Tag: George Michael

Elton John – Nikita (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“Nikita” is a song by English singer Elton John set in the Cold War from his 1985 album Ice on Fire. Released late in the year, the song was successful in many countries and was a top ten hit in almost all of them.

In the song, Elton John describes his crush on a person called Nikita, an East German border guard whom he cannot meet because he is not allowed into the country. It features George Michael on backing vocals with Nik Kershaw on electric guitar and is notable for a distinctive synthesizer solo. The song charted at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 7 in the US.

SIDE A:
Nikita (LP Version) 5:42

SIDE B:
Nikita (U.K. Edit) 4:54

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Nikita U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #7
1985 Nikita U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks #3

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Geffen Records ‎– PRO-A-2440
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Pop
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Backing Vocals – Davey Johnstone, Elton*, George Michael
Electric Guitar – Nik Kershaw
Engineer – Stuart Epps
Producer – Gus Dudgeon
Written-By – Elton John / Taupin*

NOTES:
From the LP “ICE ON FIRE”
In custom promo sleeve.

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

Wham! – Club Tropicana (Japan 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Club Tropicana” is the fourth single taken from the debut album FANTASTIC by British duo Wham! released in July 1983.

The single peaked at #4 in the UK, going on to become the 39th best selling single of 1983.

The “Edited Version” of “Club Tropicana” is exclusive to this Japan 7″ release and is basically the album version with the fade intro removed. This release also comes in a unique poster bag picture sleeve.

SIDE A:
Club Tropicana (Edited Version) 3:47

SIDE B:
Blue (Armed With Love) 3:54

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 07・5P-241, Inner Vision ‎– 07・5P-241
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Single, Poster Bag
Country: Japan
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – George Michael, Steve Brown (tracks: A)
Written-By – Andrew Ridgeley (tracks: A), George Michael

NOTES:
Housed in a unique Poster Bag.

Find the 7″ on 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

David Cassidy – The Last Kiss (Europe 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

R.I.P. David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017)

“The Last Kiss” was the first single taken from the seventh studio album Romance by American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist David Cassidy.

The song features backing vocals by George Michael.”The Last Kiss” peaked at UK #6, Ireland #9, Denmark #10 and #60 in Australia. The single was not released in the U.S..

On February 20, 2017, Cassidy announced that he was living with dementia, the condition that his mother suffered from at the end of her life. He retired from performing in early 2017 when the condition became noticeable during a performance in which he forgot lyrics and otherwise struggled.

On November 18, 2017, it was announced that Cassidy had been hospitalized suffering from liver and kidney failure, and was critically ill in a medically-induced coma. He was out of the coma two days later, but remained in critical but stable condition, with doctors hoping to keep him stable until a liver became available for transplant. Cassidy died on November 21, 2017, aged 67.

SIDE A:
The Last Kiss (Extended Mix) 6:47
Backing Vocals [Uncredited] – George Michael

SIDE B:
The Letter 4:33

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista ‎– 601 653
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: Europe
Released: Feb 1985
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design – Stylo Rouge*
Lacquer Cut By [Cut At Tape One By] – John Hudson
Photography By [Photo] – Leon Lecash
Producer – Alan Tarney
Written-By – A. Tarney*, D. Cassidy*

NOTES:
Taken from David’s forthcoming LP/Cassette “”Romance”.

Produced at R.G.Jones Studios.
Remixed at Mayfair Sound Studios.

Find the 12″ on 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

George Michael – Hard Day (Shep Pettibone Remix) (Canada 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Hard Day” is a song by English singer George Michael from his debut studio album, Faith (1987). It was released on 30 October 1987 as the album’s third single. The song was written and originally produced by Michael, and was released solely in the United States and Australia. No music video was made for the song.

“Hard Day” reached the top five on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the top 40 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

This Canada 12″ promo includes the 6:30 Shep Pettibone remix on both sides. As a bonus I have included the “Special Remix” and “Radio Edit” which I transfered from the U.S. 12″ promo (Columbia ‎– 44 07466). The “Radio Edit” has never appeared on CD.

SIDE A:
Hard Day (Shep Pettibone Remix) 6:30
Remix – Shep Pettibone

SIDE B:
Hard Day (Special Remix) 9:03
Edited By – The Latin Rascals, Shep Pettibone
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Steve Peck
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Shep Pettibone

Hard Day (Radio Edit) 4:09

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1987 Hard Day U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #5
1987 Hard Day U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #21

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia ‎– 12CDN 397
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: Canada
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: RnB/Swing, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer, Arranged By – George Michael

NOTES:
Original version appears on the LP “FAITH”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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 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