Zolar X - Timeless - 1982

I leave to go out of town for work tomorrow morning, so I'm making tomorrow's post today.  I will be keeping this short and sweet, too, as my family just came back into town and I need to spend some quality time before I go out for the week.

Some may ask, "Why are you posting this?"  I'm wondering that myself.  I'm posting it though, because I've found it to be so freekin' bizarre.  It's good music, very creative.  It's got a hint of Power Pop, New Wave, Prog and Punk.  All wrapped around this weird alien theme.  It's good for a couple plays, and then drop it into your library, done.  Maybe pull it out once in a blue moon.

But, now if anyone asks if you've heard Zolar X, you can say "Yes, I have.  I have a copy, too.  Would you like to listen?"  That has been my goal in life.  Finding obscure crap to share just to say I can.  It gives me a thrill up my leg....

Zolar X - Timeless - 1982

PS - The Russians have been hitting me again.  And the Italians.  I got over 4000 page views in less than 10 minutes from Russia, last week.  Two days ago, I got 3000 page views in about 20 minutes from Italy.  Considering I usually only get about 4500-5000 page views a day, I think something was up....  And I usually don't get any visits from Russia at all....

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 4 (Security) - 1982

Sorry for the delay last night.  It's been a busy week since last we spoke, and I actually didn't have any time until it was too late, and then I was too tired.  Hopefully the fact that it's a PG album will help you to forgive me.

Best mix on the album - the Simian Surprise mix of Shock the Monkey.  Turn that one WAY WAY UP.

PG - Security - Album Tracks     PG - Security - Remixes

Depeche Mode - A Broken Frame - 1982

 

Depeche Mode - A Broken Frame - 1982

I got this album at the behest of a girl named Crystal in my English class my junior year.  I had just moved from Chicago and still having trouble adjusting to my new environment, when this hot girl who sat in front of me would turn around and talk, and we talked music and she said this was her favorite DM album.  Music For the Masses was still in my top 5 goto albums, and I had the People are People compilation, and a couple 12-inch singles, but at that time, that was about all the DM I had.  So, I went down and bought it.  Boy, was I disappointed. 

There's nothing wrong with the album.  It's got it's own style and mood and pacing.  The songwriting is fairly solid, and the execution is pretty tight.  I like the album, in it's own way.  I was just used to MftM and then I go back in time and listen to this.  Something of a letdown. I know that Martin had just started writing the music himself, so he was still learning.  Good for him.  It's surprising that he started like this, though, and then gave us MftM and Violator within 8 years.  Incredible.

It took me some time to get used to it.  Within a year, I had it memorized and singing along with Dave.  Monument is by far my favorite song, for some reason.  (Gusgus's version of it is killer)  The rest of the tracks, quite honestly, all tie for second.  There aren't any that I like more or less than the others.

When they released their deluxe versions, again, as with all the rest, I was pissed with what they gave us.  THIS is how it should have been.

Thanks, yet again, to Dreamtime.....

Depeche Mode - A Broken Frame - 1982

Ultravox - Quartet - 1982

Admittedly, this isn't one of my favorites by Ultravox.  Admittedly, I'm only posting this as I continue to offer the full discography of their work (as I am doing with a lot of other artists, too.)  Admittedly, you will see this happen more and more often, as I am beginning to see the bottom of the well of my musical exposure from the last four decades.  So it is,,,,

It's not so much that the album's a bad album.  It's pretty good.  It just never really grabbed me.  It's difficult to make it all the way through the album without changing the disc/mp3. But, maybe it's just me.  I never knew of them when I was younger, and never heard of them until Youtube and Discogs.  So, with no real memories from when it was released, I didn't get any sort of imprint from it. Also, I think their keyboard player wasn't very inventive.  The tones sound redundant and somewhat annoying.  And their sound typifies the stereotypical 80s New Wave sound that everyone hates to love, or loves to hate.  I don't know, it's good, but it's not that good.  Am I making myself clear?  Can anyone else out there articulate what I'm trying to say?

This does have the rare and hard to find b-side called Break Your Back.  I had to rip it from Youtube to get it, though.  Always a fan of their cover art, it was hard to find flawless material to use for this.  The back frame still doesn't look too good, and you can see jpeg artifacts all over it.  I tried my best.

I guess I like Reap the Wild Wind.  But, We Came To Dance is dumb.

Ultravox - Quartet - 1982

Romeo Void - Benefactor - 1982

I've really got nothing to say about this album.  It's another 80s album that I feel deserves it's place in my collection.  I remember the neighbor kid who lived next to me when I was a boy had it.  It was his mom's tape, really, not his.  But, I remember her playing it once in the summertime in a boombox while she washed her car.  She was a divorcee, and fairly young.  Her son was a punk.  Not a real punk but a little fucking prick, to be more precise.  I also remember seeing the video of Never Say Never on MTV in the early 80s, and liking the melody. 

But, that's about all the experience I have with it.

I've since listened to it, and like it, and think it's a fine example of New Wave.  I'm also impressed with their lead singer.  She's really got it together.  For the most part, the songs are good, not spectacular, but you definitely won't be wasting your time listening to it.  It's just....  good.

As for the cover, I remember the tape when I was a kid, so I specifically stuck with the cassette cover, which looks sorta cool for a CD.  And, all the mixes as always....

Romeo Void - Benefactor - 1982

Theatre Of Hate - Westworld - 1982

11:10 pm on a Saturday night.  All is quiet, and time for a little Gothic Rock from 1982.  Theatre of Hate.  Love it or leave it, let the darkness of it's harsh melodies pound your senses to sleep...

Good night, all.

Theatre Of Hate - Westworld - 1982

The Wake - Harmony - 1982

The Wake was a Scottish group that I knew absolutely nothing about until I started exploring Factory Records back catalogue.  The started around the same time as Joy Division was shifting to New Order.  They have that same stark, minimalist Post Punk/Gothic sound that was the basis for New Order's first album.  Of course, Movement is 100x better, but this is another take on the same theme, with some interesting melodies and instrumentation.

Unfortunately, I could not find a digital copy of this, so I had to rip it from Youtube and Mp3pm.  The quality is better than you'd expect, but it's not the same as a direct rip.  It was released on CD in 2001, and should be fairly easy to find.  But, you won't have all the wonderful tracks that I've added.

The Wake - Harmony - 1982

Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now - 1982

Although not my favorite Furs album, Forever Now was their third US release, and the one that showed a major shift in personnel and also sound (according to Wikipedia).  There are a lot of great songs on here, but this was one that was initially purchased by me on vinyl back in the mid-90s while raiding a used record store.  It was a big one in the Westport neighborhood in Kansas City.  I can't remember the name of the store, it's since gone out of business....  So, although a fantastic 80s Post Punk masterpiece, all I can think about in relation is listening to this as I was also listening to Techno, Grunge and Britrock.  So, no real nostalgia there to pull you back to your 80s days from me, unfortunately.

Even though the British release cover is good, I prefer the US release cover.  Probably because it was my first view of the album.  I didn't see the British version until I picked up the 20th anniversary edition on CD.  And, as with too many other remaster deluxe versions, I had to add remixes to the album as they were left off.  I think if they're even going to bother with making these deluxe versions, they need to also include any additional mixes and remixes, even if to just flesh out the rest of the CD.  I mean, this one had live versions of some of the songs, which I think is dumb to begin with (so I pulled them out of the track listing).  Why would you want to listen to ONE live song?  Or two or three that fade in the beginning and fade out at the end?  If you're going to release live tracks, at least make it a live disc so it's like a whole show...

