Archive for the ‘remixes’ Category

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Back from the dead with YMO

Monday, May 2nd, 2022

Hey, how’s this thing work again?

Why the even longer break than usual? Well, the typical “I can’t find anything to share” excuse aside, this year has proven to be incredibly busy for me. Since my last post, I got a new job! I’m still teaching English in Japan, but now I’m working for a company that doesn’t seem to actively hate me, so that’s nice. I am working more hours though, which means it’s harder to dedicate free time to creative endeavors. And since more people seem to be visiting my YouTube channel and listening to my podcast than frequenting this blog, those have taken precedence, sorry.

As I’ve said before though, this blog isn’t going anywhere. On the off chance that I do decide to shutter it for good, I’ll definitely put out an update, but again, that’s not likely.

I got some really cool and rare video game music recently, but I know that most people who read my blog don’t come here for that and would be bummed if my first post in nearly half a year was dedicated to Double Dragon remixes, so I’ll save those for next time. Instead, hey check it out more YMO.

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Tong Poo (Special DJ Copy)
La Femme Chinoise (Acoustic Version)
Where Have All The Flowers Gone? (Acoustic Version)
Greenback Dollar (Re-Mix)
My new job is in an area with some record stores. As you can imagine, this is a problem. Thankfully the really good record store is some distance away, just far enough that I can’t make it there during my usual lunch break. However, if a student cancels their lesson, and that lesson is right before my scheduled lunch break, then I have more than enough time to make the walk and spend too much money on CDs I don’t need!

For example, I bought yet another Yellow Magic Orchestra greatest hits compilation. That brings the total number of YMO albums in my collection to a completely unsatisfying 87. That number is like a dare. It’s sitting there, egging me on to see if I can get to an nice big round and even 100. Goddammit.

Anyways, the compilation in question is YMO Go Home!, which the group released in 1999. It’s a two disc set, and while it’s not as good as what I consider to be their definitive greatest his set, UCYMO, it’s still damn good. In addition to all the bangers you’d want, it also has a few harder to find tracks, which are the ones I’m sharing here. The Special DJ Copy of “Tong Poo”was first made widely available as a part of the 1992 Techno Bible 5CD box set (which I own). I think before that it was only on some promo 12″ singles. It’s not crazy different than the original, but it has enough deviations to make it worth a listen.

When this compilation came out in 1999, it was probably most notable for being the exclusive home of both of those acoustic tracks. They have seen been re-released as a part of the 2005 8CD mega box set L-R Trax, which I do not own because I own nearly every single song in that box set and it usually goes for hundreds of dollars these days. I’m crazy, but I’m not an idiot.

The acoustic tracks are great. “La Femme Chinoise” works oddly well as a slow, acoustic number. The song’s melody sounds surprisingly haunting when plucked on an acoustic guitar. Makes me wish for acoustic re-workings of more YMO classics.

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” is a bit, well, weirder? First of all, it’s a cover of a Pete Seeger song. How/why/when the hell YMO decided to do a Pete Seeger cover is a mystery. It’s probably for the best that they kept in an acoustic affair though. Pete Seeger’s quiet, contemplative anti-war ballad didn’t need a sequenced beat. Like the other acoustic number, it’s very good. And again, I hope that YMO have some more hidden acoustic gems in the vault that they’ll release someday.

Finally, there’s “Greennack Dollar,” which is on an entirely different YMO compilation called One More YMO, which collection of live cuts. I think that every track on that compilation was previously released save for this one. It was recorded in Budokan in 1980, but not as part of the December concert that served as the source for their legendary Budokan live album, it was recorded earlier in the year.

If you don’t know, “Greenback Dollar” is a cover of a Hoyt Axton song from the early 60s. So, yes, this is YMO covering a song written by the dad in Gremlins. The world is weird sometimes.

Posted in live, remixes, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 4 Comments »

Shilling and Cyndi

Sunday, December 5th, 2021

I’m not dead, I feel happy!

Well, I’m not dead at least.

Figures that right when I said I would do my best to update this blog on a monthly basis I go and flake out for a whole month. I guess I’m subconsciously putting this blog on the backburner while I work on other projects, like my podcast, my YouTube channel, and my other podcast. All of which I’m very proud of right now!

