Tag: Japan

August 9, 2023

Debbie Gibson – Super-Mix Club (Japan Mini-LP)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1988

BTG BARBIE Rewind: Bubblegum Pop Inspired by BARBIE!

“Super-Mix Club” is a Japan-only Mini-LP released by American female singer, songwriter, producer and actress Debbie Gibson featuring remixes from her debut album “Out Of The Blue”.

A child prodigy, she started writing songs when she was 5 years old and learned record production at the age of 12. She studied classical piano at New York’s Juliard School of Music and has appeared in several Broadway stage productions, most notably, “Les Miserables” and in the London theatre production of “Grease”.

Gibson released her debut album Out of the Blue in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. One of those singles, “Foolish Beat”, made Gibson the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single.

Gibson is the sole songwriter on all of her singles to reach the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. She was recognized by ASCAP as Songwriter of the Year, along with Bruce Springsteen, in 1989.

After years of writing and producing her own material, a demonstration tape of Gibson’s submitted to a radio personality was eventually shared with an executive at Atlantic Records. Based solely on Gibson’s original song, “Only in My Dreams”, she was signed to a development deal and began a promotional tour of club venues throughout the United States.

Gibson spent much of 1986 and the beginning of 1987 building her songwriting catalog, while continuing to play club dates. During her promotional tour, Gibson continued attending classes at Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York, where she later graduated as an honor student. Diane Gibson, Debbie’s mother and manager, accompanied her daughter on many of these track dates. “We played dance clubs, straight clubs, and gay clubs,” Diane has said.

The single “Only in My Dreams” was released in December 1986 and landed in the Billboard Hot 100 chart beginning in May 1987, peaking at number four that September. Atlantic Records and Gibson worked to complete her first album as a result of the good showing by the single.

Following the success of “Only In My Dreams”, “Shake Your Love” was released as the follow-up single and reached the Billboard top five. The “Shake Your Love” video was choreographed by Paula Abdul and was the first time MTV had visited Gibson on a video shoot.

In 1987, while performing at nightclubs throughout the United States, Gibson recorded her debut album, Out of the Blue. Along with producer Fred Zarr, Gibson wrote, recorded, and produced it in four weeks. Four singles from the album reached the top five of the Hot 100 chart: “Only in My Dreams”, “Shake Your Love”, “Out of the Blue”, and the number-one hit “Foolish Beat”, followed by “Staying Together”, which performed more modestly, reaching number 22. “Foolish Beat” set a record, making Gibson at 16 the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard number-one single, as cited in the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records. She remains the youngest female artist to have done so. Out of the Blue became a hit album, and she had success in the UK and southeast Asia, filling stadiums with her Out of the Blue tour. By the end of 1988, Out of the Blue had gone triple platinum.

SIDE A:
Shake Your Love (Club Mix) 5:54
Out Of The Blue (Drumapaella) 4:05
Only In My Dreams (Club Mix) 6:32

SIDE B:
Foolish Beat (Extended Mix) 6:44
Out Of The Blue (Club Mix) 5:52
Shake Your Love (Bassa Pella) 3:33

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI Strip: Near Mint
Insert: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – P-6269
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Mini-Album
Country: Japan
Released: Jun 25, 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Freestyle, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Executive-Producer – Doug Broadhead*
Producer – Gibson*, Zarr*
Written-By – D. Gibson*

NOTES:
Includes insert with lyrics in English and Japanese.

Buy the Mini-LP 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 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.

August 3, 2023

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Japan 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1984

BTG BARBIE Rewind: Bubblegum Pop Inspired by BARBIE!

AN 80S AUDITORY ICON

NEW 2023 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration!

Originally posted May 20, 2015

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is a song made famous by Cyndi Lauper four years after it was written by Robert Hazard. It was the first major single released by Lauper as a solo artist and the lead single from her debut studio album, She’s So Unusual (1983). Lauper’s version gained recognition as a feminist anthem and was promoted by a Grammy-winning music video. It has been covered, either as a studio recording or in a live performance, by over 30 other artists.

