Tag: Larry Levan

Instant Funk – Got My Mind Made Up (US 12″) (1978)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

“I Got My Mind Made Up” is a 1978 disco-funk classic by Instant Funk, released on Salsoul Records. A defining track of the era, the song became a massive dancefloor hit, fusing deep funk grooves, hypnotic rhythms, and high-energy production.

From Simple R&B to a Club Anthem
The song’s original production was a simple 3-minute R&B track recorded on an 8-track tape, but that was only the beginning. It was transferred to 24-track tape at Blank Tapes, NYC, where producer Bunny Sigler and engineer Bob Blank began transforming it into a club anthem. Among the many enhancements, Bunny brought in a woman to deliver the now-iconic “Say what?” throughout the track. As she recorded, Bunny stood behind her, shouting instructions like “Scream!”, which were amplified and incorporated into the mix.

The Grueling Manual Remix Process
Remixing was a meticulous, manual process—no computerization was involved. Initially, legendary DJ Walter Gibbons attempted a remix but abandoned the project due to religious beliefs. Then, Ken Cayre, the owner of Salsoul Records, took a shot before it ultimately landed in the hands of Larry Levan. Working in Blank Tapes’ old Studio A, on a console without automation, the mix was assembled through painstaking tape splicing. To extend the groove that defines the song, four bars of the groove section were manually edited and repeated to create its now-familiar format. Bob Blank estimated that it took over 60 hours of mixing to finalize the versions that exist today.

The Legendary 12″ Versions
The original 12″ vinyl release of “I Got My Mind Made Up” featured what later became known as the “Disco Version”, running 9:46—marking Larry Levan’s second-ever remix credit! This version has appeared on all subsequent CD releases.

BUT… the flip-side of the 12″ featured a version running 7:11, a mix that has never been repressed or released in digital format—EVER! This makes the original 12″ pressing a sought-after collector’s item.

Chart Success & Lasting Influence
Upon release, “I Got My Mind Made Up” became a major success, spending three non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, briefly interrupted by Sister Sledge’s “He’s the Greatest Dancer.” It also reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Disco chart, cementing its status as a dancefloor staple.

However, in a tragic turn of events, Salsoul Records removed and destroyed all of their multi-track masters from Blank Tapes in 1985—hundreds of recordings lost forever. Thankfully, some were saved by John Morales, and this master was one of them, preserving its legacy.

The song’s impact has lasted well beyond the disco era. Whether played in classic funk sets, sampled in modern productions, or rediscovered by new generations, “I Got My Mind Made Up” remains one of the most electrifying club anthems ever recorded.

*Vinyl-only

SIDE A:
I Got My Mind Made Up (Special 12 Inch Disco Mix) 9:46

SIDE B:
I Got My Mind Made Up (Special 12 Inch Disco Mix Edit)* 7:11

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1978 I Got My Mind Made Up U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #20
1978 I Got My Mind Made Up U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles #1
1978 I Got My Mind Made Up U.S. Billboard Hot Dance / Disco #1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Salsoul Records – SG 207
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Indianapolis
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Disco

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Special 12 Inch Disco Mix
Produced for Bundino Productions

Buy the 12″ 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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Duran Duran – Skin Trade (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1987

“Skin Trade” is the second single from Duran Duran’s Notorious album and the band’s 15th single in total. It was released in January 1987, reached #22 on the UK Singles Chart, and #39 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The music for “Skin Trade” was written long before Simon LeBon finally finished the lyrics. The title for the song was derived from the Dylan Thomas book Adventures in the Skin Trade which John Taylor had on him during the recording of the album. It was shortened to “Skin Trade” and LeBon eventually wrote the melody and lyrics for the track while spending an evening in Taylor’s Upper West Side Manhattan apartment. The lyrics reflect on how everyone is selling themselves, and “there’s a little hooker in each of us”.

The single was quite a departure for the band. Simon LeBon sang in falsetto, Le Bon admits he was channeling The Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger on their song “Emotional Rescue”. A horn section played a prominent role in the track, as played by The Borneo Horns. The band persevered with the single and many aspects of their future business took inspiration from “Skin Trade”. They called their publishing company Skin Trade Music Ltd. and the Notorious tour was called the “Strange Behaviour Tour” (a reference to that line of the song). Likewise, a 1987 remix EP and a 1999 double CD collection of remixes were also called Strange Behaviour.

