the puzzle.
The Stones’ original recording is heard in the film, but when the closing credits arrive, the microphone is handed over to Aretha Franklin.
And Aretha does not exactly tiptoe into the room.
Her version of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was produced by none other than Keith Richards.
Yes, Keith Richards produced Aretha Franklin singing a Rolling Stones song.
The 1980s really could make some wonderful things happen.
Keith also plays guitar on the recording, joined by fellow Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The session included Randy Jackson on bass, Chuck Leavell on keyboards, Steve Jordan on drums, and Aretha herself on piano.
That is quite a band.
Steve Lillywhite engineered the session, adding yet another major name to an already impressive list of credits.
And then there is Aretha.
She does not attempt to imitate Mick Jagger.
Why would she?
She takes the song, plants both feet firmly on the ground, and turns it into an Aretha Franklin record.
There is gospel in it.
There is soul.
There is rock.
There is attitude.
And there is that voice.
Keith Richards gives the record plenty of grit, but Aretha takes complete ownership of the song.
The connection to the movie continued with the music video, which was directed by Penny Marshall and features Whoopi Goldberg alongside Aretha, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood.
Whoopi even gets pulled into the action with Aretha, making the video feel like a playful extension of the film rather than simply another promotional clip.
With Aretha Franklin, Whoopi Goldberg, and two Rolling Stones all sharing the screen, subtlety was clearly not the goal.
And thank goodness for that.
Interestingly, despite being recorded for Jumpin’ Jack Flash and playing over the film’s closing credits, Aretha’s version was not included on the original soundtrack album.
There is another one for the soundtrack-collector mystery file.
The song instead appeared on Aretha’s 1986 album Aretha and was released as a single by Arista.
It became another solid chart success for her, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 20 on Hot Black Singles, No. 33 on the Dance chart, and No. 36 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Yes.
Aretha Franklin on the Mainstream Rock chart.
I love that.
The single also charted internationally, including the UK, Germany, and Switzerland.
Then we get to the US 12-inch.
And this is where things become interesting for collectors.
The US promotional 12-inch was issued by Arista under catalog number AD1-9529, but there are two variations of the record circulating with the same catalog number.
Both sleeves list the Album Version among the tracks.
One pressing actually contains it.
Mine does not.
Even though the sleeve says it is there.
My copy contains four mixes of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” with the Album Version completely absent from the record itself.
You have to love vinyl collecting.
Sometimes even the record does not know what is on the record.
What my copy does give us is a terrific group of alternate mixes that take Aretha’s rock-and-soul performance into much more rhythmic territory.
Additional production and remix work was handled by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero, a team whose names will be very familiar to anyone who spent time reading the fine print on 1980s 12-inch singles.
The Street Mix pushes the rhythm forward and gives the track a tougher, more contemporary mid-’80s feel.
There is also a shorter Street Mix Radio Edit, bringing that same treatment into a more compact form.
Then we get the Master Dub Mix and Beat Dub Mix, where the record begins to come apart in all the ways we 12-inch collectors love.
Drums move forward.
Vocals appear and disappear.
Guitars, percussion, and little pieces of the arrangement suddenly have room to breathe.
Aretha Franklin.
Keith Richards.
And a dub mix.
That alone might explain why I have been doing this series for four weeks.
This record also seems like an appropriate place to finish because it represents so much of what Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition has been about.
A major artist doing something unexpected.
A song connected to a movie in a slightly unusual way.
A 12-inch with mixes that tell another part of the story.
And, in this case, even a pressing variation that can make two supposedly identical copies something quite different.
That is the fun of collecting these records.
You think you know the single.
Then you flip it over.
Read the label.
Compare the sleeve.
Listen closely.
And discover there is still another story hiding in the grooves.
When I began this series, I originally planned to do it for one week.
Then you wanted another.
And another.
And another.
So here we are four weeks later.
I want to thank everyone who followed along, downloaded the transfers, shared memories, corrected details, added stories, discovered records they had never heard before, or rediscovered something they had forgotten.
Your enthusiasm turned a one-week idea into something much bigger.
Tomorrow I begin a two-week vacation, and the turntable will be taking a little break along with me.
But this is not goodbye to Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition.
There are still plenty of records left.
And as we established earlier…
This is the ’80s.
Everything gets a sequel.
So someday, the ladies will return.
For now, though, the lights are coming up.
The theater is emptying.
The final record is spinning.
Four weeks.
Dozens of records.
One last blast from the soundtrack.
And who better to take us home than Aretha Franklin?
It’s all right now.
The closing credits are rolling.
And Jumpin’ Jack Flash is a gas, gas, gas.
