Needle Time

  52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes [BEWITH012TWELVE UK 2020 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Factory Records in August 1982. Slipping out during the worrying days of lockdown, Manchester's Be With Records remastered and re-released the debut single by 52nd Street, which seems to have become one of the most collectible items on Factory Records. This reissue knocks the spots of my much played UK original. The youthful sound of the streets from a dismal, rainy and grey northern powerhouse, produced by A Certain Ratio's Donald Johnson, with Simon Topping on percussion, and Bernard Sumner's synth effects - recorded at Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme. 52nd Street were to change line up and find commercial success as a modern soul act on Ten Records during the late eighties, however their very best work was always going to be those early Factory singles. This single is also a welcome hark back to a time of excellent b-side tracks. We never heard enough from this er...

52nd Street - Can't Afford [FAC 118 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] The third single by 52nd Street was the wonderful Can't Afford . The innocently sweet voice of Beverly McDonald was replaced by the more soulful Diane Charlemagne (who had a better vocal range) and the band went into Strawberry Studios with Steve Morris in the spring of 1984. The track comes in two mixes, Morris's original backed with the extended ten minutes of The Unorganised Mix . The New Order drummer added a much heavier and solid dance beat than the earlier singles and the track was certainly more electro than anything before. The single proved how clear 52nd Street meant business, even if the label did not. A whole repertoire of unreleased (some of it excellent) material was offloaded as 52nd Street dumped the Manchester label in search of a more glossy sound and a new career with Virgin Record's dance label Ten Records. Original bassist Derek Johnson (brother of Donald) left around the same time...

52nd Street - Cool As Ice / Twice As Nice [FBN 20 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Some more dumbfounded stupidity saw Factory Records release their most contemporary artist's best single to the Benelux market only rather than gaining them the recognition they deserved in the UK. It was simple, release Cool As Ice as a seven inch single in the UK, get some airplay and just sit back and let the orders come in. It just wasn't to be, however the single did become a cult electro-dance hit single on import only - also shrewd major A&M licensed the track for a successful seven inch in the USA. There were actually two versions of the single, the second featured some (possibly unnecessary) tinkering (or was that restructuring) by John 'Jellybean' Benitez  which was to become the best known version after the DJs fame following his own tinkering with Madonna.  As a consequence the original Donald Johnson version is now the rarer mix. I have both and the Jellybean restructur...

52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes [FAC 59 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] From Miami to Manchester! The youthful sound of the streets from a dismal, rainy and grey northern powerhouse, I bring you the debut single by 52nd Street produced by A Certain Ratio's Donald Johnson, with Simon Topping on percussion and recorded at Revolution Studios in Cheadle. 52nd Street were to change line up and find commercial success as a modern soul act on Ten Records during the late eighties, however their very best work was always going to be those early Factory singles. This is a top-notch new 24-bit rip for December 2019, I'm sure I have only ever ripped this badly to 16-bit on ESWA many years ago. A1  Look Into My Eyes B1  Express