Tag: Pride Month

June 6, 2024

Cyndi Lauper – She Bop (Japan 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1984

NEW 2024 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration!

Originally posted May 21, 2015

Cyndi Lauper, renowned for her groundbreaking contributions to music, activism, and LGBTQ advocacy, epitomizes the ethos of pride, inclusivity, and resilience.

“She Bop” is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released as the third single from her debut studio album She’s So Unusual. It reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1984. Worldwide, the song is her most commercially successful single after “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time”, reaching 46 on the UK Singles Chart and 6 on the ARIA Singles Chart. “She Bop” was her third consecutive Top 5 on the Hot 100.

The song was considered controversial, as it dealt with the subject matter of masturbation. It was also included on the Parents Music Resource Center’s “Filthy Fifteen” list, due to its sexual lyrics; this led to the creation of the Parental Advisory sticker. (Other songs on the “Filthy Fifteen” list included tracks by Madonna, Prince, and AC/DC.) In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lauper stated that she recorded the vocals of the song while nude.

Lauper said she wanted little kids to think the song was about dancing, and to understand the real meaning as they got older. It could receive airplay as she never directly stated in the song what the meaning was.

Lauper stated at a concert during her 2013 She’s So Unusual anniversary tour that she recorded the song topless in a dark room and tickled herself under her arms, which is why her laughter is on the track.

“She Bop” was released on July 2, 1984, and became a success. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #52 in the issue dated July 21, 1984, and spent a total of twenty-five weeks on the chart, reaching a peak position of #3 in the issue dated September 8, 1984. It was the third single from Lauper’s debut album to make the top 10 of the Hot 100. The single also reached number ten on the Hot Dance/Club Play Songs chart the week of September 15, 1984, and placed at 34 on the Billboard year-end chart of 1984. On April 17, 1989, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the shipment of a million copies across the United States.

SIDE A:
She Bop (Special Dance Mix) 6:26

SIDE B:
She Bop (Instrumental) 5:21

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

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	She Bop	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#3
1984	She Bop	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#10

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Portrait – 12・3P-543
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Design – Janet Perr
Engineer – Walter Turbitt
Executive-Producer – Lennie Petze
Illustration – Mark Marek
Producer [Produced By] – Rick Chertoff
Remix – Arthur Baker
Written-By – C. Lauper*, G. Corbett*, R. Chertoff*, S. Lunt*

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

Buy the 12″ On 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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 5, 2024

Nitzer Ebb – Control Im Here Edition Number One (Command Control Confront) (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1989

When researching songs that I wanted to include for PRIDE Month I wanted to step outside of the box because PRIDE music is not just Disco or Divas there are also many other genres to seek out including EBM/Industrial music which was quite popular in the mid-late 80’s a homoerotic militaristic style of dance music which was a leather scene favorite. It was subversively left-wing beneath its macho surface. Bands like Nitzer Ebb tapped into this subgenre.

“Control I’m Here” was the first single released by British EBM project Nitzer Ebb taken from their second and upcoming studio album “Belief”. It reached #100 in the UK Single Chart, and #14 on the US Billboard Dance Chart. the single was co-produced by Post-punk record producer and DJ, Flood (Mark Ellis) known for his work with A-ha, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Nine Inch Nails, U2, and many other bands.

SIDE A:
Control Im Here (Zero Option Mix) 3:53
Control Im Here (Command Control Confront Mix) 6:43

SIDE B:
Control Im Here (Inst. Club Mix) 5:33
K.I.A. 4:27

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Control Im Here	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Play	#14
1989	Control Im Here	U.S. Billboard Alternative Airplay	#25

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Geffen Records – 0-21111, Geffen Records – 9 21111-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single, SRC Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: EBM, Industrial

CREDITS:
Producer, Mixed By – Flood, NitzerEbbProdukt
Written-By – V. Harris*, D. McCarthy*

NOTES:
Recorded at worldwide international

mixed at konk

Track A1 is incorrectly listed on artwork as: Control Im Here (Hardcore Mix)
Track B1 is incorrectly listed on artwork as: Control Im Here (Strategic Dancefloor Initiative Mix)

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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 4, 2024

Laura Branigan – Gloria (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1982

“Gloria” is a 1979 song written and composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi, and afterward translated to English by Jonathan King. A 1982 cover version by American singer Laura Branigan peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The most successful version of “Gloria”‘ was featured on the 1982 album Branigan, the first album released by Laura Branigan. Although another track, “All Night with Me”, was chosen as the album’s lead single, Branigan also performed the cover song during her promotional television appearances at the time of the album’s release. The track was chosen as the album’s second single in June 1982, first becoming a disco favorite, and gradually accruing radio support to enter the pop charts in July. The single reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on 27 November 1982, behind Lionel Richie’s “Truly”, and remained there the following two weeks, through 11 December—when Richie had been supplanted by Toni Basil’s “Mickey”.

“Gloria” earned Branigan a nomination for the Best Pop Vocal Performance Female Grammy Award for 1982. The song remained in the Top 40 for 22 weeks, and its total Hot 100 residency of 36 weeks established a new record for a single by a solo female act. The song also topped Cash Box magazine’s chart. Certified platinum for one million sales in the United States alone, “Gloria” was also an international success, most notably in Australia where it held the top position for seven consecutive weeks, from 7 February to 21 March 1983. “Gloria” also reached number one in Canada, number four in Ireland, number six in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and number nine in South Africa.