I’m continuing to post new episodes of Cinema Oblivia every other week. Since my last post here, I’ve uploaded episodes on Trick or Treat (with my friend/schlock connoisseur Matt Kucick), Manhunter (with Kotaku’s Brain Ashcraft), and The Visitor (with Joe Odber/aka @FrootoftheLoom1 on Twitter). I’m really happy with how all of them have turned out, not to toot my own horn. And I got some more episodes lined up. This week, Anthony Abatte joins me to talk about the crazy 70s horror/car chase flick Ride With The Devil! That episode was a lot of fun to record, so I hope you check it out.

Also, I’ve really started to kick my YouTube channel into high gear recently. Since my last post here I’ve uploaded FIVE videos, and in two of which you can see my face and everything (it’s terrifying). Check them out too if you can.

And finally, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, the podcast I’m on about prog rock, is getting updated more often as well. We put up an episode last month about The Mars Volta, and this week they’ll be another new episode, this one about post-Jon Anderson Yes (it’s a bumpy ride). So yeah, check that out too.

Sorry for all the shilling. It’s been a rough year, and all these projects are pretty much the only thing that’s keeping me remotely sane at the moment. I know a lot of you would rather me just continue this blog as is for infinity and beyond, but try to give these a shot too.

Now, here are some remixes to popular songs from the 80s. I used to post those a lot, y’know.

Cyndi Lauper
Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Extended Version)
Change of Heart (Extended Version)
What’s Going On (Club Version)
Money Changes Everything (Extended Live Version)
These tracks are from The Best Remixes, a Japan only EP that came out in…1996? Weird.

I found this CD at a Hard-Off, which are Japanese second-hand stores that I like to visit (and make videos about). The EP actually has six tracks, but I’m not including the ones that are on streaming services and other re-issues. So sorry, no Goonies or “She Bop” remixes here!

I know you’re gonna come for the “Girls” remix, but definitely stay for the “Change of Heart” remix and the live version of “Money Changes Everything.” “Change of Heart” ain’t exactly a Cyndi classic, but this remix slaps, with a fantastic extended outro. And the live version of “Money Changes Everything” is just fantastic, of course, that song is rad as hell, so I guess that’s not that surprising.

Probably the only less than perfect 10+ track on this EP is the remix of “What’s Going On” because, let’s be real, Cyndi’s cover of that wasn’t all that hot to begin with, still not a bad tune though.

I’ll try to have a Christmas-themed post later this month, but I’ve learned that I shouldn’t make promises about posts anymore. So, if I don’t post again until 2022, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Posted in Cyndi Lauper, remixes | 6 Comments »

Big Shots – a song you’ve never heard from a movie you’ve never seen

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021

Sorry for the lack of updates for over a month. If you follow my Twitter, you know why I was unable to write for a while. For those who don’t know, I had a family emergency back in the states that necessitated a visit to Ohio. It was an absolutely terrible experience and I’d rather not spend to much time talking about it. Again, if you want to know all the details, check my Twitter.

Anyways, I’m back in Japan now! And I’m trapped in my apartment for a two week mandatory quarantine (despite being vaccinated). And that sucks, but I’m committing to not complaining about it too much and will try to make the most of it. I hope I’ll finally get around to writing about some more obscure records that deserve proper, well-researched posts. In the meantime, he’s an obscure record that probably doesn’t deserve hours of research.

West Coast Posse
Big Shots (Put On The Brakes) 12″ Remix
Big Shots (Put On The Brakes) 7″ Version
Big Shots (Put On the Brakes) Instrumental Dub
Big Shots was a film that came out in 1987. It’s one of many 80s kids movies that is woefully problematic when looked at with modern eyes, but I sure loved it when I was a kid.

The film is about a young white kid named Obie (sigh) who runs away from his home in the Chicago suburbs after his father passes away suddenly. Lost in inner city Chicago, he becomes friends with a street smart black kid who calls himself Scam. Together, the pair embark on adventures that include running away from mob hitmen, grand theft auto, and armed robbery, eventually going on a road trip in a stolen car so Scam can reunite with his father who has relocated to the south.

It’s a weird flick, and definitely one in a long line of 80s kids movies that simply could not be made today. Iffy (if harmless) racial issues aside, these kids jack cars, and even hold up a pawn shop with a gun. Hell, one of them even drinks beer with no negative repercussions. Not to mention the whole “on the run from a mob enforcer who literally wants to murder them” subplot. The entire films feels like an evil twin to Adventures In Babysitting, right down to its Chicago setting.

