Tag: Trevor Horn

March 29, 2017

Propaganda – Duel (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“Duel” is the second single by German pop group Propaganda. The song was included on their first album, A Secret Wish.

Released in the United Kingdom in April 1985, it became their most successful single in the UK, reaching no. 21. This led to the band making their sole appearance on the flagship BBC music programme, Top of the Pops, in June of that year.

“Duel” was originally released with an alternative version of the track, “Jewel (Rough Cut)” as the B-side. This featured the same lyrics delivered in a more aggressive manner over a backing track of heavy beats and industrial sound effects.

SIDE A:
Duel (Bitter Sweet) 7:38

SIDE B:
Jewel (Cut Rough) 6:55

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: ZTT ‎– 12 ZTAS 8
Series: Action Series – 8
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 07 Apr 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Engineer [Junior] – Bobby Kraushar*
Executive-Producer [Zang Tuum Tumb’s Musical Director Is…] – Trevor Horn
Painting – Anton Corbijn
Photography By – David Levine (11), Peter Brown (23)
Producer – S.J. Lipson*
Programmed By – Michael Mertens
Sleeve [Designed By] – The London Design Partnership, Z.T.T.*
Vocals – Claudia Brücken, Susanne Freytag
Written-By – Brücken*, Mertens*, Dorper*

NOTES:
Label copy: “The Third Side ‘Face To Face’ / The Fourth Will Have You On Your Knees ‘Tooth For A Tooth'”

Sleevenotes (edited):
“Susanne compels her boyfriend to do infamous things, Ralf loves flowers and certain smells. Claudia takes an interest in shocking and disgusting things, Michael’s ambition is to compose an immortal Hymn.”

“Michael Mertens: writing, programming, identifying, demonstrating. Ralf Dorper: writing, pursuing, defining, translating. Claudia Brücken: singing, writing, corrupting, raging. Susanne Freytag: embracing, accumulating, singing, demanding. This is Propaganda: their ambition is to make some repairs. What motivates them? Error, and terror.”

“Photography by David Levine (screams) and Peter Brown (skin shots) captured at various times in different rooms in the East End of London. Painting of the Beaten Heart by Anton Corbijn, snatched from inside the body. Propaganda Management: Keith Bourton at Heavenly Management. Catalogue number 12 ZTAS 8 (making it number eight in Z.T.T.’s concerned Action Series).

Find the 12” on DISCOGS

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
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: 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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

September 23, 2016

ABC – The Look Of Love (USA Remix) (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

“The Look of Love” is a song recorded by ABC in 1981, included on their debut album, The Lexicon of Love.

Released as a single and as a 12″ remix, it went to number one on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart as well as the Canadian pop singles chart. It was their biggest hit in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 4, and was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., peaking at number 18.

The single consists of four parts, referred to as “Parts One, Two, Three and Four”. A different remix version by producer Trevor Horn appeared on the 1982 U.S. 12″.

The ’82 U.S. Extended Remix was not widely available after its initial release, but the track remained much in demand by club DJs and fans alike, and copies of the original 12″ version fetched high prices. When Neutron (the band’s UK label) discovered this, they issued a limited edition re-pressing of the Horn remix in 1985 (though they did not officially re-release the song).

SIDE A:
The Look Of Love (USA Remix – Dub Version) 7:37

SIDE B:
The Look Of Love (Part 3 – Dance Version) 4:17

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	The Look Of Love	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#18
1982	The Look Of Love	U.S. Billboard Hot dance Club Play	#1
1982	The Look Of Love	U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	#32

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mercury ‎– MDS-4023, Mercury ‎– Intl. #6400 751
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, New Wave

CREDITS:
Producer – Trevor Horn
Written-By – ABC

NOTES:
From the album “THE LEXICON OF LOVE”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

July 14, 2016

Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (U.S. Mix) (Europe 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Relax” is the debut single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the United Kingdom by ZTT Records in 1983. The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984).

Although fairly inauspicious upon initial release, “Relax” finally reached number one on the UK singles chart on 24 January 1984, ultimately becoming one of the most controversial and most commercially successful records of the decade. The single eventually sold a reported 2 million copies in the UK alone, making it the seventh best-selling single in the UK Singles Chart’s history. Following the release of the group’s second single, “Two Tribes”, “Relax” rallied from a declining UK chart position during June 1984 to climb back up the UK charts and re-attain number-two spot behind “Two Tribes” at number one, representing simultaneous chart success by a single act, unprecedented since the early 1960s.

Upon release in the United States in late 1984, “Relax” repeated its slow UK progress, reaching number 67 upon initial release, but eventually reaching number 10 in March 1985.

The song won Best British Single at the 1985 Brit Awards.

On all of the original 12-inch releases, the B-side featured a cover of “Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey”, followed by a brief dialogue involving Rutherford attempting to sign on, and an a cappella version of the title track’s chorus, segueing into an instrumental version of “Relax”, known as “From Soft to Hard”.

SIDE A:
Relax (U.S. Mix) 7:24
Producer – Trevor Horn
Written-By – Johnson*, O’Toole*, Gill*

SIDE B:
Ferry Cross The Mersey 4:07
Written-By – Marsden*

Relax (From Soft To Hard) 4:34
Producer – Trevor Horn
Written-By – Johnson*, O’Toole*, Gill*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Relax	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#10
1984	Relax	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#20
1984	Relax	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#26

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Island Records ‎– 601 096, Island Records ‎– 601 096-213
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Misprint
Country: Europe
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Bass – Mark O’Toole
Drum – Peter Gill
Guitar – Brian Nash
Illustration [Cover Illustration], Photography By – Anne Yvonne Gilbert
Photography By [Group] – John Stoddart (2)
Sleeve – XLZTT
Vocals [One Voice] – Holly Johnson
Vocals [Two Voice] – Paul Rutherford

NOTES:
The A-side label is misprinted Sex Mix (8:20) but the A-side actually plays the U.S. Mix (7:25).

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

November 16, 2015

Pet Shop Boys – It’s Alright (The Alternatives) (UK 10″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

“It’s Alright” is the 13th single from Pet Shop Boys and was released in the UK by Parlophone Records on 26 June 1989. It reached number 5 in the UK and, as of February 2009, it is the Pet Shop Boys’ 8th best-selling single. The song was originally written and performed by Sterling Void & Paris Brightledge and came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation.

The lyrics list a wide variety of serious political issues in the headlines at the time (“Dictation enforced in Afghanistan, revolution in South Africa taking a stand…”), and then offers the positive message of the title—that on its “timeless wavelength”, “music is our life’s foundation”, it “shall last” and ultimately “succeed all the nations to come”.

On the 10″ single there are additional lyrics with Neil Tennant speaking: “there’s a boy standing by a river, there’s a girl lying with her lover, there’s a statesman standing at a crossroads, there’s a soldier polishing his gun”.

SIDE A:
It’s Alright 4:44

SIDE B:
It’s Alright (Extended Dance Mix) 10:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 10R 6220
Format: Vinyl, 10″, Single, Limited Edition, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: Jun 1989
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: House, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design [Sleeve Designed By] – Mark Farrow
Engineer – Julian Mendelsohn, Stephen Lipson
Mixed By – Julian Mendelsohn
Percussion – Danny Cummings
Producer – Pet Shop Boys, Stephen Lipson, Trevor Horn
Vocals [Additional] – Tessa Niles
Written-By – Sterling Void

NOTES:
“Limited edition contains free poster”

“These two alternative versions of It’s Alright were recorded in January, 1989 and are available only on this limited edition ten-inch disc.”

Designed at 3a.

Find the 10″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi