A Musical Dream

The other night I had a dream. One of many that night, but at the end of it I could hear Coldplay performing a version of the Smiths "Asleep" ...and it sounded amazing. I woke with this song in my head ....a song that has actually, to my knowledge, never taken . This wasn't the first time my mind created a perfect blend of artists voice and style with a well known song by another artist. In 1987 I could hear, as clear as day inside another dream, Suzanne Vega performing a version of Jim Croce's "Time In A Bottle" and it sounded so beautiful and perfect I had to have a bunch of people convince me that it never happened in this reality.

That's the power of dreams, and perhaps it might be unique to musicians or at least music lovers that these kind of dreams speak to us and touch us deeper than in non-musical people. I also recall a dream I had in the mid-80's. I was driving up a hill and the music was New Order's "Perfect Kiss"....the end instrumental part of the song where it climax's , but Mick Jagger's "Just Another Night" vocal was playing on top of it.......perhaps my subconscious mind created the world's first mash-up.

So with this in mind, I would like to add my wish-list of covers. Song's I'd love to hear covered by artists I'd love to hear cover them.....just a couple :

Al Stewart's "Year Of The Cat" covered by THE PET SHOP BOYS (This about it...wouldn't this be PERFECT?)

The Who's "Our Love Was" covered by Elbow

APB's "Shoot You Down" performed by NINE INCH NAILS

The Undertone's "Teenage Kicks" performed by Oasis

Marshall Crenshaw's "Whenever You're On My Mind" performed by R.E.M.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptian's "Madonna Of The Wasps" performed by XTC

That's all I can think of right now.......til next time .....

RANDOM - Part two

I KNOW...I KNOW....I haven't written in over 6 weeks...been busy at the 'ol day job and sleepy at night....but I have a couple of minutes so here goes another post. Since I can't think of any particular thing to write about I think I'll just take the IPOD, hit SHUFFLE SONGS, and write about whatever comes up.......OK..here we go:

WEEN - "EVEN IF YOU DON'T".........

Wow.....great first track. This is from Ween's White Pepper album, one of the better Ween albums. This track is SOOOOO 10CC I'm surprised they haven't tried to sue. LOVE this song though. If it didn't come out in 2000 I'd swear it was recorded in 1976.

next

THE FIXX - "LOSE FACE"

Good track from a good album. This comes from the Fixx's 1984 album PHANTOMS. Some great tracks on this LP. "SUNSHINE IN THE SHADE" and "ARE WE OURSELVES" being the two stand-outs. Also contains "WOMAN ON A TRAIN" which I think should have been a single......it wasn't. Next

R.E.M. - "SUPERNATURAL SUPERSERIOUS"

Cool........from their "comeback" album Accelerate, this was the first single. Great to see R.E.M. getting a bit louder and rockier in their old age. This song reminds me of last year when my fiance and I saw R.E.M. at Jones Beach and almost got hit by lightning. Then the skies opened up and we got soaked.....the band was great but I can't wait til the next time we see them...hopefully we'll be dry. next

ORCHESTRAL MANOEVRES IN THE DARK - "Souvenir (remix)"

From the great Architecture & Morality album.....Here's a remix of the classic track "Souvenir". I'm not sure who did this mix and I'm not sure where I got it....but that Piano line sounds way too Moby for it to not be Moby. This is such a beautiful song though, isn't it.

OK...that's enough for now....I SWEAR I will do another post this week....nice long 4 day weekend coming up and I'll have some time....til then......

WEIRD COVERS

There are covers .....and then there are COVERS. In this day and age we forget that not every artist writes their own material. MOST do....but then again...a lot DO NOT.

So.....it is left to the artist to put their unique spin on songs composed by others. Frank Sinatra made a whole career out of his unique interpretation of classic standards......and then there are THESE people:



Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. Such a classic comedy team. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Odd Couple when it was re-run in syndication growing up in the late 70's / early 80's. And I love it today. I could watch it forever and never be bored. But THIS ???

Sometime in the early 70's....to cash in on their new found fame....some record company decided it was a good idea to have these release an album. It didn't matter that Klugman couldn't carry a tune in a garbage can. And their version of Carly Simon's "YOU'RE SO VAIN" is so excruciatingly awful that it always makes me cringe and laugh at the same time. "Who are those girls?" Felix asks.

"Who are your agents ?" is more like it.....



Speaking of excruciating, dig THIS cover of the Nancy Sinatra classic "THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING" by the ever so bizzare Crispin Glover. In 1989 Enigma records (Now no longer a record lable....hmmm...imagin that)strangely gave a recording contract to this whack-a-doo. He filled this album with bad poetry, a rap about masterbation, a song about a clown (The Barnes & Barnes assisted "Clowny Clown Clown") ,a Charles Manson cover!!....and THIS. I love how the song starts bad and as it goes on he gets more manic and starts crying the lyrics.....Nancy Sinatra must be rolling over in her grave......oh wait......she's not dead......perhaps she's just never heard this yet.


Now HERE's a band that has been around for over 20 years now putting their unique spin on A-capella. Everything they do uses only their voices, maybe a drum machine occasionally, and their great taste in the poppier side of UK hits. In the 80's they actually had a hit with a pretty cool version of Yazoo's "Only You". That was actually GOOD........but as the years rolled on and the joke wore thin they recorded THIS. Prince's "WHEN DOVES CRY" is a classic mid-80's wonder of production over substance....strip all that away and what you get is this laugh inducing track. My favourite part is the beginning...TOO funny. And if you want more Picketts, listen to their version of Nirvana's "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT"......and then take a sharp stick to your eardrums.......

That was good...what ELSE ya got?

Talking About an artist's big hit is BORING.....what always fascinated me was what they did for a follow-up. Usually the next single after a hit would have been a hit as well, or at least be remembered as the decades rolled on...but that's not always the case, and that's what we're here to talk about today. Let's start with those red leather-clad dudes the Romantics

In 1984, The Romantics shot up to Number 3 with their hit "Talking In Your Sleep" (here's the 12-inch remix). So.....what to do for a follow-up? They actually released what I think is a better song, but it only made it to number 37 on the Billboard chart and the Romantics were soon forgotten about. That song was "One In A Million". I think the hook is catchy and it should have made it higher than 37.....and ask anyone today about this song and you'll more than likely get stares, frowns and perhaps red leather pants thrown in your face.


In 1979 Rupert Holmes hit it BIG with his album Partners In Crime, most likely due to his monster number one hit "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)". When you think back to that piece of crap song you think to yourself "Thank God he never released anything else".....but he DID....off the same album...and both songs were Billboard top-40 hits, too.......go on....try to name them.......I THOUGHT so......
So....how do you follow-up a cute little ditty about finding true love with the one you're already with....a song that even back then we knew we'd be hearing in every bar and wedding reception for decades to come? How about a song about a paranoid boyfriend that stalks his current girlfriend because he think she's cheating on him, but has no proof at all....he just KNOWS...."I know who left those smokes behind" he yells at his woman.....who probably is just blowing off this dude cause he's all old and beard-y.

This has got to be the CREEPIEST billboard top 6 song EVER.

"Him" made it to number six, and the song still gives me chills........that "Whoo-wooo" solo he does in the middle......couldn't the producer have said "Uh...Rupert.....DON'T DO THAT"........I guess not. The next single, "Answering Machine" also made it to the top 40.....number 32 to be exact. In this one our hero keeps calling up his girlfriend, probably the same one he accuses of cheating on him in "Him", and keeps getting the beep before he can finish his tirade. Hey Rupert, come out of retirement...perhaps you can make a comeback by writing a song about a 50+ year old man that keeps sending "add as friend" requests to a high school girl on Facebook....but she never adds him...and he gets mad....then the cops show up and take the old perv away....THAT would be a GREAT song......

I look back on it now and think "did top 40 radio REALLY play these songs...cause I do NOT remember that. But then again, I was 13, John Lennon had just been shot, and I was too busy going through puberty to notice.

Everyone THINKS that Modern English is a one hit wonder. Fact is that in this country the only song they're remembered for, "I Melt With You", only made it to number 78 on the billboard singles chart in 1982. I guess they could be called a no-hit wonder. Strange how time has been kind to I Melt With You. Their follow-up 2 years later, "Hands Across The Sea" was a better song in my opinion and it should have finally broken them here. Alas, it only made it to a pitiful #93 in the states.

NEW WAVE CLASSICS - Part One

In 1981, Way Of The West released their debut single, "Don't Say That's Just For White Boys". The B side was "Prove It". The English new wave band released five singles by 1984 but disappeared before releasing an album. It's too bad cause this is a fantastic slice of post punk attitude. Here's the 12-inch version. it DOES go on a bit too long, but 12-inch singles DID that in the early 80's......all that coke keeping the club goers dancing while the DJ take a pee break. in 1984 they had a GREAT single that didn't chart but got a lot of airplay on Long Island's influential WLIR. That song was "CITY FOR LOVERS" and If I'm not mistaken, they disappeared after this. shame......

The year: 1982...the band: WIDE BOY AWAKE. the song: "SLANG TEACHER". a groovy little disco/wave number. So what do we know about them? They were formed by Ex-Adam and the Ants bassist Kevin Mooney in the early '80s. "Slang Teacher" was released as a 7" single, and also appeared on a five song EP released by RCA in 1983. The band disappeared not long after. I think they were making up most of this "slang"....."No Pain In The Mouth"? "No Long Innertube?......what the hell were they TALKING about??

In September of 1983, Intaferon released their second single, "Get Out Of London". It was backed by another version of "Get Out Of London", this being a REALLY long 12-inch mix........ The English duo released three singles but never an album. This single reached the #93 spot on the U.K. singles chart and, as usual, to us misunderstood ,trendy kids out here on Long Island we could actually relate to this number even though London was "across the pond" as they say. There are some great lyrics here. " Threw a party for my friends so they wouldn't be lonely, they wouldn't let me in they said 'Membership Only'". I mean....c'mon...THAT'S a great line.

In 1983, EMI - AMERICA tried out a new-wavy pretty-boy band called INDUSTRY. They released a 5-song EP in hopes that it would sell and this would lead to an album deal.

It didn't....and it didn't. But they did have a cute little video on MTV and got semi-famous for all of 15 minutes....or at least 4 minutes and 35 seconds. I always liked STATE OF THE NATION, but listening to it now it IS a bit of it's time and it's so sugary it'll give your ear diabetes.

