Tag: UK

July 30, 2026

Carly Simon – Why (Extended Version) (UK 12″) (1982)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

After two visits to the Two Of A Kind soundtrack, Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition moves to another movie whose music proved far more lasting than the film itself.

Today’s selection is Carly Simon’s “Why,” from the 1982 motion picture soundtrack Soup For One.

On paper, Carly Simon working with Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers might have seemed like an unusual match. Carly was closely associated with the thoughtful singer-songwriter sound of the 1970s, while Edwards and Rodgers had created the sleek dance-floor sound of Chic.

Once the needle drops, however, the question is not why they worked together.

The question is why they did not record an entire album.

“Why” was written, produced, arranged, and conducted by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Chic recorded the instrumental backing track, while Carly supplied the lead vocal. The result is not a typical Carly Simon record with a disco beat added to it. It is a full Chic production built around one of pop music’s most recognizable voices.

Soup For One was a 1982 romantic comedy written and directed by Jonathan Kaufer. The film follows a New York bachelor searching for the perfect woman. It failed to make much of an impression at the box office, but the soundtrack assembled an impressive collection of R&B, pop, and dance recordings produced by the Chic Organization.

Along with Carly Simon, the album featured Chic, Debbie Harry, Teddy Pendergrass, Sister Sledge, Fonzi Thornton, and the Chic Organization itself.

The film may have disappeared.

The soundtrack refused to go with it.

“Why” was a dramatic change of direction for Carly. The record leaves behind the piano-driven pop and confessional songwriting most listeners associated with her. In their place are Bernard Edwards’ elastic bass, Nile Rodgers’ clipped guitar, soft keyboards, handclaps, and a relaxed rhythm that sits somewhere between post-disco, reggae, funk, and dub.

The groove is light, but the emotion is not.

Carly sings about a relationship filled with mixed signals. She sounds hurt, confused, and increasingly frustrated, but the production never becomes heavy. Her repeated cries of “Why?” float above one of the most effortless grooves Edwards and Rodgers ever created.

That contrast is the magic of the record.

The lyric is heartbroken.

The music makes you want to dance.

Carly does not attempt to sound like a traditional disco singer. She keeps the conversational quality that made her earlier recordings so personal. Her pauses, sighs, and changes in tone make the performance feel spontaneous, as though she is working through the argument while the tape is running.

Edwards and Rodgers surround her with space.

Nothing feels crowded. The bass carries the melody, the guitar slips quietly through the rhythm, and the keyboards add just enough color. Even when stretched beyond eight minutes, the track never feels rushed or overworked.

The single performed modestly in the United States, reaching number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, however, “Why” became a genuine hit. It reached number 10 and remained on the chart for eighteen weeks.

Its story did not end in 1982.

“Why” later found a new audience in British and European clubs, becoming associated with the Balearic sound that grew during the late 1980s. The song returned to the UK chart in 1989, reaching number 56, and its bass line and rhythm continued to influence DJs, producers, and hip-hop artists.

Decades later, the record no longer sounds like a strange detour in Carly Simon’s career. It sounds ahead of its time.

Pitchfork included “Why” in its list of the 200 best songs of the 1980s, another sign that the record’s reputation eventually grew far beyond its original chart performance.

The song also received a music video filmed on the streets of New York City. Carly’s daughter Sally Taylor makes an appearance, pouring a bottle of wine over a man’s head. The playful clip matches the record’s mixture of romantic frustration and cool detachment.

For this post, I am featuring the original UK 12-inch single.

Side one contains the Extended Version of “Why,” running approximately 8:09. Side two contains the Instrumental Extended Version, running approximately 7:06. The instrumental is credited to Chic, confirming that the musicians behind the groove were not simply studio players hired for a Carly Simon session. This was the Chic Organization at work.

The Extended Version takes its time establishing the rhythm before Carly enters. Once she does, the mix allows her vocal phrases to drift in and out of the arrangement. The extra length gives Bernard Edwards’ bass line even more room to work its magic.

This is not an extended mix filled with dramatic edits, added effects, or sudden changes.

It does not need them.

The strength of “Why” is the groove itself. Edwards and Rodgers understood that the best thing a remix could do was stay out of its way.

The Instrumental Version reveals just how complete the backing track is without Carly’s vocal. The bass, guitar, percussion, and keyboards form a hypnotic Chic recording that could easily stand on its own.

Still, Carly’s absence leaves an unmistakable space.

Her performance is what transforms the track from an elegant groove into a conversation, an argument, and a heartbreak song.

“Why” is one of the great unexpected collaborations of the 1980s. Carly Simon brought vulnerability and personality. Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers brought the rhythm, precision, and unmistakable Chic sound.

Soup For One may not be remembered as a classic movie.

Its soundtrack gave us a classic record.

