Tag: Don Was

October 10, 2016

Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Walk the Dinosaur” is a song by Was (Not Was), released in 1987, from their 1988 album, What Up, Dog?.

The song features a tight, funky sound, punctuated by horns and a cowbell, along with what sounds like cavepeople chanting in the background.

When released in the UK in 1987, the song reached no. 10 on the singles chart, becoming the group’s first UK top 10 hit. The music video featured four scantily clad ‘cavewomen’ dancing to the song while a Flintstones style TV played clips from Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur. Modern people danced to the song in the “Everybody kill the dinosaur” part. The video received heavy rotation on MTV. The song reached no. 7 on the US chart in 1989, two years after its UK success. The song became the band’s biggest hit single in their home country.

According to an interview with co-writer Randy Jacobs, it “was an infectious sing-along with a Flintstonesque video that probably got played on MTV way too much. But even that seemingly good-time anthem had a dark side. The song’s about nuclear Armageddon. It became a dance (anthem) because of the video. They connected it with the girls in the little Pebbles and Bam-Bam outfits. All the sudden it became, like, ‘do the mashed potato’ or ‘the twist.'”

“Walk the Dinosaur” was also featured in the soundtrack of 1989 film The Dream Team.

SIDE A:
Walk The Dinosaur (The New York Dangerous Version) 6:58
Mixed By [Final Mix], Producer [Additional] – Bruce Forest

Walk The Dinosaur (Bruce’s Prehistoric Dub) 6:43
Mixed By [Final Mix], Producer [Additional] – Bruce Forest

SIDE B:
Walk The Dinosaur (The Debunking Of Uri Geller Mix) 5:06
Mixed By – Don Was, Jamie Muhoberac

Walk The Dinosaur (7″ Version) 3:38

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Walk The Dinosaur	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#7
1989	Walk The Dinosaur	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/ Maxi-Singles Sales	#36
1989	Walk The Dinosaur	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#11
1989	Walk The Dinosaur	U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	#30

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Chrysalis ‎– 4V9 43332
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Electro, Synth-pop, Pop Rock

CREDITS:
Management –Kushnick Passick Management
Producer – The Was Bros*
Written-By – David Was, Don Was, Randy Jacobs

NOTES:
Original version appears on the LP “What Up, Dog?”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: 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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

March 16, 2016

Figures On A Beach – Breathless (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

Originally posted September 13, 2011

“Breathless” is a single by American new wave band Figures On A Beach.

Produced by Don Was of Was Not Was and remixed by Ivan Ivan, “Breathless” was released in 1984 on Metro America Records. The single debuted on the US Billboard Dance Chart on August 18, 1984, peaking at #31 after spending seven weeks on the survey.

SIDE A:
Breathless (Remix) 5:45

SIDE B:
Breathless+ 4:28
B2 Breathless Beats 2:08

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Breathless	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#31

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Metro-America ‎– MA1004
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Artwork By [Sleeve Design] – Al Brandtner
Backing Vocals [Background] – Carol Hall, Kathy Kosins
Co-producer – Jack Tann, John Lewis
Drums – M. Smith*
Engineer – Steve “Dr. Ching” King*
Executive Producer – Scott Forman
Guitar – Ricci Ara
Mastered By – Herbie Jr*
Mixed By – Ivan Ivan
Producer – Don Was
Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards [Keyboard Percussion] – Ewen*
Voice, Bass, Strings – Anthony Kaczynski
Written-By – Figures On A Beach

NOTES:
Produced in Detroit at Sound Suite.
Mixed in New York.
Mastered at Frankford/Wayne, New York.
Management by Ceremony Inc.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

March 9, 2016

Floy Joy – Weak In The Presence Of Beauty (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

“Weak in the Presence of Beauty” is a song written and originally recorded by British soul and jazz-influenced pop group Floy Joy.

“Weak in the Presence of Beauty” was the lead single from the the bands debut album Into The Hot. It peaked at #85 in the UK, lasting in the Top 100 for a total of three weeks. It was the group’s highest charting single. The song also saw minor success in Canada, where it peaked at #68 on the Singles Chart and #14 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

Like the band’s debut album, the song (and the album) was produced by Don Was in Detroit.

In the official American Billboard Magazine of 18 January 1986, “Weak in the Presence of Beauty” was mentioned under the “Dance Trax” section. The article stated: “Floy Joy, much praised but barely charted (like Working Week, another of our undiscovered faves), sound like they have the key to both the U.S. and U.K. charts with “Weak in the Presence of Beauty” (Virgin/U.K.), a Don Was production that’s sort of Shannon-meets-“Every Breath You Take”. Addictive.”

SIDE A:
Weak In The Presence Of Beauty (Extended Remix) 5:14
Mixed By – Chris Lord Alge*

SIDE B:
You And Me 3:08
Mixed By – Frank Filipetti

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASSE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin ‎– VS 833-12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Don ‘Don’ Was*
Written-By – Michael Ward (3), Rob Clarke*

NOTES:
Manufactured in the U.K.

A: Mixed at Unique Recording

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

August 18, 2015

Was (Not Was) – Tell Me That I’m Dreaming (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

“Tell Me That I’m Dreaming” was the third single taken from the self titled debut album by American eclectic pop group Was (Not Was). “Tell Me That I’m Dreaming” debuted on the US Billboard Dance Chart on January 9, 1982 spending ten weekes on the survey peaking at #3. The single also reached #68 on the US Hot R&B Hip-Hop Singles Chart.

“Tell Me That I’m Dreaming” include an exerpt of the “State Of The Union Message on Economic Recovery, February 18, 1981” by former US President Ronald Reagan.

SIDE A:
Tell Me That I’m Dreaming (Traditional Remixed Version) 6:31

SIDE B:
Tell Me That I’m Dreaming (Souped-Up Version) 6:21

Out Come The Freaks (Dub Version) 6:27

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	Tell Me That I’m Dreaming	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#3
1982	Tell Me That I’m Dreaming	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles	#68

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Island Records ‎– DISD 50011
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco, Funk, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Art Direction – Andrew Fuhrmann
Executive-Producer – Michael Zilkha
Mastered By – Greg Calbi
Photography By [Back Cover Photo] – Dirk Bakker (2)
Producer – Jack Tann, Don Was, David Was*
Remix – Don Was, Ken Collier
Voice – Ronald Reagan
Written-By – D. Was / D. Was*

NOTES:
Produced for John Lewis Productions
Recorded at the Sound Suite, Detroit
From the Island Album “Was (Not Was)”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi