British Electro and Two Awesome Songs About Getting It On With Dudes

December 2nd, 2013

One month until the move. Crunch time has begun. This means another super brief post unfortunately. Hopefully I’ll have time to write more soon. I do plan on writing many vinyl reviews at Mostly-Retro in the coming week, so keep an eye out over there, especially if you like horror movie soundtracks or Nirvana.

Now some entirely random tracks.

Newtrament
London Bridge Is Falling Down (Special Vocoder Mix)
London Bridge Is Falling Down (Extended Version)
London Bridge Is Falling Down (Dub Mix)
Originally released in 1983, this  is supposedly the very first UK hip-hop release. I have no way to confirm or deny that claim, although I have no reason to doubt it.

I have no idea who Newtrament is though. This is his only release listed on Discogs, he released this one song and that was it. At least it’s a damn good tune, an excellent piece of early-80s electro. All the mixes are great, but obviously the best of the bunch is the “Special Vocoder Mix” – because everything is made better with extraneous vocoder.

Franz Ferdinand
Dark Of The Matinee (Headman Remix)
This Fire (Playgroup Remix)
Michael (Thomas Eriksen Remix)
Franz Ferdinand are the secret best remix-friendly band in rock music today. All their singles have great remixes as b-sides, and I hope that one day all of these amazing mixes will see a proper release on a compilation of box set.  These excellent mixes are from the 12″ single to “Michael” – which is probably my favorite Franz Ferdinand track of all-time.

Elton Motello
Jet Boy Jet Girl (Full Seven Minute Version)
Last minute special request from the Pope.

This song is weird.

Posted in Elton Motello, Franz Ferdinand, Newtrament, remixes | 1 Comment »

Great Songs By Artists I Know Very Little About

November 25th, 2013

And between the holidays, impending snowstorm, and my ongoing manic fury of getting everything done I need to get done before my big move, I don’t have time to find out more. But they’re good tunes, and I thought some of you all might enjoy them too.

Sweet
It’s It’s…The Sweet Mix
My knowledge of Sweet begins with “Ballroom Blitz” and ends with “Fox On The Run,” so I can’t tell you any of the other songs that make up this six-minute medley. It’s catchy though, and very disco-y, were they always like that? I assumed they were more a light-glam rock thing. Maybe I’ll pick up some Sweet while I’m in Japan. I don’t know why, but they strike me as the kind of act that would be big in Japan. Maybe it’s the wacky skintight outfits. In every picture of them I’ve seen they’ve always come off as a hybrid of glam rock and the Power Rangers.

Material
I’m The One (Dance Version)
Don’t Lose Control (Dance Version)
Material is one of Bill Laswell’s many side-projects. They started out as an entirely inaccessible “no wave” act (spoiler: I fucking hate “no wave” bullshit), but by 1982 they shifted their sound radically, and instead embraced a strong disco/funk sound. I assume this was around the time he started working with Herbie Hancock on the immortal “Rockit” but like I said, I’m way too busy/tired to do some proper research tonight. They sound like it though, as both of them (especially “Don’t Lose Control” have a heavy funk/electro sound to them that sounds very similar to Hancock’s stuff of that era. “Don’t Lose Control” even has superfluous vocoder! So it’s the best shit ever.

Seriously, if you like leftfield disco or early electronic music, check out One Down. It’ll blow you away. It even features a very early appearance by Whitney Houston!

Everyone have a splendid Thanksgiving (if you’re American, otherwise…um…enjoy your Thursday) and I’ll see next week with hopefully some posts of substance.

Posted in Material, remixes, Sweet | 5 Comments »

Depeche Frankenstein

November 19th, 2013

Yo.

Want some advice on home ownership?

TIP NUMBER ONE: NEVER BUY A HOME.