Why?

Sometimes the strangest combinations make the most perfect sense.

SIDE A:
Carly Simon – Why (Extended Version) 8:11

SIDE B:
Chic – Why (Instrumental (Extended Version)) 7:05

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Year	Chart	Peak Position
1982	UK Singles Chart	10
1982	US Billboard Hot 100	74
1989	UK Singles Chart (Reissue)	56

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: WEA – K 79300T, Mirage (2) – K79300T
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic, Reggae, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Disco, Funk, Downtempo, Soundtrack

CREDITS:

Photography By – Lynn Goldsmith
Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Nile Rodgers And Bernard Edwards*
Written-By – Bernard Edwards And Nile Rodgers*

NOTES:
From the original motion picture soundtrack album Soup For One – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack K99236

Produced, arranged and conducted for the CHIC Organisation Ltd.
Carly Simon appears, courtesy of Warner Brothers Records

Manufactured in the UK

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.

July 23, 2026

Madonna – Gambler (Extended Dance Mix) (UK 12″) (1985)

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NEW 2026 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

For today’s entry in Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition, we are returning to 1985, when Madonna seemed to be everywhere.

“Like A Virgin,” “Material Girl,” “Crazy For You,” “Angel,” “Into The Groove,” and “Dress You Up” were all competing for attention during the same extraordinary year. Hidden among that crowded run was another great Madonna single, “Gambler,” recorded for the soundtrack to the motion picture Vision Quest.

Vision Quest was released on February 15, 1985. Directed by Harold Becker and based on the 1979 novel by Terry Davis, the film stars Matthew Modine as Louden Swain, a high school wrestler who becomes determined to drop two weight classes and face the undefeated Brian Shute. His demanding physical goal becomes more complicated when Carla, played by Linda Fiorentino, temporarily moves into his family home.

Madonna makes a brief appearance in the film as herself, performing in a nightclub. At the time Vision Quest was filmed in late 1983, she was still at the beginning of her career. By the time the movie reached theaters, she had become one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

Her ballad “Crazy For You” became the soundtrack’s major hit, reaching number one in the United States. “Gambler,” however, shows a very different side of Madonna.

Where “Crazy For You” is slow, romantic, and vulnerable, “Gambler” is fast, defiant, and completely self-assured.

The song was written entirely by Madonna and recorded with John “Jellybean” Benitez, who had already worked with her on records such as “Holiday,” “Borderline,” and “Lucky Star.” Phil Ramone oversaw the music for Vision Quest and received production credit in the film.

“Gambler” begins with an urgent synthesizer pulse before exploding into electronic drums, handclaps, keyboards, guitar, and a driving bass line. The production races forward with the same determination as the film’s young wrestler.

Madonna’s character in the song refuses to be controlled. She makes her own choices, accepts the risks, and warns anyone standing in her way that she will not be told how to live.

It is a theme that would appear throughout her career.

Even at this early stage, Madonna understood how to sell confidence. Her vocal is sharp and playful, but there is also an aggressive edge beneath it. She sounds like someone who has already placed her bet and knows she is going to win.

The repeated “You can’t stop me now” refrain could almost have served as Madonna’s personal statement for 1985. Within a short time, she had moved from clubs and small television appearances to international superstardom. There was certainly no stopping her then.

The single was released in Europe, Australia, and several other markets during the fall of 1985. Strangely, it was never given a commercial single release in the United States.

Madonna’s label, Sire Records, reportedly feared that another single would compete with the ongoing releases from Like A Virgin and with “Crazy For You,” which had already been issued through Geffen Records. As a result, American listeners could buy the song on the Vision Quest soundtrack but not as its own commercial single.

That decision prevented “Gambler” from appearing on the Billboard Hot 100, but the song became a considerable hit elsewhere.

In the United Kingdom, “Gambler” reached number four and remained on the Official Singles Chart for fourteen weeks. It spent four weeks inside the Top 10 and became yet another major Madonna hit during her remarkable 1985 chart run.

The promotional video combines Madonna’s nightclub performance with scenes from Vision Quest. Like the clip for “Crazy For You,” it helped turn her brief film appearance into something much larger than a standard soundtrack cameo.

The Vision Quest soundtrack was also an impressive collection beyond Madonna’s two contributions. It included Journey’s “Only The Young,” John Waite’s “Change,” The Style Council’s “Shout To The Top,” Don Henley’s “She’s On The Zoom,” Dio’s “Hungry For Heaven,” and Red Rider’s “Lunatic Fringe.”

“Gambler” remained something of an orphan within Madonna’s catalog for many years. It did not appear on one of her regular studio albums, and the single was unavailable on streaming and digital services until December 2022. The digital release finally made the original version, Extended Dance Mix, and Instrumental Mix widely available around the world.