SIDE A: Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Street Mix) 6:10
SIDE B: Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Street Mix-Radio Edit) 4:39 Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Master Dub Mix) 4:35 Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Beat Dub Mix) 4:11
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” Chart Performance (1986)
Peak Position
Germany Singles Chart
42
Netherlands Dutch Top 40
48
New Zealand Singles Chart
43
Sweden Singles Chart
14
Switzerland Singles Chart
19
UK Singles Chart
58
US Billboard Hot 100
21
US Billboard Hot Black Singles
20
US Billboard Dance
33
US Billboard Mainstream Rock
36
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – ADI-9529
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
And longtime readers of this series may be thinking, “Haven’t we been here before?”
Yes, we have.
Earlier in Ladies Of The 80’s: Soundtrack Edition, we visited the 1986 film Running Scared for Kim Wilde’s “Say You Really Want Me.”
Apparently one trip to Chicago was not enough.
For the second-to-last entry in the series, we return to the soundtrack for Klymaxx and “Man Size Love.”
Running Scared, directed by Peter Hyams, stars Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal as Chicago police detectives Ray Hughes and Danny Costanzo, two wisecracking partners who decide they have had enough of police work and plan to retire to Key West.
Naturally, there is one more case to finish first.
Because retirement in an ’80s buddy-cop movie is never that easy.
The film was released on June 27, 1986, and also stars Jimmy Smits, Steven Bauer, Darlanne Fluegel, Joe Pantoliano, and Dan Hedaya. It went on to earn more than $38 million at the US box office.
Then there is the soundtrack.
This was no collection of leftovers.
Rod Temperton played a major role in the project, with Temperton, Dick Rudolph, and legendary engineer Bruce Swedien producing the soundtrack album. Temperton also wrote several of its songs.
And look at the lineup.
Klymaxx.
Michael McDonald.
Ready For The World.
New Edition.
Patti LaBelle.
Kim Wilde.
Fee Waybill.
There is a lot happening on this record.
“Man Size Love” opens the soundtrack, and it was written by Rod Temperton, the man whose résumé includes Heatwave’s “Boogie Nights,” George Benson’s “Give Me The Night,” and, of course, Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” and “Thriller.”
So expectations are already pretty high.
Temperton produced “Man Size Love” with Dick Rudolph and Bruce Swedien, giving the record the kind of polished pop, R&B, and dance production you would expect from that team.
Big synthesizers.
A funky bass line.
Those unmistakable mid-’80s drums.
And Klymaxx coming at the song with plenty of attitude.
Subtle?
Not particularly.
But with a title like “Man Size Love,” subtle probably was not on the agenda.
Klymaxx were already enjoying a major breakthrough by this point. Their previous single, the ballad “I Miss You,” had climbed all the way to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Man Size Love” proved they could follow a big ballad with something completely different.
The single reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 43 on the R&B chart, and No. 18 on Billboard’s Dance Club chart. It also reached No. 55 in Canada.
Across the Atlantic, the single received another chance in early 1987 and reached No. 86 on the UK Singles Chart.
There was also an official promotional video for the song, giving Klymaxx plenty of visibility during the summer of 1986.
But, of course, we are here for the 12-inch.
And this one does not disappoint.
The US 12-inch takes “Man Size Love” far beyond the soundtrack version, with an Extended Remix and Instrumental on one side before things become considerably more adventurous with the Man Size Mix and Son Of Man Size Mix.
Whoever named these mixes understood the assignment.
The Man Size Mix stretches the track to nearly nine minutes, while the Son Of Man Size Mix gives us another alternate treatment. Louil Silas Jr. was involved with the extended remix work, with Taavi Mote engineering the remix.
Once again, the 12-inch becomes more than simply a longer version of the hit.
The rhythm gets pulled apart.
Vocals move in and out.
Percussion gets extra room.
Little pieces of Rod Temperton’s arrangement that pass quickly in the regular version suddenly get their own moment.
This is exactly why I love these records.
The soundtrack gives you the song.
The 12-inch lets you climb inside it.
“Man Size Love” was later included on Klymaxx’s self-titled 1986 album, but its original identity remains strongly connected to Running Scared.
And it was not the only hit the movie produced.
Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, while New Edition’s “Once In A Lifetime Groove” became a Top 10 R&B and Dance hit.
For a buddy-cop comedy, Running Scared certainly knew how to fill a dance floor.
So here we are.
Four weeks.
Dozens of movies, singers, remixes, dubs, bonus beats, gophers, summer schools, and more 12-inch vinyl than any sensible person should probably own.
And now only one entry remains.
But before we roll the final reel tomorrow…
Klymaxx has one request.
No small love.
No medium love.
Today…
we’re going Man Size.
SIDE A: Man Size Love (Extended Remix) 4:43
Engineer [Remix] – Bruce Swedien
Man Size Love (Instrumental) 4:39
Engineer [Remix] – Bruce Swedien