No one of note stars in the film. Obie is played by a child named Ricky Busker, and this is his only role in anything ever. Scam is played by Darius McCrary. His career has fared a bit better, and he’s in a lot of movies and TV shows, but usually in smaller or supporting roles. He did have a role on The Young and the Restless for a few years, and more recently he was in The Leftovers, so he’s definitely getting by, so good for him.

About the only actors of note in the film have bit parts. Bill Hudson, best not known as Kate Hudson’s actual father, makes a quick appearance as Obie’s ill-fated father, and character actor Paul Winfield shows up as fence with a heart of gold who helps the kids out. Robert Proskey, who you probably know as the boss from Mrs. Doubtfire and the bad guy from Thief also drops in a for a few brief scenes, playing an ultra-scummy pawn shop owner who gets what he deserves from the kids.

The film was directed by Robert Mandel, who also directed School Ties and The Substitute, as well as the greatly underrated F/X. More notable, however, is the film’s writer: Joe Eszterhaus. That’s right, between writing Flashdance and Basic Instinct, the man who would eventually create Showgirls decided to pen a movie for kids. I guess that explains why it’s a little dark, and features a subplot about a dead body in the trunk of a car.

Big Shots is an above average 80s kids flick with some surprisingly dark elements and some decent performances. But that’s about it. If you don’t have the nostalgia for it, there’s probably nothing in it for you. However, if you were a weird kid like me and watched it over and over again while you were staying at your dad’s apartment on the weekends, you’ll probably be surprised by how well it holds up if you watch it again as an adult. It’s on Amazon as an SD rental, but the picture quality is good enough to get the job done, if you’re interested in seeing it.

But what about this song?

“Big Shots (Put On The Brakes)” shows up near the tail end of the film, for about 10 seconds at most. The song was obviously created for the film, so it’s strange that its sidelined so quickly. It never plays over the end credits, hell it’s not even mentioned in the credits. My friend and I could only find it by doing a Google search of the song’s title, which led us to Discogs. Where I, of course, immediately bought both the 12″ and 7″ singles of the track after I found out that no one had, to the best of my knowledge, ripped the tracks and put them online.

(For the record, the film’s actual theme song is “Freedom Overspill” by Steve Winwood, which plays at least twice throughout the film. That song ain’t bad, but it’s no “Valerie.”)

The song is a weird half electro and half rap thing. The rapping is what it is, forgettable at best, but I do like the instrumental sections, the breakdowns, and the dope guitar solo.

From what I can gather, this track is one of one two songs that wonderfully generically named West Coast Posse ever managed to get released. The other appears to be a remix/cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” But I would not be surprised if that was a different West Coast Posse, given that the track was released some 13 years after this one.

I bet there have been many acts that called themselves “West Coast Posse.” But who is this West Coast Posse? The two rappers are MC Jam and Pee Wee Jam. Aside from this track, they also showed up on the soundtrack to the classic Action Jackson, under their stage names, not as West Coast Posse, performing the movie’s closer “Protect and Serve.” Both the 12″ single for this track and the soundtrack to Action Jackson were released by Atlantic Records. Furthermore, Big Shots and Action Jackson were produced by Lorimar Film Entertainment. My guess is that these guys were somehow connected with someone at that studio.

Near the end of the track both MC Jam and Pee Wee Jam shout “Stevie No Wonder!” That’s not a random aside or adlib, that’s the nickname of the track’s guitarist, Stevie Salas. He’s worked mostly as a session dude. He’s on a bad Eddie Money album. He also shows up on some Terence Trent D’Arby stuff. His most noteworthy work (to me anyways) is his stuff with Was (Not Was) on their fantastic 1988 album “What Up, Dog?” (that’s Stevie playing guitar on “Walk The Dinosaur) and his work with Bootsy Collins. The dude even formed a band with Bootsy at one point, a funk-metal group called Hardware that doesn’t seem all that bad.

Finally, behind the scenes we have David Kershenbaum producing the track. Kershenbaum did remix work for Duran Duran, he produced for Joan Baez, The Hues Corporation, Joe Jackson, and countless others. He’s won Grammys.

