Burning The Ground Exclusive 1978
NEW 2023 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration
Originally posted December 7, 2011
The Harlem drag ball scene — described by the social activist and writer Langston Hughes as “the strangest and gaudiest of all Harlem’s spectacles in the 1920s” — fragmented along racial lines in the early 1960s when Black queens became tired of having to “whiten up” if they wanted to have a chance of winning any in-house beauty contest. By the early 1970s, Black drag houses started to multiply and soon outstripped their white counterparts in terms of glamour, style and popularity. As contests expanded, categories multiplied and competition intensified, with prizes awarded to entrants whose drag was the most believable, the most real. Released in 1978, Cheryl Lynn’s feisty, upbeat disco track “Got to Be Real” became an instant ballroom classic.
In 2020 The Bew York Times named “Got To Be Real” one of the 15 Songs That Shook New York’s Queer Dance Floors in the 1970s and ’80s.
“Got to Be Real” is the debut single by American singer Cheryl Lynn. Written by Lynn, David Paich and David Foster, and produced by Paich and Marty Paich, the song was recorded for Lynn’s 1978 self-titled debut studio album. Columbia Records released the song as the album’s lead single in August 1978.
For the recording, David Shields played bass, David Paich played keyboards, James Gadson played drums and Ray Parker Jr. was the session guitarist.
In the United States, “Got to Be Real” peaked at position number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot Soul Singles chart in early 1979. Along with the album cuts “Star Love” and “You Saved My Day”, “Got to Be Real” peaked at number 11 on the National Disco Action Top 40 chart. In the United Kingdom, “Got to Be Real” did not chart upon its original release – it was used for a TV advertising campaign for Marks & Spencer in 2010 and it entered the main charts for the first time at position number 78 for the week ending April 4, the next week peaking at number 70.
“Star Love” was released as the second single from Lynn’s self-titled debut album reaching a peak position of number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 16 on the R&B chart in the spring of 1979.
SIDE A:
Got To Be Real 5:07
Written-By – C. Lynn*, D. Foster*, D. Paich*
SIDE B:
Star Love 7:24
Written-By – J. Footman*, J. Weider*
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Got To Be Real | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #12 |
| 1978 | Got To Be Real | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #1 |
| 1978 | Got To Be Real | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco | #11 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
| 1979 | Star Love | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #62 |
| 1979 | Star Love | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #16 |
| 1979 | Star Love | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco | #11 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia – 23-10869
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Pitman Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
CREDITS:
- Producer, Arranged By – David Paich, Marty Paich
NOTES:
Special Disco Versions From The Columbia Lp: “Cheryl Lynn”
℗ 1978 CBS Inc.
Printed in U.S.A.
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
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This is the second 12″ release for “Ghostbusters” released after the single had reched #1 in the USA. The “Dub Version” is the same mix that appeared as “Instrumental Dub Version” on the previous 12″. Also of note the sleeve is misprinted and contains the “Instrumental” instead of the “Short Version”.
