Talk Talk - It's My Life - 1984

 

Talk Talk - It's My Life - 1984

Talk Talk - It's My Life Remixes - 1984 

Blancmange - Mange Tout - 1984

 

Blancmange - Mange Tout - 1984

Blancmange - Mange Tout Remixes - 1984

Alphaville - Forever Young - 1984

 

Alphaville - Forever Young - 1984

Alphaville - Forever Remixes - 1984 

Visage - Beat Boy - 1984

 

Visage - Beat Boy - 1984

Visage - Beat Boy Mixes - 1984

Pseudo Echo - Autumnal Park - 1984

I said what I had to say in the post right below this one.  Enjoy Pseudo Echo, a band I was never really in to.  But, that's okay.  I listen to it now on occasion.  Just listened to it last week on the road.  Not bad...

Pseudo Echo - Autumnal Park - 1984

Pseudo Echo - Autumnal Park Mixes - 1984

 

Pseudo Echo - Autumnal Park Demos - 1984

Steve Taylor - To Forgive - 1984

I've had this song on my mind all morning.  Could be because it's Sunday, and we just got home from church.  You'd never guess I was the type to do that.  But, I do.  And I hope someday my heart will be changed...  Anyway....

Cure - The Top - 1984

Sorry about missing Tuesday's post.  I got busy on Sunday getting ready to leave for the week and didn't have time to post.  Hopefully, the extra post I made today will make up for that.

Of all of the Cure albums pre-2000, this is probably my least favorite.  Dressing Up is good, Caterpillar is good, and the b-sides aren't too bad.  But, I could never really grasp the rest of the songs.  They just didn't do it for me.  The melodies were chaotic and unattractive, the mixing wasn't the best, and the track arrangement left a lot to be desired.

I had this one on cassette forever before I finally got it on CD.  It was the last Cure album I purchased on CD when I was converting my collection (probably 1995).  I only got it on CD to complete my digital Cure set.  So sad.

When the deluxe sets came out, I was hoping for some better material hiding in the bonus disc.  But, alas, not hardly anything we didn't already have.  I mean, what sort of title is Sadacic?  How do you even pronounce it?  You Stayed... wasn't a bad track, but the rest of the material was weak.

This collection eliminates the demos of the album tracks and intermixes the b-side and unreleased song demos into the actual album, in a sad attempt to fix it.  Doesn't help.

Cure - The Top - 1984

Don't forget the bonus post, just below this one!

Hall & Oates - Big Bam Boom - 1984

 

You have to know I'm just teasing you, playing with you, getting you all excited only to back off once again.  Or maybe I just think too highly of myself.  You decide.

I felt like posting today, so I'm posting what would have been my next post after my last, several weeks ago.  I feel it's somewhat appropriate for the situation, and a good, unique one-off post that should appeal to a broad swath of you.

A far departure from the sound and style they used to be, this is still the H&O that I remember from my childhood, with the exception of Maneater.  I still remember Maneater, but I didn't know it was them.  This one, I knew it was them, and at the time I thought it was awesome.  Now, it obviously seems dated, but the songwriting is great.  The pop hooks are still strong.  STABLU is still my favorite track from the album, and I listened to that one track about 10 times in a row while working on the cover.

The original "Deluxe" they released way back in the day only had three (maybe four?) additional remixes on it.  That's cool, but I want them all.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any new material from their b-sides, so mixes is all we have.  Plus, I have added a couple fan mixes that seem pretty good, too.

EDIT - A huge THANK YOU to Neil, who actually went a purchased a record, digitally ripped a track from vinyl, digitally cleaned the track, and sent it on to me, just to help complete this set.  You are awesome, Neil, and I really appreciate your help!!!!

I have to say, I hate that pic of Hall on the Method Of Modern Love picture sleeve.  He looks sort of like a hillbilly with acne or something.  It is not at all flattering of him.

Who knows when and if I will post again before June 1st.  In fact, I think I will be adjusting the date to June 5th, which would be a Monday, or maybe on June 2nd which is a Friday.  Not sure what I'm definitely going to do yet.  We will see....