I have no idea what the hell he’s doing here.

Enjoy. It’s good to be back. I hope I can get at least one more post out during my enforced isolation from the rest of the world.

Posted in remixes | No Comments »

Remixes of dubious origin

Monday, May 10th, 2021

Obligatory Cinema Oblivia plug. Many new episodes since my last post, including an episode with Alex Navarro, formerly (sadface) of Giant Bomb! Check it out! And remember, if you like it, leave a good review on iTunes or whatever other podcast service you grab it from (if they allow reviews) and tell your friends!

Okay, done shilling. Kind of a short post this week about some tracks that are pretty stupid. Sorry it’s not something more substantial. Not only can I still not go out to buy records right now thanks to Japan’s pitiful vaccine rollout, pretty much all the super-interesting stuff I yet to write about that is in my queue requires some substantial research and in some cases some translation work by the boyfriend. Also, there’s been some bad family stuff going on lately that has made it hard for me to sit down and really write something substantial.

I really want to do those albums justice, so I wouldn’t feel right shitting out something flippant and silly about them.

However, tonight’s music, yeah, I’m okay with doing that.

Pink Floyd – Is There Anybody Out There (Junior Vasquez Remix)
Pat Benatar – Love Is a Battlefield (Junior Vasquez Remix)

These are a pair of remixes from a 12″ white label bootleg that I bought…I don’t know when and I don’t know where. I definitely grabbed it pre-pandemic. I might have even snagged it the last time I was in America two years ago. Shit like this usually doesn’t it make it over to Japan, they have better taste over here.

These remixes are credited to Junior Vasquez. Maybe that’s the case? Maybe not? I have no idea. I find it highly doubtful that Vasquez was putting out bootleg house mixes of Pink Floyd and Pat Benatar in 2000. He probably had better (and more profitable) things to do at that point. But hey, who knows? Maybe the dude just wanted to make some 10+ minute remixes of tunes that he really dug, and he just happened to choose Pink Floyd and Pat Benatar? Sure, why not?

I’m sure there’s plenty of reasons why not, but let’s not get too negative here.

These remixes are fun. They’re stupid as fuck. But they’re fun. The Pink Floyd remix is barely Pink Floyd. Aside from the titular vocal sample, nothing else from the source material is incorporated into the “remix.” Still, it’s not bad. Has a good energy, and that’s a good sample, obviously.

The Pat Benatar remix draws substantially more from the original version. Variations of the melody play throughout most of the track, and more of Benatar’s vocals are incorporated into the tune. Good breakdown in the middle too. It reminds me of Faithless a bit, and makes me wish that Pat Benatar would’ve done some house collaborations like Sarah McLachlan or Tori Amos. She could’ve had her own “Silence” or “Blue Skies!”

Again, I doubt these are actually Junior Vasquez remixes. I didn’t spend a lot of time digging to find out, but I couldn’t find them on any official releases or on any proper Vasquez mix. I would guess that if they were real remixes by Vasquez, he would’ve put them into his sets at some point, right? But again, I could be wrong. I could also be an idiot and missed a super obvious way to find this out. If I am an idiot and did miss a super obvious way to find this out, let me know in the comments.

Just don’t call me an idiot, leave that implied.

Posted in remixes | 2 Comments »

Totally Tubular (Bells) and Utah Saints

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021

Keyboards Affair
Tubular Bells (New Dance Version)
Commando
I saw this in a progressive rock record store, of all places, for about five bucks. Upon laying my eyes on it I immediately knew I wanted it. A “dance version” of “Tubular Bells?” Who would be so stupid/insane/brilliant to try such a thing, and why did I know that they were Italian?

This is the sole release by Keyboards Affair, aka Roberto Rossi, best known as the producer/writer of Sabrina’s international trash dance hit “Boys.” You ever seen the original video for that shit? Jesus Christ. I’m gayer than a rainbow at a Cher concert but even I’m taken aback by that one, or should I say, those two. Did that actually air on TV?!

Sorry, something got the breast best of me for a second. This is a decent, fun mix of “Tubular Bells,” although the spoken word interlude is entirely worthless and should not be there. “Commando” is sadly not a remix of any of the music from the Arnold film, but an original piece (at least I think so). It’s a good jam, with a slight creepy, dark vibe to it. Have Justice sampled this? I feel like Justice should sample this. The end of this, vocal snippets not withstanding, is really quite good.