The Cure invented Mash-Ups (link fixed)

OK....not REALLY, but this 1981 side project had a very interesting history......
Cult Hero's " I'M A CULT HERO" b/w "I DIG YOU" is a very unique oddity.
The single was conceived by Robert Smith (singer/guitarist of The Cure) and Simon Gallup (then bassist of The Magspies) as a way to test their musical compatibility. Smith was considering Gallup as a prospective replacement for Michael Dempsey (The Cure's bassist at the time) "whose personality and ambitions for the band were seriously at odds" with Smith's.
The songs were written for, and feature on vocals, local Horley postman Frank Bell, who is also featured on the single's artwork. They also feature ex-Cure guitarist Porl Thompson and Magspies keyboardist Matthieu Hartley amongst an extended lineup of friends and family, including Robert's sisters Janet and Margaret and local band The Obtainers. Most people today can find this gem on the deluxe edition of the Cure's "17 Seconds" CD But the version I'm about to give you has never...and WILL never be released.
In the 80's, Long Island's influential radio station played a 12-inch remix of "I DIG YOU" that was actually put together by a mysterious DJ. Only a couple of people had this because of the unique nature of the remix.....pieces of the Beatles " Day Tripper" and "Birthday" are scattered throughout. As is "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones and Madness' "One Step Beyond". In doing this I think he (or she) inadvertently invented the Mash-Up.....a good 20 years before it took off....A Really good friend of mine gave me a copy he recorded on a cassette tape in the early 80's...right off the radio..... and here's that version........cherish it........
I DIG YOU (THE WLIR MIX) - CULT HERO

TWIRLING...TWIRLING...TWIRLING TOWARDS FREEDOM

Here we are....FINALLY.......today is the season finale of the drama we call ELECTION. Which one of your favourite characters win ? Will it be Grampa Grumpy-pants? LORD I HOPE NOT!!!!
But that would be an unpredictable twist, wouldn't it........PLEASE...NO SURPRISE ENDINGS AMERICA!!!!
Well....if things go the way I THINK they will go , tomorrow we will have our first African American president-elect. The Republicans will wonder where it all went wrong. There are SOOO many reasons but I'll tell you when I think it first happened. If you'll remember during the Republican convention when Giulliani was speaking he said ever so snarkily:" Barack Obama was a community organizer.......WHAT???" and the audience of bloated conservatives laughed like a bunch of giddy Frenchmen....
Well......A community organizer organizes COMMUNITIES!!! And the Obama campaign has done a fantastic job of organizing the entire NATION , the biggest community of all. So that's what you all get for looking down on community organizers you spoiled, rich, nasty elephants!......GO BACK TO ALASKA and wave to Russia from your window miss brain-dead whack-job. Time to think about retiring before your senility gets any worse creepy Grampa........
Like the great philosopher Peter Brady said : "WHEN IT'S TIME TO CHANGE YOU KNOW IT'S ....TIME TO CHANGE."



FISHBONE - CHANGE

BLANCMANGE

They should have been HUGE, but for some reason Harrow, Middlesex's BLANCMANGE remained on the sidelines for most of their short career. So what if they weren't the eye-candy that DEPECHE MODE were. Vocalist/Guitarist Neil Arthur and Keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe had some impressive dance-pop-New Wave that didn't easily fit in to the new romantic movement. For starters, their biggest hit "LIVING ON THE CEILING" had a bit of a Middle Eastern flavor to it. Here's the rare 12-inch version.

I love the break in the middle with just the drums and hand-claps.

In 1982 they released their first album HAPPY FAMILIES, and thanks to LIVING ON THE CEILING it became a club staple. Another great song from that album was "GOD'S KITCHEN", here it is in it's extended 12-inch form.
Then 2 years later they released their masterpiece MANGE TOUT. By now MTV was turning all us teens in the US on to all those new young British bands and inspiring a second wave of UK groups conquering America's youth. One of the most popular videos on MTV in 1984 was "BLIND VISION". listen to this 12-inch mix. I have no idea what the lyrics mean but as a rebellious teen I was drawn to it's haunting keys and dark horn punctuation. A great overlooked track was "GAME ABOVE MY HEAD". here's the 12-inch remix. And to finish things, here's another one that got a lot of airplay on WLIR at the time "THAT'S LOVE THAT IT IS"(12-INCH REMIX).

The following year BLANCMANGE released their 3rd and final album BELIEVE YOU ME. The album was a step up in maturity but by now the magic was over. The album only reached #52 in the UK charts and there were no hit singles from it. That's a shame because there are a few gems on this album. "LOSE YOUR LOVE" was the closest thing this LP had to a hit and it deserves a place alongside Depeche Mode's "But Not Tonight" as perhaps the most depressingly worded, but happy SOUNDING songs of the mid 80's. "DON'T YOU LOVE IT ALL" and "WHY DON'T THEY LEAVE THINGS ALONE" were perhaps a bit too tame for a public being spoon fed crap like DURAN DURAN's "Wild Boys" but it's because of it's subtle production that these songs have aged SOOO much better.

Arthur and Luscombe parted ways in 1987, with Luscombe forming the innovative WEST INDIA COMPANY and Arthur releasing a solo record. It was never the same again......it never is.

