Archive for the ‘Wang Chung’ Category

One Remix Leads To Another

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Rare daytime post!

Art Of Noise
Art Of Love (Extended Mix)
Ambience Of Love
Heart Of Love
So how the hell didn’t I know about this?

In 1990, Art Of Noise released “The Ambient Collection.” As its name suggests, it is a collection of Art Of Noise tunes reworked as a continuous ambient mix. That alone sounds pretty rad. What makes it even more rad (I’m totally bringing “rad” back, by the way) is that the album was compiled and remixed by Youth from Killing Joke, with an added assist by Alex Paterson of The Orb.

So…that’s pretty awesome. What strikes me the most about these mixes (aside from their overall greatness) is how similar in sound they are to Metallic Spheres, the 2010 album by The Orb that featured Paterson again working with Youth (as well as David Gilmour). Hard to fault them for not updating their sound though, this shit sounded great in 1990, and that Metallic Spheres proved that it still sounded good some 20 years later.

In case you can’t tell, I’m really digging on these mixes at the moment. They’re probably the best thing I’ve put up on this blog in months.

The Fixx
One thing Leads To Another (Live Version)
Saved By Zero (Live Version)
I was surprised to find these live cuts, were are the B-sides to a 12″ promo single for “The Sign Of Fire.” I’ve dived through countless Fixx records before, and this was the first I ever found that had songs that, to the best of my knowledge, aren’t on CD. Neither of these live versions really expand or diverge upon the original versions that much, but they do so that The Fixx was a pretty great live band back in the day.

And this version of “Saved By Zero” is certainly better than the version that was in that fucking Toyota ad.

Wang  Chung
Fire In The  Twilight (Specially Remixed Version)
Dreaming In The Hills Of Heaven
I honestly didn’t think I would ever find more rare Wang Chung to post but leave it to Jerry’s Records for me to discover some weird import 12″ single, this one for the song that Wang Chung contributed to The Breakfast Club. I don’t own the soundtrack to the Breakfast Club (because even my nostalgia has some limits), so I can’t compare this “Specially Remixed Version” with the original. I bet it’s not that different. It’s certainly not an “extended” mix, since it’s still less than four minutes long. However, I love the track, and I like just having an excuse to post it.

I love love this B-side, “Dreaming In The Hills Of Heaven.” It’s apparently an honest-to-goodness Wang Chung rarity. It only appeared on this 12″ single and has never been released on CD. It’s very reminiscent of the group’s work on the To Live And Die In L.A. soundtrack, with an atmospheric, somewhat tense, quality to it. The vocals sound a little muddled, but that’s not the fault of my rip, I think this is recording is a demo. It doesn’t detract too much from the quality of the track, however. If you love Wang Chung (and you damn well should) then check this song out. And if you don’t like Wang Chung, then I don’t want you to read my blog.

Okay, you can still read my blog, but give Wang Chung a chance, okay? They were an underrated act!

Posted in B-sides, remixes, soundtrack, The Art Of Noise, The Fixx, Wang Chung | 6 Comments »

Band’its At Ten O’Clock – Bands Featured At The 101 Club

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

 

Band’its At Ten O’clock is another 101 release that came out the same year as Live Letters. Unlike that album, this record is a collection of studio cuts and not live records. But it’s equally, if not more so, impressive and well worth the listen today.

The Scene
All People Go Mad
You like mod music? These guys sure did. This album came out in 1980, but this song sounds like it was ripped straight out of the late-60s. Great stuff, very soulful and fun. I don’t know how these guys didn’t manage to get a deal with Stiff Records. As it was, they never put out a proper album, just a couple 7″ singles and one 12″ before vanishing forever. A shame.

The Hit Men
She’s All Mine
If  you told me that this was really an Elvis Costello b-side I would believe you. The singer even kind of sounds like him. Who were these guys? With a name as vague as “The Hit Men,” its kind of hard to track them down online.  From what I can tell they did seem to put out two albums. Anyone know if they’re any good? This song is great.