Utah Saints
Believe In Me (7″ Edit)
Believe In Me (DJ Tim’s Bliss Mix)
What Can You Do For Me? (Madness Mix)
“Believe In Me” features a sample of Sylvester’s “Do You Wanna Funk.” That, by definition, means it is one of the greatest dance songs of all time. These two remixes still have that sample, so they are very good.

The original version of “What Can You Do For Me?” is built entirely off of a sample from The Eurythmics’ classic “There Must Be An Angel Playing With My Heart.” That, by definition, also means it is one of the greatest dance songs of all time. Who doesn’t want to dance to Annie Lennox? This remix keeps that Eurythmics sample, but at a reduced rate. That’s not right. I feel that when you’re listening to “What Can You Do For Me?” you come in expecting a certain percentage of that song to be comprised of samples of Annie Lennox’s godlike voice. When you remove any percentage of said sample, you’re make the song that much worse. It’s just simple math. If anything, when remixing “What Can You Do For Me?” you should add MORE Annie Lennox. Well, I guess that’s true for most things. Nothing has ever been damaged by adding Annie Lennox to it.

 

Posted in remixes, Utah Saints | 4 Comments »

Three Natural One Remixes

Friday, January 22nd, 2021

Folk Implosion
Natural One (Unkle Mix)
Natural One (Instrumental Mix)
Natural One (Unkle No Scratch Mix)
“Yo check out this Unkle remix of this Folk Implosion song from an independent movie” is the most late-90s thing one could possibly say. I think I posted some of these mixes eons ago, but that was a really bad vinyl rip. These are from a CD single.

What a strange hit single. For those unaware, “Natural One” was on the soundtrack to the film Kids, a movie that was so sexually explicit that the MPAA gave it the dreaded NC-17 rating, leading the filmmakers to go the unrated route instead. I was interested in the movie when it came out, but I was also 15 years old. My parents, liberal as they were with my movie watching (they bought me a copy of A Clockwork Orange the same year) drew the line with Kids. I think it was the only movie from my father’s video store that I was literally barred from renting. In my 20s, I still haven’t seen the movie and honestly I have no desire to now. I’ve seen other movies by both the director Larry Clark and writer Harmony Korine. I think I can honestly say I’m not picking up what they’re putting down. Also, some…let’s be charitable and say “thematic elements”…of Clark’s films are really, really gross.

Folk Implosion was a side-project of Lou Barlow. Lou, for those who may not know, was/is also in Dinosaur Jr. He bounced from Dinosaur Jr. at the start of the 90s and went on form Sebadoh. Dinosaur Jr. had some minor hits without Lou, and Sebadoh was a college-rock indie-darling, but they never really made a dent on the mainstream charts.  That was always mystifying to me. Sebadoh was a weird band with a lo-fi bent, but they could craft catchy, guitar-hook heavy, rock songs like nobody’s business. If any of the pre-Nirvana alt-rock acts deserved to capitalize off of the grunge boom, it was them.

While Lou couldn’t score a pop hit with his decidedly radio-friendly rock band, he somehow managed to get a hit with this track, a bizarre electronica-tinged, creepy-sounding low-key tune taken off the soundtrack to a controversial, rarely-seen indie film that some critics dubbed as literal child pornography. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that this was a mainstream hit. It cracked the Billboard Top 30! People really undersell just how damn weird the 90s were sometimes, I swear.

I still can’t figure out how this song became a hit so I’m just going to go with “it’s damn good” and leave it at that. It also managed to come out at just the right time. 1995 was the year that it became safe to put electronic elements in your rock music again. Bjork’s Post had just come out earlier that year. That album, along with albums like Portishead’s 1994 debut Dummy, were big critical hits, and endeared college kids to the idea that rock music could have samplers and keyboards in it and still be cool. If this song had come out a year prior, it might have been a hit with the critics, but it probably wouldn’t have broken through to the mainstream. If it had dropped in the later half of 1996 or 1997, it would have been to late, as by then the Matchbox 20s and Third Eye Blinds of the world had successfully removed any remaining edge or originality from the alt-rock scene.

