Kraftwerk "Radio-Aktivität (1986 Reissue, W. Germany, EMI-Electrola, CDP564-7 46132 2)"

Radio-Activity (German title: Radio-Aktivität) is the fifth studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk, released in November 1975. The band's first entirely electronic album is also a concept album organized around the themes of radioactive decay and radio communication. All releases of the album were bilingual, with lyrics in both English and German. The album was accompanied by single release of the title track, which was successful in France and Belgium.

Following the success of its 1974 predecessor Autobahn, an album based on Germany's eponymous motorway network, Kraftwerk embarked on a tour of the United States with the "classic" lineup of the band formed by Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos—who joined in February 1975—and Wolfgang Flür in April and May 1975.

Radio-Activity's album title displays Kraftwerk's typical deadpan humour, being a pun on the twin themes of the songs, half being about radioactivity and the other half about activity on the radio. Bartos revealed that the title was inspired by a chart column in the American magazine, Billboard, which featured the most played singles under the title "Radio Activity". According to Wolfgang Flur, the concept arose as a result of the many radio interviews that Ralf and Florian had given on their American tour.

The album's cover depicts a Volksempfänger radio which was produced in Germany during the Third Reich regime.

The album was recorded in Kling Klang Studio, Düsseldorf, and it was self-produced by Hütter and Schneider. It was their first purely electronic album, and the first one to be performed by the "classic" band line-up. Karl and Wolfgang worked on electronic percussion. LP liner notes state music and production was by Hütter and Schneider, with Emil Schult collaborating on lyrics. For this album, the band had decided to record some vocals in English and Schult's command of the language after studying for a while in the United States was better than Hutter's or Schneider's. Tim Barr pointed out the impact his experiences had in the United States on his ability to speak the language and in more subtle ways as well. Schult also designed the artwork, which was based on a late-1930s 'Deutscher Kleinempfänger' radio.

The overture instrumental piece "Geiger Counter" used Geiger counter beats based on musique concrète. The album featured use of the distinctive Vako Orchestron keyboard to provide vocal choir on title track. "Antenna" used an echo chamber effect, and Hütter's Farfisa electronic piano was used on "Transistor". For the recording, extensive use was made of the vocoder.

In September 1975, the band toured the UK, playing 17 shows. By 1975, Hütter and Schneider's previous publishing deals with Capriccio Music and Star Musik Studio of Hamburg had expired. The compositions on Radio-Activity were published by their own newly set up Kling Klang Verlag music publishing company, giving them greater financial control over the use of songwriting output. Also, the album was the first to bear the fruit of Kling Klang as an established vanity label under the group's new licensing deal with EMI.

Radio-Activity was released in November 1975. For their promotion, their record company sent them to a "real Atomkraftwerk" to take promotional photos. In these photos, the group was dressed in white protective suits and anti-radiation boots on their shoes. The album reached No. 59 on the Canadian charts in February 1976. The title track "Radioactivity" was released as a single in May 1976 and became a hit in France, selling 500,000 copies, and Belgium in the charts.

Track listing

1. "Geiger Counter" ("Geigerzähler") Ralf Hütter/Florian Schneider  1:07
2. "Radioactivity" ("Radioaktivität")   Hütter/Schneider/Emil Schult   6:42
3. "Radioland" Hütter/Schneider/Schult   5:50
4. "Airwaves" ("Ätherwellen") Hütter/Schneider/Schult  4:40
5. "Intermission" ("Sendepause") Hütter/Schneider   0:39
6. "News" ("Nachrichten")    Hütter/Schneider   1:17
7. "The Voice of Energy" ("Die Stimme der Energie")  Hütter/Schneider/Schult  0:55
8. "Antenna" ("Antenne") Hütter/Schneider/Schult  3:43
9. "Radio Stars" ("Radio Sterne") Hütter/Schneider/Schult   3:35
10. "Uranium" ("Uran") Hütter/Schneider/Schult   1:26
11. "Transistor" Hütter/Schneider   2:15
12. "Ohm Sweet Ohm"    Hütter/Schneider   5:39

Total length: 37:38

Recording information:

Peter Bollig – technical engineer (Kling Klang Studio, Düsseldorf)

Walter Quintus – sound mix engineer (Rüssl Studio, Hamburg)

Robert Franke – photography

Emil Schult – artwork

Johann Zambryski – artwork reconstruction (2009 Remaster)

Kraftwerk "Kraftwerk (1994 Reissue, Germany, Germanofon, 941001)"

Kraftwerk is the debut studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk. It was released in Germany in 1970, and produced by Konrad "Conny" Plank.

