Tag: John Barry

May 1, 2020

a-ha – The Living Daylights (Germany 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

NEW 2020 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted March 26, 2011

“The Living Daylights” is a song performed by Norwegian pop group A-ha for the 1987 James Bond film of the same name. It was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. After first appearing in the context of the film, a revised version was included in the band’s Stay on These Roads studio album, which came out in 1988.

John Barry was listed on the credits as co-writer and producer, and the initial release of the song was his version. A second version of the song, re-worked by A-ha in 1988, later appeared on their third album, Stay on These Roads.

When interviewed on a late-night show in 1987, Barry said that he found working with the band exhausting secondary to the band’s insistence on using their own version of the song for release. In an interview with Hot Rod Magazine, keyboardist Magne Furuholmen said that “[the band’s] fight with Barry left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Apparently, he compared us to Hitlerjugend in a newspaper interview.” Waaktaar stated that although Barry produced the track, he never contributed to the songwriting process and should not have been credited as such (the band Duran Duran made similar claims after they worked briefly with Barry on the theme to the previous Bond film, “A View to a Kill”, in 1985). However, Waaktaar has also said: “I loved the stuff he [John Barry] added to the track. I mean, it gave it this sort of really cool string arrangement. That’s when it, for me, started to sound like a Bond thing.”

“The Living Daylights” was released in the summer of 1987. The song peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number one in Norway. In the United States, the single failed to chart.

The song remains one of A-ha’s most played songs in live concerts and has often been extended into a “sing-along” with the audience, as featured on the live album How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head. In live performances, Paul Waaktaar often included the main James Bond Theme in his guitar solo.

SIDE A:
The Living Daylights (Extended Version) 6:50

SIDE B:
The Living Daylights (7 Inch Version) 4:15
The Living Daylights (Instrumental) 4:41

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 920 736-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design – Bill Smith Studio
Lacquer Cut By – JK (28)
Photography By [A-ha Photography] – Paul Rider (4)
Producer – Jason Corsaro, John Barry, Mags (2), Pal Waaktaar*
Written-By – John Barry, Pal Waaktaar*

NOTES:
From the album “The Living Daylights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”

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

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November 24, 2014

Duran Duran – A View To A Kill (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

After several requests and all the buzz surrounding the newly unearthed 12″ remix of “A View To A Kill”. I decided to post the only official U.S. 12″ of the Duran Duran classic. Sure it’s just the original single version, but for those of us who are audiophile’s hearing the track in it’s original uncompressed vinyl glory is a real treat especially in 24 bit.

In November 2014 – The James Bond site MI6 revealed a previously unreleased 7:30 extended remixed 12″ version of the song and it has since been mentioned on Duran Duran’s website which suggests that it might be the real deal. MI6 claim that Steve Thompson created the 12″ mix in Paris with the band, although John Taylor says “I don’t remember hearing it at the time”. The remix can be heard of MI6-HQ’s page on Soundcloud. November 22, 2014, Steve Thompson confirmed to Super Deluxe Editions that he, Mike Barbiero and the band was there except John Taylor had made the 12″ version of the song in a Paris studio.

“A View to a Kill” is the thirteenth single by Duran Duran, released in 6 May 1985 and created for the James Bond movie A View to a Kill. It was a stand-alone single, and remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number 2 for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart.

In 1986, John Barry and Duran Duran were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for A View to a Kill. The song was the last track recorded by the original five members of Duran Duran until their 2001 reunion. It was played at their 1985 performance at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance prior to their first split, while still at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

SIDE A:
A View To A Kill 3:35

SIDE B:
A View To A Kill 3:35

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (generic)

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	A View To A Kill	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records ‎– SPRO-9391
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor [Orchestra] – John Barry
Engineer, Mixed By – Jason Corsaro
Producer – Bernard Edwards, Duran Duran, Jason Corsaro
Sampler [Digital] – Jonathan Elias
Written-By – Duran Duran, John Barry

NOTES:
Same track appears on both sides
From the James Bond Movie “A VIEW TO A KILL”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Click Removal: Manual
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
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

February 14, 2014

Rita Coolidge – All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) (Italy 7″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“All Time High” is a 1983 single release by Rita Coolidge introduced as the theme song for the James Bond film Octopussy.

“All Time High” marked the return of regular James Bond theme composer John Barry after his absence from the For Your Eyes Only soundtrack. The lyrics were written by Tim Rice and recording and mixing of the track is credited to Stephen Short.

Prior to Rita Coolidge being assigned the Octopussy theme a contender was Mari Wilson, a British singer whose retro-image evoked the mid-’60s when the Bond series originated, but Wilson’s lack of a US-profile led to a negative decision.

The producers of Octopussy were known to have been in negotiations with Laura Branigan, then a top-ranking hitmaker in the US and Europe.

The ultimate choice of Coolidge – whose career peak had occurred some six years previously – was a surprising one. Coolidge recalls that Barbara Broccoli, the assistant director of Octopussy, was a fan of Coolidge and made a point of playing Coolidge records around her father, Cubby Broccoli, producer of the films, until “one day [he said], “Who is that? That’s the voice I want for the movie.’…in the studio [Tim Rice] was still finishing the song. We were waiting for the lyrics as the track had already been done.”

Rice made no effort to incorporate the film’s title but the lyric: “We’re two of a kind” is a line spoken by the title character (played by Maud Adams) to James Bond (Roger Moore). The song’s title “All Time High” parallels Coolidge’s #2 hit “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” whose lyric “When you wrap your loving arms around me I can stand up and face the world again” is echoed by the “All Time High” lyric “We’ll take on the world and win”.

The music video shows Coolidge in soft focus in what purports to be an Indian palace (it is in fact the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, England).

In the US “All Time High” reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1983. Adult contemporary radio was much more receptive, with that genre allowing “All Time High” four weeks at #1 as ranked by Billboard magazine. Coolidge had previously topped the Adult Contemporary chart in 1977 with “We’re All Alone”.

In the UK, “All Time High” rose no higher than #75 and remains the lowest charting James Bond theme. However the track became a major hit in several European countries: Austria – #14; Finland – #11; Germany – #13; the Netherlands – #8; Sweden – #8; and Switzerland – #7: Coolidge had previously only charted in one of these six countries, that being the Netherlands (with “We’re All Alone” – #15/1977) which was also the only one of the six countries where she’d chart again. “Stand in Wonder”, #56/1999). Additionally “All Time High” afforded Coolidge a chart record in Australia – #80; Canada – #38, New Zealand – #26, and South Africa – #8; also the track was ranked at #48 in the annual hit parade tally for 1983 in Brazil.

SIDE A:
All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) 3:02

SIDE B:
All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) (Extended Instrumental Version) 3:50

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	All Time High	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#36
1983	All Time High	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#1

RELE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records ‎– AMS 9286, A&M Records ‎– AM 007
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: Italy
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop
Style: Pop/Rock, Vocal
Credits: Arranged By, Conductor, Producer – John Barry
Lyrics By – Tim Rice
Written-By – J. Barry*, T. Rice*

NOTES:
From the motion picture soundtrack “OCTOPUSSY”

Find The 7″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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 Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
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