SIDE A:
Gloria (Vocal Long Version) 5:56
Written-By – Giancarlo Bigazzi, Trevor Veitch, Umberto Tozzi

SIDE B:
Living A Lie (Vocal) 3:39
Written-By – Dick St. Nicklaus, Sue Neal

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	Gloria	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#2
1982	Gloria	U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	#28
1982	Gloria	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/ Club Play	#4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – DM 4835
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, SP
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Hi NRG, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Co-producer – Greg Mathieson
Mastered By – D.K.*
Producer – Jack White

NOTES:
Pub., Sugar Song Publications, Inc., BMI
Administered by MCA
From Atlantic LP 19289 “Branigan”

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 donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 30, 2023

Boystown Gang – Cruisin’ The Streets (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1981

The blockbuster success of the Village People proved one of two things: either middle America was finally willing to embrace post-Stonewall queer culture in all its out-and-proud glory, or else your average Reagan voters wouldn’t recognize a homosexual even if he sold their teenage son’s poppers and stuffed the cash into his assless chaps. Regardless, the Village People phenomenon spawned untold numbers of cash-in records that ratcheted the camp appeal into the danger zone.

The “postdisco” recording industry in San Francisco between 1978 and 1984. For most of America, disco died in 1979. Gay people, however, continued to dance, and in the Castro enterprising gay DJs, record producers, and musicians started their own small dance music record labels to make up for the lack of new, danceable music.

The sound derived its aesthetic from San Francisco’s unique queer configuration of elements, but immediately this music had a reach far beyond the Bay Area, with Megatone Records, Moby Dick Records, and other labels achieving worldwide success with San Francisco artists such as Sylvester, Patrick Cowley, Lisa, and Boys Town Gang creating the world’s first gay-owned, gay-produced music for a dancing audience.

In 1980, DJ Bill Motley saw an opportunity to form a disco group that catered to San Francisco’s large gay clientele. In his search to form a group, he auditioned hundreds of vocalists, both male and female. Local cabaret singer Cynthia Manley captured the lead spot.

The idea was originally for one 12″ single with two tracks of high-energy disco music. Motley, a Diana Ross fan, picked two Ashford & Simpson songs to form a medley for the A-side track. For the B-side track, he wrote a disco drama in four acts. A private record label was founded to release the two songs.

“Remember Me”/”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is a Diana Ross medley the song became a huge dance hit in the U.S. peaking at #5 on the Dance/Disco chart. The song was also a top 20 hit in Belgium and the Netherlands.

“Cruisin’ the Streets” The extended version of the song includes a lengthy dialogue taking place at night in what is clearly implied to be Folsom Street in San Francisco. The dialogue consists of gay men cruising each other, discussing their sexual encounters and conversing with a female prostitute. At one point, a police car stops and three policemen step out and confront two men who are engaging in sexual activity as a female prostitute looks on. One of the officers asks the others what should be done, and the third officer states that he knows “just what to do to ’em” and from the subsequent noises it is implied that the officers are having sex with the two men, and the prostitute. “Cruisin’ the Streets” was a snapshot of San Francisco’s South of Market District at the time.

**ABOUT THE VINYL RESTORATION

This record was a challenge maybe due to the length of the tracks and the pressing. On Side AA there is some sibilance baked into the track, especially on the female spoken dialogue parts not really much that can be done about that. Still, I think everything turned out nicely. I hope you enjoy it.

SIDE A:
Remember Me / Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Suite 13:57
Arranged By [Strings] – Denver Smith
Backing Vocals – Darlene Koblenhaven, Denver Smith, Louie Rico, Marie Cain, Mary Hylan, Mike Gymnaites
Piano – Ted Andreads
Saxophone – Jerry Jomonville
Synthesizer [Arp] – Wayne Cook
Trombone – Dennis Brunk
Trumpet – Lee Thornburg
Violin – Ken Yerke
Written-By – Ashford, Simpson

A.1 Overture
A.2 Remember Me
A.3 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
A.4 Reprise
A.5 Finale

SIDE AA:
Cruisin’ The Streets 13:12
Backing Vocals – Bill Motley, Chuck Spero
Mixed By [Mix Consultant] – Trip Ringwald
Piano [Rhodes], Clavinet – Ted Andreads
Remix [Street Scene – Music In Passing Car Courtesy Of] – Disconet
Saxophone – Randy Smith (2)
Synthesizer, Trombone – Denver Smith
Trumpet – Joel Rich
Voice [Street Scene] – Bill Motley, Chuck Spero, Craig Morey, Cynthia Manley, Don Wood, Scott Anderson (3), Trip Ringwald
Written-By – Bill Motley

AA.1 Cruisin’
AA.2 Rejected
AA.3 The Pick-Up
AA.4 Busted
AA.5 Reprise

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	Remember Me”/”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco	#5

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Moby Dick Records – BTG-231, Moby Dick Records – LP-BTG-231
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco

CREDITS:

Arranged By [Horns], Synthesizer – Denver Smith
Bass – Steve Saunders (8)
Congas, Tambourine – Louie Rico
Drums – Joe Baldino
Engineer [Recording] – David Coe
Executive Producer – Stan Morriss, Victor Swedosh
Lead Guitar – Mike Guess
Lead Vocals – Cynthia Manley
Mastered By – Leo Kulka
Mixed By – Bill Motley, David Coe
Photography By – Scott Goldschmidt
Producer, Arranged By – Bill Motley
Rhythm Guitar – Mike Gymnaites
Technician [Assistant To The Producer] – Chuck Spero

NOTES:
“Caution: May contain material not suitable for children or the prudish”
Recorded at Salty Dog Studios, Van Nuys, CA.
Mastered at the Mastering Room, San Francisco.

The flipside is listed on sleeve, labels and runout groove as “The Other A”.

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.