Tag: Stephen Hague

June 17, 2021

Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin (US 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1987

Celebrating Pride 2021

NEW 2021 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Restoration!

Originally posted March 20, 2013

“It’s a Sin” is a song by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album’s lead single. It became the duo’s second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks atop the chart. Additionally, the single topped the charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, while reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.

A demo of the track was first cut in 1984 with Bobby Orlando, and the song’s form in the demo remained intact to the final version, although the released production is far more dramatic.

The dramatic, overblown production style of the song, loaded with synthesizers, orchestra hits, and bookended by a non sequitur sample of a NASA countdown, has come to exemplify the most theatrical extremes of the Pet Shop Boys’ musical style.[3] It remains a concert staple, being one of only two songs (alongside “West End Girls”) that has been played during every Pet Shop Boys tour.

The band stated at the time that they had been keen for Stock Aitken Waterman to produce the song, as they were huge fans. Neil has stated that Pete Waterman hated the demo so they turned instead to SAW’s remix engineer Phil Harding to remix the song for the US release (which went uncredited on the sleeve). They would work with him again on “I’m Not Scared”, the single they wrote for the Patsy Kensit band Eighth Wonder and remixes of “Always on My Mind”.

Bursting with melodramatic orchestral stabs, a NASA countdown, and huge-sounding, sweeping synths “It’s A Sin” secured itself in Gay culture permanently becoming a Pride Anthem.

SIDE A:
It’s A Sin (Phil Harding Latin Vocal Mix) 9:16
Keyboards [Fairlight] – Andy Richards
Remix – Pet Shop Boys , Phil Harding

It’s A Sin (Phil Harding Latin Dub Mix) 4:22
Keyboards [Fairlight] – Andy Richards
Remix – Pet Shop Boys , Phil Harding

SIDE B:
It’s A Sin (Remix) 8:16
Remix – Ian Levine

It’s A Sin (Disco Mix) 7:42
Mixed By [Additional] – Stephen Hague

You Know Where You Went Wrong 5:51
Producer – Pet Shop Boys, Shep Pettibone

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint

CHARTS:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1987	It’s A Sin	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#9
1987	It’s A Sin	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#3

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI America ‎– V-19256
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: June 15, 1987
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, Hi NRG, Freestyle

CREDITS:
Mastered By – Herbie Jr. :^)*
Producer [Additional] – Stephen Hague (tracks: A1, A2, B2)
Producer, Engineer – Julian Mendelsohn (tracks: A1 to B2)
Written-By – Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe*

NOTES:
Packaged in 3-track sleeve for 1st 12″, stickered “4 special mixes of ‘It’s a Sin’”.

A1 and B1 “remixed in the U.K. for the USA”
A1 AKA “Phil Harding Latin Vocal Mix”
A2 as “Phil Harding Latin Dub Mix”

Sleeve mistakenly lists:
(Album version can be heard on the forthcoming album, “Jealousy”-ELT-46972)

Helena Springs courtesy of Arista Records.

(Album version can be heard on the LP, “Actually”-ELJ-46972)

“You Know Where You Went Wrong” (Not Available on the album “Actually”-ELJ-46972)

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL 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

Password: burningtheground

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

June 14, 2021

Erasure – A Little Respect (Big Train Mix) (Germany 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1988

Celebrating Pride 2021

“A Little Respect” is a song written and recorded by the English synthpop duo Erasure, released in September 1988. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell’s vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents. Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure’s second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

In June 2021 “A Little Respect” was voted the ‘Ultimate Pride Anthem’ by Virgin Radio UK listeners.

SIDE A:
A Little Respect (Big Train Mix) 6:06
Engineer – Bob Kraushaar
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix – Phil Legg

SIDE B:
Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor (Rico Conning Mix) 6:04
Engineer – Mike Rogers
Producer – Erasure
Remix – Rico Conning

Love Is Colder Than Death 2:10
Engineer – Mike Rogers
Producer – Erasure

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	A Little Respect	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#14
1988	A Little Respect	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#2

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute ‎– INT 126.895, Mute ‎– L12 MUTE 85
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Limited Edition, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Germany
Released: Sep 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Written By – Clarke/Bell
Written-By – Bell, Clarke

NOTES:
1988 Mute Records Ltd

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.