SPOOKY SCARY

The weather turns cooler....the leaves change color...and all the stores have their Christmas decorations up. This can only mean one thing: HALLOWEEN is coming!!!
Time for a little Halloween mix:
First up is a great little ditty from 1983 (OOOH!!)
THE ELECTRIC GUITARS "Wolfman Tap" is one of those forgotten WLIR staples. Why would anyone combine Wolfmen and tap dancing?? I don't know, but the results are infectious.

Next up is this dancey gothy romp from the Screaming Tribesmen. 1985's "Date With A Vampire" is a must have for any self respecting Goth or over-40 New Waver.


The Bollock Brothers' "Horror Movies" has also been a New Wave favourite of mine for years. I love how it's a complete and total rip off of "Spooky". But I'll let that slide.

I'd like to end this with a not at all New Wave selection from the mid 70's
The 5 MAN ELECTRIC BAND's "Werewolf" has that right mix of camp and creep. I like how in the song the Werewolf's Dad has to kill his son that has been slaughtering sheep, and when they meet the Mom is actually rooting for the kid to eat his Dad.......Thanks honey, I Love You TOO!!!

That's it for now.....I'm sure I'll be posting more in the couple of weeks to come. Remember: Halloween is not over until the Simpson's Halloween Special airs.....which is always sometime in November

THE ELECTRIC GUITARS - WOLFMAN TAP (12-INCH EXTENDED MIX)

THE ELECTRIC GUITARS - WOLFMAN TAP
THE SCREAMING TRIBESMEN - DATE WITH A VAMPIRE
THE BOLLOCK BROTHERS - HORROR MOVIES

5 MAN ELECTRIC BAND - WEREWOLF

Forgive me for this shameless bit of self promotion

One of you faithful readers asked me to re-post "THE GAME OF LIES". and since I wrote it I know I can legally post it...I think......perhaps I should sue myself.

But since I already posted that particular song 'bout a year ago I'll post the Unedited version.....it goes on WAY too long, but it's got a good beat and you can dance to.

THE GAME OF LIES (EXTENDED VERSION)

While we're at it, a lot of you seemed to like my video for "LULLABY" so I will post the MP3 for anyone that wants it. This dreamy bit of Coldplay meets John Lennon meets Dead Can Dance is one of my proudest moments.

OK....how about a cover........one day I had an hour or so to kill, so I recorded a cover of PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS "LET ME ROLL IT".......as a reggae song....it kinda works........sorta...

OK, back to posting real music by real artists.

And here's my liitle stab at Techno. Recorded around 1993, this one's called INSECT DANCE.

Classic Underated Albums: ABC - "Beauty Stab"

Like almost everything I post on this blog, ABC's "Beauty Stab" album was released in November of 1983. It was never going to live up to their classic Trevor Horn produced album " The Lexicon Of Love" but no one could have predicted the cold reception this album received. I think time has been a bit kinder to this misunderstood classic. For one thing, it includes one of the greatest lyrics in a pop song I can think of:
"She's Vegetarian Except When It Comes To sex." I mean....how great is that line. It comes from the non-hit "Unzipped", a great little vicious slice of post-punk that would have been celebrated if it had come from any band of that time OTHER than the gold suit-wearing Martin Frey and Co.
I think this album deserves a reassessment. It didn't have the super production that Lexicon lovers were accustomed to but I think the raw-like edge gives these songs a kick that Trevor would never attempt.
The closest thing to a hit came from the single " That Was Then But This Is Now", but it too was rejected. Especially in the US. WLIR played a great deal of this record when it came out, but I think by 1983 the kiddies were already over ABC and starting to go ga-ga over Duran Duran, Adam Ant and.....uh...Huey Lewis & The News (Blechh!!!)

ABC - UNZIPPED
ABC - THAT WAS THEN BUT THIS IS NOW
ABC - HEY CITIZEN
ABC - BITE THE HAND

Of coarse by 1985 ABC would re-emerge as cartoon characters with HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE. Dig this UK 12-inch of the title track. "Pounds Dollar Milliona-a-a-a-a-a-a-ire.
They did a lot of that back in 1985. I don't care how annoying it is...I still love it.

May You Live In Interesting Times

You know....whoever said "May You Live in Interesting Times" should have had the decency to at least be alive right now. I'd slap that idiot in the face......
I have no words really.....I mean....I don't think I can ever get my head around how screwed we are as a Country....as a nation.......as a people. The Economy......Perhaps I'm overreacting. I mean....I was a small child in the late 70's. I remember the gas lines.....the crime in NYC.....the panic in the cities....but that all seems so quaint now, doesn't it? all that cute looting. How adorable. What's going on now seems so......BIG!!! Like this is truly the beginning of something horrible for EVERYONE
Or perhaps this will all blow over in a week or two and everything will go back to normal and we'll all be cozy and snugly in our beds and our outgoing leader will fix all this mess before he heads out of office.........
HA!!!
So Now I see that Bush is going to come out of his Hidey-hole and actually speak to us in a few minutes.......double HA!!!!


THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS - President Gas
THE DAMNED - Help
Paul Haig - Heaven Help You Now 12-inch

Peter, Paul & Monkey

OK....in 2004 I visited Vegas as I had done every year since 2000. My best Friend Vince and his wife Tori and I decide to tackle Crosby Stills & Nash as just one of our many Karaoke selections.We decided this while driving around Las Vegas one night and Suite Judy Blue Eyes came on the radio....and we started singing (sorta) in 3 part harmony...or at least we tried.

