Tag: UK

September 25, 2026

Naked Eyes – Always Something There To Remind Me (American Remix) (UK 12″) (1982)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Today’s post is dedicated to the memory of Pete Byrne, lead vocalist and co-founder of Naked Eyes, who passed away peacefully in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026, after a brief illness. He was 74. News of his passing was announced this week.

For anyone who came of age during the early days of MTV, Byrne’s voice is instantly recognizable. Along with keyboardist Rob Fisher, he created some of the most memorable British synth-pop to cross the Atlantic during the early ’80s.

Naked Eyes formed in Bath, England, with Byrne and Fisher emerging from the earlier band Neon. As Naked Eyes, the pair signed with EMI and began working with producer Tony Mansfield. Their debut album, Burning Bridges, arrived in the UK in 1983 and was released in a slightly altered form in the United States simply as Naked Eyes.

Their breakthrough was a dramatic electronic remake of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition “Always Something There To Remind Me.”

The song already had a long history by the time Naked Eyes recorded it. Lou Johnson first released it in 1964, while Sandie Shaw took her version all the way to No. 1 in the UK later that year. Naked Eyes took the familiar song and rebuilt it for the synthesizer generation, surrounding Byrne’s vocal with programmed rhythms, keyboards, and Tony Mansfield’s polished production.

While Naked Eyes never became a major chart act in their native country, America was another story. “Always Something There To Remind Me” climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, followed by another major U.S. hit, “Promises, Promises,” which reached No. 11.

Ironically, the record that helped define the early-’80s British synth-pop sound was much less successful in Britain. After being re-promoted following its American success, “Always Something There To Remind Me” entered the UK Singles Chart in July 1983 and peaked at No. 59.

Today’s record is the UK 12″ on EMI, catalog number 12EMI 5334, backed with the non-LP track “Pit Stop.”

And this is where things get interesting.

The A-side is the “American Remix,” and my copy runs exactly 5:43. This is the John “Jellybean” Benitez remix, though the history of the various mixes has become surprisingly muddled over the years.

The original extended version of “Always Something There To Remind Me,” mixed as part of Tony Mansfield’s original production, runs approximately 6:13. It was issued in the United States on the promotional 12″ SPRO-9891 as the “Long Version.”

A second U.S. promotional 12″, SPRO-9924, contained a newer “Remixed Version” by John “Jellybean” Benitez. That version runs approximately 5:41 and, unlike the earlier mix, begins with drums. The Jellybean mix was subsequently issued in the UK as the “American Remix.” My UK pressing runs 5:43, putting it squarely in this Jellybean remix family.

If that sounds confusing, it gets worse.

Over the years, reissues and compilations have sometimes mixed up the credits. The One Way/EMI collection Everything And More reportedly included the Jellybean mix while identifying it as the Tony Mansfield 12″ mix. Other discographies have also attributed the UK “American Remix” to Mansfield. The more recent Chrysalis edition of the debut album identifies the approximately 5:40 version as the “Jellybean Extended Remix.”

So, for collectors keeping score:

The approximately 6:13 version is the earlier Tony Mansfield long version.

The approximately 5:41 to 5:43 version beginning with drums is the John “Jellybean” Benitez remix.

Sometimes the grooves tell the story better than the liner notes.

The B-side, “Pit Stop,” was written by Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher and produced by Tony Mansfield. It was not included on the original UK Burning Bridges LP, making it another reason this 12″ is worth having.

Sadly, both halves of the original Naked Eyes partnership are now gone. Rob Fisher died in 1999. Pete Byrne continued making music and eventually revived Naked Eyes, performing the songs for audiences who had never forgotten them.

There is something especially poignant about listening to “Always Something There To Remind Me” following Pete Byrne’s passing. A song written decades before Naked Eyes recorded it became forever linked to his voice, and its words about memory and the things we can never quite leave behind seem particularly appropriate today.

Pete Byrne helped give the early ’80s a distinctive voice. Thankfully, the records remain.

Rest in peace, Pete Byrne.

