Tag: Japan

September 22, 2020

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Billie Jean” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from Jackson’s sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. “Billie Jean” blends post-disco, rhythm and blues, funk and dance-pop. The lyrics describe a woman, Billie Jean, who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son, which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies’ claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5.

“Billie Jean” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart within three weeks, and became Jackson’s fastest-rising number one single since “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” in 1970, which he recorded as a member of the Jackson 5. It remained at number one for nine weeks on the chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1983. “Billie Jean” is certified 6x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was also a number one hit in the UK, France, Switzerland and Belgium for example, and reached the top ten in many other countries. “Billie Jean” was one of the best-selling singles of 1983, helping Thriller become the best-selling album of all time, and became Jackson’s best-selling solo single.

Jackson’s performance of “Billie Jean” on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever won acclaim and was nominated for an Emmy Award. It introduced several of Jackson’s signatures, including the moonwalk and white sequined glove, and was widely imitated. The “Billie Jean” music video, directed by Steve Barron, was the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on MTV. Along with the other videos produced for Thriller, it helped establish MTV’s cultural importance and make music videos an integral part of popular music marketing. The spare, bass-driven arrangement of “Billie Jean” helped pioneer what one critic called “sleek, post-soul pop music”. It also introduced a more paranoid lyrical style for Jackson, a trademark of his later music.

“Billie Jean” was awarded honors including two Grammy Awards and an American Music Award. In a list compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV in 2000, the song was ranked as the sixth greatest pop song since 1963. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed it at number 58 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Frequently listed in magazine polls of the best songs ever made, “Billie Jean” was named the greatest dance record of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners.

SIDE A:
Billie Jean (Long Version) 6:21

SIDE B:
Billie Jean (Instrumental Version) 6:21

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

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	Billie Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1983	Billie Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#1
1983	Billie Jean	U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	#9

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12・3P-490
Series: Michael Jackson Jumbo Single Series 1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Funk, Soul, Pop

CREDITS:
Co-producer – Michael Jackson
Producer –Quincy Jones
Written-By – M. Jackson*

NOTES:
Special Versions
Taken from the LP “Thriller”

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
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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

March 17, 2020

Wham! – The Edge Of Heaven (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

“The Edge of Heaven” is a song by English pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!’s farewell single.

With the known desire of George Michael to move into a more adult market, Wham! had announced in the spring of 1986 that Michael and his musical partner Andrew Ridgeley would go their separate ways after a farewell single, album and concert. The album was called The Final and the concert was held in front of 72,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday 28 June 1986. Prior to the official release date of the single, the song had been performed during their 1985 “Whamamerica!” tour.

The single, a five-minute tale of emotional and physical frustration within a relationship, was a slick and upbeat — albeit harder-edged than earlier works — a pop tune which became the fourth and final No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart (and the final US Top Ten hit, reaching #10) for the duo. Elton John, a friend of Michael and Ridgeley, played piano on the track.

Michael has said the lyrics to the song were “deliberately and overtly sexual, especially the first verse”. The reason for this, he says, was he thought no one would care “because no one listens to a Wham! lyric. It had got to that stage.”

Epic released a double record set in the UK, with an updated version of Wham!’s early signature song “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)” on the flip of disc one, and two new songs – “Battlestations” and a cover of the Was (Not Was) song “Where Did Your Heart Go?”—on the flip of the second disc. “Where Did Your Heart Go?” was later given equal billing and reached a lowly position in the UK Top 40 as a result.

In the United States, “The Edge of Heaven” was backed with a live version of “Blue” from Wham!’s tour of China. “Where Did Your Heart Go?” was released separately as the follow-up and the fourth and last single from Music from the Edge of Heaven (the shortened American version of The Final), and charted at #50 (backed with “Wham! Rap ’86”).

**As a special bonus track, I have added the mega-rare “Extended Edit” of “Battlestations” which should have been released as a single in my opinion. The track is remixed and edited by Steven Bourasa for the Hot Tracks remix service.

SIDE A:
The Edge Of Heaven 4:31
Written-By – G. Michael*

SIDE B:
Where Did Your Heart Go? 5:41
Written-By – Don Was & Dave Was*

BONUS TRACK:
Battlestations (Extended Edit) 6:36
Edited By – Steven Bourasa*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1986	The Edge Of Heaven	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#10
1986	The Edge Of Heaven	U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	#22

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12・3P-748
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Japan
Released: 21 Jul 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Engineer – Chris Porter
Producer, Arranged By – George Michael

NOTES:
Special thanks to Elton for The Edge Of Heaven

“Battlestations” taken from Hot Tracks Series 5, Issue 11

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

January 31, 2020

Cyndi Lauper – The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

NEW 2020 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted: October 15, 2010

“The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” is a 1985 song by American singer Cyndi Lauper. It was released as a single for the film The Goonies. It was her fifth Top 10 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #10 on July 12, 1985 after spending fifteen weeks on the survey.

