Stereophonics - Language.Sex.Violence.Other. - 2005

Honestly, I have nothing to say here other than another kick ass album by the spectacular Stereophonics.  You sit down with this album in and give it a good listen, and you'll be thoroughly satisfied you did.  It really is a great set.

It already had a beautiful cover, so I simply inverted the letter colors, and I threw the single sleeves backside as always.  All b-sides follow the album tracks, and you're off for a good listen.

Like I said, not much to say other than LISTEN UP.

Stereophonics - Language.Sex.Violence.Other. - 2005

Listening Pool - Self-titled Debut - 1994

When OMD split, I was heartbroken.  Dreaming had been a swan song of mine from Chicago, and I couldn't think of the eighties without them.  I know the name OMD put 3 more albums out after Dreaming, but we all know it wasn't the same.

You would think that three of the players from OMD would be enough to make a tight and comfortable synthpop album that would be comparable to anything they did in the eighties.  But, as McCluskey proved he couldn't handle it on his own with the OMD moniker, Humphreys and the rest of the boys proved they couldn't swing it without McCluskey.  It was the combination of McCluskey and Humphreys together that made OMD great.  It's too bad it took them almost 20 years to figure that out and try again.

As a one off, stand alone, without any foreknowledge of the members, one might think this was a modest pop album from the late eighties or early nineties, and they wouldn't mind it.  But, given the history of the members, it should have been so much better.

Here are all the tracks, and most of the mixes.  I completely redid the cover, using a new still life painting, and redoing the background and font.  The only legitimate Listening Pool media is the pic of them and the music.

Give it a try, you may like it better than I did.

Listening Pool - Self-titled Debut - 1994

Peter Murphy - Deep - 1989

Is it wrong for me to say I love Peter Murphy solo, but I hate Bauhaus?  Well, I do...  Can't stand Bauhaus.  And, I didn't know about Peter Murphy until this album, Deep, and I didn't know he was from Bauhaus until well after that.  Guess I wasn't as cool as I thought.

So, this one came upon me when I was going to lunch in High School with some new "friends" when I moved from Chicago to the mid-west.  I was really pissed at my folks for moving me, forcing me to leave my "life" behind in Chicago and start again in this backwater redneck community.  It was definitely a Footloose moment, but I was nowhere near as cool as Kevin Bacon.  Headed to lunch at a local taco shack, I sat in the backseat of this guys car and pretended to get along with these people as they chatted about their tiny mundane lives.  Bored out of my skull, Cuts You Up came on the radio.  It pounded a nail right into my heart.  I got a lump in my throat and felt emotional for a moment.  I kept my mouth shut and smiled through my pain.

The album is great, I love CYU and A Strange Kind Of Love (another song about my SOUL).  Crystal Wrists and Seven Veils also come in close to the top of my favorites from this set. 

I "re-formatted" the cover, as it was good, but I wanted to add some frilly things on the logo/title.  My wife says the new logo takes away from the minimalist format of the original design.  I say, so what, I like it!!!!  No real b-sides from this album, just mixes and remixes and reprises.  They're all here, though.  Listen, Learn and LOVE.

Peter Murphy - Deep - 1989

Bassomatic - Set the Controls For the Heart of the Bass - 1990

I've always been a fan of William Orbit.  Every single I used to buy in the 90s and early 2000s, I used to check the track listing mixes to see if I could spot his name.  I knew that if Orbit popped up anywhere on the sleeve, I was bound to hear another "favorite" song of mine, before I even heard it.  I even play a game with my wife whenever one of his mixes come on, and I ask her "Who did this remix?"  She sighs, "William Orbit..." and I say "How'd you guess?" and she says "you only ask me when it's a William Orbit mix."

Bassomatic is a trendy dance-pop project of his that allowed him to experiment with the Electronic/Techno music that was popular at the time, without directly tying it to his Strange Cargo brand.  The music is all traditional WO sound, but throw in some beats and an urban vocal track, and you've got it.

The album is pretty good, not as good as his Strange Cargo, or his Modern Style albums, or even as good as some of his mixes.  But, even WO's marginal stuff is better than most electronic artists out there.

I redesigned the cover, making it a little more modern and a little less dated.  But, it may be a little too up-to-date for some of you, so I made a cover using the original graphics as well.  Only one b-side, but plenty of mixes.  Not all the mixes are here, but, I put the ones on that matter.

Bassomatic - Set the Controls For the Heart of the Bass - 1990

(I'm Looking for) Big Pig Tracks/Remixes

So, I'm working on an album for later in June, and I am short on quite a few remixes, according to Discogs.  I was wondering if anyone had any of these mixes, as I'd rather not post an incomplete collection.  Here are the tracks I am looking for....

