Confessions of a Music Junkie

How much fun can you have for three bucks? When Hastings is having a 'four for a dollar' CD sale, the answer is quite a lot. In order to share the joy, I have created an instant mixtape of the first track from each album, plus a couple of extras I picked up last week. Vote for your favorite in the poll and I'll post a feature on the most popular album.

Basia - Time And Tide (1987)
Download "Promises" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Ghost of an American Airman - Life Under Giants (1992)
Download "Bring On The Mystery" Amazon Allmusic

Kevin Coyne - Sugar Candy Taxi (1999)
Download "Sugar Candy Taxi" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Cretu - The Invisible Man (1985)
Download "Samurai" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Richard H. Kirk - The Number of Magic (1995)
Download "Lost Souls on Funk" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Peter Koppes - From The Well (1989)
Download "In The Wake" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Ozric Tentacles - Jurassic Shift (1993)
Download "Sun Hair" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Ultra Vivid Scene - Joy 1967-1990 (1990)
Download "It Happens Every Time" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Squeeze - Play (1991)
Download "Satisfied" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Sofia Shinas - Sofia Shinas (1992)
Download "The Message" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Various Artists - Help (1996)
Download "Fade Away" [Oasis & Johnny Depp] Wiki Amazon

Bonus:
Peter Kingsbery - A Different Man (1992)
Download "Do A Dance" Wiki Amazon Allmusic

Bonus:
The Jeremy Days - The Jeremy Days (1988)
Download "Julie Thru The Blinds" Amazon Allmusic

Goodwill Goodies

I was going to say something about the band Wire Train, seeing as I just picked up two of their albums at Goodwill this week. I managed to find a CD copy of Ten Women (1987) and a cassette of In A Chamber (1984). However it looks like Blog Kihn at PVAc to 44.1 kHz just beat me to it, featuring detailed entries (just a couple of weeks ago) on the entire Wire Train discography here, here and here. Great blog, with a lot of info on early 80's U.S. new wave and power pop bands.

Nick Kamen - Loving You (1988)

CHEESY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING

As Paul Simon put it, "every generation throws a hero up the pop charts". Fortunately for us retro pop aficionados, it also throws up a clutch of reassuringly talent-free loafers who somehow manage to parlay five minutes of fame into a hit record. Take, for example, Nick Kamen, who found fame in 1985 by literally taking off his trousers in a laundromat for a Levi's commercial. Next thing you know, he has a top ten hit Each Time You Break My Heart, co-produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray. In retrospect not a bad dance track at all, the single was also remixed by Shep Pettibone. Nick had one more solid chart hit, Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever which could also have been titled "I Can't Believe I'm Getting Paid To Do This - Again!" and sure enough after an album and a few more releases with diminishing returns, Nick left the pop scene in the early 90's. The album I'm featuring today, Loving You, is a mixture of some new songs and the best songs from his first two albums, several of which are remixed.

Nick Kamen - Loving You (1988)

1. Oh What a Night
2. Miss You
3. Each Time You Break My Heart (Shep Pettibone Mix)
4. Better Be Good Tonight
5. Come Softly To Me (12" Version)
6. Win Your Love (The Love Mix)
7. Don’t Hold Out
8. Lonely Boy
9. Bring Me Your Love (Extended Mix)
10. After Tonight
11. Tell Me (Extended Mix)
12. Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever (Extended Dance Mix)

There's a couple of dedicated websites out there. NickKamen.com is the more current with some attrractive touches. NickKamen.co.uk is older but also has a whole page of downloadable remixes. There's also the obligatory Wikipedia page and an unofficial MySpace page.

Link-O-Rama

If you like extended mixes, particularly from the 1987-1991 era, then run over to Brave New Waves, another new blog with an impressive array of goodies. In addition to mixes of tracks from ABC, Shakespeare's Sister, Oingo Boingo, Midge Ure, Secession and others, you can also find Industry's Stranger To Stranger album, Our Daughter's Wedding's Moving Windows and Digital Cowboy EP and lots of other stuff. Well done, sir! [Update - this one's gone]

If you can't beat them, link to them! At Jacyk's 80>90+ music memories you can find some Fra Lippo Lippi, Comsat Angels, and a group I will probably be featuring myself at some point, the synthpop duo Minor Detail. [Closed in 2011 apparently]
Probably the most 'schizophrenic' blog I have come across is Rockistory, a Spanish language blog that includes artists from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and current. It's like cruising the racks at the public library. That being said, there is a lot of material from the 1988-1992 period such as the Milltown Brothers, Real People, The La's, and others which are worth checking out. [Closed in 2011 as well]

Random 80's Wednesday

[mp3] When In Rome - Heaven Knows (from When In Rome, 1988)
[mp3] Bamboo Industry - Hypnotized (7" Single, 1984)
[mp3] How We Live - A Beat In The Heart (from Dry Land, 1987)
[mp3] Jon Astley - Jane's Getting Serious (from Everyone Loves The Pilot, 1987)
[mp3] The Adventures - Broken Land (from Sea of Love, 1988)

The Game - Under The White Bible Law (1989)

Very little is known about this French new wave band. Mining similar territory to the British "gloss-pop" bands of the time such as Waterfront, Breathe and Johnny Hates Jazz, the group released two singles, "Walk Away" and the intriguingly named "Under The White Bible Law", followed by a solitary album of the same name. Impossible to find except in French record shops, the compact disc frequently sells at auction for over $100. The LP features ten tracks, and the CD includes a bonus track "Over The Sea".
The Game - Under The White Bible Law (1989)

1. Walk Away
2. Wise Men
3. The Liberator
4. Sun and Rain
5. Celebrate
6. The Spell
7. Don't Push Me
8. Blind Vision
9. Time Is Mine
10. Under The White Bible Law
11. Over The Sea [Bonus Track]
12. Walk Away [Extended Mix]
13. Walk Away [Different Mix]

Download Under The White Bible Law

Personnel:
Marc Dimitri (vocals)
H Lorthioir (guitars)
Patrick Larrieu (guitars)
J.-laurent Lardaud (bass)
F. Rottier (drums)
Dominique Cointre (keyboards)
Claire (backing vocals)

Private Lives - Prejudice & Pride (1984)

In which we imagine a world where the compact disc was introduced in 1980, and now-obscure artists and albums could be preserved for posterity...
Yes, it's dated. Like a classic automobile, Private Lives' Prejudice & Pride album symbolizes a specific time and place. First of all, the keyboards sound old, and secondly, its studio gloss is totally '80s. But those are just two reasons why the LP is highly attractive to new wave disciples. The term "dated" is only bad to people who weren't born during the era the work originated in, or who have no affection for it. On Prejudice & Pride Private Lives combine their love for jazz and funk with the synthesized beats of mid-'80s England. The result is a hybrid of blue-eyed soul and new wave à la Fiction Factory, a group that Private Lives stylistically resemble. The music is often upbeat; however, the lyrics mainly consist of torn love letters, filled with bitterness and regret. "Living in a World" is the best track, the story of a promiscuous girl whose life has been overturned and who can't find her way to happiness; consequently, she begins having suicidal thoughts: "You say you want to drink and drive/Over the bridge to the other side," vocalist John Adams sings with both anger and empathy. The words veer between resentment and compassion, but it becomes obvious that he still cares for her: "No, you're just hanging around/Waiting for someone to rescue you." It's a beautiful ballad, hauntingly sung and sharply arranged with mournful synthesizers and toe-tapping basslines. (The 12" extended version, "Living in a World (Turned Upside Down)," is also worth searching for.) As strong as "Living in a World" is, one would assume that Private Lives used all of their ammo on one track; thankfully, they didn't. Prejudice & Pride has no filler. It may take a few spins for the record to sink in, but songs such as "River to a Sea" and "God Only Knows" are just as catchy -- if not as moving -- as "Living in a World." The angst level is pretty high; Adams seeks liberation from a dying relationship in "Break the Chains," and "No Chance You'll Pay" and "Break the Whole Thing Down" offer more romantic diatribes. All the dourness may seem a tad overwhelming; however, many British new wave artists weren't exactly cheerful. Prejudice & Pride details heartbreak with a sweet tooth for pop that is hard to resist. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide

Private Lives - Prejudice & Pride (1984)

1. River To A Sea
2. No Chance You'll Pay
3. Living In A World (Turned Upside Down)
4. Stop
5. God Only Knows
6. Break The Chains
7. Don't Wanna Cry
8. Win
9. Break The Whole Thing Down
10. Prejudice & Pride
11. Living In A World (Extended Version) [Bonus Track]
12. Because You're Young [Bonus Track]

I'VE RE-POSTED THE ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK WITH SOME EXTRAS. YOU CAN FIND IT HERE