SIDE A:
Always Something There To Remind Me (American Remix) 5:43
Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Bacharach & David*

SIDE B:
Pit Stop 3:30
Written-By – Byrne, Fisher

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Chart (1983)	Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	7
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	9
New Zealand (RIANZ)	2
UK Singles (Official Charts)	59
US Billboard Hot 100	8
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	31
US Billboard Dance/Disco	37
US Cash Box Top 100	7

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI – 12EMI 5334
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Producer – Tony Mansfield

NOTES:
Taken from the LP and Cassette “Burning Bridges”

Manufactured in the UK by EMI Records Limited.

Buy 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
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: 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

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

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

I appreciate your help.

September 24, 2026

Depeche Mode – Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts) (UK 12″) (1983)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Released in the UK on July 11, 1983, “Everything Counts” marked an important turning point for Depeche Mode. The single introduced a tougher, more experimental sound that would play a major role in the band’s evolution throughout the rest of the decade.

Written by Martin Gore, “Everything Counts” was the first single taken from the band’s third studio album, Construction Time Again. The album would also mark the first time Alan Wilder appeared as a full member on a Depeche Mode studio LP.

By this point the group had begun moving away from the cleaner synth-pop sound of their first two albums. Sampling became an important part of the recording process, with metallic noises, unusual percussion, and sounds gathered from everyday objects finding their way into the music.

“Everything Counts” was one of the first major examples of that new direction.

The lyrics were changing as well.

Instead of focusing on relationships, Martin Gore turned his attention toward greed, competition, and corporate culture. The song’s image of “grabbing hands” became one of the most recognizable lyrics in the Depeche Mode catalog.

The darker subject matter is paired with one of the band’s catchiest early melodies. Dave Gahan handles the verses while Martin Gore takes a more prominent role during the chorus. Add the distinctive melodic hook and all of those strange metallic sounds, and you have a record that sounded quite different from most of the synth-pop appearing on the charts in 1983.

And “Everything Counts” did very well on those charts.

In the UK, the single entered the Official Singles Chart at No. 41 and steadily climbed during the following weeks. It eventually reached No. 6 and spent eleven weeks on the chart, including three weeks inside the Top 10.

The record also found success across Europe and beyond. “Everything Counts” reached No. 8 in Switzerland, No. 15 in Ireland, No. 18 in Sweden, No. 23 in West Germany, and No. 27 in New Zealand. It also reached No. 20 in South Africa.

The original single did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, where Depeche Mode were still some distance away from becoming a major mainstream act. However, the record made an impression in American clubs, reaching No. 17 on Billboard’s dance chart.

For the UK 12-inch, Mute Records gave the extended version the wonderfully appropriate title “Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts).”

And larger amounts are exactly what you get.

Running more than seven minutes, the 12-inch version gives the percussion, samples, synthesizer lines, and instrumental sections much more room. Rather than simply extending the beginning and ending, “In Larger Amounts” pulls apart elements of the original recording and lets you hear just how much was going on underneath that instantly recognizable melody.

It is exactly the kind of extended mix that made the 12-inch format so interesting during the 1980s.

The B-side, “Work Hard (East End Remix),” is equally interesting. Written by Martin Gore and Alan Wilder, “Work Hard” was a non-album track recorded during the same period and fits perfectly with the mechanical sound Depeche Mode were exploring.

The extended East End Remix stretches the track to more than six minutes and makes an already unusual B-side even stranger.

“Everything Counts” became one of the defining singles from Depeche Mode’s early years. More importantly, it offered a glimpse of where the band was headed. The bright synthesizers were still there, but now they were surrounded by sampled machinery, harder rhythms, darker lyrics, and a growing willingness to experiment.

The transformation from the band that recorded “Just Can’t Get Enough” only two years earlier was well underway.

For me, the UK 12-inch is the version to hear. “In Larger Amounts” gives all of those rhythms, samples, and production details the space they deserve.

After all, when it comes to a great 12-inch…

Everything counts in large amounts.