Disc One

Disc Two

Berlin - Love Life - 1984

This has always been a "sexy" group in my eyes.  Not just the albums per se, but the entire group, their material and their career.  It surprises me, looking at their history and career, that Crawford and Dunn were never romantically involved, as it seemed to be a fitting scenario for a love-locked couple.  I mean, look at the cover to this album!

This will probably be the only Berlin album that I post, as it's my favorite.  Moving into the Count Three sessions, and I lost interest.  They had drifted into the commercialized Pop sound the Top Gun song was the last straw.  By then, American New Wave bands were dying anyway, and Pop music was drifting into the Wang Chung/Johnny Hates Jazz/Cutting Crew era of sound.

The Berlin logo I put on the back of the cover is one from one of their singles from the album.  I love the typeface, and I'm even thinking of making a font of it.  BUT, now that I look at it, I'm not sure if I like the steel texture I gave it, as it doesn't really fit the album.  I also feel, looking at it now, that although the light and dark brown lines on the back match the colors on the front, they make the back cover look a little too much like a poop color.  But, it is what it is, now.  Maybe when I run out of albums to do, or I have a "REVISIT WEEK", I can come back and redo this one....

Berlin - Love Life - 1984

And tomorrow starts the "Already Deluxed Week"....  I'll see you then!

Dali's Car - The Waking Hour - 1984

When it comes to my own discovery of music, I am so glad that I have the internet to help me.  I felt that I had been blind (and deaf) my entire life once I began exploring the diverse and expansive landscape of Rock & Roll from it's inception through today.  EVERY DAY I learn something new about OLD music that I didn't know before, and I feel like an archeologist or pirate or explorer on a quest for the hidden treasure that has yet to be uncovered.

So was the case of Dali's Car

Until I did some in-depth research on Discogs of Peter Murphy and all of his musical dealings, I had never heard of Dali's Car.  Never knew it existed at all.  It took me a while to find the nine songs that they recorded in 1984, barely a whole album.  I listened once or twice, then put it away.  A couple months later, I tried it out again.   This time while I was surfing the net late at night, all alone.  Better.  And better again.  It sounds like Experimental/Synth-pop/New Wave with a touch of late 70s Bowie and some of that late 70s Prog.  I'm not ready to say that I'm in love with it or anything, but it's enjoyable and very interesting.

I'm sure when it was released, people were surprised because it is a far cry from what Murphy had done previously.  As for Karn, it seemed like an extension of his work with Sylvian in Japan.  I can only imagine what the fans of Bauhaus were thinking, though...

The great thing about it, is when I finally discovered it in 2009, a full 25 years after it's release, it didn't really sound that dated.  Partially due to the fact that Murphy has that universal and classical vocal style that never goes out of style.

I never heard their 2012 follow-up, after Karn's death.  It would be interesting to hunt it down and see how it holds up with this set.  I'm sure it's a cherry.

Dali's Car - The Waking Hour - 1984

Tones On Tail - Pop - 1984

Me and the family are getting ready to go on a picnic, so I need to make it short tonight.  I first heard this band on a car commercial in the mid-aughts.  I had heard OF them, but never heard them until they had been "commercialized."  Sad.

But, straight from Wikipedia, if you don't already know...

Tones on Tail was a musical side project of Daniel Ash of the gothic rock group Bauhaus started in 1982, along with art school friend, flatmate and Bauhaus "roadie" Glenn Campling. The band's name is a reference to the way calibration tones were recorded on the "tail" of reel-to-reel tape. After the breakup of Bauhaus in 1983, they were joined by drummer Kevin Haskins, and became a full-time concern for all three members. Their music was described by one critic as "doom-and-dance-pop." The band disbanded in 1984, and Ash and Haskins went on to form Love and Rockets with former Bauhaus bassist David J.

I know that they released a collection in 1998 called "Everything" that would be the ultimate in expanded editions.  But, I have a problem with that.  When I want an expanded edition, I want it to gather all of the relevant material from that particular era/session/year.  Not EVERYTHING.  So, I've broken this one down and back to the original release with the remix and just a couple extras.  Dull, I know, but this is how I would prefer it.

Anyway, off to the park with a knapsack full of ham & swiss sandwiches and potato salad.  83 degrees out, and the sky is clear as a bell and deep blue.  We should have some fun!

Tones On Tail - Pop! - 1984 

Duran Duran - Madison Square Garden, New York - 1984

 And for the final show of "Live in Concert!" Week, I give you Duran Duran Live at Madison Square Garden, 1984!

