Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters (Extended Version) (Europe 12'') (1984)
Re-Rip Remaster
Originally I posted this one back in October of 2010. But for those who may have missed it or if you are a new reader just discovering BTG. I decided to give this one a new rip with my newer equipment. This 12" is also being posted in 24 bit flac for the very first time!
"Ghostbusters" is a 1984 song recorded by Ray Parker, Jr. as the theme to the film of the same name starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11 in 1984, and stayed there for three weeks. It also peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on 16 September 1984, where it stayed for three weeks. The song is performed in the key of B major.
It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You".
According to Parker, he was approached by the film's producers to create a theme song for the film. Unfortunately, he only had a few days to do so and the film's title seemed impossible to include in any lyrics. However, when watching television late at night, Parker saw a cheap commercial for a local service that reminded him that the film had a similar commercial featured for the fictional business. This inspired him to write the song as a pseudo-advertising jingle that the business could have commissioned as a promotion. The line "I ain't scared of no ghosts" came from a 1937 Mickey Mouse short, Lonesome Ghosts.
Parker was later the defendant in a copyright-infringement lawsuit which claimed "Ghostbusters" was too similar in musical structure to "I Want a New Drug", written and performed by Huey Lewis and the News (more specifically, the guitar riff which runs through the song). "I Want a New Drug" was a U.S. top-ten hit earlier the same year. The two parties settled out of court. Details of the settlement (specifically, that Parker paid Lewis a settlement) were confidential until 2001, when Lewis commented on the payment in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. Parker subsequently sued Lewis for breaching confidentiality; the lawsuit is ongoing. Ironically, Lewis had at one point been asked to record a theme song for the movie, but turned it down for other commitments.
In later years, AutoNation adopted the theme for their advertising campaign. In the United Kingdom, the song is parodied with Parker himself being featured in a commercial advertising direct enquiries line 118 118.
The song re-entered the UK Top 75 on 2nd November 2008 at #49.
Lindsey Buckingham claims to have been approached to write the Ghostbusters theme based on his successful contribution to Harold Ramis's National Lampoon's Vacation (the song "Holiday Road"). He turned down the opportunity as he didn't want to be known as a soundtrack artist. He mentions this on the "Words & Music" interview disk.
A music video for the song featured a young woman, played by Cindy Harrell, who was being haunted by a ghost portrayed by Parker, roaming a nearly all-black house interior with vibrant neon designs outlining the sparse architectural and industrial features. It also contained footage from the film Ghostbusters, and featured cameos from many celebrities of the day, including Chevy Chase, Irene Cara, John Candy, Melissa Gilbert, Nickolas Ashford, Jeffrey Tambor, George Wendt, Al Franken, Danny DeVito, Carly Simon, Peter Falk, Teri Garr and Casey Kasem; all of whom exclaim the "Ghostbusters!" line of the song when shown.
The video concludes with Parker and the stars of the film, in full Ghostbuster costume, dancing down the streets of New York City.
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint
SIDE A:
Ghostbusters (Extended Version) 6:08
SIDE B:
Ghostbusters (Dub Version) 5:33
Remix - Nick Martinelli And David Todd*
Ghostbusters (Instrumental Version) 4:03
RELEASE INFORMATION
Label: Arista - 601 460
Format: Vinyl, 12", Maxi-Single, 45 RPM
Country: Europe
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Engineer, Mixed By - Ray Parker Jr. (tracks: A, B2)
Producer, Performer, Written-By - Ray Parker Jr.
Engineered and mixed at Ameraycan Studios.
NOTES:
Printed in Western Germany
Front cover Artwork, back cover photos, titles © 1984 Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.
**Track B2 is listed on sleeve and label as "Short Version" it is a misprint and is actually the "Instrumental Version"
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song written by and first recorded in 1979 by Robert Hazard. However, it is better known as a single by Cyndi Lauper, whose version was released in 1983. It was the first major single released by Lauper as a solo artist and the lead-off single from her debut album She's So Unusual. Lauper’s version gained recognition as a feminist anthem and was promoted by an award-winning video. It has been covered on either an album or in live concert by over 30 other artists.
The single was Lauper's breakthrough hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a worldwide hit throughout late 1983 and early 1984. It remains one of Lauper's signature songs and was a widely popular song during the era of its release, the 1980s. The "Rolling Stone & MTV: '100 Greatest Pop Songs': 1-50", "Rolling Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos"" and the "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos" lists ranked the song at No. 22, No. 39 and No. 45, respectively. The song received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
SIDE A:
Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Extended Version) 6:07
SIDE B:
Fun With V. Knutsn (Instrumental) 7:09
Xtra Fun 5:05
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Portrait – 12・3P-509
Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Engineer – Elliot Scheiner
Engineer [Assistant] – Tom Swift
Executive-Producer – Lennie Petze
Mixed By – Arthur Baker
Producer – Rick Chertoff
Written-By – R. Hazard*
NOTES:
Special version from the LP "SHE'S SO UNUSUAL"
Manufactured in Japan.