Hungry Town - Extended Mix
Money God - Extended Mix
Boy Wonder - Baby mix
Boy Wonder - Extended Mix
Tin Drum Two
Big Hotel (The Bald Dwarf Mix)
The Bald Dwarf
Iron Lung (Fraught Iron Mix)
Iron Lung (Cast Iron Mix)
Iron Lung (Warm Iron Mix)

If you have ANY of these, please let me know and post them here for download, so I can compile it with the rest!

Thanks!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

So, that will be all the posts that I'm planning for this holiday weekend.  I need to get caught up on some covers and also spend some time with the family.  While I'm at it, I might just watch a couple Kamen Rider movies just for fun.

I'll be back Monday night with some more.  Until then, have a great weekend!

Art of Noise - Long Version of the Best Of - 1989

Last month I posted my version of AoN's best hits, which were pretty much the singles and some b-sides.  I pressed it all onto one disc, making it my "short version".  All the tracks were the single mixes, so i don't think I had anything over 4 minutes.

This is my "long version", and has all of my favorite remixes and extended versions.  They are the same album, just with different mixes of the tracks.

Art of Noise is great.  It's very neutral, very positive and objective.  Full of energy and creativity, every song sounds like a group of people just having the best time making music that they truly love.

What's great is I still haven't posted one of their albums yet.  Wait until that happens!

The Best of Art of Noise - Disc One

The Best of Art Of Noise - Disc Two

Sting - Nothing Like the Sun - 1987

Who all loves Gordon Sumner, raise hands!

It would be hard to deny Sting as being one of the most accomplished British artists out there whose music and style has evolved and grown and matured as Sting has evolved, grown and matured.  He sings his age, he acts his age, he writes his age.

This album was introduced to me by the same girl in High School who dogged me out for listening to INXS too much in gym class.  She loaned this tape to me (anything to get to talk to her again) and I fell in love with it.  I remember it was late October and I was taking the activity bus home from school.  Headphones on, listening to Englishman in New York while taking a ride through suburban Chicago on a dark evening.  Streets wet and cold, headlights reflecting from the surface.  Snow drifted, shovelled, pushed from the sidewalks and streets, all the trees barren of leaves, the ground white and dirty.  Be Still My Beating Heart.

A very mature sound, I strongly feel this is a Jazz album, but there are also some World elements in there as well.  I have all the b-sides put somewhere between the two side sets of the album, and also some at the end.  They are just as good as the album tracks.  I love every song here, with the exception of Rock Steady, which I think is a crap stupid song, and I'd cut it out of this set if it wouldn't betray the integrity of the collection.  That being said, I did have to edit about 15 seconds of the end of it just so I could fit all of the songs within that 80 minute CD barrier. 

You really can't alter the power of the original album cover, so I didn't and left it the same.  If I had decided to change the album cover at all, it may have been replaced with BSMBH, as that pic sleeve is a great shot of Sting as well.

Enjoy, relax.  Sit back and drink a snifter of brandy and let your mind fall into Sting's masterpiece release, his last for the eighties....

Sting - Nothing Like the Sun - 1987

Peter Gabriel - End Of A Century and Aughts

SO, I've already told you the story of how I discovered and fell in love with Peter Gabriel way back in my "So-Courage" post.  As time went by, and lack of new materiel appeared, the inevitable hunt for those guest vocal spots, soundtrack songs, remixes and unreleased tracks start to build up and create lives of their own.

The best way for PG, similar to Robert Smith, was to divide the material into two, and it took an obvious split in 2000, hence then, the titles of each disc.  I personally feel that the "remixes" of the Us tracks at the beginning of the first disc are better than the album tracks.  I really fell in love with them.  There are also a lot of excellent guest vocal tracks that were surprising, once I found them.

 The highlight of disc two for me is the Book Of Love cover.  I officially dedicate this song to my wife (and also every time I mention it.)

The covers are standard fractal stock pics from the internet that I thought were pretty.  And the PG pics are your average promo pics.  Simple elements, spectacular results.

I hope you enjoy them, maybe in 3.5 years, I'll have enough material to compile a teens disc.

Peter Gabriel - End Of A Century    Peter Gabriel - Aughts

Duran Duran - Seven & the Ragged Tiger - More Mixes - 1983

Obviously, my favorite Duran2 album is 7&tRT.  It's followed quickly by Arcadia and Big Thing, but those are for later posts.  As I said in my first remix disc for this album, New Moon on Monday was the tune that sucked me in for good.  I love this album, always will.

These discs contain not only the official remixes from the singles, but also fan-made remixes that rival the originals.  You've got McDoc Evo-XR, Ianroystone, Catbirdman and TMT, all remixers just as good as the rest.  I know that there are countless fan mixes out there, but I like to stick with the mixes that are period.  They have to sound like they were done in the same period as the originals.  No modern effects, no techno beats, no obvious darkwave synth or none of that.  The mixes have to sound like the boys made it.  These all fit the bill.

