BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1980
Happy 35th anniversary “XANADU”!
On August 8, 1980 the film “Xanadu” starring Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly was released to theaters in the US. Not a financial success, Xanadu earned mixed to negative critical reviews and was an inspiration for the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards to memorialize the worst films of the year. Despite the lacklustre performance of the film, the soundtrack album became a huge commercial success around the world, and was certified double platinum in the United States. The song “Magic” was a U.S. number one hit for Newton-John, and the title track (by Newton-John and ELO) reached number one in the UK and several other countries around the world. Now 35 years later “Xanadu” is even more popular than when it was originally released showing at midnight movies becoming a cult classic.
“Magic” is a 1980 song performed by Olivia Newton-John, from the soundtrack to the film Xanadu. The song was number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks beginning on August 2, 1980.
“Magic” became Newton-John’s biggest Adult Contemporary hit to date, spending five weeks at the top of that chart. It was also her biggest pop hit until “Physical” ruled the Hot 100 for ten weeks beginning in November 1981. Billboard magazine ranked “Magic” as the third most popular single of 1980, behind only “Call Me” by Blondie and “Another Brick in the Wall, Part II” by Pink Floyd. The song also reached number 4 in Australia and number 32 in the UK.
The B-side “Fool Country” was featured in the film but did not appear on the soundtrack. The song did finally appear on CD for the first time on the Olivia Newton-John compilation Gold released in 2005.
On Saturday August 8, 2015 Olivia will premiere her new music video for the dance re-make of “Magic” titled “You Have To Believe” which she recorded with her daughter Chloe Lattanzi at the Share night club in Las Vegas. The track is produced by Grammy nominated remixer/producer Dave Audé.
SIDE A:
Magic 4:25
SIDE B:
Fool Country 2:23
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Magic | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1980 | Magic | U.S. Billboard hot Dult Contemporary | #1 |
| 1980 | Magic | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 End Of Year | #3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records – MCA-41247
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: May 23, 1980
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Pop Rock
CREDITS:
Producer, Written-By – John Farrar
NOTES:
From the Original motion picture soundtrack for “XANADU.”
Find the 7″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
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: 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 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