The V.I.P.’s
Causing Complications
This song is catchy as hell! Amazing harmonies and a great beat. Once again, I couldn’t find much about this group, but they did put out enough singles and have enough of a following to have gotten a compilation release in the late 90s. If their other songs were as great as this one then I’m definitely going to have to pick it up.

The Piranhas
Yap Yap Yap
First wave ska! I love early ska. It all should have stopped with Madness. Fucking Bosstones…anyways, these guys only put out one record, which has never seen the light of day on CD. Bummer too. This is another great track. Damn, can this album do any wrong?

Real To Real
White Man Reggae
Yes, yes it can. British white boys should not attempt reggae, even if one of them is Alan Wilder. That’s right, Alan Wilder from Depeche Mode was in a white reggae group.  I bet if you walked up to him with a Real To Real 7″ single (they released a few) he’d break it in two and offer you $20 never to tell anyone about it ever again. Yikes.

Holly And the Italians
Chapel Of Love
And we’re back on track with this number, a great cover of The Ronnettes classic. Holly And The Italians were an American group based in the UK (I’ll give you a second to wrap your head around that) and they released just one album, 1981’s The Right To Be Italian. It was re-released on CD and digitally in 2008, and judging by the cavalcade of positive reviews it has on Amazon, it apparently has a small but very devoted following.

Electric Eels
Thoroughly Modern
Slightly glam-influenced synthpop. I have no idea who these guys are. Anyone got an idea? They released a couple of 7″ singles before apparently selling their keyboards and vanishing into the night.

Jane Kennaway & Strange Behaviour
Catch Cool
Another unknown who released a few singles before vanishing. Catching a pattern here? Jane’s voice reminds me a little bit of Toyah Wilcox, but her sound is far more aggressive and downbeat.

Thompson Twins
Squares And Triangles
This sounds nothing like the Thompson Twins who brought us the 80s hits “Hold Me Now” and “Lies” and that’s probably because it literally is not that band. Because while most people know of the Thompson Twins as a trio featuring Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, there were about a billion people in that group before it finally settled on that line-up. I have no idea which line-up is featured here, but I wish they would have recorded more music, I dig this stuff a hell of a lot more than their poppy stuff.

Wang Chung
Baby I’m Hu-Man
The Wang Chung tracks on Live Letters had one foot in New Wave, but they were also clearly embracing their pop tendanices as well. On “Baby I’m Hu-Man,” Wang Chung (still going by Huang Chung) are still way into a new wave sound reminscint of Joy Division and early Cure, at least until the sax solo kicks in at the end.

If these early Wang Chung recordings have taught me anything is that you can’t simultaneously be “edgy” and have a sax player in your band.

Comsat Angels
Independence Day
More sparse, minimal pop from the Joy Division school, and according to some they were even better. They have a surprisingly in-depth Wikipedia entry, and out-of-print CD re-issues of their albums go for a mint on Amazon. I’m going to try and track down some of their stuff on vinyl, because this song is great, probably my favorite track on this record.

Wasted Youth
Jealousy
No, not the LA hardcore punk rock band (that would be weird). This Wasted Youth was from east London and kind of sound like a mix between good Lou Reed and the Young Marble Giants. This is a sad song, but I’ll be damned it if doesn’t sound adorable as all get out. I want to hug it.

Posted in Complete Albums, Comsat Angels, Electric Eels, Holly And The Italians, Jane Kennaway, Real To Real, The Hit Men, The Piranhas, The Scene, The V.I.P.'s, Thompson Twins, Wang Chung, Wasted Youth | 10 Comments »

A 101 on 101 Club

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

I first posted this album eons ago, and it sounded like complete dogshit. In my ongoing effort to redeem myself for my ceramic needle USB-turntable early days, here it is again, re-recorded with decent equipment.

Live Letters – Bands Featured Live at the 101 Club


This is a very interesting record, and I wish I knew more about the people who made it. Apparently the 101 Club was a venue in  South London in the early 80s, but I don’t know for how long, who owned it, or if it was important to any scene or style of music. It’s long gone, and since the Sex Pistols probably never played there, no one seems to care about it today. In addition to being a club, 101 was also a label, putting out recordings of shows performed at the venue.

