Tag: Duran Duran

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 11, 2022

Andy Taylor – When The Rain Comes Down (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

“When The Rain Comes Down” is the second single by former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, released from the Miami Vice 2: Soundtrack by MCA Records in August 1986.

Co-written, co-produced and performed by Andy Taylor, the song features in the Miami Vice TV series during the episode called “Stone’s War”. The episode was aired on 3 October 1986.

The single was co-produced by Sex Pistols’ guitarist Steve Jones, who also worked on other Taylor projects including “Take It Easy”.

Andy Taylor appeared in the second series of Miami Vice (1985/86) in an episode called Whatever Works. In the episode he performed the song “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” with The Power Station, during a bar scene with Don Johnson.

In the same year Johnson introduced The Power Station at Live Aid, on 13 July 1985.

++ The “Long Version” is exclusive to the USA 12″ Promo.

SIDE A:
When The Rain Comes Down (Long Version) 5:04

SIDE B:
When The Rain Comes Down (Short Version) 3:52

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – L33-17196
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock

CREDITS:
Co-producer – George Tutko
Mastered By – Brian Gardner
Mixed By – Jeff Hendrickson
Producer – Andy Taylor, Steve Jones (2)
Written-By – A. Taylor, S. Jones

NOTES:
From the television series soundtrack “Miami Vice II”

PROMOTION COPY
NOT FOR SALE

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
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.

November 9, 2022

Duran Duran – The Reflex (Dance Mix) (UK 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1984

NEW 2022 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration!

Originally posted August 14, 2012

++ Of note the original transfer in 2012 was the USA 12″ of “The Reflex” which was pressed at 33 ⅓ RPM it also did not include the live b-side track. For this NEW 2022 Transfer, I decided to use the UK 12″ which is pressed at 45 RPM for better sound fidelity along with the addition of “Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)” recorded live on the b-side.

“The Reflex” is the eleventh single by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released in 1984. The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983). The single became the band’s first to reach the top of the US singles chart and their second to top the UK singles chart.

“The Reflex” became the band’s most successful single, topping the UK chart on 5 May 1984. It was their second UK No. 1, after 1983’s “Is There Something I Should Know?”, and would prove to be their last. The single entered the charts in America on 21 April 1984 at no. 46, became Duran Duran’s first of two singles to hit no. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (for 2 weeks) on 23 June 1984 , and was a huge hit internationally. (Their only other single to hit no. 1 in the US was the title song to the 1985 James Bond film “A View to a Kill”.) It was also the first of two songs that kept “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen out of the top spot (the other one being Prince’s “When Doves Cry”). The band wanted it to be the lead single from Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), but their label did not like the warbling singing during the “why don’t you use it” segments, thinking this would hinder its success as a stand-alone single track.

The remixes for both the 7″ and 12″ singles were created by Nile Rodgers, of Chic fame. It was his first work with the band, and he would later go on to produce “The Wild Boys” single as well as the album Notorious (1986) and several tracks on Astronaut (2004).

Producer Ian Little recalled the sound Nick Rhodes came up with on his Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard: “…whenever I hear that steel-drum part it always brings a smile to my face because it’s so out of tune. Steel drums always are, but it was exactly right in terms of rhythm and tone. So a wood-block sound was mixed in to make it even more percussive and, successfully, it did the job.”

The live B-side “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” is a cover version of a Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel song, recorded 16 November 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London, with lead Rebel Steve Harley joining the band onstage.

SIDE A:
The Reflex (Dance Mix) 6:34
Mixed By – Jason Corsaro, Nile Rodgers
Written-By – Duran Duran

SIDE B:
The Reflex (Dance Mix Edited) 4:22
Mixed By –Jason Corsaro, Nile Rodgers
Written-By – Duran Duran

Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) 4:55
Mixed By – Ian Little
Written-By –Steve Harley

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHARTS HISTORY

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	The Reflex	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1984	The Reflex	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#15

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI – 12DURAN 2, EMI – 12 DURAN 2
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: Apr 28, 1984
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Lacquer Cut By – Arun*
Producer – Alex Sadkin (tracks: A, B1), Duran Duran (tracks: A, B1), Ian Little (tracks: A, B1)

NOTES:
Track B2 recorded live in November 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon.
Manufactured In The UK By EMI Records Limited.

From the LP “Seven And The Ragged Tiger”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

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.

November 8, 2022

Andy Taylor – Stone Cold Sober (UK Limited Edition) (12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1990

“Stone Cold Sober” is sixth solo single by former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, released from the album Dangerous by A&M Records in September 1990.

Written by Rod Stewart and Steve Cooper, the song was originally released on Stewart’s Atlantic Crossing album in 1975.

This was the first single taken from Andy Taylor’s 1990 covers album Dangerous, which was accompanied by a black & white video. “Stone Cold Sober” peaked at #94 on the UK sibgles chart.

The B-side is a cover version of David Bowie’s 1976 single “Suffragette City” along with a cover of The Jess Roden Band’s “Winter With You” from 1979. Neither song appear on the Dangerous LP.

SIDE A:
Stone Cold Sober 3:27
Written-By –Rod Stewart, Steve Cropper

SIDE B:
Suffragette City 3:27
Written-By – David Bowie

Winner With You 3:37
Written-By – J.Roden*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label:A&M Records – AMX 710
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: 1990
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock

CREDITS:
Design –Jeremy Pearce
Photography By [Photoplay] – Simon Fowler (2)
Producer – Andy Taylor

NOTES:
“Stone Cold Sober” taken from the A&M album “Dangerous”

Made In England

Limited Edition Gatefold sleeve.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

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.