At one point in this video I say "We're like the freakin' Bee-Gees". The Karaoke MC asks "Which One's Dead?" and both myself and vince point to us. Quite funny



That worked out well so then we did Fish Heads



I'm sorry..........really......

Summer's Over

It's dark now when I go to work.....it'll soon be dark as I drive home....The Long Hot Summer has passed us by and soon the leaves will start to turn all kinds of pretty colours and we'll start wearing jackets and then it will get cold and snowy and depressing and I HATE the cold and who cares about snow and DAMN!! It's November and John McCain just won the election and the banks are all bankrupt and the housing market has gone bust and unemployment is at it's highest since the great depression and WAIT...John McCain just had a heart attack and now Sarah Palin's been sworn in as President and she has just outlawed sex and made all Americans convert to Christianity and volcano's are erupting all over the world and we're at war with Canada because Sarah can see it from her home base in Alaska and she thinks Canadians are all Satanists and all the ice caps have meted but Mrs. President says everything is fine because Alaska is still in tact and the Palin family begin to repopulate the world because we've all died but those that survived turn to cannibalism and..........uh...........where was I?

Oh yeah.....Summer's ending, so here's a mix:

BEL CANTO - SUMMER

STYLE COUNCIL - LONG HOT SUMMER

THE DOORS - SUMMER'S ALMOST GONE

PLACEBO - SUMMER'S GONE

RIALTO - SUMMER'S OVER

Howard Jones

Howard Jones burst on to the Burgeoning New Wave scene in 1983. (Again...there's THAT YEAR....just how many records were released in 1983 I'd like to know)


His first single, "NEW SONG", was a catchy little ditty that caught both coasts by storm. Here's the 12-inch version. I loved that song but I think that the first B-side, "CHANGE THE MAN" was much better. The 12-inch single also included "CONDITIONING" . This version is quite different from the one that would be his lead off track off his debut LP " Human's Lib"


His next single would be the Brassy "PEARL IN THE SHELL". and here's the 12-inch extended version. This great 12-inch single also included a version of "CONDITIONING" with the title " TOTAL CONDITIONING" and it too was a different version that what would end up on Human's Lib. This version runs 8 minutes.....so THERE !!! The 3rd song off the 12-inch was a nice little ditty called "LAW OF THE JUNGLE".


Howard Jones later went on to massive success with his "Dream Into Action" LP and the inescapable " Things Can Only Get Better" , but as always his beginnings were a lot more interesting than where he would end up.

Which, Ironically, was on Long Island this summer playing a free concert at a nearby beach. I got to meet him. He signed a T-shirt of Human's Lib which I bought at the show and while he signed it I got to briefly speak with him. I told him he was the first concert I had ever seen. In 1983 he played with Martha & The Muffins and the Eurythmics at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens. After a long pause I added...."We're OLD !!"..............

silence

Pete Shelley

Lead singer of the Punk Pioneers THE BUZZCOCKS, Pete Shelley branched out on his own in the early 80's. Now, his solo work can never match the genius of the Buzzcocks, but taken on it's own you can see that underneath it all Pete was a fantastic songwriter.
Starting in 1981, HOMOSAPIEN was an album, a video, a single and...I guess.....a bit of a coming out party. Doesn't matter....the song was fantastic, as was the 12-INCH REMIX.
Another gem from this debut album is "YESTERDAY'S NOT HERE". This album deserves another listen.





His second LP , XL1, was released in 1983 (OOOOH...there's that magical year again....I should just rename this blog 1983).


I think this was a tremendous step up in terms of both mood and songwriting. How can you deny the super catchiness of "TELEPHONE OPERATOR" or "MILLIONS OF PEOPLE (BUT NO ONE LIKE YOU)".


Both are great songs, but I much prefer "IF YOU ASK ME I WON'T SAY NO". Not just because of the long title, but probably because WLIR used to play this one more than the others and it stuck in my adolescent brain.





Pete later went on to actually have a bonafide charting hit in the US. Believe me....I was shocked at the time too.........with "ON YOUR OWN" from 1986's HEAVEN AND THE SEA.
This is the New York Mix from the 12-inch.

Eventually the Buzzcocks reformed but never manage to catch the spark of what they created in the late 70's

DURAN DURAN - 1981

Love 'em or hate 'em...DURAN DURAN were a huge part of the 80's and an influence on many of today's bands from The Bravery to Hard-fi to even the latest American Idol winner....so you gotta give it up for them. I'm old enough to remember their humble beginnings. When they started out it wasn't all flashy videos and hungry wolves. They started out kinda cool. Of coarse I started to detest them when they released the God-awful WILD BOYS, but by that time I think we all kinda moved on.

But they were the coolest thing since slices brains in the early 80's.....so here's some selections from the first couple of 12-inch singles.

Released in 1981. "MY OWN WAY" burst on to the dance scene and didn't really represent where Duran Duran would eventually go. The track (and "Night Version") was a little too dance-y for me, but the B-side "LIKE AN ANGEL" was a great bit of Roxy Music mixed with Japan slice of acoustic dance-rock. I still love it to this day...they should have included it on their debut LP.

"PLANET EARTH" was released the same year, and this was truly the beginning of the phenomenon. Still love the song, but the B-side, "LATE BAR", was truly special. Another track they should have included on the first album. I mean...c'mon...they couldn't have left off TEL AVIV ?