----

I'm still working on my compilation week sets.  This has been a tough one, even harder than the Techno one (that no one liked.)  I'm on my last compilation, and it's a Chill Out set.  But, my Chill Out tunes are so diverse, I can't get a good mix.  The segues and styles contrast a little to much, and one disc also is a little too limiting.  It'll end up being a double disc set, but that also makes it twice as hard for track selection.  I have seven different compilations spread over six days.  Three of them are double disc, and only three of them are compilations I had already made.  And ALL of the covers are new.  So, it's been a tough one.  Listen to me whine.  I still love it.

Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now - 1982

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay - 1982

A nice way to end a stressful week, it's time to pop in a little DMR.  I know that one of our fellow sites just posted the official version of this last week, but I've had this one scheduled out for a month.  It's weird how that works out sometimes.  I think that you'll find mine to be different enough, though, to be worthy of downloading.

I remember being a fan of Eileen when I was a kid, playing on the radio.  But, the first time I took notice of DMR was when they played on an episode of the Young Ones.  MTV, back when they had great programming, was playing re-runs of Rik, Mike, Vivian and Neal back in the mid-80s.  Not only was I fascinated by the show, but I also loved all of the musical guest-stars.  This show was how I also discovered Motorhead, Madness and Nine Below Zero.  Watching Dexy's Midnight Runners play in a dark bedroom (or was it bathroom?) upstairs was great, and I was thoroughly impressed, even though it was lip-synced.  They played a cover version of Jackie Wilson Says (which then later led me to discover Van Morrision)

From what I can tell, this one has all the b-sides, demos and alternate single version.  I may have missed a few, but who's counting?  I always thought the cover was dull, and I still do.  I'm not a huge fan of it.  But, it is what it is, and I tried to do my best to dress it up.  Let me know what you think!

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay - 1982

Tin Tin - Kiss Me - 1982

Now, here's one dude you HAVE to feel sorry for.  Lead singer of a band, struggling to get discovered.  He quits the band, the band gets a new lead singer.  The band gets discovered, go on to become possibly the biggest sensation of the 80s.  And every one else asks  "Who is Stephen Duffy?"  That's GOT to hurt.

These are his first two singles that I've collected into an EP of sorts.  It's Stephen's first outing after leaving Duran Duran.  He obviously was trying the New Wave thing here, before he drifted into that Post Punk sound with the Lilac Time.  It's not a bad disc, but it's a far cry from D2.

You almost wonder what would have happened in the 80s if Mr Duffy had stayed and Mr LeBon had never been found.  Was Simon destined for greatness?  Was D2 in the right place at the right time, or was it Simon's vocals that made them great?  I just now listened to the GOF demo with Stephen Duffy singing, and although it WAS a demo, it was crap compared with the official version.

Anyway, enjoy this little one, it ain't bad, and will fit nicely in your 80s New Wave folder or on your CD shelf.  That's where I have mine.

Tin Tin - Kiss Me - 1982

Classix Nouveaux - La Verite - 1982

In the mid to late aughts (later than 05 but before 09) I found music blogs exploding all over the internet, in ways I never knew and never imagined.  It was like the beginning of a new music renaissance.  I discovered hundreds and hundreds of new bands and artists in genres across the spectrum of music.  I was in awe and amazed.

One of the genres that I enjoy most - New Wave/New Romantic - gave me a host of new bands to listen to that, although weren't as good as Duran2, were very good and enjoyable.  Blancmange, Ultravox, Visage, and Classix Nouveaux.  I'll talk about those other bands in later posts, today is about CN and their album La Verite.