After the commercial failure of Tone Float (1970), Organisation were dropped by RCA Records while Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider signed a new deal with Philips and named their new project Kraftwerk. To begin work, the duo rented an empty workshop in an industrial era near a railway station in Düsseldorf, which would eventually become Kling Klang Studio.

The album was recorded from July to September 1970 and was produced by colleague Conny Plank, who shared the credit with Hütter and Schneider. They were also joined by two drummers during the recording of the album: Andreas Hohmann and Klaus Dinger. Hohmann played on "Ruckzuck" and "Stratovarius", while Dinger played on "Vom Himmel Hoch". The other instrumentation features Hütter on bass, as well as both Hammond and Tubon electric organs, the latter made by Swedish factory Joh Mustad AB in 1966, while Schneider plays the flute.

Ned Raggett, writing for AllMusic, called Kraftwerk "an exploratory art rock album with psych roots" and "sudden jump cuts of musique concrète noise and circular jamming as prone to sprawl as it is to tight focus". Adam Blyweiss described it as "credible jazz, rock noise and funk jiggle".

The song "Ruckzuck" is driven by a motorik groove and powerful multi-dubbed flute riff. Hütter plays a piano line on a modified Hammond organ, and many instruments on the album were manipulated by a pitch-to-voltage converter, which converts sound into voltage that powers a synthesizer. NME characterized "Ruckzuck" as "skirting around the edges of free jazz".

Jason Anderson of Uncut noted that "Stratovarius" features no synthesizers and begins as an "ominous cloud of electronic noise" that evolves into an "acid rock jam", similarly powered by the motorik groove. "Megaherz" is a more subdued track, bringing "traces of ambient music", and the only one on the album to feature no drums. Anderson describes "Vom Himmel Hoch" as a "doomy soundscape" that serves as an "aural simulation of a bombing raid", ending in an apocalyptic explosion. The track has slight pitch curves that emulate the Doppler effect.

Kraftwerk was released in November 1970. The album cover features a drawing of a fluorescent-coloured traffic cone, inspired by the works of Andy Warhol and the pop art movement.

In early 1971, Hütter left the group to study architecture in Aachen, leaving Schneider, drummer Dinger and newcomer guitarist Michael Rother. The three-member Kraftwerk lineup of Schneider, Dinger and Rother made an appearance on Radio Bremen, and also on the TV shows Beat-Club and Okidoki. After this, Dinger and Rother left to form the band Neu!, with Hütter rejoining Schneider to continue Kraftwerk and both parties recording under the mentoring of Conny Plank.

No material from this album has been performed in the band's live set since the Autobahn tour of 1975. In later interviews, Schneider referred to the first three Kraftwerk albums as "archaeology", and while they have never been reissued, unauthorized releases have been widely available. In 2007, Kraftwerk hinted that the album might finally see a remastered CD release after the Der Katalog boxed set. Vinyl releases of the first two albums were scheduled for Record Store Day 2020 but were ultimately cancelled.

"Ruckzuck" was used as the theme song for the PBS show Newton's Apple in the United States. However, its use was unauthorized and the program later substituted a cover version of the song.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleben.

1. "Ruckzuck" 7:47
2. "Stratovarius" 12:10
3. "Megaherz" 9:30
4. "Vom Himmel Hoch" 10:12

Total length: 39:39

Recording information:

Conrad Plank – producer, engineer

Klaus Löhmer – assistant

Ralf Hütter – cover

Bernhard Becher – photo

Hilla Becher – photo

Kool & The Gang "In The Heart (2015 Reissue, Remastered, Super Jewel® Box, UK, Big Break Records, CDBBRX 0314)"

In the Heart is the fifteenth studio album by the funk/R&B band Kool & the Gang, released on November 21, 1983. Four singles were released from the album, with two singles becoming major hits on the US Hot 100. The first single, "Straight Ahead", failed to chart on the Hot 100, but the second single, "Joanna", soared to number two on the charts in the US and UK, and hit number one on the US R&B chart as well. The third single, "Tonight", brought another major hit as it peaked at #13 on the US Hot 100. The fourth single "(When You Say You Love Somebody) In the Heart" did not chart on the Hot 100, but became a moderate hit on the US R&B chart.