GIRLS ON FILM was released after PLANET EARTH and now the Duran Duran we all grew to know had finally emerged. Another killer single, and another killer B-side in "FASTER THAN LIGHT".

And finally with the "CARELESS MEMORIES" single comes these fabulous B-sides. "KHANADA" and their cover of David Bowie's "FAME".

Things go downhill from here, I'm afraid. They would eventually become cartoon characters (and not in a good way) and over-produce the hell out of things, but for a while they were just cutting edge enough for the hip crowd and just accessible enough for the tween crowd. It didn't last....it never does.

Bands That History Forgot...

In 1982 EMI AMERICA released " DON'T RUN MY LIFE" b/w "ICE AGE" from the band Spys. That's all I know....honest....who were these guys? I mean...it's not that great a song when you get right down to it. It's SOOOO dated. But this is just another mystery and I love mysteries.

At least Spys didn't have that far to fall......ROMAN HOLIDAY actually had a fantastic hit on MTV with the Ska-tinged "STAND BY" And all things looked good for a follow-up. Instead they released this piece of over-produced crap called "ONE FOOT BACK IN YOUR DOOR" and promptly fell off the face of the earth.

Earth MIGHT have been where SPECIMEN were from.....or perhaps they were bread out of some dark bat-cave in England. But either way they seem to be the Goth band that all the Goths forgot about. Shame...because 1984's "RETURNING FROM A JOURNEY" has always been one of my favourites. Another great SPECIMEN song is "KISS KISS BANG BANG". I was SURE the recent Val Kilmer film took it's title from this song.....as impossible as that sounds.

Hilary - Kinetic (part 2)

OK, so I posted the 12-inch for Hilary's Kinetic a couple of months ago and someone asked me for I LIVE by Hilary. I only had the Kinetic 12-inch with the b-side Drop Your Pants. SOOO...Last weekend my fiance and I are shopping at our favourite local thrift store and I brows through the records as usual. The bin is always filled with 60's Andy Williams and Barbara Streisand and old disco records and other things no one could ever want....but.....what's THIS??? Is that a copy of Kinetic???.......the American 12-inch with the 4 songs????......what is THIS doing here???

How strange....a true treasure amongst the piles of Bee-gees and Robert Goulet records.....WOW.....so...here's the other two songs.

I was also sad to learn that Hilary has passed away recently

HILARY - I LIVE

HILARY - GOOSE STEP TWO STEP

Classic 12-inch: THE PUPPETS - WAY OF LIFE

Released on the independent label QUALITY Records, the Puppets " WAY OF LIFE" didn't quite fit into the mainstream. In fact, most of the country never heard their one and only " hit". Influential Long Island radio station WLIR played the hell out of it in 1983 (again.....there's THAT year) but it only manage to bubble under the Billboard Hot 100. Here's an interesting story. I owned both the 12-inch AND the 45RPM single. I didn't need both so I put up the 45 on EBAY to sell. A man e-mailed me that was bidding for, but did not win, the item and asked me if I had any more. I didn't and told him I only had the 12-inch. He owned that as well and did not need it. Turns out he was IN the Puppets. And he never got a copy of the 45 when he was actually IN the band. We E-mailed each other back and forth a couple of times. He told me there were plans to record an album, but after the single HIT in the New York market egos got in the way and the band disintegrated before an album deal could be worked out....kinda like what happens to the Oneders in THAT THING YOU DO. The man I spoke to (forgot his name....) is now writing and recording jingles and background music for television.

THE PUPPETS - WAY OF LIFE

THE PUPPETS - WAY OF LIFE (DANCE MIX)

THE PUPPETS - WAY OF LIFE (INSTRUMENTAL)

Classic 12-inch: Danielle Dax - Cat House

In 1989, Sire records released CAT HOUSE, a new single from Danielle Dax. Danielle was a recent signing to Sire and I'm sure her looks had most to do with that, but that pretty face was no indication of her sound. Danielle was a off-beat artist that had released some independent recordings on the small Cartel label and those recordings were as out there as anything Laurie Anderson or Lydia Lunch had ever done. She didn't sell a hill of beans in the US, but that's OK. I like my artists strange and difficult...here's what Wikipedia had to say about Danielle Dax:

