Tag: Auditory Icon

George Michael – A Different Corner (Japan 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

NEW 2023 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Originally posted September 25, 2013

AN 80S AUDITORY ICON

“A Different Corner” is a song written and performed by George Michael that was released on Epic Records (Columbia Records in the US) in 1986.

“A Different Corner” was written by Michael while Wham! were at their peak as a duo, and during a low point in his life:

“I felt like shit. I went in and recorded exactly the way I felt, and that’s the way it sounds. It was partly Wham! and partly the end of a relationship. It was the farthest I’d ever fallen and in a very short period of time. I had to get rid of it somehow, I had to write about it. That’s a really perverse side that I’m sure a lot of writers have—’I feel like shit, but maybe I’ll get a good song out of it.'”

Michael admitted that “A Different Corner” was the “most honest” and personal song he had ever done. He elaborated further on the song’s meaning:

“That was about a very quick relationship, a here today gone tomorrow one. It’s amazing how emotional you can get in a short period of time and how long it can last. Someone can really shake you up and it takes you a long time to get yourself back on your feet; that was what that was about.”

According to Michael, the song took roughly 14 hours to write and record from beginning to end. The synthesizer textures were created with a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer.

At the time of its release in March 1986, Michael was still a member of pop duo Wham! (the song is included on Wham!’s album Music from the Edge of Heaven only released in Japan and North America, as well as their compilation album The Final, released worldwide), though he and partner Andrew Ridgeley had announced that they would split in the summer after a farewell single, album and concert. Michael had already enjoyed a solo number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 with “Careless Whisper”, which was credited as Wham! featuring George Michael in the US.

After radio DJ Simon Bates first aired “A Different Corner” on Radio 1, he rated the song so highly that he immediately played it again from the beginning. Michael went back to the top of the UK chart with “A Different Corner”, becoming the first solo act in the history of the UK chart to reach number one with his first two releases, although he was hardly an unknown or new act on either occasion due to his previous hits with Wham!. The song reached number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the first single credited solely to Michael to become an American top-ten hit which was enough to make American executives at Epic Records confident that Michael would be viable as a solo artist and helped get the gears in motion for his solo album debut Faith. It was the first song to reach number one in the UK charts to be written, performed and produced by the same person.

The song was also remixed for his compilation Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. This version omitted the guitar and Michael’s background vocals during the instrumental break.

SIDE A:
A Different Corner (Single Edit) 3:57

SIDE B:
A Different Corner (Instrumental) 4:13

BONUS TRACK:
A Different Corner (Full-Length Version) 4:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
ONI: Near Mint
Insert: Near Mint

CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1986 A Different Corner U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #7
1986 A Different Corner U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary #6

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – 12-3P-740
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: May 21, 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Comes with OBI Strip, and Gatefold Lyric Insert.

“This record is dedicated to a memory”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC:
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:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.



Company B – Fascinated (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

AN 80s AUDITORY ICON

“Fascinated” is a song by the freestyle girl group Company B. It was the first single released off their 1987 self-titled debut album. It was written and produced by Ish Ledesma, mixed by Ciro llerenea and Randy Miller, and released by Atlantic Records.

The song topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in March 1987 and remained there for four weeks. Soon after, the single was picked up by Top 40 radio, and it charted on the Billboard Hot 100 spending eight weeks in the Top 40 in May and June 1987, peaking at #21. It became Company B’s most successful hit single in the U.S. and is one of the first freestyle songs to enter the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

SIDE A:
Fascinated (Club Mix) 7:32
Fascinated (Dubinated Version) 1:49

SIDE B:
Fascinated (Radio Edit) 4:54
Fascinated (Instrumental) 4:49
Fascidubbed 3:20

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1986 Fascinated U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #24
1986 Fascinated U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1
1986 Fascinated U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales #1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – 0-86731
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Freestyle

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Printed in U.S.A.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC:
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:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.



