Tag: Spooky Season Spin

October 31, 2025

Elvira And The Vi-Tones – 3-D TV (US 12″) (1982)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

As October draws to a close and the cobwebs grow thick across the turntable, it’s only fitting to summon one of the most iconic ghouls of the small screen — Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. This week’s Spooky Season Spin dusts off a wonderfully campy slice of early ’80s novelty pop: “3D TV” by Elvira and The Vi-Tones, released in 1982 on Rhino Records.

Rhino was still a young indie label back then, known for its tongue-in-cheek humor and love of retro kitsch — making it the perfect home for Elvira’s vinyl debut. Riding the wave of her rising fame as the hostess of Elvira’s Movie Macabre, Cassandra Peterson brought her character’s darkly comic charisma straight into the groove, complete with her trademark double entendres and ghoulish giggles.

“3D TV” is a bouncy new wave novelty track with plenty of synthesizer fizz and surf-rock guitar twang — think B-52’s meets The Munsters. Elvira hams it up with perfect B-movie flair, warning of a world where everything’s jumping off the screen in eye-popping, brain-melting 3D. It’s goofy, camp, and irresistibly fun — the kind of track that would have fit right in at a midnight Halloween party in 1982, surrounded by fog machines and neon lights.

Flip the record over, and you get the equally fabulous “Elvira’s Theme,” a vampy instrumental drenched in eerie organ riffs and haunted-house sound effects. It’s short, sweet, and pure Elvira — part horror, part humor, and 100% cult queen.

The 12″ single has become a bit of a collector’s curiosity today — a perfect snapshot of when MTV, horror hosts, and new wave collided in glorious low-budget excess. Whether you’re spinning it at your own haunted dancefloor or just admiring that deliciously kitsch picture sleeve, “3D TV” is the kind of relic that reminds us Halloween was made for vinyl.

So dim the lights, pour yourself a goblet of something red, and let Elvira take control of your screen and your speakers — in all her gory glory.

🕸️ Happy Halloween from Burning the Ground! 🕸️
Where spooky grooves rise from the grave, one 12″ at a time.

SIDE A:
3-D TV (Three Dimensional) 2:29

SIDE B:
Elvira’s Theme 1:24

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Rhino Records (2) – RNTI 401
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Mini-Single
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Rock, Stage & Screen
Style: Pop Rock, Horror Rock

CREDITS:

Art Direction, Design – Mark Matsuno
Cover [Back Cover Concept] – Alan Adler
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Photography By [Photos] – Robert Strauss (2)
Producer – Mark Pierson
Written-By – Gary Poirot (tracks: A), John Paragon (tracks: A), Mark Pierson, Robert Williams (27) (tracks: A)

NOTES:
Comes with a pair of paper 3-D glasses

Special Thanks To: Ray Colcord, John Hanlon, Dawna Kaufman, John Paragon, Gary Poirot, Larry Thomas, Robert Williams, Cassandra Petterson

Guy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjpaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
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

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

October 30, 2025

Echo & The Bunnymen – The Killing Moon (UK 12″) (1984)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

NEW 2025 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Original post date: October 26, 2016

“Fate, up against your will…”

Some songs don’t just play — they haunt. Echo & The Bunnymen’s 1984 masterpiece “The Killing Moon” is one of those rare tracks that feels like it was conjured rather than composed. Brooding, poetic, and drenched in moonlight melancholy, it’s the perfect entry for Spooky Season.

This has long been one of my all-time favorite tracks from the ’80s, so I just had to give it a brand-new 2025 Meticulous Transfer. A timeless classic deserves to shine (and shimmer) under a full moon once again. 🌕

Released in January 1984 as the lead single from the band’s fourth studio album Ocean Rain, “The Killing Moon” was an immediate standout. Written by frontman Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant, bassist Les Pattinson, and drummer Pete de Freitas, the song became the band’s signature — peaking at #9 on the UK Singles Chart and later cementing its legacy in films, television, and pop culture.

McCulloch has never been shy about the weight of his creation.

“I’ve always said that The Killing Moon is the greatest song ever written,” he explained. “It’s more than just a song. It’s a psalm, almost hymnal. It’s about everything — from birth to death to eternity and God, whatever that is — and the eternal battle between fate and the human will. It contains the answer to the meaning of life. It’s my ‘To be or not to be.’”