The fun part was making the covers.  The first disc is from the Video Laser Disc.  I swapped out the video graphics on the back (the originals were from Rio, Planet Earth and HLtW, I think), I cleaned up the colors, and tried my damnedest to match fonts.  The second disc is obviously the Union of the Snake picture sleeve with a promo shot of the band substituted in, then everything recolored, matched fonts again, and there you have it.

Now, all I have left to do is post the original album....   Question, though.  Does "Is There Something I Should Know?" belong with the Rio album, or would it be part of the S&tRT album?  Where does that one lonely song go????????????

Disc One    Disc Two

Duran Duran - 848586 - Arena Era

For that little space between 7&tRT, and the Arcadia/Power Station eras of the band, we had a time when they were on the top, and a time when they were their most creative.  I wish they had been able to hold it together, because even though I loved the two sub-groups, I think they had a creative level at that moment that comes once in a lifetime.  Both WB and AVTAK are proof of that.  Absolutely fantastic, creatively primo, cherry on the top.

Yes, yes, the Arena movie was sorta dumb, but it had potential.  Had they slowed down the process and really worked it, they could've made a great film.  Sort of take the WB video and expand it without the cheese.  I loved the concept, the costumes, the dancing and the music.  It's the story that really sorta sucked.

This is shortly after I first fell in love with the band.  I had the folders for school, the stickers, the buttons, the patches, the bandana around the knee.  I had a poster of the image I used for the CD picture sleeve above.  I wish I had it now.  I'd hang it in my bedroom again, but I don't think my wife would let me.

Anyway, I'll post the live album later, with the bonus tracks deleted tracks and all the crowd noise.

I've got the official songs, the official remixes, the fan mixes, the unofficial mixes...  and all that. 

Ring-a-ding.

Duran Duran - 848586 - Arena Era

MDFMK - Self-titled - 1998

Although they ended KMFDM to "explore new sounds and songs", it all still sounds the same to me.  It still carries a lot of what I consider traditional, stock KMFDM sound, but I admit I am a fan of Skold's vocals.  The first half of the album is fantastic, the second half is mediocre.  It still fits great in my KMFDM library.

To be honest, I don't think I added anything to this album.  I just posted it because it's difficult to find, and goes great with my NIHIL post.

MDFMK - Self-titled - 1998

KMFDM - NIHIL - 1995

My first KMFDM album, I fell in love with the group for a lifetime.  Yes, it was the commercial introduction via a soundtrack (which one?) that brought us together, but that is all it took to find the rest of the music and continue to this day to look forward to every new release from them.

This album is better on the second half, even with only one single on that half.  Terror kicks ass, Search & Destroy kicks ass, Revolution and Nihil...they're all good.

The ONLY THING I didn't like about this album, to this day, is that the cover art was not the same as the rest of their albums.  I've always like Hughes work, and having this album in the line-up of covers really throws it off.

Anyway, got the one b-side, and three remixes.  Good Stuff.

KMFDM - NIHIL - 1995

The La's - Self-titled Album - 1990

When I think about the La's, I can't help but feel a saddened sense of loss.  A sense of things that could've been and never did.  A feeling of regret.

Those who know the story of Lee Mavers and the La's will probably understand, and you won't understand unless you do know.  There's a difference between a one-off, one-hit wonder, talentless hack in-it-for-the-money band.  Yes, release an album and be gone with you.  But, then there's people like Lee Mavers, a true musical artisan, and stories of disenchantment, dreams lost, and disappointment.

One can only wonder what the nineties musical landscape would've looked like if Mavers and the La's had kept it going. Would there have been an Oasis?  Would Britrock be bigger, lesser, the same?  Who knows.  All I know is I have roughly two dozen tracks to remind me that once there was a great songwriter that fame left behind.

This post has all the b-sides and demos, obviously has the alternate album material from Hedges and the rest.  Never cared for the eye cover so I changed it up.  And dressed up the drab wall on the single cover.  For the most part, I'm pretty sure this is going to be the same as the deluxe edition, so really nothing new, unless you don't have it yet.

Best are Son Of A Gun, Liberty Ship, Doledrum and Feelin'.  All time best top of the rocks never better are There She Goes and Timeless Melody....

If anything, just Timeless Melody.  Over and over and over again.

The La's - Self-titled Album - 1990

The Mike Hedges Alternate Mix Album

Genesis - Invisible Touch - 1986

Genesis?!  WTF?!  What is this crap?!

Some might say...

Or some might say...

Yeah, back in their time in the seventies, they were what might be considered "alternative".  They were very artistic, and their vision went beyond the music.  All of their music is well crafted, and by the time the 80s rolled around they - and more importantly Phil Collins - had reached a level of expertise that demanded respect whether you liked their music or not.