That’s the best way to ensure you never have to deal with the shit that’s involved with selling a home. The only way to win is not to play. Argh. You know…when you have to drive to your appraiser’s house and leave a threatening note on the motherfucker’s door to ensure that he gets the appraisal done A WEEK PAST THE DEADLINE HE GAVE YOU, that’s probably a bad sign. Bastard had no problem cashing my check on time though. I want to know what makes people think they can get away with that shit, especially with me!? What about me, a six-and-a-half-foot large man with a short temper, screams “easy mark”?

Anyways, yeah. Musics.

Edgar Winter
Frankenstein 1984 (Monster Version)
Frankenstein 1984 (Human Version)
Frankenstein 1984 (Monster Rap)
I originally posted these in 2009, I am reposting them tonight for three reasons.

  1. I meant to post them for Halloween but got busy.
  2. I recently re-recorded them and they sound hella better.
  3. These tracks are the illest shit ever.

“Frankenstein 1984” is an electro remake of the original “Frankenstein.” The original version is one of the greatest instrumentals of all-time, so it goes without saying that this version is one of the greatest electro instrumentals of all-time. It’s certainly the greatest electro track ever written and performed by an albino keyboardist from Texas. From what I can tell, all the instrumentation of the original version is replaced with various synthesizer and synth effects. There are no drums, no bass, no guitar, just rad synths rocking synth basslines, synth licks and synth rhythms. Oh, and there’s even a vocoder. And as we all know, vocoders make even the dopest shit more dope.

I have no idea if any of these versions ever appeared on a proper Edgar Winter release, I sure as hell can’t find any evidence of such. The “Monster Version” is the uncut version, and that runs nearly a full 10 minutes. The “Human Version” is a single edit at about half the length. The “Monster Rap” version, as the title suggests, features a full rap section, although I don’t know who by. This entire release is lacking credits other than “Edgar Winter,” and while I’m liable to believe he did perform every instrument on this release (the man can play just about anything), I really don’t think he did the rap. At least, I hope not.

Depeche Mode
Should Be Higher (Truss Remix)
Should Be Higher (MPIA3 Definition)
Should Be Higher (Koen Groenveveld Massive Remix)
Should Be Higher (Pangaea Dub Remix)
Should Be Higher (Uberzone Remix)
Should Be Higher (DJMREX Remix)
There are at least 10 different remixes of this track. There are four on the CD single (plus a radio edit) and these six additional mixes that are all exclusive to the 12″ vinyl single. And when I mean they’re exclusive to the vinyl I mean it. As of right now, the only place you can get them is on that record, no digital versions are available anywhere – which is why I feel okay with sharing them here tonight.

I just wish they were better. The first one is okay as a dance track, but it really doesn’t sound much like the original tune, ditto for the two that follow it. The best of the bunch are the last two, which are the only ones to really keep any of the structure from original version at all. If you’re a DM completist (like me) you’ll probably find something to like about all of them, but otherwise I would just stick with the Uberzone and DJMREX mixes and leave the rest. And if you’re looking for a solid remix of a Delta Machine track, check out the Steve Angellos/Jacques Lu Cont mix of “Soothe My Soul.” That shit is epic, although the original version is pretty great too.

 

Posted in Depeche Mode, Edgar Winter, remixes | 4 Comments »

I Feel Lovely

November 13th, 2013

I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO BEFORE I MOVE I SHOULDN’T EVEN BE WRITING THIS!

I certainly shouldn’t have taken the time out of my day to review the new re-release of David Bowie’s Earthling LP either!

I’m incredibly irresponsible!

DISCO!

Donna Summer
I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Mix)
So, I’m moving to Japan (AND IT’S MAKING ME REALLY BUSY – AND YELL) and most “normal person” preparation for a move like that would be things like “find an apartment,” “buy the clothes you need,” “get your finances in order.” And yeah, I’m doing all that important stuff, but I’m also making sure I buy certain things that I’ve been putting off for years that I know I won’t be able to easily get once I move to Japan. Case in point – I’ve had the 2CD out-of-print edition of Journey: The Best Of Donna Summer bookmarked in my browser for over a year now, and I finally went ahead and bought it last week. Because it’s important. Also because I just thought of it again after getting both a Patrick Cowley compilation and a Donna Summer album in the course of two weeks.

Why is it important? Because it’s the only way to get a digital version of this amazing mix of the most important dance song of all-time (that is not hyperbole!). With this mix Patrick Cowley, a genius who I have repeatedly talked about here, and on Mostly-Retro, took a song that was perfect and made it better. He made a perfect thing…more perfect.

Look, I can’t explain it, and like I said, I really don’t have the time to be eloquent right now, so you’re going to have to take what you can get. I just know that this mix, this sensational, amazing, I’m-out-of-superlatives mix might just be the greatest dance track ever. I have literally listened to this all day. Holy shit.

Sylvester
Rock The Box (Dance Version)
Rock The Box (Drum Box)
Rock The Box (Dub Box)
“Rock The Box” came out after Patrick Cowley died, but it certainly carries on his spirit with its catchy synth melodies and heavy electronic sound. The track is from Sylvester’s album M-1015. I haven’t found many positive reviews of that record, but I feel like it’s ripe for rediscovery. When it came out it was probably dated thanks to its heavy disco sound, but today I think it holds up quite well, like a magical combination of the best of early 80s disco and mid-80s synthpop. “Lovin’ Is Really My Game” is straight-up one of Sylvester’s best tunes, with both “Sex” and “Take Me To Heaven” also rocking it hard. The album also features backup vocals by Martha Walsh (“It’s Raining Men,” every C+C Music Factory track worth a damn) and Jeanie Tracy, an underrated vocalist whose awesomeness I’ve covered previously.

I have a ton of other Sylvester and other Megatone (Cowley’s labe) stuff I plan on putting up at a later date, so if this post leaves you hankering for some Hi-NRG bangers, you’ll be in luck! If not, um…sorry?

I also plan on posting an Alien Ant Farm rarity soon too, maybe you’ll like that?

Posted in Donna Summer, Patrick Cowley, remixes, Sylvester | 3 Comments »

Prince Was (Not Was) Madonna

November 6th, 2013

You know how moving is super stressful? Well, take that stress, multiply it by a billion, and you know how it feels to plan a move to an entirely different country. I have so much to do I fel like my head is going to explode and implode at the same time. But nothing makes me calm down like silly remixes to 80s pop music.

And while you’re listening to these awesome remixes of awesome 80s music, be sure to head over to Mostly-Retro, where I check out the new Donna Summer remix album and an amazing release featuring rarely heard tracks by Patrick Cowely.

Hopefully this week I’ll also be able to get up a review of the new edition of Bowie’s The Next Day as well as another edition in my oddly popular Collection Recollection series. We’ll see.

Madonna
Vogue (Club St. John Mix)
I plan on re-recording several (dozen) of my singles before I box them all up and ship them into storage. Among these will probably be an insane amount of Madonna singles. So if you were a fan of my favorite post ever on this site, My Tongue Hurts Here re 32 Madonna Remixes, then you should probably keep an eye for that.

In the meantime, here’s a bootleg mix of “Vogue” that I grabbed off of a DJ-only mix LP. It’s a pretty good edit, and seven+ minutes of motherfucking “Vogue” is never a bad thing in my book.

Prince
Thieves In The Temple (Thieves In The House Mix)
Thieves In The Temple (Temple House Dub)
Sign ‘o’ The Time/The Prince Classic Mega Medley
The original version of “Thieves In The Temple” is from the soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge. I do not own the soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge because I am not a crazy person. Isn’t Tevin Campbell on that album? Yeah he is. See? That’s why I don’t own it. Also, I don’t own Parade, Sign ‘o’ The Times, Lovesexy or many other amazing Prince records. So I feel like I should really get them before I move on to the soundtrack to Prince’s worst movie (which is really saying something if you’ve seen Under A Cherry Moon).