For collectors, however, the original vinyl remains an essential piece of Madonna’s 1980s discography.

I previously posted this single in March 2016. A decade later, I decided it was time to return to the record and create an entirely new transfer.

For this 2026 edition, I started again from the beginning using my current equipment and restoration process. This is not a remaster of the files posted in 2016. It is a fresh vinyl transfer made to preserve the punch of the electronic percussion, the bright synthesizers, and the force of Madonna’s vocal.

“Gambler” sometimes gets lost among the enormous number of Madonna singles released during this period. It did not have the American chart run of “Crazy For You,” the cultural impact of “Into The Groove,” or the constant radio exposure of her Like A Virgin hits.

But listen again.

The song is fast, fearless, and unmistakably Madonna.

She knew the risks.

She played the game.

And she won.

SIDE A:
Madonna – Gambler (Extended Dance Mix) 5:38
Arranged By – Stephen Bray
Producer, Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Madonna

SIDE B:
Madonna – Gambler (Instrumental Remix) 3:54
Arranged By – Stephen Bray
Producer, Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez
Written-By – Madonna

Black ‘N Blue – Nature Of The Beach 3:47
Producer – Bruce Fairbairn
Written-By – St. James, Thayer

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Chart Performance – Madonna: Gambler (1985-86)	Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	10
European Hot 100 Singles	8
Europarade Top 40	13
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	4
France (SNEP)	33
Germany (GfK)	25
Iceland (RÚV)	6
Ireland (IRMA)	3
Italy (Musica e dischi)	10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	45
Norway (VG-lista)	9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	23
UK Singles Chart	4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Geffen Records – TA 6585
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Design [Sleeve Design] – Tomcat (7)
Lacquer Cut By – Timtom* (tracks: A)
Photography By [Cover] – Armando Gallo

NOTES:
A & B1: Special version from the LP “Vision Quest” GEF 70263

A & B1: Produced and Remixed for Jellybean Productions, Inc.

Madonna appears through the courtesy of Sire Records Company

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.

July 14, 2026

Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out For A Hero (UK 12″) (1984)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

NEW 2026 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

I had already planned to begin this new series with Bonnie Tyler before hearing the sad news of her passing. Now, this post carries a meaning I never expected it to have.

Bonnie Tyler passed away on July 8, 2026, at the age of 75. With her unmistakable voice and powerful delivery, she gave us some of the most dramatic and memorable recordings of the 1970s and 1980s. She could turn almost any song into a full-scale event, and “Holding Out For A Hero” remains one of the greatest examples.

Released in 1984 as part of the soundtrack for the motion picture Footloose, “Holding Out For A Hero” was written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford and produced by Steinman. The song was later included on Bonnie’s 1986 studio album Secret Dreams And Forbidden Fire.

From its opening blast of drums, racing piano, blaring horns, and urgent backing vocals, the record never slows down. Everything about it is oversized, breathless, and wonderfully theatrical. Then Bonnie enters with that rough, commanding voice, sounding as though she is not merely waiting for a hero. She is demanding that one arrive immediately.

No one could have sung this song halfway. It required a vocalist who could rise above Jim Steinman’s enormous production without becoming lost inside it. Bonnie did more than rise above it. She owned every second.

The song was originally released in the UK in 1984, reaching only number 96. It was reissued the following year and became a major hit, climbing to number two and remaining there for three weeks. It also reached number one in Ireland and number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The Footloose soundtrack was packed with hit singles, but “Holding Out For A Hero” brought a different kind of energy to the album. It was louder, stranger, and more dramatic than almost anything surrounding it. Even without the movie, the recording creates its own frantic action sequence inside your head.

For this post, I am using the original UK 12-inch single. The A-side features the extended dance remix by John “Jellybean” Benitez. Jellybean stretches the song to more than six minutes while keeping the force and urgency of Jim Steinman’s original production. The remix gives the arrangement more room to breathe, but it never loses its momentum.

The B-side opens with the instrumental version of “Holding Out For A Hero.” Removing Bonnie’s lead vocal puts more attention on the layers buried within the production, including the dramatic piano, pounding percussion, guitars, synthesizers, and backing vocals. It is a great companion to the extended remix and shows just how much is happening underneath Bonnie’s performance.

The final track is “Faster Than The Speed Of Night,” the title song from Bonnie’s hugely successful 1983 album. Also written and produced by Jim Steinman, it makes this UK 12-inch feel more substantial than the usual soundtrack single. All three tracks capture Bonnie during one of the strongest periods of her career.

I previously posted this record in April 2019. For this new 2026 edition, I returned to the vinyl and created an entirely new transfer from the beginning. This is not a recycled or lightly updated version of the previous post. It is a brand-new transfer with meticulous audio restoration while preserving the power, movement, and excitement of the original recording.