After a short modelling career - she won the "Miss Evening Echo" competition in 1976 - Danielle Dax did brief but notable time in an avantgarde punk band called The Lemon Kittens, during which Dax was included on the League of Gentlemen's 1981 eponymous album, performing vocals (credited as "Hamsprachtmusic") on the song "Minor Man". Dax then left The Lemon Kittens and embarked on a solo career, recording and producing the albums Pop-Eyes (1982), Jesus Egg That Wept (1984), and Inky Bloaters (1987) on her own label, Awesome Records. In 1988 she signed with Sire Records, which released her double album Dark Adapted Eye, containing material from her previous recordings, such as the well-known song "Big Hollow Man", and included the new and un-released recordings "Cat-House", "White Knuckle Ride", "When I Was Young", "House Cat", "Whistling for His Love", and "Touch Piggy's Eyes".
In 1984 she made her sole film appearance as the Wolfgirl (a non-speaking film role) in The Company of Wolves (by Neil Jordan). In 1988, her film credits came to include writing music for the short avantgarde film Axel by Nigel Wingrove.
In 1989 Danielle appeared on the Channel 4 show Star Test, being interviewed for 30 minutes by computer, and being asked questions such as "If you met God, what would you ask her?", to which Danielle replied "Why are the nicer people not as successful as the shitty people?", a very apt response given her subsequent lack of real success in the music industry.
In 1990 she released her lone major-label studio album, Blast the Human Flower, produced by Stephen Street — except for the tracks "Bayou" and "Daisy", which they produced together. Her last two album releases were in 1995 and consisted of a career retrospective double-album entitled Comatose Non Reaction: The Thwarted Pop Career of Danielle Dax, and an EP of new avant-garde and almost completely instrumental material called Timber Tongue. Dax's career in the music business then went on indefinite hiatus, and was often referred to as a retirement.
From 1996 on, she has worked in interior design, and has appeared several times on the BBC interior design show Homefront.
According to her official MySpace page (maintained by long-time friend and former bandmate, Karl Blake), she has had several spoken word performances of her old material in the UK and on the continent, and there is some talk of new material being written. Her first three albums have been re-released on CD via her own label, Biter of Thorpe (with distribution through World Serpent).
Dax's visual art repertoire includes the original artwork for her album Pop-Eyes. The artwork was later pulled from the album after its first run, after some record stores cited it as "grotesque". The replacement cover art (which was later replaced by the original art, for the CD release) was done by Holly Warburton, who subsequently did the cover-art for Dax's albums The Jesus Egg That Wept, Inky Bloaters and Dark Adapted Eye.

CAT HOUSE (SINGLE MIX)
WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE (SINGLE MIX)
COLD SWEAT
CAT HOUSE (OVERNIGHT MIX)

THE FAR CORPORATION - Stairway To heaven

This has to be one of the strangest 12-inch singles of the 80's.....and one of the most forgotten. I bought this just out of curiosity in 1985.......at first listen I was thinking .."you GOT to be kidding". it kinda sucks for the first 4 minutes....but then the " Phil Collins "-like drums kick in.....and it then becomes laughably dated.....LOVE IT!!!
so who were the Far Corporation?

Far Corporation is a band created by music producer Frank Farian, who created the bands Boney M. and Milli Vanilli. The name was shortened from "Frank Farian Corporation", which was originally put together to record a cover of the Paul Simon piece "Mother and Child Reunion" as a charity record and reached the top 10 in several European countries. That group's lineup included members of Barclay James Harvest, Trio, Boney M and Force Majeure (Band).
Far Corporation's primary claim to fame is their cover of "Stairway to Heaven". Contrary to public perception, Far Corporation was actually the first group to make the singles charts with this song as Led Zeppelin had never released it as a single. Some of the musicians Farian assembled include vocalist Robin McAuley, drummer Simon Phillips, ex-Saga drummer Curt Cress, and three members of Toto: vocalist Bobby Kimball, keyboardist David Paich, and guitarist Steve Lukather. Far Corporation released its first album Division One in 1985 on IMP/ATCO Records and their cover of "Stairway to Heaven" reached #8 on the UK singles chart. Also included on the album was a cover of Free's "Fire and Water" (the 2nd single).
A second album Advantage was completed for a 1987 release, heralded by the new single "One by One". Both his as well as the second single - a cover of Cockney Rebel's "Sebastian" - failed to reach the charts, and the album was eventually scrapped. Two of the lost recordings, "Make Believe" and "Big Brother", surfaced as Bobby Kimball duets on Farian artist Jayne's Ambush in the Night album (1989) and Milli Vanilli's second album The Moment of Truth (1991). The rest was recycled along a few new recordings on the group's second release, 1994's Solitude on MCI-BMG. This time they were joined by former Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham. Mostly assembled in honour of Farian's 25 years anniversary as a producer, the album failed to repeat the success of "Stairway to Heaven".
THE FAR CORPORATION - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Humpe Humpe

How's THIS for Obscure? In 1985, for some reason, Warner Brothers records released the debut album from 2 sisters from Germany that called themselves HUMPE HUMPE. I loved this little bit of strange Lena Lovich / Kate Bush / Frank chickens inspired pop and wave, but I'm sure the rest of the country was confused. Having song titles like "Yama-Ha" and "Gescrien Im Schlaf" sure didn't help them win over the hearts and ears of the states. I can strangely find no information on-line about this band, but IMDB did have this to say about member Annette Humpe:
"One of the most influential artists in the "Neue Deutsche Welle" (New German Wave) era with her projects "Ideal (1980-1983), "Palais Schaumburg" (1984) and "Humpe und Humpe" (1985-1986) together with her sister Inga Humpe."
Has been one half of the successful pop duo "Ich + Ich" since 2004.
Producer of several popular artists such as Rio Reiser, Luci Van Org and Die Prinzen.
Her son Anton was born in 1992"
So......while the rest of this country was eating up crap like Huey Lewis & The News, I was walking the streets of Huntington with my cassette boombox blasting the Art Of Noise, Laurie Anderson and THIS stuff. Somehow I think it all fits nicely together in one neat little package......
HUMPE HUMPE - THREE OF US
HUMPE HUMPE - CAN'T LEAVE THE POOL
HUMPE HUMPE - HAPPINESS IS HARD TO TAKE
HUMPE HUMPE - DON'T KNOW WHERE I BELONG
HUMPE HUMPE - THREE OF US (Fun Girl Three Mix)

