Tag: US

May 23, 2017

Ferry Aid – Let It Be (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

Although this single was recorded to help victims of a 1987 tragedy. Today we pray for those affected in Manchester, England.

Ferry Aid were a British-American ensemble group, brought together to record the song “Let It Be” in 1987. The single was released following the Zeebrugge Disaster, which had occurred on 6 March 1987 involving the capsizing of the MS Herald of Free Enterprise ferry, which killed 193 passengers and crew. All proceeds from sales of the single were donated to the charity set up in the aftermath of the disaster. The recording was organised by The Sun newspaper, after it had sold cheap tickets for the ferry on that day. “Let It Be” was written by Lennon–McCartney and originally recorded by The Beatles in 1969.

Garry Bushell, then with The Sun newspaper, organised the recording of the song by recruiting record producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman. They then put an invitation out to the music industry for artists to contribute their vocals to the song. Although many stars were initially reluctant to join forces with the newspaper, eventually artists such as Boy George, Kate Bush, Gary Moore and Mark Knopfler agreed to take part. Original writer, Paul McCartney also contributed to the song, although his performance (and section in the accompanying video) were recorded independently in his own studios. In fact, it was later revealed that McCartney used his voice of the original recording of the 1970 Beatles track and added it to the Ferry Aid recording. The song was recorded over three days between 14 and 16 March 1987 and the single was released on Monday 23 March 1987. The first artist to record his part was Mark King (who also played bass guitar on the song) on the Saturday morning, while the last was Paul King on Monday evening.

In the original Beatles recording George Harrison did the guitar solo but for the purposes of this song – as shown in the video – the solo was divided with Gary Moore first, then Mark Knopfler, then back to Gary Moore with Moore’s parts being more ‘rock’ and Knopfler’s being more laid-back.

“Let It Be” reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week on 4 April 1987, and remained at that position for three weeks. It was the 13th best selling single of the year in the UK; it was certified gold for shipping over 500,000 copies. The single was also a number one hit in Norway and Switzerland, and reached the top 10 in several European countries.

Artists to have contributed and performed solo spots on the song are as follows:

Paul McCartney
Boy George
Keren Woodward and Nick Kamen
Paul King
Mark King
Jaki Graham
Taffy
Mark Knopfler (guitar solo)
Andy Bell
Pepsi & Shirlie
Mel and Kim
Gary Moore (guitar solo)
Kim Wilde and Nik Kershaw
Edwin Starr
Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot
Ruby Turner
Kate Bush

The closing choruses of the song feature an ensemble choir featuring many of the above performers as well other recording artists. The back-up chorus consisted of:

The Alarm, John Altman, Debee Ashby, Al Ashton, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Simon Bates, Alison Bettles, Jenny Blythe, Errol Brown, Miquel Brown, Bucks Fizz, Jay Carly, The Christians, Nick Conway, Linda Davidson, Hazell Dean, Anne Diamond, Difford and Tilbrook, Doctor and the Medics, The Drifters, Drum Theatre, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Roy Gayle, Go West, Carol Hitchcock, Felix Howard, Gloria Hunniford, Imagination, Jenny Jay, Ellie Laine, Annabel Lamb, Stephanie Lawrence, Loose Ends, Linda Lusardi, Ruth Madoc, Bobby McVey, Suzanne Mizzi, The New Seekers, Sadie Nine, The Nolans, Hazel O’Connor, Mike Osman, Su Pollard, Tim Polley, Pamela Power, Maxi Priest, Princess, Jimmy Pursey, Suzi Quatro, Mike Read, Sally Sagoe, Nejdet Salih, Ray Shell, Mandy Smith, Neville Stapleton, Alvin Stardust, Steve Strange, Sylvia Tella, Terraplane, Bonnie Tyler, Maria Whittaker, Working Week.

SIDE A:
Let It Be 6:30
Engineer – Mark McGuire
Mixed By – Burni Adams, Jamie Bromfield

SIDE B:
Let It Be (Mega Message Mix) 6:11
Mixed By – Jamie Bromfield

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Profile Records ‎– PRO-7147
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Pop
Style: Pop/Rock

CREDITS:
Bass – Mark King
Drums – A. Lynn
Guitar – Gary Moore, Mark Knopfler
Keyboards – Matt Aitken, Mike Stock
Producer – Stock/Aitken/Waterman*
Written-By – Lennon/McCartney*

NOTES:
Recorded at PWL Studios.
Special thanks to: Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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
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: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: 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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

May 22, 2017

Jan Hammer – Miami Vice Theme (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“Miami Vice Theme” was created and performed by Jan Hammer as the theme to the television series Miami Vice. It was first presented as part of the television broadcast of the show in September 1984 and released as a single in 1985, peaking at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the last instrumental to top the Hot 100 until 2013, when “Harlem Shake” by Baauer reached number one. It also peaked at number 5 in the UK, and number 4 in Canada. In 1986, it won Grammy Awards for “Best Instrumental Composition” and “Best Pop Instrumental Performance.” This song, along with Glenn Frey’s number-two hit “You Belong to the City”, put the Miami Vice soundtrack on the top of the US album chart for 11 weeks in 1985, making it the most successful TV soundtrack of all time until 2006 when Disney Channel’s High School Musical beat its record.

