BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987
“When Smokey Sings” is a song by English band ABC, released as the first single from their fourth studio album, Alphabet City (1987). The lyrics and title of the song are a tribute to R&B and soul singer Smokey Robinson. In the United States, Robinson himself was on the Billboard 100 pop chart with his single “One Heartbeat” at the same time as this tribute song; for the week ending 3 October 1987, both songs were in the Billboard Top 10 simultaneously.
“When Smokey Sings” and its B-side, “Chicago” also topped the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart and proved to be their second American Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. There is a slight difference in the lyrics between the album and single version in the bridge of the song.
In the album version, references are made to “Luther”, “Sly”, “James”, and “Marvin” (most likely referring to Luther Vandross, Sly Stone, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye, respectively). In the single version, this is replaced by alternate lyrics, followed by a short saxophone solo.
Pitchfork Media was favorable for the Miami Mix, saying “can you fuck with…the proto–freestyle of the “Miami mix” of ABC’s “When Smokey Sings”?…No, of course, you cannot.”
The bass line of the song is a homage to Robinson’s composition, “The Tears of a Clown.” Smokey Robinson himself praised the song, saying, “Well, of course, that’s a form of flattery, and I really appreciate it.”
SIDE A:
When Smokey Sings (Miami Mix) 7:03
Mixed By – Phil “Mixmaster” Harding*
Chicago (Parts I & II) 6:37
Mixed By – Julian Mendelsohn
SIDE B:
When Smokey Sings (7″ Version) 4:23
Mixed By –Julian Mendelsohn
When Smokey Sings (Bonus Beats) 4:39
Mixed By – Phil “Mixmaster” Harding*
When Smokey Sings (Detroit Mix) 6:45
Mixed By – Julian Mendelsohn
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | When Smokey Sings | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #5 |
| 1987 | When Smokey Sings | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | #2 |
| 1987 | When Smokey Sings | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
| 1987 | When Smokey Sings | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | #8 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mercury – 888 726-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Engineer – Martyn Webster (tracks: A1, B1 to B3)
Producer – Bernard Edwards (tracks: A1, B1 to B3), Mark White, Martin Fry
Written-By – Mark White, Martin Fry
NOTES:
From the forthcoming Mercury album “Alphabet City”
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
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
DAC/Phono Pre-amp: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (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
Username: btg
Password: burningtheground
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