Tracklist:

1. In The Heart 3:55
2. Joanna 4:21
3. Tonight 3:54
4. Rollin' 3:13
5. Place For Us 3:43
6. Straight Ahead 3:32
7. Home Is Where The Heart Is 3:51
8. You Can Do It 4:10
9. September Love 4:41

Bonus Tracks

1. Joanna (Single Version) 4:02
2. Tonight (AOR Mix) 4:31
3. (When You Say You Love Somebody) In The Heart (Single Remix) 3:51
4. Straight Ahead (12" Long Version) 4:51
5. Ladies Night (Promotional 12" '83 Remix)   Producer, Remix – Eumir Deodato   7:05
6. Tonight (12" Dance Mix) 6:17

Recording information:

Kool & The Gang – producers

Ronald Bell – producer, mixing

Jim Bonnefond – producer, chief engineer, mixing

Nelson Ayres – engineer

Cliff Hodsdon – engineer

Gabe Vigorito – mixing

Jose Rodriguez – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)

Joe Gastwirt – CD mastering

Sydney Collier – cover concept

Y. Bell – cover concept

Don Lynn – back cover group photography

Ron Slenzak – cover phototography

Gerald Delet – management

Originally released on De-Lite Records ℗ 1983 The Island Def Jam Music Group.

Katrina And The Waves "Walking On Sunshine (Single & Video)"

"Walking on Sunshine" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for British rock band Katrina and the Waves' 1983 eponymous debut full-length album. The rerecorded version was at first released on the band's 1985 self-titled album as the album's second single and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States and No. 8 in the United Kingdom. It was the Waves' first American top 40 hit, and their biggest success in the UK until "Love Shine a Light" (1997), which won them the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 held in Dublin.

"Walking on Sunshine" was written by the band's guitarist Kimberley Rew. "I'd love to say Walking on Sunshine relates to a significant event in my life, like walking out of my front door, seeing a comet and being inspired," he told The Guardian in 2015. "But it's just a piece of simple fun, an optimistic song, despite us not being outstandingly cheery people. We were a typical young band, insecure and pessimistic. We didn't have big hair and didn't look anything like a Motown-influenced group. We didn't have any credibility or a fanbase in awe of our mystique. We were a second-on-the-bill-at-a-festival-in-Germany pop band. But we had this song."

The rest of the band did not like the song at first. Lead singer Katrina Leskanich thought "it wasn't really us", while bassist Vince de la Cruz found it irritating.

The sheet music for "Walking on Sunshine" is in the key of B♭ major in standard time with a tempo indication of "bright rock".

Katrina and the Waves kept the song's publishing rights, and the royalties that are typically to the songwriter have been divided among the band members. The royalties from airplay and advertisements have been very lucrative; according to a former employee of EMI, the song was "the crown jewel in EMI's catalog", and it ranked among EMI's highest earners from advertisements.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, the MSNBC program Countdown with Keith Olbermann dubbed its coverage of the storm "Katrina and the Waves". The name also appeared in numerous headlines and blog postings. A New York Times reporter contacted Katrina Leskanich, who said: "The first time I opened the paper and saw 'Katrina kills 9,' it was a bit of a shock. ... I hope that the true spirit of 'Walking on Sunshine' will prevail. I would hate for the title to be tinged with sadness, and I will have to do my own part to help turn that around." She also expressed her hope that "Walking on Sunshine" would become an anthem for the Gulf Coast's recovery.

In 2010, the 25th anniversary of the release of "Walking on Sunshine", the band's material was re-released and a re-recorded version of the track was produced. A free download of a track from Kimberley Rew's solo album Bible of Bop was made available in March 2010 at the band's website.

In August 2015, the song was acquired by BMG Rights Management for £10 million, along with all of the other songs written by Rew and Katrina and the Waves.

In a 2020 interview, Leskanich said that she believes that the song is going to outlive her.

The song is very popular in commercials, and advertisers typically pay $150,000 to $200,000 per year to use the song. This song appeared in a mashup with Beyoncé's "Halo" in the popular television show Glee, featured in the Season 1 episode "Vitamin D." It was performed by the female members of the glee club New Directions, with featured solos by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley). It was released as a single on October 7, 2009 through digital download on iTunes, and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 40 while reaching number 4 in Ireland, number 9 in the UK and number 10 in Australia.

The song was featured in many movies, such as High Fidelity, American Psycho, Daddy Day Care, Herbie: Fully Loaded and more.