According to McCulloch, the song came to him in a dream — almost divinely delivered:

“One morning, I just sat bolt upright in bed with this line in my head: ‘Fate up against your will. Through the thick and thin. He will wait until you give yourself to him.’ You don’t dream things like that and remember them. That’s why I’ve always half credited the lyric to God.”

The melody was inspired by McCulloch playing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” backward and experimenting with the chords. The rest of the lyrics, rich with celestial and existential imagery — “your sky all hung with jewels” — came naturally, reflecting his childhood fascination with The Sky at Night, Star Trek, and the moon landing.

Recording took place in both Bath and Liverpool, though McCulloch wasn’t satisfied with the early sessions:

“I wasn’t happy with the drums or the way it sounded in Bath, so I refused to sing on it. Me and Pete de Freitas went to Amazon Studios in Kirkby and finished it with Gil Norton mixing. I got home around 9 a.m., slightly the worse for wear, and played the song for my wife. She cried.”

The result was a song that feels eternal — darkly romantic yet strangely comforting. The lush strings, courtesy of producer David Lord, swirl around McCulloch’s voice like mist, while Will Sergeant’s shimmering guitars cast silvery reflections across the mix. It’s lush yet cold, beautiful yet foreboding — the musical embodiment of an October night.

“The Killing Moon” later gained new life in 2001 when it was featured in the cult film Donnie Darko, its fateful tone perfectly mirroring the movie’s eerie, time-bending world.

As McCulloch once said, “When I sing it, I think of death, sex, and the moon.”
Could there be anything more fitting for Spooky Season?

Every October, this one finds its way back onto my turntable — and every time, it feels just as hauntingly perfect as the first. “The Killing Moon” captures that mid-’80s gothic elegance that so many bands chased but few ever caught. It’s cinematic, mysterious, and drenched in atmosphere — a song that belongs to the shadows.

SIDE A:
The Killing Moon (All Night Version) 9:10
Mixed By – Gil Norton
Recorded By – David Lord

SIDE B:
The Killing Moon 5:47
Mixed By – Gil Norton
Recorded By – David Lord

Do It Clean (Live) 6:31
Mixed By – Bill Drummond

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Korova – KOW 32 T, Korova – 249535-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: Jan 20, 1984
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Indie Rock

CREDITS:

Written-By – McCulloch*, Pattinson*, DeFreitas*, Sergeant*

NOTES:
Do It Clean recorded live at The Royal Albert Hall, London, July 18th 1983.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

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.

October 29, 2025

Fad Gadget – For Whom The Bells Toll (UK 12″) (1983)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

As October draws to a close and the nights grow longer, it feels like the perfect time to turn to one of the darker corners of early electronic music. Today’s Spooky Season Spin comes from one of synthpop’s most eccentric and influential pioneers — Fad Gadget — and his haunting single “For Whom the Bells Toll.”

Released in 1983 as the eighth single by Frank Tovey under his Fad Gadget moniker, the track appears on his third album Under The Flag (Mute Records). By this time, Tovey had refined his sound from the raw, experimental edges of his early singles into something more structured yet equally unsettling — a perfect fit for the eerie pulse of Halloween week.

The 12-inch single features “For Whom The Bells Toll (III)” on the A-side and “Love Parasite (II)” on the flip — both featuring backing vocals by Alison Moyet, who was also on the Mute label at the time as one half of Yazoo. Moyet’s soulful voice adds a surprisingly human element to Fad Gadget’s dystopian electronics, giving both tracks a unique emotional depth beneath the cold, metallic textures.

The A-side runs for approximately 8:19 before spiraling into a locked groove, creating a hypnotic, endless toll that feels almost ritualistic — as if the record itself refuses to stop ringing. On digital reissues, however, the versions differ slightly: “For Whom The Bells Toll III” cuts off abruptly at 8:03, while “Love Parasite II” fades out early at 6:32.

Adding to the mystique, it’s been reported that the original master tape for this 12-inch extended version (III) was lost by the record company, meaning that the vinyl copies circulating today may be the only remaining source of this haunting mix.

So as those Halloween bells toll, dim the lights, cue up the 12-inch, and let this one echo through your speakers — a haunting reminder that the ghosts of synthpop’s past are never too far away.

