Tag: Fun Boy Three

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:

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

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Terry Hall 1959-2022

Terry Hall, lead singer of the English 2 tone and ska revival band The Specials, has died.

The news of Hall’s passing was shared on the band’s verified social media accounts, who on Facebook wrote that he died “following a brief illness.”

The post called Hall “our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced,” going on to say that “his music and his performances encapsulated the very essence of life… the joy, the pain, the humour, the fight for justice, but mostly the love.”

Hall was reportedly 63 at the time of his death, and is survived by wife Lindy Heymann, a filmmaker, and children Leo and Felix Hall.

Originating in 1977 in Coventry, England, the Specials found success in the late ’70s and early ‘80s, with their debut self-titled album.

The original lineup of members included Hall, who replaced vocalist Tim Strickland shortly after The Specials’ formation, along with Jerry Dammers, Roddy “Radiation” Byers, Neville Staple, John Bradbury, Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez.

The Specials are known for tracks including “Gangsters” and “Ghost Town,” the latter of which remained at No. 1 for three weeks in the UK in 1981, going on to spend 10 weeks in the Top 40.

The band, also known for its staunch opposition of racial injustice, frequently commented on politics and social reform in England and beyond. “Forty years ago the Specials embodied the state of the nation – seven voices as one from a typically dispossessed UK town,” the band’s official website says by way of description.

Hall also formed bands Fun Boy Three in 1981 and The Colourfield in 1984 – known for the hit song “Thinking of You” – before going solo with a pair of albums in the ’90s.

Bananarama Featuring Fun Boy Three – Really Sayin’ Somethin’ (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

“He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’ is a soul song written by Motown Records songwriters Norman Whitfield, William “Mickey” Stevenson, and Edward Holland, Jr. in 1964. The song is notable in both a 1964 version by American Motown girl group the Velvelettes, and a 1982 hit version (with the title altered to “Really Saying Something”) by British girl group Bananarama.

In 1982, the British girl group Bananarama recorded a cover version of the song and released it as the first single from their debut album Deep Sea Skiving. Providing background vocals is Fun Boy Three, a male vocal trio who had a hit with Bananarama earlier in the year with another cover, “T’ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)”

The 1982 single became the second consecutive top-five hit for both Bananarama and Fun Boy Three, peaking at number five in the UK singles chart. It also received heavy play on the then-young MTV network in America. “Really Saying Something” was both groups’ second chart entry in Australia, peaking at number seventy-four.

In the US the 12″ contained “Aie A Mwana” as the b-side.

“Aie A Mwana” was the first single released by Bananarama. Group members originally recorded the track as a demo and ultimately it was the demo version that was pressed onto the record. Originally released as a stand-alone single, “Aie A Mwana” was eventually added to the group’s debut album Deep Sea Skiving two years later.

Bananarama’s previous experience in a recording studio was as background vocalists on the Department S b-side “Solid Gold Easy Action”, a T. Rex cover. Prompted by friend and early supporter Paul Cook (of Sex Pistols), Bananarama decided to release their own single. As they had been including several cover versions in their repertoire (including later hit “Venus”), they decided on the song which had been recorded by Black Blood, sung in Swahili, which they had heard in a French disco. Group members Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward had to learn to sing the song phonetically. The “tropical” nature of the single inspired the group’s name: banana coming from the vibe of “Aie A Mwana” and -rama added to the end as a nod to an early Roxy Music song called “Pyjamarama”.

Issued by independent label Demon Records, “Aie A Mwana” reached number ninety-two in the UK singles chart. Write-ups in the English music and fashion press (NME, The Face) caught the attention of Terry Hall, who invited Bananarama to sing on his new vocal group Fun Boy Three’s next single.

SIDE A:
He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’ 7:54
Producer – Dave Jordan, Fun Boy Three
Written-By – E. Holland*, N. Whitfield*, W. Stevenson*
Performed By – Bananarama And Fun Boy Three

SIDE B:
Aie A Mwana 6:45
Producer – ohn Martin (2), Paul Cook
Written-By – Daniel Vanguard*, Jean Kluger
Perfomed By – Bananarama

Aie A Mwana (Dub Mix) 4:38
Producer – ohn Martin (2), Paul Cook
Written-By – Daniel Vanguard*, Jean Kluger
Perfomed By – Bananarama

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year Single Chart Position
1981 Aie A Mwana U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play #66
1982 He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’ U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play #16

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: London Records – 6400 661
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave
Credits: Design [Cover] – Nick Egan, Pete Barrett*
Performer [Bananarama] – Keren*, Sarah*, Siobhan*
Performer [Fun Boy Three] – Lynval*, Neville*, Terry*
Remix – John Luongo

NOTES:
Fun Boy Three appears through the courtesy of Chrysalis Records.

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