Fun With Vinyl

Dino (1988) Summergirls 12″ Promo

The Brief: In the northern hemisphere the official first day of summer will be June 21 however, in the US the traditional beginning of the summer season is the Memorial Day holiday weekend coming up next week. You guys have already “met” the motley crew of folks that have joined in on the blog as guest [...]

Talking Heads (1986) Love For Sale 7″

The Brief: In 1983 and 1985, Talking Heads released ‘Speaking In Tongues’ and ‘Little Creatures’, two great albums from start to finish that attained sales of over a million copies each. ‘Creatures’ was certified Double Platinum noting sales of over 2 million copies. In 1986, a David Byrne film entitled True Stories was released and a [...]

Murray Head (1984) One Night In Bangkok 7″

The Brief: Depending on your musical taste, the concept album that served as a soundtrack for the musical stage production Chess, was one god-awful messy hodge-podge of crap with a few gems thrown in or a dazzling score that covers nearly all the pop bases. Either way, the worldwide hit “One Night In Bangkok” was part [...]

S.O.S. Band (1984) Just The Way You Like It 7″

The Brief: There always seems to be a warm welcome here for S.O.S. Band records so, I hope this one isn’t an exception. The title track from 1984′s ‘Just The Way You Like It’ LP was the lead off single and the highest charting of the 4 singles released. The song was one of 4 [...]

O’Bryan (1984) Lovelite 7″

The Brief: As with yesterday’s 7″ single, today’s shaves a little over 2 minutes off of the LP version to get the song down to a more radio friendly under 4 minutes track time. O’Bryan Burnette II was approximately 18 years old when his first album hit the streets on Capitol Records in 1982. O’Bryan was [...]

Zapp (1980) More Bounce To The Ounce 7″

The Brief: It may sound strange to hear on a blog primarily full of 12″ singles featuring extended and remixed versions of songs that are generally several minutes longer than the album versions but, sometimes a good 7″ edited version is a welcome change to the seemingly endless jam that some album versions are. Case [...]

Levert (1987) Casanova 12″

The Brief: The sons of Eddie Levert, Sean and Gerald, along with Marc Gordon made up the group Levert which released its first album in 1985. Eddie, a native of Bessemer, Alabama, formed the O’Jays with Walter Williams, Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, and William Powell in 1958. In 1966 his son Gerald was born and [...]

Calloway (1989) I Wanna Be Rich 12″

The Brief: At the outset, the Calloway brothers break away from Midnight Star appeared to be a wildly successful move as the duo racked up a #2 hit on the Billboard and Cash Box pop charts and #5 on the R&B charts. That great start quickly fizzled out and their “solo” career went downhill from [...]

Midnight Star (1986) Headlines UK 12″

The Brief: Our final Midnight Star record of the week is the title track from the 1986 ‘Headlines’ LP. ‘Headlines’ was the third album in a row for the band that was certified Gold, following the double Platinum success of ‘No Parking On The Dance Floor’ and the Gold certification of ‘Planetary Invasion’. It would, [...]

Midnight Star (1986) Midas Touch 12″

The Brief: The last appearance on Billboard’s Hot 100 that Midnight Star made was in 1986 with this single, “Midas Touch”. It was from the LP ‘Headlines’ which was the last album from the group with Reggie and Vincent Calloway as members. The song just missed the Top 40 in the US but did reach [...]

April 22nd, 2013 by djrichiep

Gap Band (1980) Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) 7″

The Brief:
From Tulsa Oklahoma, originally called the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band, the Gap Band have been making funky music since 1967. At the very beginning the band consisted of Ronnie Wilson, Roscoe Smith, Chris Clayton and Tuck Andress who later formed the jazz duo Tuck & Patti with Patti Cathcart. A few lineup shuffles over the years resulted in the band having as many as 12 members but, over the years the core of the band became the brothers Ronnie, Charlie and Robert Wilson. The brothers anchored the band that lasted 43 years and basically retired in 2010 when Robert was lost to a heart attack. But, man oh man what a funky 43 years that was. We join in on their career in 1980 when I, a 14 year old automobile racing fanatic, heard the opening motor revs and screeching tires to “Burn Rubber” and flipped out. The song earned the brothers Wilson their first of 4 #1′s on the R&B charts and set them up as a dominating force in R&B music throughout the 80s. A couple of weeks ago I began talking about Uptown music and how it was the soundtrack to my teenage years, well, the Gap Band were a big part of that and we’re going to take a look at their singles for the next two weeks. Most of these will be 7″ singles as I found those radio edits to be harder to come by than the usual album cuts.