Kansas "The Absence Of Presence (Germany, InsideOut Music, 19439751152)"

The Absence of Presence is the sixteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas. The album was originally due to be released on June 26, 2020, but due to manufacturing delays the release date was postponed to July 17, 2020. It is their fourth studio album without founding member, lead vocalist and keyboardist Steve Walsh, who retired from the band in 2014; the other three being 1982's Vinyl Confessions, 1983's Drastic Measures and 2016's The Prelude Implicit. It is Kansas' first album to feature keyboardist Tom Brislin, and the last to feature violinist David Ragsdale and bassist Billy Greer. Guitarist Zak Rizvi left the band in April 2021, nine months after the release of this album, but rejoined in 2024.

The Absence of Presence serves as a follow-up to The Prelude Implicit, but unlike that album, The Absence of Presence was written entirely by the band. The bulk of the songwriting duties were carried out by the band's newest members, Zak Rizvi (who wrote the music for 6 of the 9 songs) and Tom Brislin (who wrote the music for the other 3 songs, plus lyrics for 6 songs), with other lyric contributions by Ronnie Platt (2 songs) and founding member Phil Ehart (4 songs). Ehart also came up with the album title, as well as at least three of the song titles (the title track, "Throwing Mountains", and "Animals on the Roof"), which gave Brislin a concept to work with. The Absence of Presence marks the debut lead vocal from Brislin, making the total number of lead vocalists in the band at three, a feature not seen since Somewhere to Elsewhere. The album's recording sessions took place simultaneously with the band's tour cycle.

Track listing

1. "The Absence of Presence" Lyrics: Tom Brislin, Phil Ehart Music: Zak Rizvi 8:22
2. "Throwing Mountains" Lyrics: Brislin, Ehart Music: Rizvi 6:18
3. "Jets Overhead" Lyrics: Brislin   Music: Rizvi 5:17
4. "Propulsion 1" Instrumental Music: Brislin 2:17
5. "Memories Down the Line" Lyrics & Music: Brislin  4:38
6. "Circus of Illusion" Lyrics: Ronnie Platt    Music: Rizvi 5:19
7. "Animals on the Roof" Lyrics: Brislin, Ehart Music: Rizvi 5:12
8. "Never" Lyrics: Platt, Ehart Music: Rizvi 4:50
9. "The Song the River Sang" Lyrics & Music: Brislin 5:05

Total length: 47:21

Kajagoogoo "Too Shy (Single & Video)"

"Too Shy" is a song written and recorded by the British band Kajagoogoo, released in January 1983. The first single from their debut album White Feathers, the song was an immediate hit and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It was also very successful in other European countries and Japan, spending five weeks at number one in Germany, also reaching number one in Belgium and Ireland, as well as reaching number two in France and Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. In the UK, it became the 13th best-selling single of 1983.

Assisted by heavy rotation on MTV, the song later became a success in the United States, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Too Shy" is Kajagoogoo's only significant hit in the US, where the band is widely regarded as a one-hit wonder. In the UK, Kajagoogoo had further hits, including two more top 10 singles: "Ooh to Be Ah" and "Big Apple", both in 1983.

"Too Shy" was written by Kajagoogoo and produced by Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes and Colin Thurston, the latter of whom had produced Duran Duran's first two albums. In 2006, "Too Shy" was ranked number 27 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's and number 9 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.

The music video directed by Simon Milne, cast model Carolyn Espley (later wife of Dennis Miller) as a waitress cleaning up a nightclub at the end of the night. As the band performs the song on the club stage, she has visions of dancers from different eras populating the dance floor.

The song was an immediate hit, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It spent five weeks at number one in Germany, and reaching number two in Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. The song was also a top 10 hit in the United States during the summer of 1983.

The 12" maxi single's B-side, "Take Another View", a non-album track, often performed live, was included on the 2004 re-issue of White Feathers, which contained several bonus tracks, including the instrumental version of "Too Shy", originally featured on the B-sides of both the 7" and 12" singles.

The extended version of the song, titled "Midnight Mix", can be heard in the Rockstar video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, played on the in-game radio station Wave 103. It also appears as a collectable cassette tape in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. A Simlish version of the song is also featured in The Sims 2 expansion pack, The Sims 2: Open for Business. The song also features in the Black Mirror interactive film Bandersnatch on Netflix. It can also be heard in the 1998 film The Wedding Singer during the engagement party scene.