Steven Spielberg had made Lauper the musical director for the Goonies soundtrack. She sought out new bands to be included on the project including her friends, The Bangles.

Lauper originally titled the song simply “Good Enough”, but it was changed by Warner Bros., who wanted the title of the film to be part of the song title for marketing reasons.

SIDE A:
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (Dance Re-Mix) 5:26
Edited By –The Latin Rascals

SIDE B:
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (Dub Version) 5:35
Edited By – The Latin Rascals

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

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#10

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Portrait ‎– 12·3P-647
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 01 Aug 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Cyndi Lauper, Lennie Petze
Remix – Arthur Baker

NOTES:
Taken from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP: “The Goonies”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

July 24, 2019

Wham! Featuring George Michael – Careless Whisper (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

35 years ago today July 24, 1984, George Michael released ‘Careless Whisper’. The song went on to be a defining moment in his career.

“Careless Whisper” is a pop ballad written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!. It was released on 24 July 1984 on the Wham! album Make It Big.

The song features a prominent saxophone riff, and has been covered by a number of artists since its first release. It was released as a single and became a huge commercial success around the world. It reached number one in nearly 25 countries, selling about 6 million copies worldwide—2 million of them in the United States.

The song went through at least two rounds of production. The first was during a trip Michael made to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he went to work with producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Michael was unhappy with the original version produced by Wexler, and decided to re-record and produce the song himself; the second version was the one ultimately released as a single.

After the backing track and George’s vocal had been recorded, Wexler had booked the top saxophone player from Los Angeles to fly in and do the solo. “He arrived at eleven and should have been gone by twelve”, recalled Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell. “Instead, after two hours, he was still there while everyone in the studio shuddered with embarrassment. He just couldn’t play the opening riff the way George wanted it, the way it had been on the demo. But that had been made two years earlier by a friend of George’s who lived round the corner and played sax for fun in the pub.”

While the saxophonist appeared to be playing the part perfectly, Michael told him, “No, it’s still not right, you see …” and he would lower his head to the talkback microphone and patiently hum the part to him yet again. “It has to twitch upwards a little just there! See …? And not too much.”

Napier-Bell consulted with Wexler over Michael’s dispute with the sax sound. “Is there really something George wants that’s different from what the sax player is playing?” Napier-Bell asked.

“Definitely!” replied Wexler.

The version Wexler produced was released later in the year, as a B-side “Special Version” on 12″ in the UK and Japan.

The record label Innervision were going to put out the Wexler version of “Careless Whisper” after the Club Fantastic Megamix as far back as 1983. Song publisher Dick Leahy said that while he could not stop the release of the Club Fantastic Megamix, he could stop the release of this single on the basis that as a publisher they “have the right to grant the first license of the recording of a tune of which he controls the copyright”. He was unable to do anything about the Club Fantastic Megamix because it was already released material. He said: “We knew how big that song could be, so it was necessary to upset a few people to stop it.”

Michael later went back to London’s Sarm West’s Studio 2 to rework the track. According to English jazz musician Dan Forshaw, saxophonist Steve Gregory had received a call to re-record the song’s distinctive solo; he was the eleventh saxophone player to record the solo, for Michael was determined to get the sound he wanted. “Session musicians do not have much idea what they are going to be recording until they arrive, and this was the case for Steve and another saxophonist who was ahead of him in the (queue)”, Forshaw recalled.

The officially released single was issued in August 1984, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 12. Within two weeks it was at number one, ending a nine-week run at the top for “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It stayed at number one for three weeks, going on to become the fifth best-selling single of 1984 in the United Kingdom; outsold only by the two Frankie Goes to Hollywood tracks, “Two Tribes” and “Relax”, Stevie Wonder with “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. The song also topped the charts in 25 other countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February 1985 under the credit “Wham! featuring George Michael”, Spending three weeks at the top in America, the song was later named Billboard’s number-one song of 1985.

Despite the success, Michael was never fond of the song. He said in 1991 that it “was not an integral part of my emotional development … it disappoints me that you can write a lyric very flippantly—and not a particularly good lyric—and it can mean so much to so many people. That’s disillusioning for a writer.”

SIDE A:
Careless Whisper (Extended Mix) 6:29
Arranged By, Producer – George Michael
Written-By – Andrew Ridgeley , George Michael

SIDE B:
Careless Whisper (Special Version) 4:42
Producer – Jerry Wexler
Written-By – Andrew Ridgeley , George Michael

Careless Whisper (Instrumental) 5:04
Arranged By, Producer – George Michael

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	Careless Whisper	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1985	Careless Whisper	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#8
1985	Careless Whisper	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12・3P-570
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Ballad, Synth-pop

NOTES:
Manufactured by Epic/Sony Inc., Tokyo, Japan
From the LP “MAKE IT BIG”

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: Schiit Mani
Soundcard: ESI Juli@ XTe Audio Interface
Monitiring: 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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.