Andy Taylor was no longer an official member of Duran Duran by that time, but he was credited as a session guitarist on this song, although apparently, he did not participate in the recordings. Meanwhile, the new guest musicians, Steve Ferrone and Warren Cuccurullo played the drums and lead guitars respectively. Nile Rodgers played some lines of the rhythm guitar.

In a retrospective review of the single, AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song. He wrote: “The music lends contrast to the angry tone of the lyrics by creating a sultry, mellow melody that juxtaposes verses with a soft, hypnotic ebb and flow with an ever-ascending chorus that revs up the song’s inherent drama.”

The b-side to “Skin Trade” was the only original b-side released during the Notorious era. Entitled “We Need You”, it was written and recorded in 1986 while the band awaited the return of Andy Taylor for a recording session. It was the first recording to feature just the three remaining members of Duran Duran – Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Simon Le Bon.

Two further mixes of “Skin Trade” (S.O.S. Dub & Parisian Mix) were completed, but not released commercially during the “Skin Trade” release cycle. They appeared on a US 12″ promo and on a UK 12″ promo, backed with remixes of the next single “Meet El Presidente”. The “Parisian Mix” was also released on the promo-only Master Mixes EP.

SIDE A:
Skin Trade (Stretch Mix) 7:41
Mixed By – Daniel Abraham
Remix – Larry Levan

SIDE B:
Skin Trade (Album Version) 5:57
Mixed By – Daniel Abraham

We Need You 2:51

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1987 Skin Trade U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #39

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records – V-15274
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Designed At – Manhattan Design
Engineer – Daniel Abraham
Producer – Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers (tracks: A, B1)
Written-By – Taylor, Rhodes, Le Bon*

NOTES:
Recorded in England.

…i love the smell of vinyl in the morning…

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
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


Password: burningtheground

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

Dan Hartman – I Can Dream About You (Germany 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“I Can Dream About You” is a song performed by American singer Dan Hartman for the soundtrack album of the film Streets of Fire. Released in 1984 as a single from the soundtrack, and included on Hartman’s album I Can Dream About You, it reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song first appeared in Streets of Fire, where it was performed by the fictional group The Sorels. The real voice behind the version used in the film was Winston Ford, but Hartman’s version was the one used on the soundtrack album and released as a single. In a Songfacts interview with the film’s musical director, Kenny Vance, he recalled “The same guy that sings lead on that and “Countdown to Love,” a song that I wrote for the film, was a guy working at a Radio Shack (Winston Ford), and I think when you look at the film and The Sorels are singing it live in the movie, that was the version that was supposed to come out, and I recorded that version. But then when Dan Hartman heard it, I don’t know what happened next, but I know that he took that guy’s voice off and he put his own on, and he had a hit with it. Hollywood is a very slippery place.”

Originally, producer Jimmy Iovine had asked Hartman to write a song for a film he was working on. Hartman was told that the song was going to be sung by four black guys in a concert situation within the film, and Hartman ended up thinking about a demo he made of “I Can Dream About You.” Hartman then went through some legal maneuvering to get the benefit of his breakthrough. The use of the song in the film being performed by actors did not feature Hartman on vocals but a studio singer. After some contract negotiating, Hartman insisted he sing the song on the soundtrack, and that his version be released if a single were to be issued from the soundtrack album. Additionally, any music video had to feature his own voice using the song. These clauses helped Hartman become an “overnight sensation.” Both Hartman and Iovine worked on his 1984, same-titled solo album I Can Dream About You, following the song’s use in the film. The album would spawn two other Top 40 charting singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 – “We Are the Young” and “Second Nature”.

SIDE A:
I Can Dream About You (Jellybean Remix) 7:32
Engineer [Mix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez

SIDE B:
I Can Dream About You (Larry Levan Extended Remix) 5:57
Remix – Larry Levan

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1984 I Can Dream About You U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #7
1984 I Can Dream About You U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary #8
1984 I Can Dream About You U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles #60
1984 I Can Dream About You U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #6

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– 259 307-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Jimmy Iovine
Producer, Written-By – Dan Hartman

NOTES:
Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “Streets Of Fire”

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 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
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