I've tried to compare this show to Arena to see if it's the same show or not, but I can't tell.  It sounds like it is.  But, it's so much more than Arena was.  The song selection is so much better, including more of their early hits, and a lot more of S&tRT songs, as well.  You also get the illustrious Shadow Stevens, a definite blast from the past.  Makes me feel like I'm 13 all over again.

I find it surprising that they start the show off with Tiger Tiger, and tuning their instruments.  I thought they would take care of that during the soundcheck or something, so they could run out blasting from the get go.  Regardless, it helps to build that anticipation, and when Simon asks that one question, you can't help but shout out YES!  (Once you listen to the show, you'll know what the hell I'm talking about.)

Although it's a soundboard recording, it's still an FM Broadcast, so the clarity is lacking and the treble sounds a little muffled.  But, it's still the boys at their peak, at their best, and at their most-loved moments of their career.

Long Live Duran Duran.

Duran Duran - New York - 1984 - 1

Duran Duran - New York - 1984 - 2

 

Depeche Mode - Ludwigshafen, Germany - 1984

Not much to say on this one.  I only saw DM once during the Violator Tour in 1990 in Pensacola Florida.  Hearing them when they are 6 years younger, post MFtM (a turning point, I feel) and it's amazing that the deep dark voice of Dave is coming out of that scrawny little body.  It would have been fun to see them before they became the legends they are now.

This is a great soundboard recording, but I only have it at 128kbps.  That being said, it probably sounds more like a cassette tape than anything.  But, it's still a great show, and every song is an absolute classic.

Depeche Mode - Ludwigshafen, Germany - 1984

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual - 1984

......

I'm sitting here looking at this post, and I have nothing to say.  Really.  Nothing good, nothing bad, nothing nothing.  My brain is still thinking about work, and I have family making noise around me and I just made that post on my Cure entry from yesterday...  And I can't think of a single damn thing to say.

......

Let's see.  I've been binge watching "The 100" on Netflix and Star Wars "Rebels" on Disney XD (with my son on that one.)  Last night for supper I made Baked Chicken and Wild Rice with Cream of Mushroom Soup.  I've been trying to avoid listening to any of the political horse shite that's going on right now....  I didn't watch the Super Bowl.  Hmmmmmm......

All I can say about CL that I haven't already said in my previous posts about her is that this album was popular when I first started listening to music seriously.  It was girly and she had a squeekie voice, so she annoyed me a bit.  I obviously grew to like and respect her later.  She was like the good-girl Madonna.  I remember her "Dad" was in the WWF for a while, and she showed up ringside once or twice.  Funny stuff.

........

I have recently gone through the websites that I peruse looking for "New" new music.  Like really new stuff.  and I don't know half the groups out there.  More than half.  I don't recognize names, songs, nothing.  I don't know any Lady Gaga songs, I don't know who this Thicke guy is, I haven't heard a Beyonce song, and I thought Justin Boober was still popular.  Am I that old?  Have I fallen out of the role of knowing the cutting edge of music and into the role of old man pining for better days?  And, if I have, is that so bad?

Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed that ever since the internet started exposing people to more diverse musics, the radio has become sort of secondary.  I feel that people are more apt to listen to Progressive Rock or 80s Jazz or Thrash Metal now, than they were 20 years ago.  People aren't as dependent on what the radio dial tells them to listen to anymore.  I'll say this, I haven't listened to FM radio in 20 years or more.  I think the exposure to more styles of music has allowed a resurgence in styles that were dying out, like Glam Metal and Hard Rock.  Artists are also able to garner exposure more through the internet without a label, sometimes, too.  Now, it's not up to the labels to decide what people will listen to, as much as the reverse.

Anyway, just diarrhea of the mouth (or fingers in this case)  Hope you enjoy Cyndi's first album.

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual - 1984

Howard Jones - Human's Lib - 1984

HJ's first album, and my second favorite.  These were the songs that were playing on my radio when I was first discovering Pop music.  I remember them vividly, and his videos on Saturday Night Videos on our local channel, playing the best videos after 11pm. 