Madonna – Material Girl (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

AN 80s AUDITORY ICON

“Material Girl” is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on January 23, 1985, by the Sire label as the second single from Like a Virgin. It also appears slightly remixed on the 1990 greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection, and in its original form on the 2009 greatest hits compilation, Celebration. The song was written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans, while Nile Rodgers produced the track. Madonna explained that the concept of the song was indicative of her life at that time, and she liked it because she felt it was provocative.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of February 9, 1985, at position 43, when “Like a Virgin” was descending out of the top ten. The single climbed the Hot 100 quickly, jumping 13 spots to number five the week of March 9, 1985, and eventually spent two weeks at number two, held off by REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and Phil Collins’ “One More Night”. The week when the song slipped to position three, her upcoming single “Crazy for You” reached number four, giving Madonna two simultaneous top-five hits. “Material Girl” reached the top of the Hot Dance Club Songs but was less successful on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, failing to enter the top 40 and peaking at number 49. It was placed at number 58 on the year-end chart for 1985, with Madonna becoming the top pop artist for the year. In Canada, the song debuted on the RPM Singles Chart at number 76, on the issue dated February 16, 1985. After five weeks, it reached a peak position of four on the chart and was present on the chart for a total of 21 weeks. It was ranked at number 46 on the RPM Year-End chart for 1985.

In the United Kingdom, “Material Girl” debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 24 on March 2, 1985, and reached a peak position of number three. It was present for a total of ten weeks on the chart. Across Europe, the song reached the top-ten in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain and the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, while reaching the top 40 of Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

In Australia, the single debuted at number 25 on 17 March 1985 and peaked at number four three weeks later. It also reached the Top 5 in New Zealand and Japan.

SIDE A:
Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix) 6:07
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Melanie West
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Peter Brown (2)Robert Rans

SIDE B:
Pretender (LP Version) 4:31
Written-By – MadonnaSteve Bray*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Material Girl U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #2
1985 Material Girl U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary #33
1985 Material Girl U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #49
1985 Material Girl U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs #1
1985 Material Girl U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club/Maxi-Singles Sales #2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-20304, Sire – 9 20304-0 A
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Produced for Nile Rodgers Productions, Inc.

Original version of “Material Girl” and “Pretender” from the Sire album Like A Virgin

Made/Printed in U.S.A.
Mastered by Frankford/Wayne New York.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
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:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.



Madonna – Dress You Up (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

AN 80s AUDITORY ICON!

REQUEST
NEW 2023 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Transfer!

Originally posted December 13, 2016

“Dress You Up” is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on July 31, 1985, as the album’s final single, by Sire Records. The song was the last track to be added to the album as it was submitted late by songwriters Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale. Madonna pushed for the song’s inclusion in Like a Virgin as she particularly liked its lyrics. Musically, the song is a drum-beat-driven dance track featuring instrumentation from guitars and vocals from a choir, and a guitar solo played by Nile Rodgers, who also produced the song. The lyrics are an extended metaphor for fashion and sex, comparing dressing up with passion. A live performance from Madonna’s first tour was used as the music video.

Critics reacted positively to the dance-pop nature of the track. “Dress You Up” became Madonna’s sixth consecutive top-five single in the United States. It also reached the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. “Dress You Up” was added to the “Filthy Fifteen” list of the Parents Music Resource Center, due to the sexual nature of its lyrics.

SIDE A:
Dress You Up (The 12″ Formal Mix) 6:16
Engineer [Assistant] – Melanie West
Engineer [Remix] – Michael Hutchinson
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Andrea LaRussoPeggy Stanziale

SIDE B:
Dress You Up (The Casual Instrumental Mix) 4:37
Engineer [Assistant] – Melanie West
Engineer [Remix] – Michael Hutchinson
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Andrea LaRussoPeggy Stanziale

Shoo-Bee-Doo (LP Version) 5:16
Written-By – Madonna

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Dress You Up U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #5
1985 Dress You Up U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary #32
1985 Dress You Up U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #3
1985 Dress You Up U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop #64

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-20369
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Produced for Nile Rodgers Productions, Inc.
From the LP “LIKE A VIRGIN”

Produced for Nile Rodgers Productions, Inc

Made in U.S.A.
Printed in U.S.A.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
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:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.