SIDE A:
Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts) 7:21
Written-By – M.L.Gore*

SIDE B:
Work Hard (East End Remix) 7:00
Written-By – A. Wilder, M.L.Gore

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

1983 CHART PERFORMANCE
Chart	Peak Position
UK Singles Chart	#6
Switzerland	#8
Ireland	#15
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#17
Sweden	#18
South Africa	#20
West Germany	#23
Italy	#24
Austria	#26
New Zealand	#27
Netherlands	#50

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute – 12 BONG 3
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo, Beige Labels With Grey Print, Not “MVS” Pressing
Country: UK
Released: Jul 11, 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Engineer [Tonmeister] – Gareth Jones
Producer [Produced By] – Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode

NOTES:
Recorded at the Garden Studio, London.

“Everything Counts” mixed in Hansa Mischraum, Berlin.

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

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

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

I appreciate your help.

September 23, 2026

Killing Joke – Eighties (UK 12″) (1984)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Released in 1984, “Eighties” arrived during a period when Killing Joke were beginning to bring a little more melody into their dark, aggressive post-punk sound without losing any of the intensity that made them so distinctive.

The single actually predates the band’s 1985 album Night Time, where “Eighties” would later appear as the closing track. Released as a single in the spring of 1984, “Eighties” reached No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for five weeks. Despite becoming one of Killing Joke’s best-known recordings, the single does not appear to have charted on the major national singles charts outside the UK.

At the center of the record is that unforgettable guitar riff from Geordie Walker. Cold, repetitive and almost hypnotic, it locks in with Paul Raven’s bass and Paul Ferguson’s pounding drums while Jaz Coleman delivers the vocal with his usual sense of urgency. The result sits somewhere between post-punk, rock and dance music. Killing Joke could be brutal, but they also understood rhythm.

And then there is the connection that almost everyone eventually notices.

Listen to the opening guitar figure of “Eighties,” then listen to Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” The resemblance is hard to miss. It has become one of the most talked-about similarities in alternative rock history.

Of course, “Eighties” was already several years old before Nirvana arrived. Hearing it today is a reminder of just how much influence Killing Joke had on the alternative and industrial rock that followed.

For the 12-inch release, “Eighties” was given the full extended treatment with the 6:27 “Serious Dance Mix.” Rather than turning the song into something completely different, the longer version gives its relentless rhythm and guitar attack more room to breathe. The UK 12-inch also includes the original version and “The Coming Mix.”

The record was written by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Paul Raven and Geordie Walker. “Eighties” would eventually become one of Killing Joke’s most recognizable recordings, even though it was never a major chart hit.

That seems fitting. Killing Joke were never really about fitting comfortably alongside whatever else was on the radio. “Eighties” sounds tense, mechanical and strangely danceable all at once.

More than forty years later, that guitar riff still jumps out of the speakers immediately.

And once you hear it, you probably won’t forget it.

SIDE A:
Eighties (Serious Dance Mix) 6:30

SIDE B:
Eighties 3:52
Eighties (The Coming Mix) 3:54

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EG – EGOX16, EG – 821 224-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: Apr 1984
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Post-Punk, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Bass – Raven*
Design [Sleeve Design] – Mike Coles (2)
Drums, Other [Weapons] – Big Paul Ferguson*
Guitar [Six String Righteousness], Vocals [Verbals] – Geordie*
Keyboards, Vocals [Verbals] – Jaz Coleman
Lacquer Cut By – Nickz*
Other [Helmsmanship, Insubordination] – Captain Fil ‘Oh No’
Other [The Nailing In] – Alex Zander Rasher, Brad Sugar Dick Nelson
Producer – Chris Kimsey
Written by – Killing Joke

NOTES:
Made in the UK

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

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

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

I appreciate your help.

August 14, 2026

Linda Clifford / Irene Cara – Red Light / Hot Lunch Jam (UK 12″) (1980)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Yesterday we rocked hard with Suzi Quatro.

Today, lunch is served.

Hot lunch, to be exact.

For today’s Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition, we return to 1980 for a terrific UK 12-inch pairing from the original motion picture soundtrack to Fame.

On one side we have Linda Clifford with “Red Light.”

Flip it over and Irene Cara is waiting with “Hot Lunch Jam.”

Two ladies.

Two songs.

One soundtrack.

Not a bad way to spend twelve inches of vinyl.

Directed by Alan Parker, Fame follows a group of students through their years at New York City’s High School of Performing Arts, from auditions through graduation. Irene Cara stars as Coco Hernandez, alongside Gene Anthony Ray, Lee Curreri, Paul McCrane, Barry Miller, Maureen Teefy, and others. The film received its national US release on June 20, 1980.

Of course, the music became almost as important as the movie.

The soundtrack gave us Irene Cara’s “Fame” and “Out Here On My Own,” along with “I Sing The Body Electric,” “Dogs In The Yard,” “Never Alone,” and the two tracks featured on today’s 12-inch. The album itself reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

First up is Linda Clifford.

“Red Light” was written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford and produced by Michael Gore and Gil Askey. Linda was already well established in the disco world thanks to records such as “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “Runaway Love,” and her dramatic disco remake of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

“Red Light” gave her another substantial hit.

The single reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 40 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

But the dance floor liked it even more.

Billboard’s Disco chart grouped “Red Light” with Irene Cara’s “Fame” and “Hot Lunch Jam,” and the three tracks reached No. 1 together.

Now that is one crowded dance floor.

The version on this UK 12-inch is the full-length “Extended Version,” running considerably longer than the edited single version. It is essentially the version that lets Linda stretch out and do what Linda Clifford does best.

Sing big.

Dance big.

And apparently ignore the red light completely.

Then we turn the record over.

Lunch time.

“Hot Lunch Jam” is performed by Irene Cara and was written by Michael Gore, Lesley Gore, and producer Robert F. Colesberry. Michael Gore produced the recording.

The history behind the song is particularly interesting.

According to Alan Parker, “Hot Lunch Jam” grew out of an all-day session in which the young performers contributed ideas as the number took shape. In other words, the loose, spontaneous energy we hear in the finished recording was not entirely an illusion. The song really did evolve as something of a jam.

And it sounds like one.

Piano.

Percussion.

Horns.

Handclaps.

Voices flying everywhere.

Irene right in the middle of it all.

It feels less like a carefully assembled soundtrack recording and more like somebody opened the cafeteria doors and an entire performing arts school broke into music.

Which, come to think of it, is basically Fame.

The UK 12-inch labels Irene’s side “Hot Lunch Jam (Vocal And Melody Arrangement),” while other listings describe it as the Full Length Version. Unlike some of the records we have featured during this series, there is no newly constructed club remix hiding here. The appeal is having these two full-length soundtrack performances together on one 45 RPM 12-inch.

And what a pairing.

Linda Clifford brings the polished disco fire.

Irene Cara brings the spontaneous school-cafeteria chaos.

Somehow, it works.

Fame went on to become much more than another 1980 musical. Michael Gore won the Academy Award for Original Score, while “Fame,” written by Gore and Dean Pitchford, won Best Original Song. “Out Here On My Own” was nominated in the same category. The film was later selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2023.

But today we are moving away from the title song and digging a little deeper into the soundtrack.

That is what this series is all about.

Sometimes the real fun is hiding one or two tracks away from the obvious hit.

So when the red light comes on…

ignore it.

Lunch is ready.

And apparently…

it’s a jam.

SIDE A:
Linda Clifford – Red Light (Extended Version) 6:10
Producer – Gil Askey
Written-By – D. Pitchford*

SIDE B:
Irene Cara – Hot Lunch Jam (Full Length Version) (Vocal & Melody Arrangement) 4:11
Written-By – L. Gore, R.F.Colesberry

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Single	Chart	Peak Position
Linda Clifford – “Red Light”	US Billboard Hot 100	41
Linda Clifford – “Red Light”	US Billboard Hot Soul Singles	40
Linda Clifford / Irene Cara – “Red Light” / “Hot Lunch Jam”*	US Billboard Disco	1

* Billboard’s Disco chart combined “Fame,” “Red Light,” and “Hot Lunch Jam” as a single chart entry.

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: RSO – RSOX 64
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1980
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco

CREDITS:

Producer – Michael Gore
Written-By – M. Gore*

NOTES:
From The Original Soundtrack Of The Motion Picture “Fame” – 2479 253

Made In England

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

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

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

I appreciate your help.