Tag: Pride Month

Frankie Goes To Hollywood – In The Pleasuredome (UK Cassette)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

Pride month would not be complete without including Frankie Goes To Hollywood known for their leather-clad homoerotic videos and suggestive lyrics. Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ambitious work sought to challenge the status quo of pop, and politics. they were true trailblazers.

“Welcome to the Pleasuredome” is the title track to the 1984 debut album by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The lyrics of the song were inspired by the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

In March 1985, the album track was abridged and remixed for release as the group’s fourth UK single.

While criticized at the time of release and afterward for being a song that glorifies debauchery, the lyrics (and video), just as Coleridge’s poem, were about the dangers of mindless indulgence. This song, along with “Relax”, made Frankie Goes to Hollywood even more controversial than they already were.

Billboard compared it to “Relax,” saying that “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” had “less hook, less controversy, more drama.”

Despite the group’s record label (ZTT) pre-emptively promoting the single as “their fourth number one”, an achievement that would have set a new UK record for consecutive number one singles by a debuting artist, “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, being kept off the top spot by the Phil Collins/Philip Bailey duet “Easy Lover”. The single spent a total of eleven weeks on the UK chart.

It was the first release by the group not to reach number one and, despite representing a creditable success in its own right, it symbolically confirmed the end of the chart invincibility that the group had enjoyed during 1984. Frankie Goes to Hollywood would not release another record for seventeen months, and they would fail to emulate their past chart success upon their return.

The spoken-word introductions to both 12-inch mixes are adapted from Walter Kaufmann’s 1967 translation of Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy. The recitation on the first 12-inch (“Real Altered”) is by Gary Taylor, whilst that on the second 12-inch (“Fruitness”) and the cassette is by actor Geoffrey Palmer. It is unknown whether Palmer’s conclusion “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” was a genuine mistake or a deliberately scripted one.

All releases featured an edited version of “Get It On”, originally recorded for a BBC Radio 1 session in 1983 (a full-length version was included on the cassette release), plus a faded or full-length version of “Happy Hi!”, a non-album track.

The video, by Bernard Rose, features the group stealing a car, going to a carnival, and encountering all manner of deceptively “pleasurable” activities. The audio soundtrack of the video was included as part of the cassette single.

ABOUT THE TRANSFER

On the cassette “Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (The Soundtrack From Bernard Rose’s Video)”, and “Get It On” are sequenced into one track to preserve the integrity of the original cassette release I chose not to split the tracks. DOLBY NR was used for this transfer.

All In The Body
Happy Hi! 1:22
Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (The Soundtrack From Bernard Rose’s Video)/Get It On 9:48

All In The Mind
Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (How To Remake The World) 9:32
Happy Hi 1:12

CASSETTE GRADE:
Cassette: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Welcome To The Pleasuredome U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #48
1985 Welcome To The Pleasuredome U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs #31

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: ZTT – CTIS 107
Series: Action Series – 7, Incidental Series – 95
Format: Cassette, Single
Country: UK
Released: Mar 18, 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Plays the same tracks on both sides. Issued as a grey cassette with white text on black paper labels. On some copies, it is apparent that there is red/pink print directly on the cassette under the paper labels.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood in the Pleasure Dome, a two-part cassette celebration of their fourth number one. There is, unquestionably, a stringent honesty in all this – but can it be carried too far? Ask your friends.

This singlette is number ninety-five in the imperfect Incidental Series. It is also part of number seven in Zang Tuum Tum’s professional Action Series. Fans of Frankie Goes To Hollywood must also know it is all part of Number One in Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 1985 Escape Act… ‘from the wasteland to the artificial paradise.’

Friedrich Nietzsche appears as “Friedich Wilhelm Nietzsche” on release

Dolby System

Buy the Cassette at DISCOGS

CASSETTE TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Cassette Deck: Nakamichi BX-300 Discrete 3-Head Cassette Deck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp Line In 
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
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:
Cassette transfer was recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at

**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.



Cathy Dennis – Touch Me (All Night Long) (US Cassette Maxi-Single)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1991

“Touch Me (All Night Long)” is another song that packed the dance floor in many gay clubs in America the song was so popular that it reached the #1 spot on the U.S. Dance chart in the spring of 1991 “.

“Touch Me (All Night Long)” is a song originally released in 1984 by American singer Fonda Rae. In 1991 British singer and songwriter Cathy Dennis covered the song, and released it on January 14, 1991, as the third single from her debut studio album, Move to This (1990). Her version contains some rewritten lyrics in the verses. It was a number-one hit on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Dennis performed the song on the season three episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, “A Night to Remember”, in 1993.

“Touch Me (All Night Long)” peaked at number one in Zimbabwe, number nine in Canada, number five in the United Kingdom and number three in Ireland. In the United States, “Touch Me” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of May 18, 1991. In addition, “Touch Me” spent one week at the top of the US Dance Club Songs chart in March 1991, becoming her biggest hit in that country.

Dolby B NR was used for this transfer.