Plus, it reeks 80s.

Plus Phil Collins has a great voice and is a kick ass drummer and a songwriter extraordinaire.

And Land of Confusion is an awesome video.

So there.

So, we have album side 1, album side 1.5, album side 2, then remixes.  I want to pick my favorite song on the album, but they are all so very good, right up to and through the Brazilian (all time classic).  So, take your pick.  You won't find a bad one.

Genesis - Invisible Touch - 1986

The Other Two - & You - 1992

I loved this album when it came out.  Amidst the wreckage that was grunge, this one popped up and brightened my day.

What's interesting about this one, is that their song structure was very "Brotherhood" New Order.  It shows you that not ONE person carried New Order.  They all did.  They all contributed.  They all had something to offer that fleshed New Order into the powerhouse it was at the time.  Conversely, where Electronic and Revenge felt lacking, as there was only one member of NO in each, this one felt more NO even though there were only "the other two."  Am I making any sense?

I've included the two unavailable tracks, and a couple of the best remixes, and plugged them all at the end.  I opted to stick with the original cover as I felt it was a classic look that exemplified what the Other Two were, in comparison to NO.  Looking at the alternate covers with the different colors, I felt that anything other than the green and gray colors cheapened a rich album.  I'm still unhappy with the "back cover", as I was dealing with the different cover sizes, but so is life.

SO, listen to Electronic's second album, then Revenge's Gun World Porn, and then listen to this one, and you'll drift to sleep happy and content....

The Other Two - & You - 1992

Psychedelic Furs - Midnight to Midnight - 1987

No personal accounts on this album, but by the time this one came out, the Furs were knee-deep in sell-out.  Everything was a pop-hook written for radio, trying too hard, and you could tell.  Throw in that they had to re-record Pretty In Pink for a movie, and you've got a band bound for mediocrity.

I really like most of the tracks on this album, and I had fun assembling this somewhat comprehensive set, but it was with a sense of forlorn condemnation, as I knew that by the time Book of Days came out, their better days would be behind them.  It was fun while it lasted.

Psychedelic Furs - Midnight to Midnight - 1987

Erasure - Wild - 1989

My Senior Year in High School had a lot of good music.  Cure released Disintegration, New Order released Technique, Depeche Mode released Violator, and Erasure released Wild.

The other groups, I had been familiar with, as I had all of their albums and followed them voraciously.  Erasure on the other hand, I knew Chains of Love and A Little Respect, but that was it.  I knew nothing of the Vince connection to DM, hadn't heard any of their other songs, owned none of their albums.

I just happened to see this album while I was looking for something new to purchase, browsing all the bins, looking for something different.  Depeche Mode had a Mute label, hmmm, and these guys had a Mute Label.  Well, maybe I'll give them a shot.  And that is when I fell in love with Erasure.

It started with that album along with the quick purchases of Drama and Blue Savannah.   Wonderful.  The ACTUAL singles, especially the imports were nearly impossible to locate, and without the internet, the regular 7-inch single mixes of Supernature, Runaround On the Underground, and Dreamlike State didn't happen until well into the 21st century.

I love all of the single sleeves.  They're all very pretty.  That's why I felt compelled to use the Drama 7-inch sleeve for the album this time.  I have TWO remix discs yet to post, and those will have variations of the Supernature Maxi-Single sleeve.  I will be posting those later this summer....

Erasure - Wild - 1989

Curve - Cuckoo - 1993

When this album came out, I was already a huge fan of Curve, so this album came with high expectations.  Usually, high expectations in my life equates disappointment.  So, as I listened to this, I had high hopes, but I braced myself for a fall.

And was I ever wrong.  This album, as I listened to it once, then twice, then over and over, only got better.  To this very moment, as I type this, Superblaster is playing and I couldn't agree more with what I'm saying.  Right now, I feel that this is their best album.  Right now, if someone hadn't been Smashing Squashes or Smelling Teen Armpits, Curve might have actually been able to hit it big.  This was a total breakthrough album.

The b-sides don't seem to be b-sides, and are perfect additions to the album.  I put them in the middle, with the exception of Rising, which I set right before the album's huge 3-song send-off.  When the song Cuckoo ends, I recommend stopping the music before the SB Remix starts, and then let the album sink in and sing to your inner spirit. 

The cover is the same, but I added the single sleeves.  I wish I could have put a pic of Toni on there without it being too obvious.  But, alas, I could not.  She was at maximum hotness on this album, and I wished she was my girlfriend. 

I hope you love this album as much as I do.  It's in my personal top 20 albums of all time.

Curve - Cuckoo - 1993

Cure - Live - 1982, 1984, 1986, 1990

Making my post early today, as I have stuff to do tonight.  I knew you probably wouldn't mind. 