The A Side:
Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) 3:59

The B Side:
Nothin’ Comes To Sleepers 5:37

The Charts:

Chart	Debuted	Debut Pos.	Peak Pos.	Wks on Chart
Billboard Hot 100	2/28/81	95	84	8
Cash Box Top 100	2/21/81	97	90	5
Hot Black Singles	12/6/80		1/2wks	23
Billboard Hot Dance/Disco	12/20/80		19	26

The Source:
Label: Mercury Records
Catalog#: 76091
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1980

The Equipment:
Technics SL-1200MK2 Turntable
Audio Technica AT440MLa Phono Cartridge
Yamaha RX-Z1 A/V Receiver
Sony PCM-R300 DAT Deck
Turtle Beach Catalina sound card
Mustek Scan Express A3 1200 Scanner
Spin Clean Record Washer MKII

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 19th, 2013 by djrichiep

ABBA (2012) Voulez-Vous 12″

The Brief:
The final installment of Record Store Day week is a limited edition ABBA 12″ released last year. Tomorrow is the day, please go out and support your local independent record store tomorrow and any other day during the year. A complete list of releases for the day is available on Record Store Day‘s website, make your shopping list and arrive early, some of these special releases are very limited and sell out quickly!

ABBA To Release A Limited Edion 12-inch Single For Record Stores Day

ABBA will release a limited edition 12-inch vinyl single for Record Store Day on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Side A features Voulez-Vous (Extended Dance Remix), originally released as a promo-only single in the United States and France. This marks the first commercial vinyl release of this remix. On side B is the equally danceable If It Wasn’t For The Nights, originally released on the Voulez-Vous album.

This special Record Store Day release is pressed on blue glitter vinyl and packaged in a cardboard sleeve. The 12-inch single, which is limited to 4,000 numbered copies (catalogue number 00602527957302), is for sale exclusively in participating stores. For more information, please visit www.recordstoreday.com

The A Side:
Voulez-Vous (Extended Dance Remix) 6:07

The B Side:
If It Wasn’t For The Nights 5:09

The Charts:

Chart	Debuted	Debut Pos.	Peak Pos.	Wks on Chart
Billboard Hot 100	9/1/79	80	80	3
Cash Box Top 100	9/1/79	86	85	3

The Source:
Label: Polar Records
Catalog#: 00602527957302
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 2012

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 18th, 2013 by djrichiep

Run-DMC / Carolina Chocolate Drops (2012) You Be Illin’ 7″

The Brief:
Today’s Record Store Day goodie is a Side by Side offering from Warner Bros. Records featuring Run-D.M.C. and Carolina Chocolate Drops. The record actually has the labels applied to the wrong sides, that’s been corrected in today’s post…

This limited edition, Record Store Day Exclusive colored vinyl 7″ features the Carolina Chocolate Drops performing the Run-DMC classic “You Be Illin’” along with the original 1986 recording on the opposite side. The Drops’ cover was recorded in the fall of 2011 during the sessions for their February 2012 full-length, Leaving Eden, produced by Buddy Miller. Limited edition 7″ Coke bottle colored vinyl in clear plastic sleeve.

This limited edition vinyl was released for Record Store Day 2012.

The A Side:
Run-D.M.C. – You Be Illin’ 3:26

The B Side:
Carolina Chocolate Drops – You Be Illin’ 3:14

The Charts:

Chart	Debuted	Debut Pos.	Peak Pos.	Wks on Chart
Billboard Hot 100	10/25/86	86	29	18
Cash Box Top 100	10/25/86	89	35	17
Hot Black Singles	10/25/86		12	16
Billboard Hot Dance/Disco	12/27/86		44	4

The Source:
Label: Warner Brothers Records
Catalog#: 7-530721 (K1)
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 2012

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 17th, 2013 by djrichiep

Buck Owens (2012) Buck Sings Eagles 10″

The Brief:
For day 3 of Record Store Day week, we shift gears, throw on our pointy boots and our ten-gallon hats for the traditional country sounds of the late, great Buck Owens…

Buck Sings Eagles

Available in record stores only on Record Store Day/Black Friday, November 23, 2012

Unique 10″ vinyl EP in a beautiful picture sleeve!
4 previously unissued covers of classic Eagles hits!

If Buck Owens wasn’t already a household name by 1968, this Father of the Bakersfield Sound and legend of country music was about to be beamed into the living rooms of America via the new country variety show called Hee Haw to insure he’d never again pull up to a lunch counter unnoticed. Naturally, music was a part of any variety show of the era, and Buck and the Buckaroos were called upon for musical numbers in each episode. To accomplish this in the most professional manner for the broadcasts, the backing tracks were recorded in Buck’s studio and then played back on the show, to which the singers, Buck included, would sing live. However, while recording in the studio, guide vocals were also recorded but not used on the show, and that is how today, we have an incredible treasure trove of previously unissued Buck Owens recordings to hear for the first time.