Tim Scott - Swear

In that magical year of 1983, Sire Records released an EP by a young man by the name of Tim Scott. The title song was later covered (And BADLY, I Might add...)by Sheena Easton. But Tim's version had just the right amount of creepiness and camp to it. The rest of this 5 song EP doesn't hold a candle to Swear, but it's not terrible either......
FUN FACT: The Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin sings background vocals on "Swear"


On Tim Scott's own website he states the following:
"This was my young and confused record...I wrote the songs over a couple of weeks on a little Casio keyboard...Sire heard it and offered me a deal...no use apologizing for such a thing...my mistake... the good part of it was working with Richard Gottehrer ...really took me under his wing...shame we were working on the wrong kind of music....."
TIM SCOTT - SWEAR

TIM SCOTT - GOOD AS GOLD
TIM SCOTT - THE RULES I BROKE
TIM SCOTT - PLAY THE FOOL
TIM SCOTT - UNCOMMITTED

Dead Can Dance - Derek's Mixes

Ok, seems that by posting those remixes I did of George Carlin and Laurie Anderson recently I started thinking about what else I may have messed with in the not-so distant past. Then I came across a tape labled "DEAD CAN DANCE REMIXES" and threw it on. HA!! NOW I remember.

It always struck me how odd it was that DEAD CAN DANCE never really " did" the dance remix. Their crowd is as much Goth and New Wave as it is World music. By the way....seeing them at Radio City Music Hall a few years ago was the single greatest concert experience of my life....They are a phenominal live act...and if they ever come to your area they MUST BE SEEN!!!!!

Now, as I said in the Laurie Anderson post, these were done with a 4-track cassette recorder, a drum sample, and I added some bass.....it's very primitive by today's standards. Every idiot with Pro-Tools or Acid or whatever else they have out there can do mixes much more sophisticated than this.....but , hey....it's MY blog and I can post whatever I want......so THERE!!!

DEAD CAN DANCE - Anywhere Out Of The World (Derek's Mix)

DEAD CAN DANCE - Xavier (Derek's Mix)

THE COMATEENS

The Comateens were formed in New York in 1980 by Ramona Jan (guitar), Nik North (bass, vocals), and a drum machine. After Lyn Byrd (synthesizer, vocals) and Oliver North (guitar, vocals) joined the group, they recorded their self-titled debut LP in 1981. The album became a cult favorite among college hipsters, especially the band's remake of “The Munsters Theme". However, the Comateens actually gained a larger following in Europe, wherein the group's quirks – such as the necrophilia tale “Cool Chick" – were more easily digested. The band released two more LPs – 1983's Pictures on a String and 1984's Deal With It – and then split up in 1985. Byrd and Oliver North eventually reunited in North and Byrd, but North passed away soon thereafter. Here's some stuff from PICTURES ON A STRING. Released in 1983 (again......THAT YEAR...what is it about THAT YEAR ?) Also...as a side note...I don't own the First self titled Comateens album.....does anyone out there have it????

COMATEENS - THE LATE ESCAPE

COMATEENS - GET OFF MY CASE (12-inch mix)

COMATEENS - COMATEENS

COMATEENS - ICE MACHINE

a mid-summer's cool new Wave collection

It's 100 degrees outside....too hot for even the beach. Kinda makes me long for the cool icy mid-October Halloween weather. Hope these rare-ish New Wave tunes will take you there


MODERN ENGLIGH - Life In The Gladhouse
MEDIUM MEDIUM - So Hungry So Angry
GARY NUMAN - Are Friend's Electric (Renegade Soundwave mix)
Peter Murphy - Blind Sublime 12"
APB - When I Feel This Way 12"
BELOUIS SOME - Imagination 12"
MEN WITHOUT HATS - I Like

Shriekback

Shriekback is not an easy band to classify. They borrowed heavily from funk but had a very different agenda; their music was more suited for contemplation than for parties. They combined synthesizers and drum machines with throbbing bass lines and unorthodox vocals to evoke a primordial world where the line between human and animal was blurred. The title of their fourth album, Big Night Music, might be the most succinct summation of their work: Shriekback's music was always an appropriate soundtrack for life in the dark, but with the emphasis on the possibilities rather than the dangers. Though often haunting, it was not gothic and harbored strains of pop and dance that rose to the surface from time to time. Still, however accessible they became, Shriekback cultivated an air of mystery that made them hard to pin down. Further complicating any evaluation of their career is the fact that they never made an impact in the states. They came close with the classic "Big Night Music" but these guys were never really made for the MTV generation. When they TRIED to conform, with 1989's GO BANG...well....the less said about THAT album, the better.
One of my favourite songs is from the Arista 1984 album Jam Science. "Mercy Dash" sounds like it should belong on Ministry's "With Sympathy"...and I'm just wondering if that album was on Barry's turntable at the time......hmmmm

There's no shortage of Shriekback classics to choose from. "Nemesis", the 12" mix of coarse, begins with Marlin Brando's voice from Apocolypse Now. How many other songs start out like THAT?.....um....none...I think.

Finally....the BIG NIGHT MUSIC album is truely a unrecognized classic. Here's the first track, but I think all of them are worth a listen.

MERCY DASH

NEMESIS (12" MIX)

BLACK LIGHT TRAP