Nothing much to say.  Today is "The Cure - Live" day.  4 concerts from four different tours in the 80s.  Soundboard or FM broadcast recordings. 

I'm not going to lie to you, these are shows that are freely available on other sites, and you may already have them.  But, they're some of my favorites, and I really wanted to redo the covers, because I've always hated most bootleg art.  It's readily apparent that whoever does them has no artistic ability, and at times they don't emulate the style and art of the particular era of the show, so the disc looks out of place on the shelf.  I've tried to fix that.

If you don't have these shows, I hope you enjoy them.  If you already have them, or don't like live recordings, all I can say is Tough Tittie.

1982 - France, Paris - Olympia

1984-05-09 - London

1986 - 06-21 Glastonbury

1990 - 04-08 Leipzig

KGC - Dirty Bomb - 2006

I wish that I was posting this album today, but, alas I am not.  The reason why is because I don't have it.  Does anyone out there have it, that would be willing to share it? 

KGC - Dirty Bomb is a collaboration between Sasha from KMFDM and Dean Garcia from Curve.  They released the one album in 2006.  For some reason, I completely missed it.  I don't know how, as I am a great fan of both men.

Please post in the comments if you have this album, or you can message me via my google account.

Thanks for your help!

Thomas Dolby - the Golden Age of Wireless - 1982

As I write this now, I would have to say that this is #3 in my "Pleasantly Surprised" series.  I bought this some time in the mid-90s, as I was collecting my favorite 80s songs on CD.  I had heard SBMWS, but had never heard the rest of this album.  Once I listened to it, I realized that not only did Blinded Science sound different then the rest of the album, the entire rest of the album was way better than Blinded Science.  In fact, it is my least favorite song on the album.

Now, the b-sides are marginal, and the mixes are mediocre, but the actual album is superb.  It's a true artifact of the 80s that should always be used as an example of what the 80s were.  Best tracks are Flying North, Europa & the Pirate Twins, One Of Our Submarines and Cloudburst at Shingle Street.

Too bad the rest of his work didn't measure up to this one album....

Thomas Dolby - the Golden Age of Wireless - 1982

A-ha - Scoundrel Days - 1986

My little sister was "into" A-ha about the time this album came out.  Secretly, I was too, but would never admit it.  I remember we were at Venture, a store similar to Target, in the Chicagoland suburbs when she made the decision to finally buy an A-ha album.  She had both HH&L and Scoundrel Days to choose from.  Having heard most of HH&L, I was eager to hear Scoundrel Days, and I tried my hardest to talk her into purchasing it.  But, she had only heard stuff from HH&L, so therefore, that was what she was determined to get.  I was pissed.  To this day I still prefer Scoundrel Days over the debut album, but at least now I have both. la la la.

People often made fun of A-ha for being pretty boys making synth music.  But, we are now looking at more than 30 years, and A-ha is still writing some fantastic tunes that have balls.  Even on this, their sophomore release, there are a lot of quality tunes (with the exception of that silly Whales song.)  I still think they don't get the credit they deserve.  At least their home country gives them kudos.

Only one b-side, but quite a few mixes and a fan mix of I've been losing you.  Quite spectacular.  Picture sleeve isn't anything special.  Just added the single sleeves.

Have at it...

A-ha - Scoundrel Days - 1986

Vapors - New Clear Days - 1980

This album is my next entry in my "Pleasantly Surprised" posts.  I'm a big fan of the website "Oldies.com" because they reissue old and out-of-print music, similar to what I do, with mixes and b-sides.  Sometimes they back 2 albums up on one disc.  In 2004 they released both of the Vapors albums on one disc.  Of course, I said "What the Heck" and ordered it, not expecting much for 11.99.  At least I'd have one good song on there, Turning Japanese.

For those that don't know anything about the Vapors, they had two albums and six singles.  I would place them firmly in the New Wave category, but could also strongly be considered Power Pop, the first album moreso.  And, according to Discogs, they do have a link to the Jam, so would that also put a hint of Punk in there?

I put all the b-sides and remixes from their first album on this disc, and I clearly preferred the Japanese cover of Turning Japanese to the actual album cover.

Vapors - New Clear Days - 1980

Echo & the Bunnymen - Porcupine - 1983

What can I say, but this is the Bunnymen at their finest.  I initially got their 6 song EP that had songs from this album, and fell in love with it, back in 1993.  My wife and I had been dating, and I went to visit her in college in Springfield Missouri, and I picked it up at a record store there.  Completely loved it.  Mind you, all of their 80s albums were great, up until Reverberation.  After that...  meh.

This picture sleeve was from Never Stop.  I bought this 7-inch just because of the beautiful cover.  Rather easy to convert it to an album cover.

Echo & the Bunnymen - Porcupine - 1983

I finally got the files to upload, so I will be posting two more albums tonight.  Thank god!