SIDE A:
Touch Me (All Night Long) (Club Mix) 7:24
Touch Me (All Night Long) (All Night Long Mix) 6:51
Touch Me (All Night Long) (7″ Mix) 3:32

SIDE B:
Touch Me (All Night Long) (Touch This) 7:53
Touch Me (All Night Long) (Rhodesapella) 4:05
Touch Me (All Night Long) (Dub All Night Long) 5:27

CASSETTE GRADE:
Sleeve: Near Mint
Cassette: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1991 Touch Me (All Night Long) U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #2
1991 Touch Me (All Night Long) U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs #1
1991 Touch Me (All Night Long) U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales #1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Polydor – 879 467-4
Format: Cassette, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Garage House

CREDITS:

NOTES:
From the LP “MOVE TO THIS”

Buy the Cassette at DISCOGS

CASSETTE TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Cassette Deck: Nakamichi BX-300 Discrete 3-Head Cassette Deck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp Line In 
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
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:
Cassette transfer was recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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

Kim Wilde – You Keep Me Hangin’ On (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1987

NEW 203 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Originally posted December 15, 2016

During the week of June 6, 1987, Kim Wilde ruled the dance floor in clubs across America with her chart-topping cover of the Supremes classic “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” which has since become a gay club classic and should be on every Pride playlist.

“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by the American Motown girl group the Supremes.

“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” was covered in an updated version by English singer Kim Wilde in 1986. Wilde’s version was a total re-working of the original, completely transforming the Supremes’ Motown Sound into a hi-NRG song.

It was released as the second single from Wilde’s fifth studio album, Another Step (although “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” was the LP’s first worldwide single, as the first single had been released only in selected countries). The song reached number two in Wilde’s native United Kingdom and number one in Australia. It also became Wilde’s second and last top-40 entry in the United States following “Kids in America” (1981), as well as her most successful song in that country to date, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in June 1987. It later ranked as the 34th best-selling song of 1987 on Billboard’s Hot 100 year-end chart that year. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for UK sales in excess of 250,000 copies.

SIDE A:
You Keep Me Hangin’ On (Extended Mix) 9:02
Remix – Ian Levine

SIDE B:
Loving You 4:52
Written-By – Kim WildeRicki Wilde*

You Keep Me Hangin’ On (7″ Edit) 4:11

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1987 You Keep Me Hangin’ On U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1987 You Keep Me Hangin’ On U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary #30
1987 You Keep Me Hangin’ On U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #6

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCA-23717
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Original version available on the MCA album “ANOTHER STEP”.

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 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.



Corey Hart – Never Surrender (Canada 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

This song has always been special to me growing up in a conservative state and coming out to my parents at age sixteen who did not take the news well I found myself on my own trying to find my way in a sometimes cruel world. “Never Surrender” and its lyrics “Just a little more time is all we’re asking for ‘Cause just a little more time could open closing doors” spoke to me as a gay teen coming to terms with my sexuality. “Never Surrender” is an anthem of empowerment and hope.

Corey Hart has since become an LGBTQ+ ally performing at various Pride events.

“Never Surrender” is a song by Canadian singer Corey Hart. It was released in June 1985 as the first single from his second studio album, Boy in the Box. The song was number one for four weeks in Canada and was Hart’s highest charting single in the United States, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 (topping the sales-only chart for one week) in August 1985.

The song won a Juno Award in 1985 for the “Single of the Year”, and was certified Platinum in Canada for sales of over 100,000 copies in 1985.

In 2019, Hart released an updated version of the song on his EP Dreaming Time Again, performed as a slow piano ballad with a new “angels lead you home” coda. He released the new version as a single in 2020, highlighting its message of hope and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the lyrical content, Hart said, “My mother influenced me with this ethic of never quitting on yourself or your dreams no matter how challenging or daunting. I also greatly admired Sir Winston Churchill, reading many biographies of his life. He used this expression ‘Never Surrender’ during the dark days of the Nazi attacks on Great Britain as a motivating inspiration for his countrymen.”

AllMusic has since called “Never Surrender”: “a soaring power ballad of empowerment, giving this album (Boy in the Box) a greater musical and emotional range than his (Hart’s) debut.”[4] Regarding the song becoming another US hit single Hart said “I really think it’s difficult breaking into America regardless of where you’re from. I don’t think it’s any more difficult for a Canadian act than for a band from Oklahoma”.

The music video features a storyline of Hart leaving his home after an argument with his father and hitchhiking his way to a major city where he finds himself alone and ends with a ‘live’ performance with his band. Portions of the video were filmed on Yonge Street, Spadina Avenue, and Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, including the now-defunct Crest Grill. The video’s director, Rob Quartly, had worked with Hart on three previous music videos and Quartly was again nominated for a Juno Award for his work on this video.

SIDE A:
Never Surrender (Album Version) 4:53

SIDE B:
Never Surrender (Edited Version) 4:25

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Never Surrender U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #3
1985 Never Surrender U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks #8
1985 Never Surrender U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary #8

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Aquarius Records (3) – SPRO 601
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Promo, Stereo
Country: Canada
Released: June 8, 1985
Genre: Pop
Style: Synthpop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
From the LP “BOY IN THE BOX”

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 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.