BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986
NEW 2019 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!
Originally posted February 28, 2013
“A Trick of the Night” is a mid-tempo ballad recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It was written and produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released as the final single from Bananarama’s album True Confessions.
The song was re-recorded for UK single release, with new synthesizer tracks and vocal arrangement by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) production trio, at the request of London Records for the UK release.
The cautionary message in the lyrics is directed towards a friend who has gone to seek his fortune in the big city and ended up a rentboy.
“A Trick of the Night” was a top-40 hit in the UK, peaking at number 32. The SAW-remixed version received the most airplay in their home country, while the ballad version stalled at number 76 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The single spent one week in the Australian Kent Music Report top 100 singles chart, where it peaked at number 99. “A Trick of the Night” peaked at number 24 in Ireland.
The song was included on the CD version of Greatest Hits Collection as a bonus track; it was not included on the vinyl version nor their 2001 compilation The Very Best of Bananarama.
It was included on the soundtrack to the 1986 American film Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
Lyrics from the Number One Mix were sampled on Bananarama’s “I Heard a Rumour” B-side song “Clean-Cut Boy”.
Two videos were filmed for the song. The North American version was directed by Andy Morahan featured the girls singing the song in a house at night, with their images projected on movie screens. The release of the single in the UK was delayed until February 1987, so that Bananarama could participate in a BBC television show called In at the Deep End. Each week Chris Serle or Paul Heiney would have to master a new skill – in this case, Paul Heiney had to master the art of directing a pop music video (the episode was similar to MTV’s Making the Video program) for this song. Group members Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward hated the final product.
SIDE A:
A Trick Of The Night (The Number One Mix) 8:15
Producer – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*
SIDE B:
A Trick Of The Night (Tricky Mix) 7:17
Producer – Jolley and Swain*
A Trick Of The Night (Dub Mix) 4:31
Producer – Pete Waterman
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | A Trick Of The Night | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #76 |
| 1986 | A Trick Of The Night | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play | #39 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records – 886 119-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Design [Sleeve Design, Assistant] – Andrew Biscomb
Design [Sleeve Design] – Peter Barrett (3)
Written-By – Jolley/Swain*
NOTES:
Tracks A & B2 produced for P.W.L. Productions.
Original version on the London album “True Confesssions”
Printed in U.S.A.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
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
Username: btg
Password: burningtheground
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