Of the 101 records I have, Live Letters is the best. It has the perfect combination of bands you probably know with bands you probably don’t, and it also does a great job of showcasing the crossroads of new wave music at the time. In one corner, you have bands like Endgames, who were sticking firmly to the Kraftwerk/David Bowie/Gary Numan ideal of the late 70s. And then in the other you have acts like Wang Chung and The Fixx, who were actively embracing pop music and the conventions of mainstream rock. Then there are bands like Fay Ray, who seem to be trying to do both.

It also has a hysterical back cover full of bizarre little news articles. Click on the pics to read them, and enjoy the tunes.

Wang Chung
You’ve Taken Everything
I Don’t Believe A Word
Journey Without Maps
By far the biggest band in Live Letters is Wang Chung, which were still going by Huang Chung here. In a humorous bit before the first song, one of the members actually tells the audience how to pronounce the band’s name. Here’ s a protip for all you kids out there in bands with wacky names: if you need to tell your fans how to pronounce it, then you should change the name.

None of these songs were ever released on any studio albums by the group, which is a real shame. “You’ve Taken Everything” has a great hook and bridge and “I Don’t Believe A Word’ is late-70s new wave at its best, high intensity and just about two steps away from punk when it gets to the fast-paced chorus (maybe five steps away when you consider the saxaphone). Speaking of the sax, “Journey Without Maps” might have one of the best opening sax melodies of the 80s outside of “Careless Whisper.”

As much as I love me some “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight,” it would have been interesting to have seen more music like this from the group.

Intermission – 101 Records Commercial
A silly faux-commerical for 101 Records

Endgames
Works
Visions Of
Stare 
Endgames never made it. They were an also-ran band in the over-crowded new wave scene of the greater UK/Scotland/Ireland/Wales areas, released two albums, and quickly vanished. However, if their Wikipedia page is accurate (and we all know Wikipedia is always right), they were sampled by Heavy D. Which means they win at life, at least a little bit.

Of all the bands on Live Letters, Endgames is the most stereotypically synthpop. No saxaphones to be found here, just cold, cold keyboards and dark, brooding vocals. These dudes liked David Bowie a lot.

The Fixx
Acrobat
Soho Alley
Eye For Design
Credited as “The Fix” here, this live recording shows a band in transition. “Acrobat” is a semi-experimental tune with some obvious Joy Division influence, while “Eye For Design” is a poppy, fun, upbeat pop tune that could have easily been the B-side to The Fixx’s megahit “One Thing Leads To Another,” and “Soho Alley” is a little bit of both. All are good tunes, but none are “Red Skies” quality.

Intermission – 101 Records Commercial No. 2
Another goofy promo extolling the awesomeness of 101.

Fay Ray
Do What You Want To Do
Dreams of Heart
Modern Lovers
No, not the actress who was in King Kong (that’s Fay Wray). And no, not the Japanese singer Fayray. This is Fay Ray, a new wave band that completely fell off the face of the Earth. I know next to nothing about them, but they did release one album, and if it’s anything like these tracks then I’m totally going to have to track down a copy.  Lead singer Sheila Macartney’s voice is very unique, with an odd wavering aspect that really gives her a feeling of vulnerability and emotion you rarely heard in new wave music at the time. Both “Do What You Want To Do” and “Modern Lovers” have an upbeat feeling that almost give them a 60s British Invasion vibe, while “Dreams of Heat” is a haunting ballad that best shows off Macartney’s stunning vocals. A great way to close the album.

Posted in Complete Albums, Endgames, Fay Ray, live, The Fixx, Wang Chung | 18 Comments »

80s Dance Remixes Brought to you by The Letter “W”

Friday, January 20th, 2012

I would have included some Was (Not Was) stuff but I have to re-record those and I’m really tired.

Wang Chung
Let’s Go! (Shep’s Mix)
Let’s Go! (Dub Mix)

Before I go any further, I think we need to discuss this video for this song.

Go ahead and watch it. I’ll wait.