The single was Lauper’s breakthrough hit, reaching No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming a worldwide hit throughout late 1983 and early 1984. It is considered one of Lauper’s signature songs and was a widely popular song during the 1980s. The lists “Rolling Stone and MTV: ‘100 Greatest Pop Songs’: 1–50”, “Rolling Stone: The 100 Top Music Videos” and “VH1: 100 Greatest Videos” ranked the song at No. 22, No. 39 and No. 45, respectively. The song received Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The song was written by Robert Hazard, who recorded a demo of it in 1979. Hazard wrote the song from a male point of view. Lauper’s version appeared on her 1983 debut solo record She’s So Unusual. Lauper changed some of the lyrics at the suggestion of her producer and she also had her own suggestions about how her version should sound. The track is a synthesizer-backed anthem, from a feminist perspective, conveying the point that all women really want is to have the same experiences that men can have.[9] Gillian G. Gaar, author of She’s a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll (2002), described the single and corresponding video as a “strong feminist statement”, an “anthem of female solidarity” and a “playful romp celebrating female camaraderie.”

Cash Box said that “Robert Hazard’s original male point of view is transformed into a cheerleader-like sing-along for party girls, and the Toni Basil–like beat is augmented by a hooky, ringing guitar.”

The song was released in late 1983 but much of its success on the charts came during the first half of 1984. The single reached the Top 10 in over 25 countries and reached No. 1 in ten of those countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, and Norway. It also reached No. 2 in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 80 on December 17, 1983. It ultimately peaked at No. 2 on March 10, 1984, where it stayed for two weeks, behind Van Halen’s “Jump”. In the United Kingdom, the song entered the chart at No. 50 on January 14, 1984, and peaked at No. 2 on February 4, 1984, where it stayed for one week. In Ireland, the song entered the chart on January 29, 1984. It peaked at No. 1 for two weeks and was on the chart for a total of seven weeks. In Australia, the song debuted on the Kent Music Report Top 100 on February 27, 1984. It entered the Top 10 in only its third week on the chart and reached No. 1 on March 26, 1984. It topped the chart for two weeks and then remained at No. 2 for four weeks behind Nena’s “99 Luftballons”. It stayed on the chart for 21 weeks and was the 9th biggest-selling single of the year. In Belgium, the song debut at No. 38 on February 18, 1984, and peaked at No. 4 on April 7, 1984. In the Netherlands, the song entered the chart at No. 38 on February 25, 1984, and peaked at No. 4 on March 31, 1984.

In Sweden, the song entered at No. 13 on March 6, 1984, and peaked at No. 5 on April 3, 1984, charting for six weeks. In Switzerland, the song entered the chart at No. 15 on April 1, 1984, and peaked at No. 6 on April 29, 1984. In New Zealand, the song debuted at No. 21 on April 1, 1984, and peaked at No. 1 on May 6, 1984, where it stayed for three weeks. In Austria, the single entered at No. 3 on May 1, 1984, which was its peak position. In Netherland and New Zealand “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” made the year end charts for the Top 100 of 1984. On the ARC (American Radio Chart), “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” reached #1 and made the Top 40 songs of the year for 1984.

SIDE A:
Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Extended Version) 6:05

SIDE B:
Fun With V. Knutsn (Instrumental) 7:09
Xtra Fun 5:07

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Girls Just Want To Have Fun	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#2
1984	Girls Just Want To Have Fun	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Portrait – 12・3P-509
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Engineer – Elliot Scheiner
Engineer [Assistant] – Tom Swift
Executive-Producer – Lennie Petze
Mixed By – Arthur Baker
Producer – Rick Chertoff
Written-By – R. Hazard*

NOTES:
Special version from the LP “SHE’S SO UNUSUAL”
Manufactured in Japan.

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.

July 11, 2023

George Michael – A Different Corner (Japan 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

NEW 2023 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Originally posted September 25, 2013

AN 80S AUDITORY ICON

“A Different Corner” is a song written and performed by George Michael that was released on Epic Records (Columbia Records in the US) in 1986.

“A Different Corner” was written by Michael while Wham! were at their peak as a duo, and during a low point in his life:

“I felt like shit. I went in and recorded exactly the way I felt, and that’s the way it sounds. It was partly Wham! and partly the end of a relationship. It was the farthest I’d ever fallen and in a very short period of time. I had to get rid of it somehow, I had to write about it. That’s a really perverse side that I’m sure a lot of writers have—’I feel like shit, but maybe I’ll get a good song out of it.'”

Michael admitted that “A Different Corner” was the “most honest” and personal song he had ever done. He elaborated further on the song’s meaning:

“That was about a very quick relationship, a here today gone tomorrow one. It’s amazing how emotional you can get in a short period of time and how long it can last. Someone can really shake you up and it takes you a long time to get yourself back on your feet; that was what that was about.”

According to Michael, the song took roughly 14 hours to write and record from beginning to end. The synthesizer textures were created with a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer.