This post also begins my new series, Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition. Throughout the series, I will be featuring female artists who released singles connected to motion pictures during the 1980s.

It is bittersweet to begin the series this way, but I cannot think of a stronger song or a more deserving artist. Bonnie Tyler gave the decade a voice that could sound wounded, fearless, romantic, and larger than life, sometimes within the same recording.

Thank you, Bonnie, for the music, the drama, and that unforgettable voice.

SIDE A:
Holding Out For A Hero (Special Extended Remix) 6:22
Written By – J. Steinman/D. Pitchford
Written-By – D. Pitchford, J. Steinman

SIDE B:
Holding Out For A Hero (Instrumental) 5:17
Written By – J. Steinman/D. Pitchford
Written-By – D. Pitchford, J. Steinman

Faster Than The Speed Of Night 4:41
Written-By – J. Steinman*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Chart Performance – Bonnie Tyler: Holding Out For A Hero (1984)	Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	44
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	19
Canada (Billboard)	17
Europarade Top 40	12
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	8
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)	38
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	33
South Africa (Springbok Radio)	23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	19
UK Singles Chart (1984 release)	96
UK Singles Chart (1985 reissue)	2
US Billboard Hot 100	34
West Germany (Official German Charts)	19

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: CBS – TA 4251
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Producer, Directed By – Jim Steinman
Remix – John “Jellybean” Benitez (tracks: A, B1)

NOTES:
From the original soundtrack of the Paramount motion picture “Footloose”.

Side A – Mix name on front cover is “Extended Remixed Version”.
Side A – Also known as “Dance Version-Jellybean Remix”.

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.

July 1, 2026

Peter Murphy – Final Solution (Remix) (UK 12″) (1985)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

“Final Solution” is one of those records that does not politely enter the room. It arrives like a warning signal, all nerves, shadows, and sharp edges.

Originally recorded by Cleveland art-punk band Pere Ubu in 1976, “Final Solution” was already a strange and unsettling piece of post-punk before Peter Murphy got anywhere near it. Pere Ubu’s version had that raw, almost damaged sound that made it feel as if it was broadcasting from some broken radio tower in the middle of a city no one wanted to admit existed.

Peter Murphy took that chaos and turned it into something theatrical, colder, and strangely danceable.

Released as a single in 1985, before appearing on his 1986 debut solo album Should The World Fail To Fall Apart, “Final Solution” found Murphy stepping out from the long shadow of Bauhaus while still keeping one polished black boot firmly planted in the dark. This was not the more romantic, mystical Peter Murphy that would later emerge on songs like “Cuts You Up” or “A Strange Kind Of Love.” This was Murphy in a more dangerous space, taking a song already loaded with unease and pushing it further into the club.

The 12-inch Club Mix stretches the track into a tense, mechanical workout. The guitars snarl, the rhythm pounds, and Murphy’s vocal performance is pure command. He does not simply sing the song; he stalks through it. Every phrase feels like it is being thrown against a wall just to see what breaks first.

What makes this version so compelling is the way it sits between worlds. It is post-punk, goth, industrial, and club music all at once, but never fully settles into any one of them. It has the grit of the original, but the 12-inch format gives it space to breathe, sweat, and menace the dancefloor.

The B-side, “The Answer Is Clear,” offers a fitting companion piece. Less immediate but just as moody, it captures Murphy during that early solo period when he was still experimenting with what his voice could become outside the Bauhaus frame.

“Final Solution” may not be one of Peter Murphy’s biggest hits, but it remains one of his most arresting early solo singles. It is tense, dramatic, and a little unhinged in all the right ways.

This is the sound of an artist stepping into the spotlight alone, not with comfort, but with intent.

SIDE A:
Final Solution (Third & Final Mix) 5:51
Lacquer Cut By – Timtom
Remix – Ivo, John Fryer
Written-By – Bell*, Pere Ubu

SIDE B:
Final Solution (Club Mix) 5:30
Lacquer Cut By – TY
Mixed By – Stephane Gerbier
Remix – The Latin Rascals
Written-By – Bell, Pere Ubu

The Answer Is Clear (Version) 3:14
Lacquer Cut By – TY
Written-By – Hughes, Murphy*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Chart Performance — Peter Murphy: *Final Solution* (1985)
Chart	Peak Position	Date
UK Singles Chart	#92	1985

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Beggars Banquet – BEG 143TP
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Industrial, Goth Rock

CREDITS:

Photography By – Antoine Giaccomoni*
Producer – Ivo*, Howard Hughes*

NOTES:
Recorded at Blackwing Studios in the summer of ’85.
B1. 12″ mix [Club mix] at Unique Studios, New York City
B2. Mixed at Blackwing Studios

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.