Tag: Quincy Jones

April 13, 2022

Melissa Manchester – Mathematics (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

NEW 2022 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted May ‎10, ‎2011

“Mathematics” was the first single and the title of Melissa Manchesters only MCA Records LP. With this single Melissa collaborated with the legendary Quincy Jones who produced the track and pop star Robbie Nevil who also was a co-producer, writer and did the songs arrangement. The 12″ remix was done by John “Jellybean” Benitez. It seamed that all of the right elements were in place for a hit single, to re-start her career sadly this was not to be, the song only peaked at #74 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was her last chart single. The album “Mathematics” struggled to reach #144 on the US album chart.

The b-side “So Full Of Yourself” is a non-lp track and was co-written by Tom Snow who has written many hits for Olivia Newton-John including “Physical” and “Heart Attack”..

SIDE A
Mathematics (Dance Mix) 7:02
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Matt Brady
Engineer [Mix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Executive Producer – Quincy Jones
Mixed By – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Producer [Associate Producer], Arranged By – Robbie Nevil
Producer, Arranged By – Brock Walsh
Written-By – Brock Walsh, Melissa Manchester, Robbie Nevil

SIDE B
So Full Of Yourself 3:30
Arranged By – Greg Mathieson
Producer – Trevor Veitch
Written-By – Melissa Manchester, Tom Snow

Mathematics (Dub Version) 4:57
Executive Producer – Quincy Jones
Engineer [Mix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Mixed By – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Producer, Arranged By – Brock Walsh
Written-By – Brock Walsh, Melissa Manchester, Robbie Nevil

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	Mathematics	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#74

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – MCA-23554
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

NOTES:
Special verion of the song taken from the Melissa Manchester LP “MATHEMATICS”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & 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

**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.

December 21, 2021

Diana Ross / Michael Jackson – Ease On Down The Road (UK 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1978

NEW 2021 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted November 9, 2012

“Ease on Down the Road” is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, performed in the original production by Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle. It was also released in 1978 as a duet between Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

The 1978 duet was released as the theme song of the film adaptation of The Wiz (itself an adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), and produced by Quincy Jones. The Charlie Smalls–composed tune was an R&B re-interpretation of both “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard” from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the song, Dorothy (portrayed in the film by Ross) and the Scarecrow (played by Jackson) dance their way down the Yellow Brick Road and give each other words of encouragement.

“Ease on Down the Road” is performed four times in The Wiz film: once by Dorothy and the Scarecrow, once by the two of them and the Tin Man (played in the movie by Nipsey Russell), by the three of them and the Cowardly Lion (played by Ted Ross), and finally during the end credits. In the album version, Jackson and Ross sing by themselves. The recording was one of Jackson’s first collaborations with Quincy Jones, who became his main producer during the late 1970s and 1980s.

In 1980, Jackson was a guest on Kraft Salutes Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary and, along with Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, The Seven Dwarves, Donald Duck, Pinocchio, Minnie Mouse, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, The Three Little Pigs and Goofy), performed the song in a medley with the Disney signature song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”.

It also earned Jackson his first Grammy Award nomination with Ross (previous two with his family group, The Jacksons) in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1979.

Released as a single by MCA Records in late summer 1978, the song missed the U.S. Top 40 by one position, peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #17 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart the same year.

SIDE A:
Ease On Down The Road (Full Length US Version) 6:04
Performed By – Diana Ross, Michael Jackson
Written-By – Charlie Smalls

SIDE B:
Poppy Girls 3:26
Performed By – The Wiz*
Written-By – Anthony Jackson, Quincy Jones

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1978	Blue Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#41
1978	Blue Jean	U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	#17

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – 12 MCA 396
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco

CREDITS:
Producer – Quincy Jones, Tom Bahler

NPTES:
Full length US version from the soundtrack album and the film “The Wiz” over 6 minutes long.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

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.

May 13, 2021

Siedah Garrett – Do You Want It Right Now (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985

“Do You Want It Right Now” is a song by American singer Siedah Garrett from the 1985 film Fast Forward. The song peaked at #63 on the US Billboard R&B chart but became a bigger club hit reaching #3 on the Billboard Dance chart.

The song has also been recorded by Taylor Dayne for her debut studio album Tell It to My Heart (1988). A lyric sample of it was also used in Gat Decor’s song “Passion”, as well as in Armand Van Helden’s 2007 hit “I Want Your Soul”.

SIDE A:
Do You Want It Right Now (Jellybean Remix) 6:39
Performed By – Siedah Garrett
Remix –John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – C. Burton, N. Straker

SIDE B:
Survive 3:39
Performed By – Deco (2)

Show Me Your Stuff 6:30
Performed By – John Van Tongeren With Jerry Hey

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	Do You Want It Right Now	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#3
1985	Do You Want It Right Now	U.S. BillboardHot Black Singles	#63

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Qwest Records ‎– 0-20302, Warner Bros. Records ‎– 0-20302
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Executive-Producer – Quincy Jones
Producer – Tom Bahler

NOTES:
“From the motion picture soundtrack “Fast Forward”.”

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

Password: burningtheground

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

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.