Tag: US 12″

December 31, 2014

Prince – Partyman (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas. Wishing all of you a healthy and happy 2015.

“Partyman” is a song by Prince from his 1989 Batman album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, “Batdance”. The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene in which the Joker and his minions gleefully deface the exhibits in the Gotham City Art Museum before meeting Vicki Vale.

The song became the only Batman single to perform better in the UK charts, where it peaked at number 14, as opposed to the U.S. (where it peaked at number 18). The upbeat and humorous number features horn samples and Prince’s sped-up “Camille” vocals, as well as a vocal performance by Anna Fantastic. The 12″ single extends the song to about six minutes in length (labeled as the “Video Mix”), and features the B-side “Feel U Up”, a previously unreleased Camille track which would later be available on The Hits/The B-Sides compilation.

“Feel U Up” was originally cut in 1981, but re-recorded in 1986 for the Camille album. Despite being intended for a totally different project, the horn arrangement and vocal style complement “Partyman” perfectly. The 12″ single also included a “Purple Party Mix”, which starts with a string of samples from Prince’s earlier hits and contains different lyrics. A track identified as a “music mix” is an instrumental of the “Purple Party Mix”.

The song’s accompanying music video, directed by Albert “Al” Magnoli, again presents Prince’s “Gemini” persona dressed in a “half-Joker” costume.

Owing to licensing problems, “Partyman”, like all of the Batman-era hits, has failed to appear on any Prince compilation album, barring the UK singles promoting The Hits/The B-Sides.

SIDE A:
The Purple Party Mix 6:02
Remix – Femi Jiya, Prince

Partyman Music Mix 4:31
Remix – Femi Jiya, Prince

SIDE B:
Partyman (The Video Mix) 6:14
Remix – Femi Jiya, Prince

Feel U Up (Short Stroke) 3:44

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Partyman	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#18
1989	Partyman	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#45
1989	Partyman	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#5

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 0-21370
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: House, Synth-pop, Funk

CREDITS:
Design – Tom Recchion
Producer, Arranged By, Composed By, Performer – Prince

NOTES:
Remixed 4 Paisley Park Productions.

Original version of “Partyman” available on the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Soundtrack album BATMAN, a Warner Bros. film.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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 Removeal: 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

December 8, 2014

The Assembly – Never Never (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Never Never” is the title of the only single released by the Vince Clarke project, The Assembly, in 1983.

The song features Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones on vocals; Sharkey’s performance on “Never Never” was a total departure from the punk sound of The Undertones. The song peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for ten weeks. The ong was released in the US but did not chart.

SIDE A:
Never Never (Extended Version) 5:54
Guitar – Clem Clempson
Vocals [The Singer] – Feargal Sharkey

Stop/Start (Extended Version) 4:20
Written-By – E.C. Radcliffe*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 0-20210
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design – Martyn Atkins
Performer [The Assembly] – E. C. Radcliffe*, Vincent Clarke*
Producer – Assembly, The
Written-By – V. Clarke*

NOTES:
Made In U.S.A.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
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

November 26, 2014

USA For Africa – We Are The World (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday that we celebrate on Thursday November 27 here in the US. It’s a time to reflect and give thanks for all of the abundant blessings and freedom that we have. We gather around the table with family and friends to share a festive meal. We also spare a thought for those not so lucky. It is a season of bountifulness and a reason to share the same ….true Thanksgiving is in actually doing that – Giving !!!”

I will be spending some time with family and friends over the next few days and will return on Tuesday December 2.

“We Are the World” is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide.

Following Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” project in the UK, an idea for the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from activist Harry Belafonte, who, along with fundraiser Ken Kragen, was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality. Several musicians were contacted by the pair, before Jackson and Richie were assigned the task of writing the song. The duo completed the writing of “We Are the World” seven weeks after the release of “Do They Know Its Christmas”, and one night before the song’s first recording session, on January 21, 1985. (The last recording session for the song was held on January 28, 1985.) The historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music industry at the time.

The song was released on March 7, 1985, as the only single from the album. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum, “We Are the World” received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. However, the song garnered mixed reviews from journalists, music critics, and the public. Fans enjoyed hearing racially and musically diverse recording artists singing together on one track, and felt satisfied in buying “We Are the World”, knowing that the money was going to charity. Other individuals, including many commentators in the rock press, were disappointed that the song did not challenge listeners as to why famines occur in the first place, and felt that the lyrics were self-aggrandizing.

Awarded numerous honors—including three Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, and a People’s Choice Award—the song was promoted with a critically received music video, a home video, a special edition magazine, a simulcast, and several books, posters, and shirts. The promotion and merchandise aided the success of “We Are the World” and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US.

Following the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, a remake of the song by another all-star cast of singers was recorded on February 1, 2010. Entitled “We Are the World 25 for Haiti”, it was released as a single on February 12, 2010, and proceeds from the record aided survivors in the impoverished country.

SIDE A:
We Are The World 7:19

SIDE B:
We Are The World 7:19

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	We Are The World	U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart	#76
1985	We Are The World	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1985	We Are The World	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#1
1985	We Are The World	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#1
1985	We Are The World	U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	#27
1985	We Are The World	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia ‎– US2-05179
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: March 7, 1985
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock

CREDITS:
Conductor – Quincy Jones
Engineer – Humberto Gatica, John Guess
Producer – Quincy Jones
Producer [Associate] – Tom Bahler
Written-By – Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson

NOTES:
Promo. Same versions on both sides.

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

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

November 24, 2014

Duran Duran – A View To A Kill (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

After several requests and all the buzz surrounding the newly unearthed 12″ remix of “A View To A Kill”. I decided to post the only official U.S. 12″ of the Duran Duran classic. Sure it’s just the original single version, but for those of us who are audiophile’s hearing the track in it’s original uncompressed vinyl glory is a real treat especially in 24 bit.

In November 2014 – The James Bond site MI6 revealed a previously unreleased 7:30 extended remixed 12″ version of the song and it has since been mentioned on Duran Duran’s website which suggests that it might be the real deal. MI6 claim that Steve Thompson created the 12″ mix in Paris with the band, although John Taylor says “I don’t remember hearing it at the time”. The remix can be heard of MI6-HQ’s page on Soundcloud. November 22, 2014, Steve Thompson confirmed to Super Deluxe Editions that he, Mike Barbiero and the band was there except John Taylor had made the 12″ version of the song in a Paris studio.

“A View to a Kill” is the thirteenth single by Duran Duran, released in 6 May 1985 and created for the James Bond movie A View to a Kill. It was a stand-alone single, and remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number 2 for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart.

In 1986, John Barry and Duran Duran were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for A View to a Kill. The song was the last track recorded by the original five members of Duran Duran until their 2001 reunion. It was played at their 1985 performance at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance prior to their first split, while still at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

SIDE A:
A View To A Kill 3:35

SIDE B:
A View To A Kill 3:35

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (generic)

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	A View To A Kill	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records ‎– SPRO-9391
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor [Orchestra] – John Barry
Engineer, Mixed By – Jason Corsaro
Producer – Bernard Edwards, Duran Duran, Jason Corsaro
Sampler [Digital] – Jonathan Elias
Written-By – Duran Duran, John Barry

NOTES:
Same track appears on both sides
From the James Bond Movie “A VIEW TO A KILL”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Click Removal: Manual
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
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