Howard truly shows a maturity level in his songwriting that a lot of his peers completely lacked.  When compared to others, who wrote about these subjects at a level that he did?  Shy of Phil Collins' solo work, I can't think of many. Maybe Bryan Ferry.  Aside from all that, it's funny, yet somewhat disheartening to read the various contemporary reviews of the album during the time it was released.  Some of the reviews seem to be exercises in verbal logistics more than substantial analysis of the album.  Most of them were probably jealous, anyway.

Howard had quite a few b-sides for this album, and I think I have them all here.  The mix disc is extra special, too.  But, I'm not sure if I have all of the mixes, let me know if I don't.  As for the cover, I have always liked the artwork, so I kept it the same, just making a black version and a white version.

Enjoy...

Howard Jones - Human's Lib - 1984

Mixes

The Cars - Heartbeat City - 1984

 

So, sometimes I make double discs with two covers, and single discs with single covers and double discs with single covers.  Well, here's a single disc with double covers.  If you can get your printer to line up just right you can print the front cover, then flip the paper and print the "inside cover" on the other side.  I did it this way to get the entire beautiful front cover without jacking with it, and then also the track listing and single sleeves as well.  I made this one probably two or three years ago for myself, and am just now posting it.

I always liked the Cars.  I got their greatest hits albums and listened to them regularly.  But, that was about it.  I didn't hear Heartbeat City all the way through until I was in college in the 90s.  I was working in a restaurant late on a Saturday night, probably close to midnight, and I was in back in the dish pit washing stacks and stacks of dirty dishes, pots, pans, you name it.  I was hot and sweaty and wet.  I smelled horribly from the food, grease and body odor.  I had the radio setting on a stack of boxes by the freezer listening to the local Classic Rock radio station.  They had a segment during one of the hours in which they would play an album from the very beginning all the way to the last track, uninterrupted.  That night, they played Heartbeat City all the way through, and I suddenly realized what a masterpiece it was.

Part Power Pop, part New Wave, Heartbeat City is a solid, well-written, powerfully performed and slickly produced album that is quintessential Cars.  All of the singles are great, and the album tracks could really have additionally been singles, as they all sound perfect.  The album arrangement really enhances the quality of each and every song, complimenting each other perfectly to achieve maximum impact.

I included Tonight She Comes from their 85 GH album, as it was lonely by itself and fit well with these others.  I also have a variety of remixes, and two fan mixes in there, as well that are really super.  Hope y'all like it.

The Cars - Heartbeat City - 1984

Art Of Noise - Who's Afraid of (the Art of Noise!) - 1984

It's funny that AoN ever even released a Greatest Hits in the 80s.  I know they had singles, so maybe they should have just called it Singles or something.  I say this because I feel that every album, in itself would make it virtually impossible to distinguish which songs were the "greatest", as every song is a masterpiece in it's own right, and it becomes subjective on who is listening and deciding which is better than the other.  Sometimes, I would consider it impossible even to have one person decide, as whenever I listen to one of their albums, the songs I like change and shift back and forth with my age, time and environment.

I listened to this album once again as I prepared the cover (I usually listen to the album in question when I'm making the cover.  It gets me in the mood.)  Anyway, I realized that as I hadn't listened to it in probably a decade, the songs I originally liked had now changed.  And they had changed the last time I listen to them, too.  I have to say, looking at the track list right now, at one time or another, every song on the album had once been my favorite song.  Is it a greatest hits?  Hard to say, as they would have to be greater than something, and right now they are all equally good.

But, that opinion is hardly worth debating.

We all know that the singles were Beat Box, Close to..., and Moments in Love.  I think the most well known was the Close to... as the Edit version had the video of the little punk rock girl with the chainsaw.  What a great video, I loved that one!  But, all three of those singles had about 10 mixes each, and could each fill their own CD (I might do that later) and some of the mixes are near impossible to track down.  I'm still missing Diversions 4 and 9 of Beat Box, and I can't tell if I have all of the mixes of the other two.  Does anyone out there have a complete list of all the mixes of these three songs?  It would be helpful....

