Untitled - A Compilation

This is the track listing from the very first time I sat down to make a real mixtape.  I was probably 18 or 19, and had dabbled with taping my favorite songs off of the radio or other tapes.  But those other tapes were cobbled together with no rhyme or reason, just a hodge podge of miscellaneous tracks that I had put onto tape so I could listen to them in my Walkman when I was out.  I mean, you can't very well take a record player out with you.

At the time I made this tape, you can look at the track listing and see that a lot of fantastic material had been released pretty much all at once.  I had my favorite tracks from every album release by these artists, and I wanted to listen to them all, without having to haul 10-12 tapes/CDs around with me, trading them out as each track ended.  So, I pulled my favorites, and sat listening to them, then arranging them in a way that sounded good.  Back then, you didn't have any music on your computer (if you even had a computer), so it wasn't like you could load the tracks in your WinAmp and hit shuffle.  No, this was a very careful and deliberate process that took a while for me to come up with the right arrangement.

I made the tape, though, and used it in my car, listened to it while I mowed the yard, and played it when I went to friends' houses.  It was pretty good.

I've rearranged some of the tracks as years have gone by - only added the Ian McCulloch about 1998 and traded the Cocteau Twins track from Heaven Or Las Vegas to Dials (and then plugged it on the end of the mix).  But, as for the rest, this is the same setup I made back in 1990-91.  And, I still listen to it about every other month or so, to this day.  To me, this comp represents the best these groups had to offer, at the peak of their popularity.  Every song is quintessential to what these groups/artists are.  They are all lush, romantic, and full of emotion.  They are perfectly written, and perfectly performed.

To this day, I still don't have a name for this collection.  It's still, to this very moment, Untitled.  But, to me, that might be the best way of describing it, too.

Untitled

Electronic - Raise the Pressure - Disc II - 1996

When Electronic first released Raise the Pressure, I will admit I was a little disappointed.  After their stellar "debut" in 1991, this one lacked the creativity, diversity and spontaneity the first one had.  It came out at the same time as PSB's Bilingual release, and after Very, I felt the same about that one as well.  I don't know if it was the time period that they came out, or if they had grown tired, or if I was even expecting too much. These two released lacked the fire of their predecessors had.

As with Bilingual, I listened to this one repeatedly.  They both were still in constant rotation at home and in the car.  And, over time, I learned to love them and hear the creative nuances and finesse that only these two groups could bring.  Electronic's album really hit home with me, not in the singles, but in the album tracks and b-sides.  That was where you could really hear the expertise that both Sumner and Marr had.  The magic that the two of them shared was like no other.  Honestly, though, I would have preferred a little more on Johnny's guitar, but that's beside the point.  And, as for Bernard, his singing was exceptional, as always.

There were too many b-sides and non-album tracks to make one disc with them and the album, and a second disc with just the remixes.  So, here you have DISC 2.  Load this puppy right behind the album, and you'll be set.  I also wanted to try and use the For You single sleeve as the cover of this one, but none of the pics I had of them were clear enough, and if I tried to fix it, you could totally tell and it looked stupid.  Still, eventually, I would like to make a font of that typeface on the cover (unless someone out there already has it and would like to share with me) because it's fabulous, and I can think of a dozen projects I'd like to use it on.

Tomorrow is the first day of Compilation Week, we'll see you then...

Electronic - Raise the Pressure - Disc II - 1996

Electronic - Twisted Tenderness - 1999

Although I really liked Electronic, I still preferred Revenge and Monaco, simply due to their darker edge.  But, as always, it is Bernard's voice that always sucks me in.  And when you couple that with Mr Marr's excellent skills of writing and musicianship, Electronic's work was always top shelf.

After Raise the Pressure, I was a little nervous about how this album was going to turn out.  I never cared much for RtP, as it seemed tired and worn out.  It was as if they had phoned the performance in.  I guess they were also competing with Grunge and Britrock at the same time.  The fact that Twisted Tenderness was also only going to be released in the UK even furthered my concern.  If you can't even get a US label to pick your album up, there's got to be trouble.

Needless to say, the album was almost as good as their first one, and far better than their second.  Some of the tracks you had to warm up to, but there were other anthems that really stood out as exceptional.  The title track, Twisted Tenderness, and Late At Night are the best ones on the disc, by far.  But, nearly every track is worthy and I will always treasure the work that these guys put forth.

I hate the old man cover, so I switched it with the interior art and staggered the boxes like the LAN single sleeves.  The construction of their covers, too, make it a little odd, as the track listing is on the front.  That being said, When you look at the sleeves above, remember, the two squares go on the front, and the group shot (?) goes on the inside.

For those of you who remember when this album came out...  Can you believe it's twenty years old this year?  And, it's stood the test of time.  Great work!

Electronic - Twisted Tenderness - 1999 - Disc One

Electronic - Twisted Tenderness - 1999 - Disc Two