Most music magazines these days give away CD's occasionally, although in my opinion it's usually a case of finding one or two things you like. Usually there's some sort of record label promotion involved. Back in the '80s giveaways were rare except for the occasional flexi-disc usually with some wobbly Christmas greeting from the talentless one from Wham or the drummer from Duran Duran.
Record Mirror gave away this tape in 1985, but there were some conditions. First, you had to collect consecutive coupons from the magazine, and then send off for the tape. The slight catch was the full tracklisting was not provided, with each week instead two or three of the artists being revealed. The promotion was designed to highlight the tape itself, a 60 minute cassette from Maxell (Type I, not the other Type II Chrome thingy). Obviously the tape product was pretty good, because it played quite nicely 27 years later so I could digitize the tracks.
Quite a good compilation for it's type, we have several RM favourites (Lizzie Tear - who never seemed to release anything at all, Del Amitri, Hipsway, Win, Virginia Astley). We also have the original version of "Opportunities" by The Pet Shop Boys, before they achieved chart success later in the year. Several tracks were exclusive to this release at the time.
1. Win - You've Got The Power
2. Pet Shop Boys - Opportunities
3. Lizzie Tear - Kima (Hey Ma Ma)
4. Brilliant - Ruby Fruit Jungle
5. Colourbox - Arena
6. Chakk - Turn The Sound Out
7. The Pogues - A Pair of Brown Eyes
8. Animal Nighlife - Love is Just The Great Pretender (Undressing Mix)
9. James - Just Hip
10. ABC - Fear of the World (In Cinemascope)
11. Tippa Irie - Complain Neighbour
12. Virginia Astley - I Live In Dreams
13. Hipsway - Forbidden
14. Del Amitri - Heard Through A Wall
15. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Rattlesnakes (Live)
Download
11 comments:
Lizzie Tear actually released several singles (4) and an album sampler... http://www.discogs.com/artist/Lizzie+Tear
What a find! I used to collect UK pop rags back in the 80's but Record Mirror was only a blip on my radar. Nice to see some of my former faves like Brilliant and Hipsway as well as rare tracks from ABC and Lloyd Cole.
I can't seem to download this. Is there any way to re-up. Cheers.
Tested the link - it worked for me :)
Been looking for something like this for ages - I had this on Cassette back in the day and played it to death - now I can play "Ruby Fruit Jungle", "Kima (Hey Ma!Ma!)", "Forbidden" etc. to my heart's content again!
Brilliant!! Thanks for uploading this. Colourbox's 'Arena' is still one of my fave songs. Did we really have to send off coupons from the magazines to get this? I had it delivered every week, so apparently wasn't a big deal. I'd heard 'Opportunities' in August 2 1985, the day I moved back to England, after 3 years in the US. Great memory that was.
this has made my day!!
Fabulous, found on a Google search after (for reasons far too boring to list) digging out my copy. I had no recollection of the coupon thing but was a RM regular so it can't have been a hardship. Despite having been played to death at the time, my copy still plays fine too.
Hi! This too has just made my day. I played this cassette to DEATH back in the day... I think it's still in a box in the attic somewhere. THIS version of Opportunities is THE ONE and got me into the Pet Shop Boys way 'before they were famous'! (Everytime I hear Opportunities I always think "Nah, that's not as good as the version on Spools Paradise!" it's amazing that the PSBs seem to want it buried, preferring to re-release countless other remixes. Check out THAT ending where you think it's over and it spins back in! Oh, and LOVED Ruby Fruit Jungle too. Memories! Thanks!
Hi, I can't get this to download with Box. Would love to get a copy of this if still available - particularly interested in the James track as I run an archive at oneofthethree.co.uk - but this I haven't heard.
I sent you the James track
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