The last track is actually two tracks according to the bootleg DJ record I ripped it from, but they segue together so seamlessly that it felt pointless to split them up. “Sign” takes up about the first four and a half minutes of the track, and then its nothing but classic Prince mixed together for 12 minutes straight. It’s a bit manic at times, almost someone is switching between an endless number of radio stations that are all playing Prince at the same time (oh man, how awesome would that shit be?) but it’s a fun listen. I can’t image any DJ ever played this in a club though, it’s entirely undanceable.

Was (Not Was)
Walk The Dinosaur (The New York Dangerous Version)
Walk The Dinosaur (Bruce’s Prehistoric Dub)
Walk The Dinosaur (The Debunking Of Uri Geller Mix)
Walk The Dinosaur (7″ Version)
Okay, I have to get this out of the way before I talk the song proper: “The Debunking Of  Uri Geller Mix” easily has to be the best name of a remix I have ever seen. It dethrones Erasure’s “Chains Of Love (Truly In Love With The Marx Bros. Mix).” I love it. It makes no sense at all. Brilliant.

Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, this stupid fucking song. Y’know what? No. Strike that. This song is not stupid. I love this song. Did you know it’s about nuclear war? Yeah! Damn straight. Was (Not Was) was (not was) (sorry) dropping some deep social commentary on your ass, it just happened to be disguised as a silly dance craze.

That being said, the world probably didn’t need a seven-minute mix of the tune. which is what the first mix is. One can only take so many “Boom Boom Acka-lacka-lack-booms.” The awesomely-named Uri Geller mix does mix things up a bit though (no pun intended) and succeeds in justifying its existence just by its sheer weirdness – of course one could probably say the same thing about Was (Not Was) and their entire career.

If these mixes interest you then I suggest you check out either their 2010 compilation Hey King Kong! or the expanded edition of their debut album Out Come The Freaks. Both feature some pretty insane material that might blow your mind. Their really early stuff was all amazing.

Posted in Madonna, Prince, remixes, Was (Not Was) | 2 Comments »

Rare Lou Reed and Lou Reed Covers

October 28th, 2013

Lou Reed passed away this weekend, and I’m not going to say much about it.  I am incredibly bad at eulogizing, especially so when the person in question is someone I have mixed feelings about.

Lou Reed was a genius. Lou Reed was an asshole. Lou Reed was a revolutionary songwriter. Lou Reed was a hack. Lou Reed was a legendary performer. Lou Reed was lazy and hated his audiences. I feel that all those things are true, and I don’t know how to compose my contradictory viewpoints into anything that would do either him or my own thoughts justice.

So I’ll just say that Lou Reed will be missed by a lot of people, including me. Everyone should listen to his work with the Velvet Underground. If you can tolerate shoddy audio quality, then you also must listen to The Quine Tapes, an amazing 3CD collection of VU bootlegs that feature some of the greatest live performances I’ve ever heard. And listen to Transformer. Because damn.

This is all the Lou Reed-related material I have, enjoy.

Lou Reed
My Red Joystick (Remixed Version)
My Red Joystick (Instrumental Version)
The Original Wrapper (Extended Version)
The Original Wrapper (Dub Version)
The Original Wrapper (Remix Single Version)
Video Violence (Remix)
Satellite Of Love ’04 (Dab Hands Retouch)
Satellite Of Love ’04 (Dab Hands Radio Edit)
Satellite Of Love ’04 (Groovefinder Remix)
This is literally all the rare Lou Reed I have (that was recorded under his actual name…keep reading and you’ll see what I mean). These are all taken from various 12″ singles and I’ve posted them all before. However, I re-recorded everything save for the “Satellite of Love” remixes, so even if you downloaded them from me before, be sure to grab them again – these versions sound so much better than my original rips.