In these recordings, made for Hee Haw, were four covers of songs cut by the legendary Eagles. Recorded in the ’70s, these selections demonstrate how closely Buck was paying attention to the music of the era and are a natural fit for his style, as the Eagles no doubt, were influenced by the cutting edge country of Buck’s Bakersfield sound to begin with! These tracks are compiled for the first time anywhere on a new 10″ EP coming November 6th that will be released in advance of the forthcoming double-CD release in 2013, Honky Tonk Man: Buck Sings Country Classics.

The A Side:
Take It Easy 2:16
Peaceful Easy Feeling 3:15

The B Side:
Lyin’ Eyes 2:29
Tequila Sunrise 2:37

The Source:
Label: Omnivore Recordings
Catalog#: OVS10-53A
Format: Vinyl, 10″, 33 1/3 RPM
Country: US
Released: 2012

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 16th, 2013 by djrichiep

The Clash (2012) London Calling 2012 EUR 7″

The Brief:
On day 2 of our look at Record Store Day goodies we have The Clash’s “London Calling 2012″. Here’s a brief promotional item announcing the release:

THE CLASH TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION ‘LONDON CALLING’ SINGLE FOR RECORD STORE DAY
THE CLASH will release a limited-edition 7″ single to mark Record Store Day on April 21st, 2012. The single will feature two previously unreleased mixes of ‘London Calling’ – the ‘London Calling (2012 Mix)’ and the ‘London Calling (2012 Instrumental)’ courtesy of the band’s MICK JONES and PAUL SIMONON.

The A Side:
London Calling (2012 Mix) 3:29

The B Side:
London Calling (2012 Instrumental) 3:29

The Source:
Label: Columbia Records
Catalog#: 88691959247
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: Europe
Released: 2012

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 15th, 2013 by djrichiep

Rolling Stones (2011) No Spare Parts EUR 7″

The Brief:
Coming this Saturday, April 20th, is Record Store Day 2013. This week we will take a look at some of the records I picked up at previous Record Store Days and Record Store Day’s Black Fridays in November. Here’s the press release announcing today’s record:

Universal Music Group has announced that The Rolling Stones will issue the previously unreleased track ‘No Spare Parts’ on exclusive limited edition 7” vinyl to mark Record Store Day’s ‘Black Friday’, Friday 25 November, 2011. A digital download version of the single will be available week commencing 14 November.

“No Spare Parts” is one of twelve bonus tracks that have been unearthed for inclusion on the forthcoming deluxe and super deluxe reissue of The Rolling Stones’ Some Girls – widely regarded as one of the band’s greatest albums. Some Girls is released on 21 November.

‘No Spare Parts’ captures the daring and diverse spirit of the album’s legendary sessions. Recorded in Paris in 1978, the song tells the story of a trip from Los Angeles to San Antonio, Texas featuring Mick Jagger on electric piano, Keith Richards on acoustic piano, Ronnie Wood on pedal steel guitar, Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman on bass. With a country guitar twang, subtle groove, and soulful storytelling, it’s a powerful and poignant acoustic tune from The Rolling Stones, and an essential addition to any fan’s catalogue.

The limited edition 7” version of the single will also include Some Girls album track “Before They Make Me Run” on the B-side.

Other never-heard-before tracks featured on the Some Girls reissue will include We Had It All’, ‘I Love You Too Much’ and ‘Don’t Be A Stranger’.

Also, note the production credit for Don Was of Was (Not Was).

The A Side:
No Spare Parts 4:30

The B Side:
Before They Make Me Run 3:25

The Source:
Label: Rolling Stones Records / A&M Records
Catalog#: 278 806-8
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: Europe
Released: 2011

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 11th, 2013 by djrichiep

Chocolate Milk (1982) Who’s Getting It Now 12″ Promo

The Brief:
Another band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, like the Bar-Kays, was Chocolate Milk who released 8 albums between 1975 to 1982. The last LP to bear their name was ‘Friction’ and it contained the single “Who’s Getting It Now” which was produced by Allen A Jones, the producer and manager for the Bar-Kays. He produced all of the Bar-Kays records up until his death in 1987. His signature funk sound can be heard all over this record. A remix by Dance Music Hall of Fame inductee Tee Scott adds to the sheer pleasure of listening to this record.

The A Side:
Who’s Getting It Now (Remixed by Tee Scott) 6:39

The B Side:
Who’s Getting It Now (Instrumental) 7:16
Who’s Getting It Now (A cappella) 3:49

The Charts:

Chart	Debuted	Debut Pos.	Peak Pos.	Wks on Chart
Hot Black Singles	3/26/83		65	8
Billboard Hot Dance/Disco	3/26/83		50	8

The Source:
Label: RCA Records
Catalog#: JD-13448
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1982

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 10th, 2013 by djrichiep

Bar-Kays (1988) Struck By You 12″

The Brief:
By the late 80s the Bar-Kays had been been performing for 20 years, the band survived tragedy and lineup changes and reinvented itself numerous times. But, by 1988 they had begun to run out of steam and the 1988 ‘Animal’ LP was the last original studio album put out by the band in the 80s. Still a very popular act at R&B radio, the band reached #11 with the single “Struck By You” in 1988. The band more or less dispersed after promotion and touring was complete for the “Animal’ album but, by 1991 they had re-formed into primarily a touring act that continued to draw good crowds at medium to smal sized venues. In 1994 the band released ’48 Hours’ on the Basix Music label. That album leaned towards the “new-jack swing” sound of the early 90s.