February 22, 2021

Pet Shop Boys – Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money) (Canada 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

NEW 2021 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted March 21, 2017

“Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” is a song by UK duo Pet Shop Boys, released as a single in 1985 and then in 1986, gaining greater popularity in both the United Kingdom and the United States with its second release, reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Chart and number 10 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

The song’s indirect attack on its subject matter has come to exemplify the Pet Shop Boys as ironists in their songwriting.

This 12″ is for the 1986 re-release which became a worldwide hit and features remixes by noted 1980s producer Shep Pettibone.

Shep Pettibone did not mix “Was That What It Was?”; he was booked to do so but missed his plane, and his manager, Jane Brinton, mixed the song in his absence. It is unknown if Shep Pettibone was consulting the manager over the phone. This fact went unnoticed until Pet Shop Boys revealed it in the liner notes for the Alternative anthology of B-sides and rarities (1995), though Jane Brinton gets a “Thanks to” mention on the 12″ cover.

After a Super Bowl ad featuring the song, it re-entered the Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart at No. 1 on February 20, 2021.

** The original transfer that I did in 2017 had a mastering error in the vinyl that created a 2-second gap of silence at around 4:00 on track B2. I have corrected this error for this transfer.

SIDE A:
Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money) (Shep Pettibone Mastermix) 7:18
Engineer [Mix] – Andy Wallace
Producer [Additional Production] – Stephen Hague
Producer [Original Production] – J.J. Jeczalik, Nicholas Froome
Recorded By [New York Overdubs By] – Ron Dean Miller
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Shep Pettibone

Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money) (Reprise) 4:27
Engineer [Mix] – Andy Wallace
Producer [Additional Production] – Stephen Hague
Producer [Original Production] – J.J. Jeczalik, Nicholas Froome
Recorded By [New York Overdubs By] – Ron Dean Miller
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Shep Pettibone

SIDE B:
Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money) (Original Dance Mix) 6:45
Producer – J.J. Jeczalik, Nicholas Froome

Was That What It Was? 5:14
Mixed By – Shep Pettibone
Mixed By [Uncredited] – Jane Brinton
Producer – Pet Shop Boys

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1986	Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#10
1986	Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#3
1986	Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#16
2021	Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)	U.S. Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI America ‎– S 75146
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Canada
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Sleeve – Mark Farrow, P.S.B.*
Written-By – N. Tennant-C. Lowe*

NOTES:
A1, A2, and B2 remixed for Mastermix Productions

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
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

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.

April 30, 2020

Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (UK 10″ Limited Edition)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“West End Girls” is a song by the English pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song’s lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well-received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career.

The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records’ Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, Please. In October 1985, the new version was released, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986.

In December 1985, Parlophone Records in the UK released a limited edition 10″ with an untitled remix of West End Girls, commonly referred to as the 10″ mix. Packaged in a circular fold-out picture sleeve, sealed with a circular yellow picture sticker that identifies it as a “collectors edition”.

This version of “West End Girls” is the basis of the shorter version found on Razormaid Records Class X #3 CD. However, Razormaid was not responsible for the original version found on this 10″.

The version of “A Man Could Get Arrested” is Bobby Orlando’s production from the regular 12″ B-side.

SIDE A:
West End Girls (10″ Mix) 7:00
Engineer – David Jacob
Producer – Stephen Hague

SIDE B:
A Man Could Get Arrested 4:19
Producer – Bobby Orlando, Pet Shop Boys
Remix [Uncredited] – Frank Roszak, Pet Shop Boys

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 10R 6115
Format: Vinyl, 10″, Single, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: Dec 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Artwork [Uncredited] – Chris Lowe, XL Design
Photography By – Eric Watson (3)
Written-By – Tennant/Lowe*

NOTES:
Manufactured in the UK by EMI Records Ltd

Find the 10″ 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.