If you’ve never had the joy of hearing Lou Reed “rap” then you’ll be in for a treat with some of these tracks.

New Order
Sister Ray (Live)
From the disgustingly-titled-but-vaguely-interesting compilation Like A Girl, I Want You To Keep Coming, which includes rarities by David Byrne, Debbie Harry and Henry Rollins as well. As far as I know, this live VU cover has never been released on any other album.

Billy Idol
Heroin (Nosebleed Mix)
Heroin (Ionizer mix)
Heroin (A Drug Called Horse Mix)
Heroin (Overlords Mix).mp3″>Heroin (Overlords Mix)
Heroin (VR Mix)
Heroin (Needle Park Mix)
Billy Idol covered “Heroin” for his 1993 alubm Cyberpunk, an album that literally everyone on Earth hates except for me and Billy Idol. I re-recorded these tracks too, so if you downloaded them from my site once before and want better copies, download these too.

The Beachnuts - Cycle Annie
The J Brothers- Don’t Turn My World Upside Down
The Liberty Men -Wonderful World of Love
The Hi-Lites -Soul City
I wrote about these tracks before , they’re all from a mid-60s budget compilation album called Out Of Sight. This is how Lou Reed paid the bills before forming VU. He only performs on “Cylce Annie,” but he wrote all of these tunes.

David Bowie & Lou Reed
Queen Bitch
I’m Waiting For The Man
Dirty Boulevard
White Light/White Heat
All taken from Bowie’s 50th birthday bash in 1997. A great show you can find on YouTube I think.

David Bowie
White Light/White Heat (Rehearsal with Stevie Ray Vaughn)
White Light/White Heat (Studio Outtake)
I’m Waiting For The Man (Radio Appearance)
I’m Waiting For The Man (Live) (Another Radio Appearance)
I’m Waiting For The Man (Studio Recording)
I’m Waiting For The Man (Live Bootleg)
I’m Waiting For The Man (Live In Budapest)
These are all taken from various bootlegs, radio rips and other odds and sods I’ve accumulated over the years. In case you’re wondering how the Stevie Ray Vaughn thing happened, Stevie played guitar on Bowie’s Let’s Dance album. He was supposed to joing Bowie on the Serious Moonlight tour, but that didn’t work out. That recording is from the rehearsals for that tour.

I think we can say without question that David Bowie really liked “I’m Waiting For The Man,” I assume he could identify with that song on multiple levels.

Nirvana
Here She Comes Now (Electric Punk Version)
Here She Comes Now (Radio Appearance)
One version of Nirvana’s cover of this VU song has seen official release, the “Smart Studios” version was included on both the With The Lights Out compilation and the Super Deluxe edition of Nevermind. However, Nirvana performed and recorded this song a lot over the years. The “Electric Punk” version is, like the title suggests, more of a punk rock arrangement of the tune, while the radio appearance versions is more in tune with the Smart Studios version – all are great. You can really hear the emotion in Kurt’s voice in all these versions. This cover is how I got into VU in the first place.

Posted in B-sides, David Bowie, live, Lou Reed, New Order, Nirvana, remixes | 10 Comments »

Song About Serial Killers and Nuclear War

October 27th, 2013

I wrote a thing about soundtracks (again) at Mostly-Retro if you’re interested. And I also did a quick write-up about an awesome arcade in San Francisco that you should check out.

Now for awesome songs by bands you’ve probably never heard of.

The Hitmen
Bates Motel
After exhausting the rarities collections of just about every well-known new wave artist worth my time, I think I’m finally going to have to start crate digging for the forgotten side-notes of the era. I’m sure there were a ton of great new wave acts out there that got lost in the shuffle, and I intend on finding them. I’ve already done this a bit in the past. I’ve written numerous times on the brilliance of Polyrock, and about half of Urgh! is a who’s who of “who’s that?” from the 80s post-punk and new wave scenes, but I really have to start digging deeper. So if anyone has any suggestions, please shoot them my way. And yes, I am aware of Lost Bands of the New Wave Era, and am currently combing their archives. I’m also on the lookout for every band that’s tangentially related to my favorite unsung new wave act, The Wild Swans, so I’m already on the aware of Care, Teardrop Express, Lotus Eaters, The Woodentops and The Lightning Seeds.