Surprisingly, I can't really find a whole lot of material about these guys.  At least not enough that I would care about.  Allmusic says the following - "Classix Nouveaux was one of the first new romantic acts in England. Although Classix Nouveaux's more guitar-heavy sound separated them from the mostly synthetic rhythms of Japan and Ultravox, the group's appetite for stylish fashion and danceable keyboards had them quickly associated with the new romantic movement. Formed in 1979 with Sal Solo (vocals), Mik Sweeney (bass), BP Hurding (drums), and Jak Airport (guitar), Classix Nouveaux originated in the punk underground, namely from the ashes of the controversial X-Ray Spex. After banshee wailer Poly Styrene departed from X-Ray Spex, the remaining members held auditions for a replacement singer. Solo won the approval of a few of Styrene's former bandmates, and they debuted at the Music Machine on August 1979. Airport left the group before they even recorded their first single; he was replaced by Gary Steadman. In 1981, Classix Nouveaux released "Guilty," their most well-known track; "Guilty" was a Top-20 hit in Sweden, and the video received airplay on MTV. A year later, the single "Is It a Dream" reached number 13 on the U.K. charts. Despite successful tours in Yugoslavia, Finland, and Poland, none of Classix Nouveaux's three albums truly catapulted them from cult status in Britain or America. The band split up in 1985, and Solo started recording Christian music."  - And that is more than Wikipedia.

Anyway, they seem pretty good, and a definite companion to my Japan/Roxy/Duran/Ultravox/Visage section in my New Romantic collection.

Classix Nouveaux - La Verite - 1982

Descendents - Milo Goes To College - 1982

When my parents finally gave up on keeping me from "secular" Rock N Roll, one of the first albums I bought, at the behest of my pseudo-skate friends, was the Descendents MGTC.   I had listened to them with friends before, and loved their music, so it wasn't to much for me to slap down my hard-earned for a little straight-edge Punk Rock from California.

I think that if there hadn't been a Descendents (and a Stiff Little Fingers) then there would never have been a Green Day.  The Descendents were Green Day before there was a Green Day.  The Descendents had great vocals, awesome pop-hooks and hilarious yet serious lyrics.  Just like Green Day...

The best tracks on this one start about track 7, which is after the Bonus Fat EP tracks, and the actual first track to the album.  They roll through about 6 tracks before they start to cool off and blend together.  Myage, Marriage, Bikage.  But the BEST track Tonyage, and it's only 56 seconds long.  Fantastic.  This one even has Wienerschnitzel, the track that had a cameo in the Christian Slater movie Pump Up the Volume.

This is one of the albums that I pull out when I want to reminisce about my teen years in the big old CHICAGO, my favorite town.  I still remember the girl that introduced me to them.  Her name was Sharon, and most of the boys made fun of her.  I felt bad about that.  Anyway, we were on our way to school on a fall morning, and she popped it in the tape deck, and sang every song, all the way to school.  I just sat in the back seat with another kid, and stared out the window...

Descendents - Milo Goes To College - 1982

New Order - Movement - Live in Milan - 1982

I found this cover on Deviantart and I knew I had to use it.  It's a beautiful design and seems to match the time period of the album it was made for, despite the fact that the design is all wrong for the work they were using on the covers at the time.  It's wrong, but it fits...

This is probably my favorite NO concert from that year/tour/album, whatever.  It's raw, and unaltered and flawed.  But, it's a great soundboard recording, with only a hint of audience in the back.  I'm pretty sure that Hooky is singing, but it's hard to tell.  Best track on it is Procession.  What I wouldn't give to slip back in time and see a show like this...

That's it, though.  Just a simple live recording, that you can turn on at 2am and surf the web to.  It will drill into your head and mesmerize and focus you at the same time.  Before you know it, you'll have listened to it twice.  Make sure to take your anti-depressants before you do, though.  You're gonna need em.

New Order - Movement - Live in Milan - 1982

Men At Work - Cargo - 1982

So, the first LP I ever purchased was Business As Usual, but it was only because I had already heard not just Down Under, but also Overkill.  Overkill was the song that made it for me, as far as my liking of MaW.  It would, I guess, be considered Power Pop/New Wave?  Hard to say.  Maybe I'll just file it under Perfect Rock N Roll, because that's what it is.

The great thing about Cargo is that I felt there was no sort of pretensions or expectations with the album's sound.  It was a continuation, and fine-tuning of Business As Usual.  It could be that I may have been young at the time when it came out, but listening to it as an adult, I can't hear anything but pitch-perfect pop hooks that flowed naturally....