It’s a mystery the US 12″ credits François Kevorkian and Ron St. Germain as remixer while the UK 12″ credits Louil Silas Jr.. The “Extended Remix” seems to be the same mix that appears on the UK release. So who actually remixed the track?

SIDE A:
Miami Vice Theme (Extended Remix) 6:52
Remix – François Kevorkian, Ron St. Germain

SIDE B:
Miami Vice Theme (Remix) 4:32
Remix – François Kevorkian, Ron St. Germain

Miami Vice Theme (Original) 1:00

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	Miami Vice Theme	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1985	Miami Vice Theme	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary	#16
1985	Miami Vice Theme	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#21
1985	Miami Vice Theme	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#7
1985	Miami Vice Theme	U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	#29
1985	Miami Vice Theme	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles	#10

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCA-23575
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer, Arranged By – Jan Hammer
Written-By – J. Hammer*

NOTES:
Original version appears on the MCA LP, MCA-6150, “Music From The Television Series ‘Miami Vice'”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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

April 18, 2017

M|A|R|R|S – Pump Up The Volume (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Pump Up the Volume” is the only single by British recording act M|A|R|R|S. Recorded and released in 1987, it was a number-one hit in many countries and is regarded as a significant milestone in the development of British acid house music and music sampling. The song derives its title directly from a lyrical sample from “I Know You Got Soul”, a hit single by labelmates Eric B. & Rakim, released months prior in that same year.

The single was the product of an uneasy collaboration between electronic group Colourbox and alternative rock band A R Kane, two groups signed to the independent label 4AD. The link-up was suggested by label founder Ivo Watts-Russell after the two groups had independently sounded him out about the possibility of releasing a commercially oriented dance record, inspired by the American house music that was starting to make an impact on the UK chart. When the M|A|R|R|S project was first released early in 1987, the popularity of the style of the song had already started to grow.

SIDE A:
Pump Up The Volume 7:10
Rap [Additional Rapping] – Emix*

Pump Up The Volume (Bonus Beat) 4:45

SIDE B:
Pump Up The Volume (Instrumental) 5:06
Engineer – Steve Osborne
Engineer [Assistant] – Julian Adair

Anitina (First Time I See She Dance) 4:22
Drums – Colourbox
Mixed By – Ivo*, John Fryer
Music By – A.R. Kane

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Pump Up The Volume	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#13
1988	Pump Up The Volume	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs & Tracks	#8
1988	Pump Up The Volume	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: 4th & Broadway ‎– BWAY 452
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: House, Instrumental, Acid House, Leftfield

CREDITS:
Art Direction, Design – Vaughan Oliver
Engineer – Lincoln Fong (tracks: A1 to B1)
Guitar – A. R. Kane* (tracks: A1 to B1)
Mastered By – Herbie Jr :^)*
Music By – Martyn Young (tracks: A1 to B1), Steve Young* (tracks: A1 to B1)
Photography By, Artwork [Set Construction] – Panni Charrington
Producer – M. Young*
Sampler [Samples] – John Fryer (tracks: A1 to B1)
Scratches [Scratching] – C.J. Mackintosh* (tracks: A1 to B1)
Scratches, Performer [Drop Ins] – Dave Dorrell (tracks: A1 to B1)

NOTES:
The “Mars Needs Women” vocal sample comes from the movie, “Mars Needs Women” (1967).

A Colourbox / A.R. Kane Collaboration

Recorded at Blackwing.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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

April 14, 2017

Josie Cotton – Johnny Are You Queer? (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982

“Johnny Are You Queer?” is a 1980s pop song that was written by Bobby and Larson Paine. The song was first performed live by the Go-Go’s and was later performed by Josie Cotton, who released the song as a single in 1981 and 1982, and as part of her 1982 album Convertible Music. The song was also featured on the Valley Girl soundtrack.

The song was the subject of controversy upon its release. Cotton was accused by multiple conservative groups as promoting homosexuality and one network claimed that “there was no Josie Cotton and that she was actually a gay man who was trying to convert unsuspecting straight men into a homosexual lifestyle.” The Village Voice and The Advocate were both highly critical of “Johnny, Are You Queer?” and The Advocate demonized the work in an article entitled “Josie, Are You A Bitch?”

Years later AllMusic reviewed the song and noted that “In retrospect, the song sounds rather tame, and throughout, the joke is on the petulant girl, not Johnny: “he’s not interested in her that way, so clearly he must not like girls” is (deliberately) a laughably arrogant premise.”

Cotton has stated that since the song’s release she has been contacted by several people who thanked her for the song, as it helped them come to terms with their own homosexuality.

In 1982, the song reached #38 on the U.S. Billboard Club Play Singles chart.

SIDE A:
Johnny Are You Queer? 2:46

SIDE B:
(Let’s Do) The Blackout 2:57

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	Johnny Are You Queer?	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#38

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Elektra ‎– AS-11538
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Power Pop

CREDITS:
Bass, Guitar – Bobby Paine
Drums – Richard Adelman
Drums [Additional] – Don Heffington
Engineer – Geza X, Glenn Feit, Ray Blair
Piano – Jimmy Ehinger
Producer, Written-By – Bobby Paine, Larson Paine
Synthesizer – J.B. Frank*

NOTES:
“Johnny Are You Queer?” from the LP “Convertible Music”.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

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