That was something huh? A while ago I said that Pretty Poison’s “Catch Me I’m Falling” was the most 80s shit ever. But I think we have a new champion. Lets’ count the 80isms:

  • Truly horrible blue-screen effects
  • Needless stop-motion animation
  • Random people doing random things (Russian dancers! Sumo Wrestlers!)
  • A disembodied head
  • A woman whose face is 40% make-up
  • Knee-length sports jackets
  • A British dude wearing a bolo tie

I’m calling it. This video is the most 80s shit ever. But that’s not even the most random thing about this track! Check out the cover to the 12″ single from where these remixes were culled.

What the hell is going on there? Is he grabbing the other guy’s scarf like they’re about to make out (not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course)? And what’s up with those color photos? It’s looks like they’re telling each other dirty jokes while they’re waiting for the bus.

The only logical conclusion I can come to in regards to this cover is that art designer for this sleeve was given stills from the video and he said “Um…no thanks, I got these b-roll pictures that the photographer was using to set up the focus. No, the guys didn’t know they were being photographed, but I think it’ll work just fine.”

Oh yeah, the song! It’s good Wang Chung. I’d rate it above “Dance Hall Days” but below “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.” It’d definitely one of those silly upbeat 80s songs that should have been in a montage sequence to a B-grade Brat Pack film. It’s a lot of fun.

The Waitresses
Bread And Butter (Remix)
Bread And Butter (Dub Mix)
Ohio New Wave representing motherfucker!

I am not one to debate the pop perfection of The Waitresses’ sole hit, “I Know What Boys Like,” it’s an amazing tune, and really a one-of-a-kind hit when you think about it. That being said, I think this great track is even better. Patty Donahue’s droll voice was great when she was singing about boys, but it was even better in songs like this, which have some not-so-subtle social commentary on life in the 80s. I don’t think there was ever a singer as blatantly sarcastic as Patty, and I doubt that will ever will again in the overly auto-tuned pop landscape that we are subjected to today. Pity.

Posted in remixes, Wang Chung | 8 Comments »

The Final (Re)Post

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Well this is it…for reposts anyways. Don’t worry, it takes more than a fucking DMCA for me to go away. However, a shitload of work and an unforgiving deadline will cut down on my productivity, as was the case this week.

As for the DMCA notice, I still don’t know what exactly was the offender, so until I do find out I’m withholding comment. You can bet that once I do get the facts I’ll have something to fucking say about it though. For those of you who like my rants, stay tuned, this motherfucker is going to be epic.

Now, I know I didn’t get to everyone’s reposts. I tried to hit as many peopleas I could, but a lot of my old stuff really sounds like shit, in fact I was so unhappy with a lot of stuff that I deleted them and I haven’t gotten around to re-recording it. Some of the ones I’m puting up tonight don’t sound too hot either, but it’s better than nothing right? Sorry if you feel snubbed but to quote the best movie of all time “Life is pain, get used to it.” If you still really want something then email me and offer me something in return. Shit ain’t always free.

Wang Chung
Dance Hall Days (Extended Remix)
Kind of awesome.

Seal
Killer (William Orbit Remix)
Kind of stupid.

Grace Jones
She’s Lost Control (Long Version)
Kind of…no, scratch that….fucking terrifying.

Robert Plant
Tall Cool One (Extended Version)
Ditto.

Ministry
Work For Love (Extended Version)
Fake British accents are awesome.

Kate Bush
Sexual Healing
Ditto for Kate Bush

The Crystal Method
You Know It’s Hard (Koma & Bones Gaping Axe Wound Remix)
Hehe, they said “hard.”

Siouxsie & the Banshees
Cities In Dust (Extended Eruption Mix)
Insert inappropriate “hard” joke here.

Pixies
Born In Chicago
The rarest Pixies song in the world.

P.M. Dawn
Set Adrift On Memory Bliss (Extended Version)
A Watcher’s Point Of View (Don’t ‘Cha Think) (Youth Extended Mix)
Man…anyone got any weed?

See you next week. And if you like The Sugarcubes get ready to be so happy that you’ll shit…which now that I think about it sounds kind of fucked up.

Posted in B-sides, Grace Jones, Kate Bush, Ministry, P.M. Dawn, remixes, Robert Plant, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Crystal Method, The PIxies, Wang Chung | 9 Comments »