Tag: Stock/Aitken/Waterman

March 6, 2020

Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try (Germany 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“The Harder I Try” is a single by British boyband Brother Beyond. It was released in 1988 and is considered their breakthrough single.

In 1988, top British producers Stock Aitken & Waterman auctioned off their services for the Young Variety Club of Great Britain charity. Label EMI won the auction, and British boyband Brother Beyond was selected by Pete Waterman to be produced by the trio. The group had met Waterman previously and the producer liked the band.

Brother Beyond was by then a struggling pop act, with their first four singles only making the lower reaches of the UK top 75 singles chart. EMI saw this as their much-needed breakthrough and agreed with Waterman on producing the group.

The resulting song, “The Harder I Try”, had a distinctive Motown-esque sound, and sampled the drum intro to The Isley Brothers’ “This Old Heart of Mine”. When released in July 1988, it became an instant success, peaking at #2 in the UK for two weeks, becoming the band’s best-selling single. The song was kept off from the top spot by Yazz’s “The Only Way Is Up” in the first week and by Phil Collins’ “A Groovy Kind of Love” in the second week. The single topped the Irish charts and was mildly successful when released worldwide.

As a result, of the group’s success with the song, EMI asked the producers to write and produce another track for the band, resulting in the song “He Ain’t No Competition”, a song that again featured a Motown sound. It was released as the band’s next single and it became another big hit for the group, peaking at #6.

Brother Beyond’s album Get Even had by the time of the release of the single already been released in Japan. It was repackaged for its release in the rest of the world, including the two Stock Aitken & Waterman-produced tracks, and omitting two of the band’s self-penned songs from the original release. This version was released in November 1988, and the album was also a top 10 hit.

SIDE A:
The Harder I Try (Extended) 6:07
Engineer – Mark McGuire
Mixed By – Mixmaster Pete Hammond*
Producer, Written-By – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*

SIDE B:
Remember Me (Extended) 6:48
Engineer, Mixed By – Kenny Jones (3)
Producer, Mixed By –Brother Beyond

The Harder I Try (Instrumental) 3:45
Engineer – Mark McGuire
Mixed By – Mixmaster Pete Hammond*
Producer, Written-By – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 060 20 2792 6, Parlophone ‎– 20 2792 6
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

NOTES:
Made in EEC
Printed in Holland

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.

February 12, 2020

Rick Astley – Take Me To Your Heart (The Dick Dastardly Mix) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Take Me To Your Heart” is a 1988 song recorded by Rick Astley. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was released the same year as the second single from the album, Hold Me in Your Arms. It was a success on the UK Singles Chart where it peaked at number 8 and charted for eleven weeks. It was also a top 10 hit in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Spain. Unlike most of Astley’s previous singles, it was never released in the U.S.

A controversy raised around “Big Fun”, the hit single recorded by American band Inner City, as the song was very similar to “Take Me to Your Heart” at the music level. Stock Aitken Waterman said the band had stolen the music of the song for “Big Fun” and therefore re-used it in “The Dick Dastardly Mix”.

SIDE A:
Take Me To Your Heart (The Dick Dastardly Mix) 6:56
Mixed By – Mixmaster Pete Hammond*

I’ll Be Fine 3:46
Mixed By – Karen Hewitt
Written-By – Rick Astley

SIDE B:
Rick’s Hit Mix 5:48
DJ Mix [Megamix] – Tony King

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: RCA ‎– PT 42582
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Engineer – Karen Hewitt, Yoyo
Mastered By – NS*
Producer – Stock/Aitken/Waterman* (tracks: A1, A2, Ba to Bd, Bf)
Written-By – Stock/Aitken/Waterman* (tracks: A1, B)

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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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

January 30, 2020

Kylie Minogue – It’s No Secret (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“It’s No Secret” is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue taken from her debut studio album Kylie (1988). The song was written and produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, who were also the producers of Minogue’s first four studio albums. The song was intended to be released as the fifth single from Kylie, but due to the success and longevity of Kylie’s massive selling duet with Jason Donovan, “Especially for You”, over Christmas 1988 and the following new year, it was only released in a handful of countries. In the United States, “It’s No Secret” was released as Kylie’s third single where it reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Originally scheduled to be released worldwide, “It’s No Secret” was canceled in most territories in favor of “Hand on Your Heart”, a brand new track, which was released in April 1989 and was the first to be released from her second album Enjoy Yourself. Eventually, the song was only released in the USA, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan.

Due to its limited release and therefore, no promotion, the song was not a huge commercial success, but it did well enough to promote its parent album Kylie from which it was released. “It’s No Secret” debuted at number 47 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, where it only peaked for a sole week. In February 1989, the song climbed to number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100, managing to peak inside the Top 40. In total, the song spent a total of thirteen weeks in the Hot 100, making the song one of Kylie’s longest-running singles on the chart itself.

SIDE A:
It’s No Secret (12″ Version) 5:41
Mixed By – Dave Ford

SIDE B:
Made In Heaven (Maid In England Mix) 6:18
Mixed By – Mixmaster Pete Hammond*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	It’s No Secret	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#37

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: PWL Records ‎– 0-21126, Geffen Records ‎– 0-21126
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single, Specialty Press
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Backing Vocals – Dee Lewis, Mae McKenna, Mike Stock, Suzanne Rhatigan
Drums – A Linn*
Engineer – Karen Hewitt, Mark McGuire, Yoyo
Guitar – Matt Aitken
Keyboards – Matt Aitken, Mike Stock
Keyboards [Additional] – George De Angelis, Neil Palmer
Management – Terry Blamey
Photography By [Back Photo] – Lawrence Lawry
Photography By [Front Photo] – Grant Matthews (2)
Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – Stock Aitken Waterman*

NOTES:
A Stock Aitken Waterman Production
Recorded at PWL Studios, London

Track A original version available on the Geffen album “KYLIE”

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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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

January 28, 2020

Sinitta – Cross My Broken Heart (Remix) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Cross My Broken Heart” is a song by Sinitta. It was released in March 1988 as the sixth and final single from her self-titled debut album. This song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. It was successful in the UK where it was a top 10 hit, peaking at number six. It was certified silver by the BPI. The B-side contains a remix of her 1987 hit, “Toy Boy”.

In the United States, the single reached #26 on the Billboard Dance chart on September 2, 1988.

SIDE A:
Cross My Broken Heart (Extra Pulsing Beat Mix) 6:43

SIDE B:
Toy Boy (Brand New Megamix) 5:08
Cross My Broken Heart (Instrumental Mix) 3:43

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Cross My Broken Heart	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#29

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Fanfare Records ‎– 12 FANX 15, Fanfare Records ‎– 12 FAN X 15
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Hi-NRG

CREDITS:
Art Direction [Sinitta’s hair by] – Madeline (10)
Engineer – Mark McGuire
Mixed By – Pete “Mix Master” Hammond*
Photography By – Paul Cox (5)
Written-By, Producer – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*

NOTES:
Recorded at PWL Studios, London
Non PPL
Made in England

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

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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