I hope you like this album.  As with all other AoN albums, it is a piece of art that needs to be treasured...  (I'm sure MLG will like this one, at least ;) )

Art Of Noise - Who's Afraid of (the Art of Noise!) - 1984

David Bowie - Tonight - The Remix Disc - 1984

Although Bowie's follow-up to Let's Dance wasn't that successful, it really wasn't a complete loss.  Trying to find his way, through the New Wave crap that had left his classic style behind, I think he did quite well establishing a new sound to fit the new decade.  I sometimes think of this album as the little brother of Let's Dance, being so similar in style.

Honestly, I remember hearing the Let's Dance songs on the radio, and I remember when Never Let Me Down came out, but I am at a complete loss when it comes to Tonight.  I don't remember hearing any of the songs on the radio, and I don't remember the album coming out.  I only found out about the album in the mid to late 90s while rummaging through 12-inch singles at a used record store and finding the singles from this album.  I never realized how ignorant I was before the internet.

SO, I've decided to hold off on the album, for now, as I want to ensure I have all of the tracks from this time period before I post it.  But, I thought a good mix disc would be fun, and we also have another Dreamtime mix on this one too.  I threw Dancing In the Street on this mix as it was released during this time period, but with much chagrin.  That song (and video) is embarrassing.  I almost feel sorry for the two of them.  It's horribly, uncomfortably bad.

David Bowie - Tonight - The Remix Disc - 1984

Van Halen - 1984 - 1984

So, my fourth most favorite Hard Rock album of all time.  1984.  Fantastic.  I saw it in the window of Pickles Records in the mall when I was 12.  I remember the shock of seeing an ANGEL of all things SMOKING CIGARETTES.  How sacrilegious!  That is like playing with the devil and going to hell!  Bad people.

But, I watched the videos on MTV and enjoying them.  I remember not really knowing what Hot For Teacher really meant, and then when I found out, I again was shocked.  These guys were the baddest of the bad, from my limited perspective.

Now, I think that this is Van Halen's best album ever, and also an album they could never and will never ascend to again.  This is their ultimate high, and they never made it back again, IMHO.  As I said in my previous post, I love Sammy Hagar, but the magic that the original four had was something special, and Hagar just didn't really mesh as well as Dave did.  Yeah, VH was good, but not as good as 1984.  Having already written my DLR post, I have to return to it and say now that I feel DLR is the one who ruined VH.  Again with his gynormous ego.

But, as for 1984, I think it was a standard for all other Metal albums to follow. 

What's awesome, is that I was able to find two demos for this album - Ripley and Donut City.  They aren't bad, but they really don't fit with the rest of the album.  Regardless, I included them.  Hope you enjoy.

Only two days left, guys.  Good or bad, I'm almost done with Metal and we're back to normal....

Van Halen - 1984 - 1984

Steve Taylor - Meltdown - 1984

Something of a novelty of the early to mid 80s, Steve Taylor was a staple for my youth, being naive and impressionable from neat middle class suburban life.  He falls somewhere between New Wave and Synthpop, but definitely a Contemporary Christian Artist (contemporary for the 80s).  There, I said it.  He's a Christian artist. Thing about it, the songs are full of pop hooks, and the songs aren't bad.  But, it is very whitebread and preachy.

When my parents took away my music from 84 to 86, I didn't have a whole lot to choose from that was acceptable to them.  He happened to fall into the category that they would approve.  And I needed my music.  I spent a lot of time at church, then, and I was introduced to ST, along with a slew of other Christian bands (Petra, DA, Rez Band, Stryper, Servant).  In my art class in 7th grade, we spent a two week session learning how to use an airbrush with masking and stencil screens.  We were supposed to come up with a design and airbrush it on a t-shirt.  I did this cover for my project.  Best in the class even though no one knew who the hell he was.

You might find the album cute, you might disagree with his views, but wholly the album isn't bad, I still enjoy listening to it to remember my early teen years before I went rebellious.  (Maybe being forced to listen to this is what made me rebellious)

Songs that I still like are Meltdown, Am I In Sync?, Sin For Season, Hero and Baby Doe.  Other tracks that are still very relevant today include We Don't Need No Colour Code and Meat the Press.

Steve also has a couple more albums that are pretty good like On the Fritz and Chagall Guevara, when he was in the band Chagall Guevara.  I'll probably post these later.

Novelty and cheesy, it still has me singing along like I was 13 again.  Download it, listen to it, and if it's not your liking, delete it!

Steve Taylor - Meltdown - 1984