The failure of Folk Implosion to capitalize off this hit also demonstrates just how “1995” the song was. Their follow-up album, Dare To Be Surprised, came out in 1997. It got indie buzz, of course, but no radio play. They followed that album up with their major label debut One Part Lullaby in 1999. That one was obviously recorded with more of a radio-friendly intent, but it got zero interest and less-than-zero airplay, which is a shame because it’s a fantastic record (“Chained To The Moon” is a banger) and got really good reviews. Lou’s version of the group without co-founder John Davis, The New Folk Implosion, released a record in 2003, but that one couldn’t even get any indie-cred, and fell with a resounding thud. It’s also a good record and I recommend it.

Lou’s back with Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr. now, and he also released a really good solo album a couple years back. Despite being his breakthrough act, Folk Implosion almost feel like a footnote to his career now, but I think that more people ought to check them out. If you dig “Natural One,” I really think you can’t go wrong with either One Part Lullaby or that New Folk Implosion album. Both feature more of the band’s lo-fi/electronic mix, and sound just as fresh and unique now as they did 20 years ago. Actually, with the re-emergence of amateur recordings and lo-fi home demos thanks to Tik Tok, they’re probably more relevant than ever.

Someone needs to make a Tik Tok meme to “Merry Go-Round” is what I’m saying.

 

 

Posted in Folk Implosion, remixes | 1 Comment »

Apollo Smile and Madonna (because of course Madonna)

Tuesday, October 13th, 2020

Apollo Smile
Dune Buggy (Remix/Edit)
Dune Buggy (Remix/Edit Without Vocal Breakdown)
Dune Buggy (Full Drivin’ Mix)
The latest in my continuing series of “dubious Discogs purchases bought drunk and depressed during the lockdown.”

When I placed the order for this, the seller reached out to me just to double-check that I actually wanted to buy it. The single only cost about two bucks, but, since I live in Japan, shipping would run me closer to $10. The seller wanted to make sure that I was okay with such a premium, and was very willing to cancel the order. In fact, I bet they thought I would. “What kind of idiot would pay $10 in shipping for a fucking Apollo Smile single?”, they probably said to themselves.

THIS KIND OF IDIOT.

I don’t even like Apollo Smile all that much. Her self-titled album is actually pretty bad. She’s good on it. She has personality galore. But the songs are bland and forgettable. “Dune Buggy,” with its bright-but-chill party vibe is an album highlight though, so I was happy to score this single.

I’m sure I’ve told this story before, but I actually tried to interview Apollo Smile at one point. So many anime nerds of the mid-90s saw her on Sci-Fi Channel, and many (myself included) wondered what happened to her. She still has her fans, and I though that she would want to know that, and that she might want to let her fans know how she was doing.

It wasn’t that hard to track her down. At the time, her employer was even named on her Wikipedia page. I emailed said employer, identified myself as a freelance journalist, and inquired about and possibly interview opportunity with Apollo.

Crickets.

About a year later, I thought I’d give it another go, so I sent a second email to her employer. This time, I did get a response. It was the most polite “leave us the fuck alone” reply I ever got. And that was that for that.

Oh well. Apollo if you’re out there, know that people want to hear your story. And if you’re not interested in sharing it, know that people still like you, and have fond memories of the goofy fun you gave them.

 

Madonna
Everybody (Extended Version)
Everybody (Dub Version)
Hate to sound like a broken record (ha it’s funny because the blog is called Lost Turntable) but these are new CD rips of mixes that I previously only had as vinyl rips. So, if you did download these when I first featured them, you’re going to want to go grab these because they sound much better. Another one of my drunken Discogs purchases.

Between Discogs and Recofan closing (sobs forever), I bought a lot of Madonna these past few months. Seriously. Like, even more than the usual amount of too much Madonna that I typically buy. I’m going to have to start sharing these piecemeal like this or I’ll never get them out of my backlog.

Both of these tracks are from the Japanese True Blue: Super Club Mix single. That five track CD has some other good remixes on it, but all of them are either commercially available for purchase or streaming, or I already recently featured them here. The True Blue: Super Club Mix single was actually re-issued in the states not all that long ago, but only on LP, with no CD or digital option available. Which is stupid.

Posted in Apollo Smile, Madonna, remixes | 4 Comments »

Random Remix Sunday

Sunday, September 27th, 2020

Random happytime remixes.