Of note:
I manually faded out the locked groove on Side A, extending the track to 9:21. The vinyl noise during the locked groove portion is intentional, as it preserves the record’s original atmosphere.

SIDE A:
For Whom The Bells Toll III 9:21

SIDE B:
Love Parasite II 6:53

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute – 12 MUTE 026
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Special Cut
Country: UK
Released: Jan 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Photography By – Anton Corbijn
Typography – Jill Tipping
Written-By – Gadget*

NOTES:
Distribution – Rough Trade and Spartan

Track A has a continuous locked groove at the end.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

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.

October 28, 2025

Propaganda – The Nine Lives Of Dr. Mabuse (13th Life Mix) (UK 12″) (1984)

For today’s Spooky Season Spin, we’re diving into the dark, psychological world of Propaganda.

Released in early 1984, “The Nine Lives of Dr. Mabuse” was the stunning debut single by German synth-pop group Propaganda, produced by none other than Trevor Horn for ZTT Records. The track introduced the world to the band’s dark, cinematic style — a fusion of industrial synth textures, haunting vocals, and avant-garde production that set the tone for what was to come on their debut album A Secret Wish (1985).

The Concept

The title references Dr. Mabuse, a fictional criminal mastermind from German cinema, first appearing in Fritz Lang’s 1922 silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. Like Lang’s character, the song’s subject embodies manipulation, deception, and psychological control. Propaganda turned these themes into a sonic thriller — icy, dramatic, and hypnotic — blending electronic beats with orchestral tension and whispered menace.

The Sound

Produced by Trevor Horn and engineered by Stephen Lipson, “The Nine Lives of Dr. Mabuse” is a masterclass in 1980s studio innovation.

B-Side Gems

On the flip side, the 12″ includes “Femme Fatale (The Woman With The Orchid)”, Propaganda’s reinterpretation of the Lou Reed classic originally recorded by The Velvet Underground & Nico. Claudia Brücken’s cool, detached delivery gives the song an icy allure perfectly suited to Propaganda’s style. Closing the record is “(The Ninth Life of…) Dr. Mabuse”, a more experimental, atmospheric reprise of the main track — part remix, part deconstruction.

Chart Performance

The single reached #27 on the UK Singles Chart and #14 in Germany, gaining significant attention across Europe for its striking sound and surreal promotional video directed by Anton Corbijn. It firmly positioned Propaganda as ZTT’s “dark alternative” to Frankie Goes to Hollywood — both bands sharing the same production team but occupying very different emotional terrain.

Legacy

Decades later, “The Nine Lives of Dr. Mabuse” still stands as one of the defining art-pop singles of the mid-’80s. It bridged the gap between new wave, industrial pop, and high-concept electronic art. The 12″ mix remains essential listening — not just for Propaganda fans, but for anyone interested in how Trevor Horn and ZTT reshaped the possibilities of pop music production in the 1980s.

About The Record

Two different commercial 12″s of Dr Mabuse were issued in the UK. Dr Mabuse (13th Life Mix) was issued in three different covers. Some copies are stickered with “13th Life Mix”. Many copies are incorrectly labelled as Das Testament Des Mabuse. Durations do not appear on this version.

The Third Side:
Dr. Mabuse (13th Life Mix) 6:35
Arranged By – Propaganda, Trevor Horn
Performer [Presented By] – Propaganda
Producer – Trevor Horn
Written-By – Thein, Mertens, Dörper*

The Fourth Side:
(The Woman With The Orchid) 3:22
Performer [Presented With Additional Material By] – Propaganda
Producer – Propaganda, Zang Tuum Tumb*
Written-By – Lou Reed

(The Ninth Life Of…) Dr. Mabuse 4:09
Performer [Presented By] – Propaganda
Producer – Trevor Horn
Written-By – Thein, Mertens, Dörper*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: ZTT – 12 ZTAS 2
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Hand Sleeve
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Lacquer Cut By – Kev*
Painting, Photography By – Anton Corbijn
Recorded At – Sarm West Studios
Lacquer Cut At – The Town House

NOTES

Front cover: “Propaganda Present The Nine Lives Of Dr. Mabuse”.

Femme Fatale produced by Zang Tuum Tumb with Propaganda.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

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.