And of course there are The Hitmen, a band I already kind of knew thanks to their appearance on one of the 101 Records compilations I found a few years back (which I’ll be re-uploading as well as a third compilation in the coming months). From the comments that post got, I know that The Hitmen put out two albums, and that at one point Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder was in the group, but I don’t think he recorded anything with them either than a single. Their track on the 101 album is “She’s All Mine,” and while it’s a pretty good tune, it’s also pretty generic. It sounds like a pub rock reject from a Dave Edmunds jam session, or like I said back when I wrote about I the first time, an Elvis Costello b-side.

“Bates Motel,” on the other hand, is pretty great. It was a single off of the band’s second (and last) LP and even had a video that made it to MTV at some point.

There aren’t a lot of horror-themed new wave tracks, in fact I can’t think of any at the moment (although I’m sure I’ll be corrected on that shortly), so “Bates Motel” is a pretty unique track that’s worth a listen. It definitely makes me want to track down a copy of the album from which it came to see if there’s anything else on it worth hearing.

Fay Ray
Heatwave
Modern Lovers
Fay Ray are another band who should have made it big but didn’t. They only released one album, Contact You, in 1982 and that was it. Like The Hitmen, I discovered them on a 101 Live compilation, but unlike The Hitmen, I can tell I’m not the only person on the Internet to become someone obsessed with them. They were showcased on Lost Bands of the New Wave era, and they continue to pop up on other blogs dedicated to lesser-known acts (this one included). I routinely read rumors that Contact You is going to get a CD re-release with bonus cuts, but after reading that for six years, I’m starting to have doubt that will ever happen. Still, I don’t want to post the entire album in case it does, so I thought I would post these album highlights instead.

“Heatwave” is the clear standout track on the LP, and was the closest thing the group had to a hit, probably in part to their awesome video for the tune. As new wave tracks about nuclear war go, it’s pretty great. Not as great, but still killer is “Modern Lovers.” It’s the most upbeat track on the album, and it also has a video, one that is also sublimely 80s in all the best ways.

Posted in Fay Ray, The Hit Men | 6 Comments »

The extra “E” still annoys me.

October 22nd, 2013

As I start planning out my move to Japan, it’s becoming apparent to me that I won’t be able to update the blog consistently with new music for probably at least a month. This is partly due to the fact that I just won’t have time when I first get to Japan, between my job, finding a place to live and all the other stuff that comes with a major move. But honestly, a much bigger reason for the impending lack of updates will be because I’ll be without a turntable for at least a month – I’m not having mine shipped out to me until I get firmly settled.

(And before any of you ask, I’m not just going to buy another turntable in Japan because my turntable is a rare custom-modded black Technics SL-1210Mk2 and it is DOPE.)

I do, however, want to keep some sort of regular content going on this site in the meantime, so I think the best solution will be for me to temporarily take this blog into a “greatest hits” mode – highlighting some of the best tracks that I’ve posted over the years.

I already got a good line-up of tunes planned for this, but if you want to browse my archives (all seven years worth, holy shit) for some tracks you may have missed over the years, now is the time. Leave a comment in this post with your requests, and if I also enjoy the track in question/have the MP3 still/want to re-record it because the old file sounds like dogshit, I’ll be sure to include it in the month long Lost Turntable retrospective. And don’t bother mentioning Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys or Madonna. I’m already planning on reposting any still hard-to-find cuts by all of them. You might as well throw in Big Country and Big Audio Dynamite into that mix as well.