Macy Gray
Sexual Revolution (Blaze Shelter Vocal Mix)
Sexual Revolution (Miguel Migs Petalpusher Vocal Remix)
I miss Macy Gray! I guess it’s not really fair to say that. It’s not like Macy Gray is dead or anything. She put out a record just two years ago. What I really miss is a world that gave a shit about Macy Gray. Her voice is so cool. No one has ever or ever will sound like her. Truly one-of-a-kind.

SHE’S ALSO ON THE LAST GREAT BLACK EYED PEAS SINGLE FOR FUCK’S SAKE!

Her first two albums are just amazing stuff. They have fantastic love songs like the immortal “I Try” and the almost-as-good “Sweet Baby,” but the best tracks on both are the ones where Macy is horny as hell and DTF. Horny Macy Gray is the best Macy Gray because she wants to let you know that she’s down to do some hardcore nasty shit, not at all low-key about it, but always skirting the line right against outright vulgarity. She’s the hard PG-13 or soft R or sex jams.

This is a great jam, and the remixes both do a fantastic job of balancing the jazzier aspects of the original cut while still slicing in some nice dance beats. I sadly don’t have this album nor her first on my computer for some reason. Guess I’ll have to pick them up again sometime.

As killer as this tune is, if I had to name my all-time favorite “Macy Gray is down to do the deed” track, it actually wouldn’t be a Macy Gray song at all, it would be her collaboration with Fatboy Slim, “Love Life,” off of his 2000 album Halfway Between The Gutter and the Stars. The lyrics to that song are just fantastic, with one the greatest outros in the history of music:

Said I’m gonna A ya
And I’m gonna B ya
And I’m gonna C ya
Gonna D ya
If I E ya
Cause I wanna F ya
Yeah, I wanna F ya
Yeah, I wanna F ya

Its the horny alphabet song.

Talking Heads
Blind (Extended Remix)
Blind (Deaf, Dub and Blind Mix)
Blind (Beats)
I could’ve sworn that I shared these remixes at one point. These rips are taken from a fairly recent purchase I made here in Tokyo, but I recognized the mixes when I heard them. I know for a fact that these were on my late 2000s iPod. I have a vivid memory of driving around Pittsburgh with my friend who found David Byrne’s vocal deliver on “BLIND BLIND BLIND BLIND BLIND” the funniest thing ever. She rolled down the window and screamed along with him, much to the confusion of the people we passed by.

She may have been high at the time.

But I never shared them! So here they are now! Add Talking Heads to the list of immensely popular 80s bands with a substantive back catalog of remixes that have yet to be re-released in any way at all. Argh. Are all of their remixes locked in a vault next to Madonna’s remixes or something? They’re driving me crazy keeping this shit buried. At least it makes finding tracks for this blog easier.

Posted in Macy Gray, remixes, Talking Heads | 1 Comment »

Yeah it’s time for more Madonna

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020

Madonna
Dress You Up (The 12″ Formal Mix)
Dress You Up (The Casual Instrumental Mix)
Papa Don’t Preach [Extended Version]
Look, writing about Madonna is easy and makes me happy.

I posted these eons ago but those were vinyl rips. These are shiny CD rips that sound better.

I was going to feature more Madonna in this post. I picked up a CD single for “Cherish” that has an extended mix, but I’m not posting that. Apparently some digital only Like A Prayer 30th anniversary edition was made available last year? It’s on Spotify, YouTube Music and a few other digital outlets. The artwork is terrible. I thought it was a bootleg at first, but it appears to be legit, and it has the extended mix of “Cherish” on it, as well as a few other out-of-print remixes.

As a whole though, it’s an underwhelming release. Only a scattering of remixes, a couple of B-sides, and no unreleased tracks. There was word that a physical release of this was coming at some point, but that still hasn’t materialized. No word why. The delay goes back a bit, well before COVID, so it’s one thing we can’t blame on that.

I hope that if a physical edition of this anniversary release ever does see the light of day, it’s more substantial than this digital one. A deluxe edition of Like A Prayer could be three to four CDs easy. A remastered disc, two discs of B-sides and remixes, and then an extra disc of unreleased/demo material. None of it would be extraneous or feel tacked on either, it’s all good stuff. I’m sure there’s a market for it. If the ongoing Prince re-issue campaign has taught me anything, it’s that people are still more than down for over-the-top massive box sets of 80s masterpieces.

