BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988
“Don’t Be Cruel” is a song recorded by American singer Bobby Brown. Taken from his second and most successful album as its title track, the song was written and produced by the songwriting and production duo Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid, with additional writing by Daryl Simmons.
“Don’t Be Cruel” was Brown’s second single to reach the top position of the R&B chart where it remained for two weeks. As a pop crossover, it rose from number 59 to number 49, on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the week of August 13, 1988, but it took two months to finally peak at number eight the week of October 15, 1988.
The music video was filmed in Boston in May 1988. It is similar to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel”, in which a man eagerly pursues the love of a lady on a blue-lit city street.
SIDE A:
Don’t Be Cruel (Extended Version) 6:50
SIDE B:
Don’t Be Cruel (Dub) 5:32
Don’t Be Cruel (A Cappella) 3:22
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Don’t Be Cruel | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #8 |
| 1988 | Don’t Be Cruel | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | #1 |
| 1988 | Don’t Be Cruel | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #6 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – MCA-23861
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Hip Hop, Pop
Style: RnB/Swing
CREDITS:
Executive-Producer – Louil Silas Jr.
Photography By – Todd Gray
Producer – L.A. & Babyface
NOTES:
Original version appears on MCA LP, “DON’T BE CRUEL”
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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
