Tag: Bananarama

July 19, 2018

Bananarama – Venus (Special Edition) (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

“Venus” is a 1969 song written by Dutch musician Robbie van Leeuwen. In 1970, the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue took the song to number one in nine countries.

In 1986, the British female pop group Bananarama returned the song to number one in seven countries.

“Venus” had been a part of Bananarama’s repertoire for several years before they actually recorded it. The group’s three members, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward, had the idea of turning the song into a dance music tune, but they were met with resistance from their producers at the time, Steve Jolley, and Tony Swain. Bananarama brought the idea to the production trio of Stock Aitken Waterman, and it became Bananarama’s first collaboration with them.

Dallin, Fahey, and Woodward had nearly completed recording their third album, titled True Confessions, with Jolley and Swain. Stock, Aitken, and Waterman also resisted the idea because they believed that “Venus” would not make a good dance record. After persistence by the women, SAW relented. Bananarama’s “Venus” went to number one in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Mexico, and South Africa. It hit number two in Germany and Hong Kong and was a top ten success in Italy, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and their native UK (number 8 on UK Singles Chart). It also went to number one for two weeks on the US Dance chart.

The collaboration on “Venus” led Bananarama and SAW to work together on the group’s follow-up album Wow! the following year.

The music video, directed by Peter Care, with choreography by Bruno Tonioli, received extensive play on MTV and video channels across the world, and presented Bananarama in various costumes, including a she-devil, a French temptress, a vampiress, and several Greek goddesses. In one sequence of the video, The Birth of Venus, the painting by Sandro Botticelli is adapted as a tableau vivant. The video marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexual image for the girls that contrasted with the tomboyish style of their earlier work.

SIDE A:
Venus (The Hellfire Mix) 9:20
Remix – Ian Levine

Venus (Fire & Brimstone Mix) 6:44

SIDE B:
Venus (Extended Version) 7:26
Venus (Dub Version) 8:17

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1986	Venus	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1986	Venus	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#1

RELEASE IONFORMATION:
Label: London Records ‎– 886 088-1, Polygram ‎– 886 088-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Special Edition, 70 – Indianapolis Press
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design [Sleeve Design] – Peter Barrett (3), Simon Withers (2)
Producer – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*
Written-By – R. Leeuwen*

NOTES:
Produced for P.W.L. Productions

Original Version From The London LP- “True Confessions”

RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis pressing indicated by pressing code “70” printed on labels and “RCA” etched in run-outs.

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
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7 TubeGold Pins
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
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: 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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

February 21, 2013

Bananarama – Do Not Disturb (UK 12:)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“Do Not Disturb” is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It was written and produced by the production duo of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. Originally released as a stand-alone single in 1985, the track was later added to Bananarama’s third album True Confessions which was issued by London Records a year later. “Do Not Disturb” was released in the UK, Australia, Germany and Japan but only charted in the UK.

Bananarama did not like the song. Group member Keren Woodward later said of the True Confessions album, “It is all our ideas, it is what we wanted to sound like and sing about. Except ‘Do Not Disturb’ which Swain and Jolley wrote and which we don’t think is very good. Thats why there’s eleven songs on the LP instead of ten”. When released, “Do Not Disturb” was a mid-charting single, peaking at number thirty-one.

In the UK the single was released as two seperate 12″ singles. The first 12″ included the “Instrumental Dub” version of “Do Not Disturb”. The second 12″ was released as a limited Edition and featured “Do Not Disturb” (Bananamix) a megamix featuring most of their hits up to this point. The only difference in the sleeves is a custom hype sticker. “Do Not Disturb” (Bananamix) is exclusive to this 12″.

SIDE A:
Do Not Disturb 6:08
Producer – Tony Swain & Steve Jolley*
Written-By – Jolley, Swain*

Do Not Disturb (Instrumental Dub) 3:43
Producer – Tony Swain & Steve Jolley*
Written-By – Jolley, Swain*

SIDE B:
Ghost 4:03
Producer – Patrick Seymour
Written-By – Seymour*, Bishop*, Dallin*, Fahey*

Do Not Disturb (Bananamix) 10:50
Producer – Steve Jolley & Tony Swain
a) Do Not Disturb
b) Rough Justice
c) Na Na Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
d) Shy Boy
e) Robert De Niro’s Waiting
f) Really Saying Something
g) Cruel Summer

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records ‎– NANAM 9
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Artwork By [Design] – Laurence Stevens
Performer [Bananarama Are] – Keren*, Sarah*, Siobhan*
Photography – Robert Erdman

NOTES:
Very limited edition – large white sticker on sleeve. The B2 Bananamix is an exclusive Hits Megamix

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

February 19, 2013

Bananarama – The Wild Life (Canada 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“The Wild Life” is a song written and performed by English girl group Bananarama. Written in two days, the track was composed for and included in the 1984 American film of the same name The Wild Life, (starring Christopher Penn) and on its soundtrack. Bananarama’s second, self-titled album had already been in stores for several months when this single was issued, and for a time the album was re-released with “The Wild Life” included. The song was released as a single in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan. The UK was instead given the song “Hot Line to Heaven” as the album’s final single.

“The Wild Life” peaked at number seventy on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and did not chart in any other countries. The Bananarama track listing was reverted to its original sequence shortly thereafter and “The Wild Life” did not appear on CD until the 2002 hits package The Essentials.

The music video features the girls performing the song in a studio filled with colourful fabrics that they play around with. Their footage is intercut with excerpts from the film.

This video marked a break with their earlier work as it lacked any attempt at a storyline, and focused on their performance of the song with random images.

SIDE A:
The Wild Life 3:51

SIDE B:
State I’m In (Extended Version) 4:38
The Wild Life (Dub Mix) 7:10

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	The Wild Life	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#70

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records ‎– LDSX 218
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: Canada
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Producer – Steve Jolley & Tony Swain
Written-By – Woodward*, Dallin*, Fahey*, Steve Jolley & Tony Swain
Artwork By [Art & Design] – Laurence Stevens

NOTES:
From the Universal Picture “The Wild Life”
From the Bananarama cassette and album “Bananarama”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi