Archive for the ‘Dead Or Alive’ Category

Viral Infection Punk Rock and HI-NRG

Friday, December 9th, 2016

Apparently my body decided that I wasn’t in bad enough mood and hit me with a brutal viral infection early Tuesday morning which led to a sore throat that day, followed by a horrific fever and violent coughing for about 24 hours. Feeling more human now, but that was kind of the last thing I needed right now. You know how sick I have to be to not even want to listen to records? Pretty damn sick.

Sheena & The Rokkets
Lemon Tea (12″ Version)
So I’m sitting at home and my throat hurts so much that I can barely swallow. As an English teacher who has to speak most of the day, I’ve become more than familiar with many of the remedies of a dry and/or scratchy throat. The number one cure? Lemon tea. I think I’ve probably drank four milk cartons worth of the stuff in the past three days.

That has two side effects.

One, I pee a lot.

Two, I get this song stuck in my head. And I assume I’m one of five people on the planet who immediately think of this song when hearing the words “Lemon tea” and I bet I’m the only non-Japanese person who makes such an immediate association.

I only shared Sheena & The Rokkets once, a little over two years ago, so a quick refresher. They’re another in the long line of YMO associates, but unlike many of the groups that worked with the Japanese techn-pop innovators, they had one foot firmly in punk rock. If you’r interested, check out their greatest hits, it’s a good jumping off point.

Also, this song totally rips off Aerosmith’s version “Train Kept a Rollin” and I like it all the more for that.

Dead Or Alive
Dead Or Alive Nude Medley (The Bevery Hills Convertable CD Edit)
I was really stoked to buy that Sophisticated Boom Box 19-disc box set that features nearly everything Dead Or Alive ever put out. But then word got out that Denon fucked it up royally. How royally? Ten of the 19 discs have errors on them. And these aren’t tiny errors. They put the wrong versions of songs on some of the discs, and two of the discs were accidentally mastered IN MONO. How the hell does that even happen? Like, did anyone even listen to it on headphones before they decided it was good to go? Horrible.

Anyways, when they do get around to shipping out versions with the fixed discs (which I hear will be next year), I’ll pick one up. Until then, here’s a DJ only mix that didn’t make the box set. Grabbed it off a Hi-NRG promo 12″ a few weeks back.

Posted in Dead Or Alive, Sheena And The Rokkets | 1 Comment »

Eyepatches for 2013

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

So tonight I spent three hours working on tracking down the keyboardist to an obscure 70s funk band.

I have weird hobbies.

Garbage
Milk (D Mix)
Milk (Trance Mix)
One of the reasons why I’ve kept this blog going for seven years (holy shit!) is that it’s just as educational and informative for me as it is my readers. For example, I had no idea that there were so many damn mixes of this song! I only had the Massive Attack mix that was on the 2CD edition of their greatest hits album Absolute Garbage. I had no idea that there were these two additional mixes by Massive Attack, two mixes by Goldie, three mixes by Rabbit In The Moon, and one with Tricky. Damn. That’s a lot of “Milk.” How come none of these other mixes have been released in any sort of complication? Chalk Garbage up as another band in the long list of acts who need and deserve a proper multi-disc remix compilation.

Dead Or Alive
You Spin Me Round (Like  a Record)
Mighty Mix 2
So when I was in Tokyo I found these.

IMG_1453

Yeah, those were must buys for the covers alone. Nevermind that I already had the tracks on one of the singles both on vinyl and on a Dead or Alive compilation CD. I mean, it would be idiotic to have bought one of those 12″ singles and not the other. They’re obviously a matching set. I need to get these motherfucker matted, framed and hung up over my dinner table. So when people come in my house, they know I”m serious about my…um…80s synthpop acts that featured androgynous lead singers with eye-patches…I guess.

Yeah, that’s it. I’m going to stand by that.

In case anyone is wondering, the two songs that I did already have that I’m not featuring here tonight are the Murder Mix of “You Spin Me Round” and the extended mix of “Misty Circles.” There are about a billion places where you can get the Murder Mix, and if you want the extended mix of “Misty Circles,” you can find it on the expanded edition of Sophisticated Boom Boom, where it is billed as the “Dance Mix.”

On a related note: Sophisticated Boom Boom might be the best worst name for an album in history.

Posted in Dead Or Alive, Garbage | 4 Comments »

(A) (Post) (With) (Excessive) (Parenthesis) Featuring Dead Or Alive and Coil (And Telex)

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

I’m going ahead and I’m writing The Lost Turntable Guide to Buying Vinyl. So if you have any questions or topics you want covered, let me know! I think it’s going to be a pretty cool piece. So far I’m covering the following topics:

  • What to look for when buying new/used/collectible records
  • Audiophile vinyl terms
  • Where to buy records
  • Tips for buying records online
  • The perils of download cards

Anything I’m missing? Let me know! Until then, here’s an incredibly random assortment of music.

Telex
Moskow Diskow
Is this disco? Is it synthpop? Who cares! It’s awesome! I never heard of these guys until I bought this single, and now I think I’m falling in love. I think that if Kraftwerk and YMO had a baby, and that baby was raised by Sparks (in Belgium), it would sound like Telex. Really goofy, but still incredibly well-done, dance music with a slick sense of humor. I’m loving it and want to hear more.

This version of “Moskow Diskow” is taken from a 12″ single, and is not the same version as the one that can be found on their first album.

Coil
Windowpane (Astral Paddington Mix)
I know nothing about Coil aside from the fact that most of their releases are crazy rare, weird and hard-to-find. This single to “Windowpane” is actually the first Coil release I’ve ever seen in a record store, which is why I bought it. The original version is pretty good. This incredibly bizarre remix is…something else, especially for 1990. Trent Reznor is a fan right? I could see that.

Dead Or Alive
That’s The Way (I Like It) (Dance Version)
Keep That Body Strong (That’s The Way I Like It)
I have to imagine that Dead Or Alive’s take on this KC & The Sunshine Band “classic” is one of the few synthpop covers of a disco tune. I don’t remember much of the early 80s, (as I was born in 1979), but I do recall that there was a strong disco backlash that continued pretty much until the mid-90s. Of course when your lead singer is an androgynous gay man who enjoys dressing up as a woman, I guess all bets are off.

Both of these mixes are from a 12″ single. They’re available on some versions of Dead Or Alive’s first LP, Sophisticated Boom Boom (wow, that title) but not the one that’s easily available in America, so I’m sharing them.

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Posted in Dead Or Alive, remixes | 5 Comments »

Let’s Get Subconscious

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

FYI: Listening to a song that has the repeated line “Let’s get unconscious” when you’re struggling to stay awake to get work done is not advisable.

Sade
Smooth Operator (12” Version)
This crazy-long version of “Smooth Operator” is smooth as shit. You’ll be listening to it and think “damn, this shit is smooth” and “I wish I could operate in a fashion as smooth as this operator operates” or something. Some might say that this version of “Smooth Operator” is too smooth. That it’s sexy smoothness and subtle sexiness might slip you into a state of permanent smooth jazz euphoria that you could never escape from. Those people might be right! So you’ve been warned. I got this off of a 12” promo single and I don’t believe that this particular version has ever been released commercially. If I am wrong please correct me in a polite manner.

Dead Or Alive
Something In My House (Mortevicar Mix)
Something In My House (Flamenco Mix)
Something In My House (US Wipe Out Mix-Part 2)
I bought this single per request. That’s right. I didn’t even own this until someone asked me to buy it and record it for them. How does one get such preferential treatment? Well, being my boss sure as hell helps let me tell you. So if you really want a rare 80s remix posted here, hire me to write CD reviews. Total win-win for everyone involved. I work very cheap. This 12” single was requested specifically for the Mortevicar Mix, which features random creepy samples from The Exorcist. Shockingly, the Flamenco Mix is accurately-named, what with it’s excessive flamenco guitars. I don’t know what makes the final mix so “US” though, maybe us Americans like excessive vocal stuttering and guitar solos?

Madonna
Bedtime Story (Junior’s Sound Factory Mix)
Bedtime Story (Junior’s Sound Factory Dub)
Bedtime Story (Orbital Mix)
Bedtime Story (Junior’s Wet Dream Mix)
Hey, this is the Madonna song that Bjork (kinda) wrote. Which is definitely the explanation for why it was the strangest Madonna single until “American Life.” However, unlike “American Life”, this song doesn’t suck joy out of life. I know a woman who can recite, by memory, the entire rap of “American Life”. She’s pretty awesome in spite of this though and I try not to hold it against her. It’s difficult though. It’s hard to talk to someone who doesn’t have taste in high art like the soundtrack to Howard the Duck after all.

Anyways, stuff about this song: Like I said before, it was written by Bjork, but was supposedly re-written so many of her lyrics were removed or changed. I don’t know how much of that I believe, but I read it on the internet so it must be true! These remixes are pretty stellar. My favorite is the one by Orbital, but Junior’s mixes are quality as well. This single had a dub of the unfortunately titled “Wet Dream Mix” but it was scratched beyond repair. Sorry.

Posted in Dead Or Alive, Madonna, remixes, Sade | 5 Comments »

Cross-dressing, cross-samples and, um, GusGus.

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Meh! Meh I say!

Dead Or Alive
You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Extended Mix)
Brand New Lover (Bubble Mix)
Did you know Jessica Simpson tried to cover You Spin Me Round? She failed because she’s a no-talent piece of trash who should fall off the face of the Earth. Seriously. How many great songs does that vapid talentless nimrod need to butcher? She fucked up that song, Robbie Williams epic power ballad “Angels,” “Take My Breath Away” and “These Boots Are Made For Walking.” She even over-sampled John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane” for her first album. It’s not bad enough that she has to release “original” pieces of shit that the average retarded teenybopper wouldn’t be caught dead listening to, but she has to go a ruin good songs? I think it’s funny that she’s credited as a songwriter on most of her releases, like that no-talent piece of trash can put two notes together, the idiot can barely put two fucking words together. I hate that people are so critical of her weight, when her personality, stupidity and lack of talent are all much better reasons to tear her to shreds.

How was that for a random rant? These tracks are from a 12” single.

Big Audio Dynamite II
Rush (12” Mix)
No rant here. “Rush” kicks ass. Not only that, but I can use this space to promote the new album by Carbon/Silicon, which is Mick Jones’ latest band (also featuring Tony James from Sigue Sigue Sputnik.) Carbon Bubble is currently free to download at Carbon/Silicon’s website. Go get it. It’s excellent. And if even if you don’t like it, who the fuck cares? It’s free!

GusGus
Polyesterday (Shot In The Leg Remix)
Hands down one of the best song titles of all time. Good track too. I know little about GusGus so I’ll just shut up now. This is from a white label single I got last week.

Posted in Big Audio Dynamite, Dead Or Alive, GusGus, remixes | 4 Comments »