At the time of its release in March 1986, Michael was still a member of pop duo Wham! (the song is included on Wham!’s album Music from the Edge of Heaven only released in Japan and North America, as well as their compilation album The Final, released worldwide), though he and partner Andrew Ridgeley had announced that they would split in the summer after a farewell single, album and concert. Michael had already enjoyed a solo number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 with “Careless Whisper”, which was credited as Wham! featuring George Michael in the US.

After radio DJ Simon Bates first aired “A Different Corner” on Radio 1, he rated the song so highly that he immediately played it again from the beginning. Michael went back to the top of the UK chart with “A Different Corner”, becoming the first solo act in the history of the UK chart to reach number one with his first two releases, although he was hardly an unknown or new act on either occasion due to his previous hits with Wham!. The song reached number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the first single credited solely to Michael to become an American top-ten hit which was enough to make American executives at Epic Records confident that Michael would be viable as a solo artist and helped get the gears in motion for his solo album debut Faith. It was the first song to reach number one in the UK charts to be written, performed and produced by the same person.

The song was also remixed for his compilation Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. This version omitted the guitar and Michael’s background vocals during the instrumental break.

SIDE A:
A Different Corner (Single Edit) 3:57

SIDE B:
A Different Corner (Instrumental) 4:13

BONUS TRACK:
A Different Corner (Full-Length Version) 4:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
ONI: Near Mint
Insert: Near Mint

CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1986	A Different Corner	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#7
1986	A Different Corner	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary	#6

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – 12-3P-740
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: May 21, 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Engineer – Chris Porter
Performer [All Instruments By] – George Michael
Written-By, Lyrics By, Producer, Arranged By – George Michael

NOTES:
Comes with OBI Strip, and Gatefold Lyric Insert.

“This record is dedicated to a memory”

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.

June 28, 2023

Sylvester with Patrick Cowley – Do Ya Wanna Funk/Mind warp (Japan 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1983

Patrick Cowley was one of disco’s most mysterious figures.

His life was cut short in 1982 when he died of Aids at age 32. He was a key presence in the gay San Francisco disco scene; in the 1970s and early 1980s, when the city had one of the best disco scenes in the world.

Sylvester was San Francisco’s biggest star and Cowley’s muse – a larger-than-life presence around town, dressed to the nines and often carrying multiple shopping bags as he walked down Castro Street. Cowley most famously worked with Sylvester on the ecstatic mega-hit You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) and was a pioneer of the genre known as Hi-NRG, a relentlessly uptempo variant of disco that gained serious traction, especially in the UK and Europe.

Cowley was a good deal quieter than Sylvester, and more of a tech boffin, experimenting with music in an apartment in the Castro crammed with electronics, with cables hanging everywhere. “It was a mess of wires,” recalls John Hedges, who ran Megatone Records for many years, the now-legendary record label that Cowley originally started with Marty Blecman in the 1970s.

“It certainly didn’t look very safe,” he adds. “He was always experimenting to get the sounds. They would wire everything in and have tape machines, and the tape would go from one tape machine to another about 10 feet away to create the echo they wanted, or delay.”

Sylvester known as “The Queen Of Disco” died six years after Cowley, of Aids-related complications in 1988. Patrick Cowley and Sylvester were iconic trailblazers not just for queer and androgynous people, but for disco music as a whole, overcoming trauma, prejudice, and stigma to achieve their dreams.

“Do Ya Wanna Funk” is a 1982 dance song recorded by American recording artists Sylvester and Patrick Cowley. It was produced by Cowley, who incidentally died the same year. The song was most successful in Europe, especially in Belgium, Finland, and Norway, where it became a top-10 hit. It also reached the top 20 in the Netherlands and Switzerland and made it to the top 30 in West Germany and Australia, and the top 40 in the United Kingdom. The song was inspired by “I’m Your Jeanie”, a single by Jeanie Tracy, who was a background vocalist for Sylvester. It was also featured in the film Trading Places (1983). In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked “Do Ya Wanna Funk” number 179 in their list of 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time.

“Mind Warp” was the title track from Patrick Cowley’s third and final album.

SIDE A:
Do Ya Wanna Funk (Long Version) 6:57
Performer – Sylvester With Patrick Cowley
Vocals – Sylvester
Written-By – Patrick Cowley, Sylvester

SIDE B:
Mind Warp (Long Version) 6:36
Performer – Patrick Cowley
Vocals – Patrick Cowley
Written-By – Patrick Cowley

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI Strip: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	Do Ya wanna Funk	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco songs	#4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Victor – VIL-1002
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Japan
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi-NRG

CREDITS:

Producer – Patrick Cowley

NOTES:
Comes with an OBI strip

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.