The A Side:
Struck By You (12″) 6:46
Struck By You (Dub) 5:22

The B Side:
Struck By You (7″) 4:10
Struck By You (Acapella) 2:49
Your Place Or Mine 5:02

The Charts:

Chart	Debuted	Debut Pos.	Peak Pos.	Wks on Chart
Hot Black Singles	1/21/89		11	13

The Source:
Label: Mercury Records
Catalog#: 872 103
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

April 9th, 2013 by djrichiep

Bar-Kays (1984) Freakshow On The Dance Floor 12″

The Brief:
I turned 16 years old in May of 1981, finally able to drive and go places on my own. The summer before, Prince released the LP ‘Dirty Mind’ and one of the tracks on that album was entitled “Uptown”. Now, I really can’t say if that is what gave us the phrase but, throughout my high school and early college years, on Fridays the question on everyone’s lips was “Are you going Uptown this weekend?” What did Uptown mean to us? It meant piling in to the car with your best friends, cruising around the Dairy Queen parking lot, driving through the Piggly Wiggly / TG&Y parking lot, hanging out at the Video Arcade and trying to get away with buying beer, under-age, at the local convenience stores. It was looking for the cute girl that smiled at you in the hall that week or trying to hook up with a sure thing. Sometimes there were fights and, as long as you weren’t in the fight, that was always exciting to see. The worst punishment in the world was restriction because if you weren’t there, something was gonna happen and you were gonna miss it. In those days your ride had to have a high-end cassette deck, a good strong amplifier, sub-woofers, mid-range speakers and tweeters. Blaupunkt, Rockford-Fosgate, Sony and Pioneer were just some of the brands that assured your car would be able to blast away with the best of them. Then there was the requirement of having good music for everyone to hear when you went cruising by. That music I liked to call Uptown Music and it consisted mostly of R&B acts such as Bar-Kays, Prince, The Time, Cameo, Gap Band, Lakeside, Commodores and the list goes on and on. For 4 of the next 5 weeks we’re gonna visit with some of the music that was the soundtrack of those weekends…. Uptown.

The A Side:
Freakshow On The Dance Floor 6:36

The B Side:
Lovers Should Never Fall In Love 3:53

The Charts:

Chart	Debuted	Debut Pos.	Peak Pos.	Wks on Chart
Billboard Hot 100	5/26/84	88	73	8
Cash Box Top 100	6/2/84	89	80	3
Hot Black Singles	3/31/84		2	19

The Source:
Label: Mercury Records
Catalog#: 818 631
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 1/3 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1984

The Software:
Cool Edit Pro
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft ICE

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Dino (1988) Summergirls 12″ Promo

Talking Heads (1986) Love For Sale 7″

Murray Head (1984) One Night In Bangkok 7″

S.O.S. Band (1984) Just The Way You Like It 7″

O’Bryan (1984) Lovelite 7″

Zapp (1980) More Bounce To The Ounce 7″

Levert (1987) Casanova 12″

Calloway (1989) I Wanna Be Rich 12″

Midnight Star (1986) Headlines UK 12″

Midnight Star (1986) Midas Touch 12″

Gap Band (1980) Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) 7″

ABBA (2012) Voulez-Vous 12″

Run-DMC / Carolina Chocolate Drops (2012) You Be Illin’ 7″

Buck Owens (2012) Buck Sings Eagles 10″

Buck Sings Eagles

The Clash (2012) London Calling 2012 EUR 7″

Rolling Stones (2011) No Spare Parts EUR 7″

Chocolate Milk (1982) Who’s Getting It Now 12″ Promo

Bar-Kays (1988) Struck By You 12″

Bar-Kays (1984) Freakshow On The Dance Floor 12″

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Support

Subscribe

Get a FWV Account

Artists

Tags

Dino (1988) Summergirls 12″ Promo

Talking Heads (1986) Love For Sale 7″

Murray Head (1984) One Night In Bangkok 7″

S.O.S. Band (1984) Just The Way You Like It 7″

O’Bryan (1984) Lovelite 7″

Zapp (1980) More Bounce To The Ounce 7″

Levert (1987) Casanova 12″

Calloway (1989) I Wanna Be Rich 12″

Midnight Star (1986) Headlines UK 12″

Midnight Star (1986) Midas Touch 12″

Buck Sings Eagles