After I purchased Business As Usual, I got the Overkill single for my Dad for his birthday (I was only 11.)  He liked it.  Then, we said, "Hey!  Why don't we play side 2!"  Well, the side 2 of my Overkill was Until the Money Runs Out.  That song lasted one playing before my Dad said no more.  I mean, I guess you could call it an instrumental, with a chorus, but when they only repeat that one line two dozen times in a row, it grated on my father's already short nerves.

But, hey.  I liked it!

My version is only slightly different than the re-release.  I hate when they include live tracks on studio albums.  So, I pulled those off.  I tweaked the track listing a bit and made that killer cover...

Have fun...

Men At Work - Cargo - 1982

Missing Persons - Spring Session M - 1982

AND I AM BACK.  Hopefully we won't have a break like that again, for a while!!!!

Some of the most classic New Wave tracks out there are on this album.  Destination Unknown, Words, Walking In LA, and even an interesting cover of Hello, I Love You.

Obviously, I was probably too young to know or pay attention to these guys in their heyday, but as I learned more about Warren Coocooroolow (sic), and took a greater interest in 80s music in general, Missing Persons kept rising to the top.  Whenever I make an 80s comp for the car or for a trip, there's always a MP track on it.

But, that's all I'm saying for today.  I have missed my family and I made a 5 hour trip in just under 4 (fast baby, fast! And piss in a water bottle instead of stopping!)  I'm going to play with my son, who I bought an Optimus Prime costume for, and watch all four episodes of Better Late Than Never (It's funny but worthless)

I'll be here tomorrow with two albums that I'm sure you'll like.  Until then...

Missing Persons - Spring Session M - 1982

Michael Jackson - Extended Thriller - 1982

Just got back from an exhausting weekend of cleaning, painting, fixing and demolishing parts of my rental property.  I'll be leaving next Friday night to do it again for a whole entire week.  So that means, we've only got 5 days of music before I shut it down for 8 or 9 days....

That being said, no better way to start of POP MUSIC WEEK, than with the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson.

After my parents purchased Men At Work's Business As Usual album, the first album I ever got, my second album ever was MJ's Thriller.  Oh, yes, the craze was everywhere.  You couldn't go to a department store without a monitor in the music department playing the Thriller video, and 2 dozen people standing around it watching.  All the kids at school were on it.  I'd never seen so many faux red leather and sparkly gloves in my life.  I even went as far as learning how to moonwalk.  I was just shy of putting jerry-curl in my hair before I came to my senses.

I'm no fan of MJ.  But, I can't deny the impact this album had not only on the world in general, but in my little life as well.  I listen to the album now, and it sounds dated, yes, but every song is spot on and well written.  I hate to say it, but it is perfect pop.  Nobody has to like the guy or even like the album, but no one can say it isn't a good album.  Despite the variations in everyone's tastes, a bad album doesn't sell billions of copies.

So, I really don't know anyone who doesn't have the original album in one form or another.  So, here is the companion disc of remixes (and one bonus track).  They released an extended mix of every song on the album, with the exception of the song Thriller.  WOW.  Who does that now?  The fan mixer, Dreamtime, did an extended version of the song Thriller, and it is a perfect fit.  The bonus track I added is another Paul McCartney song that MJ guest-vocaled on.  So, enjoy the lot.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more pop music (love it or not), see you then...

Michael Jackson - Extended Thriller - 1982

The Jam - The Gift - 1982

Back in 2003 or 2004, I got hooked on Collectors Choice Music, an online music store that sells re-issues from almost every era and genre of music.  They pull some really obscure stuff out that is impossible to find on CD, and in perfect digital quality.  This is where I found the CD releases of The Vapors, Peter Schilling, and The Jam.  They released the first two Jam albums on one CD as a twofer set.  I knew who The Jam was, but I had previously lumped them all into the punk music of that era, and I felt that if you had heard one, you had heard them all.  Boy, was I wrong.

Of course, I found the albums to be awesome, and all of the songs were perfect little pophook ditties.  After that, I had to build my Jam collection.