“Dress You Up” isn’t the best song ever, but it’s really good. It’s my second-favorite single from the Like A Virgin album, behind “Material Girl,” but ahead of “Into The Groove” and “Angel” (I don’t like the title track, if you’re curious – never was a fan of it). I love the simplicity of it. What the hell does it even mean? Does it need to mean anything? It’s like “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” It sounds vaguely romantic, a little sexy, fuck the details, who cares?

Of course, the exact opposite is true for “Papa Don’t Preach,” it is about one thing, very specifically. It is a story song. That’s not something Madonna does very often with her singles. This, “Take a Bow,” and “Bad Girl” are the most notable. Maybe “Bitch I’m Madonna” too, the story of that song being, well, “Bitch, I’m Madonna.”

I’ve love the strings of “Papa Don’t Preach.” In a time where synths were king, it makes the track unique. The strings give it gravitas. If the hook was just keyboards and synth bass it wouldn’t hold the same weight. The strings almost make the song cinematic. Especially that opening. Fuck. That shit’s good.

I was depressed, drunk, and staring at Discogs earlier this week and may have bought…let’s just say…several…more Madonna CD singles this week. I know that some of you get sick of the Madonna, but I’m in self-care mode right now. Expect more Madonna and random Japanese shit that’s easy to write about at least until the election.

 

Posted in Madonna, remixes | 2 Comments »

Tiny Madonna CDs of Happiness

Sunday, August 9th, 2020

Madonna
Who’s That Girl (Extended Version)
Causing A Commotion (Silver Screen Mix)
Express Yourself (Non-Stop Express Mix)
Express Yourself (Stop + Go Dubs Mix)
I think I’ve posted rips of all of these before, save for maybe the extended remix of “Who’s That Girl,” but I’m also fairly certain that those old rips were taken from old, used vinyl. These rips were taken from CDs (that were also old and used) and sound much better than my  vinyl rips. Don’t get me wrong, I think that my old vinyl rips sounded damn good, but they got nothing on some crystal clear, not-too-loud, of-the-era CD masters. I should rename this blog “The Lost CD Player” and dedicate myself to tracking down and posting tracks from rare and out-of-print CDs exclusively. Millennials will have to get some CD nostalgia soon, right? I need to capitalize off of that shit.

Not only are these remixes from CDs, but they’re from tiny CDs! Look how tiny they are!

I don’t own many 3-inch CD singles (most of the times the full-size CD singles have the same remixes on them) but I came across these at a massive Madonna sale and had to buy them. They’re so cute. The only downside to buying 3-inch CD singles (aside from them objectively being a waste of money) is that you have to be careful about what kind of CD player you put them in. My computer’s disc drive is one of those that you feed the discs into and they slide in automatically. If I tried to put a 3-inch CD into that, the CD would never be able to leave. I had to buy an external drive. Anything for my Madonna remixes though.

The best thing about posting stone cold classic Madonna is that I don’t have to try that hard when I write about them. Hey, everyone, “Causing A Commotion” and “Express Yourself” are fucking amazing tracks that are near-perfect examples of 80s pop music, did you know that? Good, I don’t have to say any more about them. These remixes are all also very good as well. Extended versions of perfect pop songs are usually also really good. Funny that. Even the dub mix of “Express Yourself” is good. It has a good breakdown halfway through, and that bassline just slaps so much, that’s all you need.

I feel that “Who’s That Girl” is probably the least beloved of all these tunes. And sure, it doesn’t have the instant hook appeal of “Causing A Commotion” or “Express Yourself” but it’s still a banger of a number, even if the movie it came from is dogshit. It also has a great bassline and the drum sound is fantastic. I’m fairly certain that the song was entirely created with synthesizers and other electronic instruments, but it has a slight, hard-to-explain, organic element or feeling to it, like all great synthpop. There’s a lot going on, lots of sounds, effects, and production, but none of it overpowers the rest. The song isn’t necessarily restrained, but all its elements are.

And it has fake steel drums. I love fake steel drums. Makes me think of Super Mario World.

 

Posted in Madonna, remixes | 6 Comments »

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