BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987
Although it was released as the first single from the group’s debut album All That Jazz, “Hands to Heaven” was not Breathe’s debut single; the group had recorded and released songs prior to signing an album deal with A&M Records. One of these songs, “Don’t Tell Me Lies”, reached #77 on the UK Singles Chart in 1986 before being included on Breathe’s debut album and subsequently being reissued.
“Hands to Heaven” was, however, Breathe’s breakthrough hit in both the UK as well as the United States. The ballad peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1988. In the US, it logged two weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same month (kept from the summit by “Roll with It” by Steve Winwood) and spent 16 weeks in the Top 40. “Hands to Heaven” also peaked at #2 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.
The song also reached #4 in Norway and #14 in Sweden.
This song was one of a number of singles, many by British and Australian bands, that helped to shape the smooth jazz radio format in the US in the mid to late 1980s. Other associated artists include Swing Out Sister, Johnny Hates Jazz, Icehouse and Sade.
SIDE A:
Hands To Heaven (Extended Heaven) 6:25
Producer – Bob Sergeant*
Remix – Chris Porter
SIDE B:
Hands To Heaven (Radio Mix) 4:18
Producer – Bob Sergeant*
Remix – Chris Porter
Life And Times (Instrumental) 4:46
Mixed By – John Madden*
Producer – Breathe (3)
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Hands To Heaven | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #2 |
| 1988 | Hands To Heaven | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | #2 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Siren Records (8) – SRNT 68
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo
Credits: Arranged By – Breathe (3)
Design – Arefin*
Photography By [Back] – Drew Carolan
Photography By [Front] – Eamon J McCabe*
Written-By – D.Glasper*, M.Lillington*
NOTES:
From the LP:
“ALL THAT JAZZ”
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