I hate my Internet Service Provider

I hate my internet company.  They have low traffic times when the internet is fine, and they have high traffic times when it really really sucks.  Right now, it's saying it's going to take 3 hours to upload my 2 albums.  WHY?! 

Anyways, I can't set up tonight and get these loaded, so I am going to have to skip tonight for albums.  How about you all go listen to some of the albums I've already given you for now.  I'll have some more for you tomorrow!

Thanks, for your patience and understanding.  This is driving me insane...

Lightning Seeds - Jollification - 1994

Yes, I have been a Broudie fan since his first album.  What's fun about being a Broudie fan and a Lightning Seeds fan is that none of his stuff is ever released domestically in the United States.  So, back before the internet and the Amazons and the Discogs and Youtubes, you had to go out and hunt to find the material.  You'd pour through music magazines at the book store hoping to see release notes (and praying you could remember them.)  You'd have to become buddies with the record store employees so they would special order stuff, and hold back stuff, and keep an eye open for stuff and let you know if they heard any news.  And that's what it would take.  Not just with Lightning Seeds, but with a lot of groups that I was fond of.  That was the fun.

Now, there's no such thing as not being able to find it.  Discogs has 187 copies of anything you want starting at 13 cents each.  What fun is that?  I can get an entire musical library with demos, b-sides and remixes from groups in about 10 or 15 minutes, depending on where you look and who it is. 

But, I digress.  This album was a great one to hunt down all the material from.  Obviously I only put two of the mixes on here, but I could've put more, as they had some good ones.  Ian Broudie is a pop-hook master, and it's a pleasure to listen to anything he has written.  Take a moment and sample this dude, it's pretty good (and very 90s)

Lightning Seeds - Jollification - 1994

Frazier Chorus - Ray - 1990

So, here is the album with the song that I named my blog after.  Track 5.  My favorite song on this album.  I used this song in my fiction writing class in college as the basis for a short story about a girl I wanted but could never have because I was too afraid to do anything about it.  Classy.  Yes, I wrote a story about being a big wuss, so what.  I look back on it now, and the story and concept were stupid, but this song was not. It's golden perfection.

As for the album, the thing I find most intriguing about it, is the fact that you can't classify it.  One song sounds like a Irish bar song, one song sounds like Jazz, another sounds like a Synthpop track, and then there's an Indie track thrown in for good measure.  All good stuff.

The b-sides are pretty good, but I do find one thing odd about this album and the singles.  Most of the remixes were done by Paul Oakenfold, one of my favorite DJs.  At the time this album came out, he was knee deep in Perfecto, his pet and baby.  These mixes should've been fantastic.  They're pretty shitty, though, and that's a shock.  As for the cover, I had to change the typeface and it's position.  I hated it.

Where did you learn to shout with such a perfect voice
The brightest words I’d heard all week
You read magazines and I heard you speak

And now the world around you makes a perfect noise
The traffic coughs and now the coffee drips
And I can hear the words if I read your lips

You’re in the roof of my mouth
You’re on the tip of my tongue
You’ve come to be all the blood I need
And all the air in my lungs

You sit across the aisle a dozen miles away
You’re just a table across and I need to talk
But my body lost its will to walk

I stare at empty cup and wonder what we’ll say
But now you’re walking out and my pulse stops dead
And there’s a muffled shout inside my head

You’re in the roof of my mouth
You’re on the tip of my tongue
You’ve come to be all the blood I need
And all the air in my lungs

And this is where you sat so this is where I’ll wait
I know that you left and you’re nowhere near
But in my head you’re still right here

You’re in the roof of my mouth
You’re on the tip of my tongue
You’ve come to be all the blood I need
And all the air in my lungs 

Frazier Chorus - Ray - 1990 

Supergrass - In It For the Money - 1997

Not really a whole lot to say here about this one, other than it's a great album, and a fun one to pull out every once in a while for a beer and cards.  It came out in the glut of Britrock of the 90s, and got lost in the pile with the likes of London Suede, Pulp, Oasis and Blur.  Fortunately, they had the talent and the backing to continue making excellent music to this day.

Take a listen.  You may like it, you may not.  Regardless, I plan on listening to it a time or two on a hot summer night, this year.  It's good for the soul.

Supergrass - In It For the Money - 1997

Pet Shop Boys - Electric - 2013

So, the Boys split from their old record label, see?  And they decide to release an album on their own new record label.  And so, you had two PSB albums about 10 months apart.  Less than a year.  And, it would appear that they saved the best tracks of the last 5 years for this album.  What's great, is there's still plenty of b-sides and a billion great remixes.  So much so, I had to make it two discs.  I've got an album disc, and a mix disc.  Both are fantastic, I love Example, and the Boys sound as fresh as ever.

Disc One is the album plus the b-sides packed down the middle.  Disc Two is nothing but the best mixes of the bunch.  All of them fantastic.

Great thing about it, there was plenty of promo pics available for this album, so making a new sleeve was a piece of cake.  It's a little more commercial than your average PSB cover art, but it still works fine.

Give them a spin....

Pet Shop Boys - Electric - 2013 - Album Disc

 Pet Shop Boys - Electric - 2013 - Remix Disc

Violet Hours - 2013

Part of my psychosis is the endless search for that missing piece.  That part of your soul, the hole in your heart, the one little piece that will make everything alright, and end the search, end the quest.  Many people search for it for years, decades, their entire life.  Some find it, some do not.

When I mentioned in my Horrors post that they were the last great Post Punk band (according to me), I wanted to actually say the Violet Hours were.  I'm not quite sure how I found out about this band, but once I did, I was smitten.  They were my missing piece.  They were that little hidden golden gem that was waiting to be uncovered.

I grabbed these three tracks and I hold them high with joy.  These are PURE pop.  These songs ooze angst.  These songs Jangle, these songs Post, they C86 all over the place.  I can listen to these three songs on repeat over and over and over and over ad nauseam.  I am in love and there's no denying it.  Their instrumentation is spot on, creative, addictive and harmonious.  Her vocals are seductive, innocent, and mournful.  Their image is classic, like a psuedo-Joy Division.  That one guy on the end even looks a little like Peter Hook.

But, alas, these three tracks are it.  They came out sporadically in 2013 with no fanfare.  Their Facebook Page has less than 400 followers.  They put on a few shows (what songs are they playing, they only have three) made a few posts, and that was it.  Now, nothing has been said since late 2014....

But, I will always remember these three songs as the piece- and the peace- that I had been looking for.  Whenever I feel that longing, that emptiness, I play these three little songs...

I give to you....            the Violet Hours.

Violet Hours - 2013

Horrors - Primary Colours - 2009

The last great band, unfortunately.  To me, they represent the last of Post Punk, the last of Britrock, the last of what I had considered "alternative music."  Their first album was great, but this album is when they really knocked the shit out of the park.  This is when I fell in love with the sound, the appearance, all of it.  They all look like Eddie Munster's brothers, and I am so jealous.

It shouldn't take long to fall for them, I only had to listen to it once.  Every track has it's moment, some more than others.  Stand outs include Mirror's Image, Who Can Say, Sea Within A Sea and Whole New Way.

Whole New Way was originally released prior to this album as a stand-alone single, but I slapped that puppy on the back end of this album.  The cover is the original, and the inside pic just rocks!

They have released two more albums that are equally as good, in fact, Luminous is probably better. 

But, as I said, they are the real deal and they are the LAST deal.  Enjoy it while they last....

Horrors - Primary Colours - 2009

Cure - The Cure - 2004

Truth Is (sic), I have no nostalgic memories or moments to share with you about this album.  Yes, I remember when it came out, and I remember how much I realized that Fat Bob had jumped the shark.  It was hailed as being the best work they'd done since Disintegration or something.  Yeah, right.  All I do remember is putting the disc in the car player and I started driving away and I was like "Oh, my god...  what crap."  I winced, I frowned, I shook my head, I quickly skipped to the next track.  Okay, Labyrinth is a good song, but....  I mean, he's got a song called Why Can't I Be Me, when 17 years earlier he was singing Why Can't I Be You?  There are conflicting messages throughout the album, as if he's trying to appeal to every teenage neurosis out there.  He's obviously grown up, but he wants to sing like he hasn't, and it shows.  And the cover art.  I'm sorry but what crap.

I had seen this coming, though.  When Wild Mood Swings came out, I had a little twitch.  Hmmm  what was that, Robert?  Then Bloodflowers shows up, and I am thinking, okay, there is definitely something wrong here.  Things had started to fall apart then.  I felt a little better after seeing them in St Louis that summer and they put on a kick-ass 3 hour show.  But, then this appeared, and I knew the show was over.

Yet, here I stand with an album and a half of materiel, chased down, gathered and arranged into one big set.  All the demos, b-sides and guest vocals.  I am definitely an obsessive/compulsive.  Or maybe I'm relentlessly hoping that one day........

I found a picture of a guy with this painting of Robert on the back of his leather coat.  What an AWESOME painting.  I had to Photoshop it a bit to get it to look more like a painting and less like an article of clothing, but I feel it worked out well.  Two discs, one cover.  Make it work...

I don't know, some people love Robert regardless of what he does, and maybe they will like this.  All I know, is that I feel sad for him when I listen to it.  And unfortunately, 4:13 wasn't much better.

For all the completists....  There you go.

Cure - The Cure - 2004 - Disc One

Cure - The Cure - 2004 - Disc Two

Billy Idol - Self-titled Debut - 1982

It was either 4th or 5th grade, I was just a little punk.  Spending the night at the neighbor kid's house.  His mom was going out with friends, so she left us with a baby sitter, who let us play Atari all night, and I remember her watching MTV and talking on the phone.  I remember seeing White Wedding for the first time, then.  It was nothing significant, yet to this day I can vividly see the video, the room I was in, and my friend and the baby sitter.  It's strange how some things can stick with you for your whole life.

I like Billy Idol. His 80s work is great, and I enjoy Generation X as well.  I liked him up to Rock the Cradle, and then everything after that was crap.  He should have stopped while he was ahead.  I'm not a HUGE fan or anything.  But, as a progeny of the 80s, I have to include him in my library as his work was a significant piece to the decade.

Honestly, it's been several years since I made this version.  I can't remember if any of the tracks are b-sides or not.  It's apparent that there are mixes on there, so enjoy that little extra.

Billy Idol - Self-titled Debut - 1982

Depeche Mode - Live - Violation Tour - 1990

And, because I wasn't able to post anything last night, I though I'd throw on one extra post tonight.

Depeche Mode.  Violation Tour 1990.  Double Disc.  Soundboard.  Can it get any better? 

I put both track listings on the same sleeve, so you can either cram 2 discs into one case with one sleeve, or print up 2 sleeves and cross off the disc it's NOT.  Too confusing?

What amazes me is their sound translates well from studio to stage.  Dave's voice is hypnotic and so very full of emotion.  It's sad that this is about the time he started losing it.  I'm just glad his body didn't succumb and we still have his voice to hear on album after album...

Anyway, this was a great show, and I loved every moment of it.  I saw them in Pensacola, Florida later in the year, so hearing this brings back a lot of good memories.

Depeche Mode - Live - Violation Tour - 1990

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Hyaena - 1984

I know the biggest debate on this one is where to put Dear Prudence.  Does it belong with Hyaena or does it belong with Dreamhouse?  Where does it go?  I sway back and forth.  I like it at the front end of Hyaena, but you will also find it at the back end of my Dreamhouse.  I don't know where to put it.  It makes more sense with this album, due to the sound, but the sleeve logo matches Dreamhouse.  It also came out closer to Dreamhouse than it did Hyaena.

Some of you may say, "Who the Hell cares?!"  But, to me, and those like me, it makes a big difference.  It shows growth, it's a chapter or verse in a larger, all-encompassing story of their life work.  It matters very much how it's portrayed....

Anyway, I do have all of the Banshees albums.  Notice how I said Banshees.  I love their music.  Love It.  But, I HATE Siouxsie's voice.  I can't stand it.  I find it somewhat tolerable on Hong Kong Garden, Israel, Kiss Them For Me, and Face to Face.  It goes to show how little I think of her voice, when I prefer a soundtrack one-off sell-out to a second-rate Batman movie, over the rest of her work...  Says something dramatic, if you ask me.  What's weird, is I don't really mind her so much on the Creatures albums, though....

I got into the Banshees, though, because I was told it was a "female Cure", and that Bob had played guitars on a couple albums.  The music is great, and I still love looking at the picture sleeves....

But, here it is...  If you don't want Dear Prudence on it, then knock off the first 3 tracks, and cross them off the cover.  Your choice.

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Hyaena - 1984

INXS - Listen Like Thieves - 1985

The second concert I ever went to was INXS Calling All Nations Tour.  I loved them to death, and even have romantic ties to the Kick album (previous post).  Whenever you discover a new group, it's the norm to check out their back catalog and find more great stuff to listen to.  As it is, I worked my way back to Listen Like Thieves.  I feel that this is the album where they abandoned their Punk/New Wave sound and headed straight into Rock territory.  They'd found their sound and were rolling with it.  THIS is their definitive album, not Kick.  Kick is the album that the record company and the radios promoted and pushed, but they were more than Kick, and this album proves it.

Mind you , some people will disagree with me and point to earlier work as definitive.  That's fine, there's no factual basis here, just my opinion on what I saw while growing up and reflecting back.  In my personal opinion, in fact, everything that came before this album, pretty much sucked.  I mean, the Swing?!  What a turd.

Anyway, I stuck around for X and flinched....  Then I got Welcome To Wherever You Are and said "alright, now.  that's enough..."  and that was it.  I heard Elegantly Wasted on the radio and wasn't even interested.

It's unfortunate that Michael is gone.  It's always sad to immortal artists go before their time.  Seems to be the nature of the business.

Played her straight here.  Album, b-sides and a few extended mixes to fill up the 80 minutes.  I am rather pleased with myself on that cover, though.  Totally different feel to it.  Let me know what you think

Let it shine, Mike...

INXS - Listen Like Thieves - 1985

PAUSE

There will be a pause in my posting tonight.

I will resume tomorrow night as usual.

Thank you for your understanding.