This is their last album, and it's one of my favorites.  They were still punk, but there were strong Post Punk overtones, and Weller's R&B interests were starting to peek out in brief instances.  The b-sides, demos and alternate versions were all great, too.  A wonderful group, I think they got overshadowed by the Clash.  I think they are definitely better than the Clash, but that's simply my opinion.  Your thoughts?

The Jam - The Gift - 1982

Men Without Hats - Rhythm Of Youth - 1982

Probably the 4th or 5th 45-rpm record I purchased.  I can't remember exactly, now, as I had Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me and Toni Basil's Mickey in there, somewhere, too.  The Safety Dance has long been one of my all-time favorites of the era.  I remember exactly the first time I heard it.  It wasn't on the radio or MTV, but two of the popular girls - Tricia Young and Lauri Olmstead - were singing it out on the playground while we were at recess in 5th or 6th grade elementary.  I was fascinated.  It wasn't long after that and I saw the video on MTV, and heard it then on the radio, and I knew I had to get it.

I didn't really get into the album until after I had graduated from High School and began exploring music in general.  I used to go to used record stores constantly, looking for new stuff to buy.  That's when I got this album.  Obviously, it's a great album with a lot of great singles. 

I know that a lot of 80s compilation albums use the extended mix of the song, as well as radio stations playing their 80s hour shows.  I personally prefer the single version, that starts right into the song full-bore.  Just like on the video.  I also think the best song on the album, and a key track for any 80s mixes I might make, is I Got the Message.  Best song.

Had fun with the cover.  Half tempted to get a tattoo of their circle strike logo.  Wouldn't that be cool?

Men Without Hats - Rhythm Of Youth - 1982

Duran Duran - Rio - 1982

Alright.  Here it is.  I'm not going to say anything about it, no long exposes on how Rio impacted my childhood. I'm just going to throw it all up on the wall here, and you can feast on it like a school of hungry piranha.

Disc One & Two - The UK & US Releases

Disc Three - The Catbirdman Edition

Disc Four & Five - The Remixes

I even threw in some bonus material for those who'd like to try their hands at their own mixes....

Rio Stem Tracks

Hungry Like the Wolf Stem Tracks 

Have a great night, I'll see you tomorrow....

Nena - 99 Luftballons - 1982

The first 45-rpm record I ever purchased was Matthew Wilder's Break My Stride.  The second 45-rpm I ever purchased was Peter Schilling's Major Tom.  The third 45-rpm I ever purchased was Nena's 99 RED Balloons.

I say RED with capital letters, because it seems that all people want to talk about or listen to is the German version, Luftballons.  Yeah, yeah, fine and dandy.  But, as a 12-year-old American boy I didn't understand German, so I played the side that I could understand and was comfortable with.  It's not a racial or nationalist thing, I just wanted to know what she was singing about!

Years later, I still see this song as a defining song for the 80s.  I ended up purchasing the US release of 'Nena' in the early 90s at a used record store, and was impressed by it.  I didn't much care for the half German/half English format, but all of the tracks were good, and I enjoyed listening to it.

It's when I decided to get their two earlier albums, that I made a discovery.  The tracks on the American release of the album were found on the first two albums, but in German.  So, essentially, the American release is something of a 'greatest hits' collection.  Well, you know how I feel about greatest hits collections...

So, I've compiled all of the tracks from the first two albums, plus the b-sides, plus the remixes, plus the English versions, and put them all on one 2-disc set.  Now, you have everything that Nena released in those first years of popularity and rise to stardom.  I feel that this is the only way to present them, as the later albums are more conducive to my regular format.  The first two albums and the US release were all made and released within the same 2-year time span, so their sound remains consistent.

It's a great set, so you should enjoy it.  Mind you, 80% of it is in German, so you'll have to love her voice and the melodies more than the words, if you don't know what she's saying.

That's what I do...

Nena - 99 Luftballons - 1982 - Disc 1

Nena - 99 Luftballons - 1982 - Disc 2