Tag: Bananarama

November 26, 2024

Various – Happy Christmas From The Stars (UK 7″ Flexi-disc)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1982

Season’s Greetings!

I originally shared this post way back on December 22, 2012, but a good friend of the site suggested it was worth revisiting to kick off the Christmas season. After giving it some thought, I agreed—it’s a fantastic way to get into the holiday spirit. While I didn’t create a new transfer for this one, there’s only so much you can do with a 44-year-old flexi-disc. That said, I’m excited to share it again and wish you all the best this holiday season and beyond!

“Happy Christmas From The Stars” is a promotional-only flexi-disc single featuring spoken-word holiday messages from various 80s pop stars. It was released in the UK in 1982 as a collaboration between Smash Hits, Levi’s, and Lyntone Records. The disc was included as a freebie with the December 9-22, 1982 issue of Smash Hits magazine.

This promotional item was tied to Levi’s “Accessory Kit 3” campaign for their black Levi jeans. Interestingly, the idea for the single came from Neil Tennant, who was then Smash Hits’ news editor and would go on to fame as a member of the Pet Shop Boys.

As with most flexi-discs, the audio quality isn’t stellar—they’re notorious for that. However, I’ve done my best to restore the recording while preserving some of the original crackle, which I believe adds to its charm. The full recording includes the Levi’s promo segments for a complete vintage experience.

Enjoy, and Happy Christmas!

—DjPaulT

SIDE A:
Happy Christmas From The Stars (Part 1) 6:12

SIDE B:
Happy Christmas From The Stars (Part 2) 6:14

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Very Good
Sleeve: Near Mint (generic)

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Smash Hits! Magazine – LYN 12570/1, Levi’s – LYN 12570/1
Format: Flexi-disc, 7″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1982
Genre: Non-Music
Style: Spoken Word, Holiday

CREDITS:

Concept By [Idea] – Neil Tennant
Featuring – ABBA, ABC, Adam*, Bananarama, Bucks Fizz, Captain Sensible, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Fun Boy Three, Haircut One Hundred, Imagination, Madness, Mari Wilson, Musical Youth, Steve Strange, The Jam, Piranhas*, Police*, Toyah, Ultravox
Producer – Trevor Dann
Recorded By – Mark Ellen

NOTES:
Smash Hits promotion for ‘Accessory Kit 3’ with ‘Black Levi’ brand jeans by Levi’s.

Made in Britain by Lyntone London.

Buy the Flexi 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 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

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

November 6, 2020

Bananarama – Bananarama Remixed Vol 1 (Europe 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE

“Bananarama Remixed: Vol 1” is a 12″ single released by London Records and Because Music, it the first in a series of Bananarama Remix EPs. This limited edition blue vinyl features fresh interpretations of Bananarama classics. Exclusively features Ewan Pearson’s huge remix of “Aie A Mwana”, Tom Moulton’s classic disco mix of “Cruel Summer”, plus Leo Zero offers two interpretations of Bananarama’s smash hit “Venus”. All remixes are previously unreleased.

This 12″ was released for Record Store Day 4/13/2019 limited to 500 copies.

SIDE A:
Aie A Mwana (Ewan Pearson Remix) 6:44
Producer –John Martin (9), Paul Cook, Sarah Dallin
Remix, Co-producer – Ewan Pearson

Cruel Summer (Tom Moulton Remix) 7:55
Mastered By – Simon Francis
Remix – Tom Moulton

SIDE B:
Venus (Leo Zero Remix) 5:53
Engineer, Programmed By, Mixed By – Leo Elstob
Remix, Producer – Leo Zero

Venus (Leo Zero Disco Remix) 4:32
Engineer, Programmed By, Mixed By – Leo Elstob
Remix, Producer – Leo Zero

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records ‎– LMS5521271
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single, Limited Edition, Special Edition, Blue
Country: Europe
Released: 13 Apr 2019
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Written-By – Daniel Vangarde (tracks: A1), Jean Kluger (tracks: A1), Joseph Avion (tracks: A1), Keren Woodward (tracks: A2), Robbie van Leeuwen (tracks: B1-B2), Sarah Dallin (tracks: A2), Siobhan Fahey (tracks: A2), Steve Jolley & Tony Swain (tracks: A2

NOTES:
Record Store Day 2019.
Die cut sleeve. Opaque blue vinyl.
Limited Edition 500.

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
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

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

June 18, 2020

Bananarama – Cruel Summer (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

NEW 2020 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted December 3, 2011

“Cruel Summer” is a song recorded by the English girl group Bananarama. It was written by Steve Jolley, Tony Swain and Bananarama and produced by Swain and Jolley. Released as a single in 1983, it was initially a stand-alone single but was subsequently included on their self-titled second album which was released a year later, thus it is considered the album’s first single. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart in 1983, and after its inclusion in the 1984 film The Karate Kid it reached number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Bananarama singer Sara Dallin said the song “played on the darker side (of summer songs): it looked at the oppressive heat, the misery of wanting to be with someone as the summer ticked by. We’ve all been there!” It was ranked number 44 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s. Billboard named the song #13 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

SIDE A:
Cruel Summer (Extended Version) 4:54
Written-By – Bananarama, Jolley, Swain*

SIDE B:
Summer Dub (Special C.B. Mix) 5:13
Written-By – Bananarama, Jolley, Swain*

Cairo 3:46
Written-By – Sandosa*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Cruel Summer	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#9
1984	Cruel Summer	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#44
1984	Cruel Summer	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	#11

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records – NANX 5
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Cover – Peter Barrett (3)
Lacquer Cut By – tone*
Producer – Tony Swain And Steve Jolley*

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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

October 25, 2019

Bananarama – A Trick Of The Night (US 12″)

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

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

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