Until then, here are some tunes by two bands who I thought were the same band when I was 10 years old. Because 10-year-old me was kind of dumb.

The B-52’s
Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland (Extended Mix)
Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland (12″ Mix)
Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland (Dub)
Seems like an odd vacation choice.

This is…not a very good song. I love the beat and the vocal hook would be fine too if it wasn’t, k’now, half of the damn song. This is definitely one that works better as a brief single. However, since I’ve posted every rare B-52’s remix I own, it would be silly to stop now.

Deee-Lite
Groove Is In The Heart (Meeting Of The Minds Mix)
Groove Is In The Heart (Peanut Butter Radio Mix)
Groove Is In The Heart (Jelly Jam Beats)
What Is Love (Holographic Goatee Mix)
What Is Love (Frenchappella)
What Is Love (Rainbow Beard Mix)
I used to hate “Groove Is In The Heart.” In fact, I think the only song young me hated more than that was probably R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People” (which featured Kate Pierson from The B-52’s). And while I continue to hate “Shiny Happy People” with a fiery hatred of a thousand suns, “Groove Is In The Heart” has finally started to grow on me. I think it took me discovering good disco and 80s house for me to finally appreciate the song and what it’s trying to do. I still hate that slide whistle though.

“What Is Love” still kind of annoys me though, but the Rainbow Beard Mix is pretty great.

Posted in B-52s, Deee-Lite, remixes | 9 Comments »

KRAUTROCK-POWERED MOTORCYCLES

October 17th, 2013

The Tigers won. America won’t default. I’m functioning on very little sleep. This post is silly. I apologize.

Yes
Rhythm Of Love (Dance To The Rhythm Mix)
Rhythm Of Love (Move To The Rhythm Mix)
Rhythm Of Love (The Rhythm Of Dub)
City Of Love (Live Edit)
Fuck yeah, Yes remixes! Is synthpop Yes the best Yes? Probably not. But it is the “best” Yes.

I have a strange fascination with Yes that I still can’t really explain. I don’t know why. I only own a handful of Yes records, and I don’t even think I’ve listened to all of them. I actually know very little about the band, a fact that I’ve been wanting to remedy in recent months. Actually, I’ve toyed with the idea of buying all of Yes’ records and reviewing them all, in chronological order, simply as a writing exercise and as a personal quest to find out for myself what the hell they’re all about. I might still do it someday. Prog rock is hella big in Japan after all. This despite the fact that drugs of any kind are nearly impossible to find there. The wonders never cease.

Anyways, these remixes really aren’t prog rock. As I said before, this is synthpop Yes. Like all synthpop Yes, this song was co-written and produced by Trevor Horn, so sometimes I like to close my eyes and imagine Frankie Goes To Hollywood covering it.

Can you imagine a Frankie Goes To Hollywood/Yes collaboration!?! Oh man, why didn’t that happen? That’s the greatest tragedy of the 1980s.

Tangerine Dream
Streethawk (Radio Remix)
There was a TV show in 1985 called Street Hawk. It was about an ex-cop who fought crime with the help of a super-powered motorcycle. The theme song was by Tangerine Dream.

So…yeah. So…okay…so…I don’t even know where to begin with that entire statement. I need to let that sink in. Y’know what? Let me watch the opening credits to the Street Hawk TV show, maybe that will help me figure out how to put my thoughts to words.

HOLY SHIT HOW COME MORE PEOPLE DIDN’T WATCH THAT SHIT IT’S LIKE KNIGHT RIDER BUT WITH A MOTORCYCLE AND A SOUNDTRACK BY TANGERINE DREAM OH MY GOD.

Ahem.

Yeah, okay. I can’t comment on that. It speaks for itself. I got noting – maybe if I watch that opening again.

AND THE DUDE’S NAME IS JESSE MACH!? WHY? WAS “JOHNNY FAST” TAKEN?!

Wow. Okay, seriously, all of you need to read the Street Hawk wiki, because someone put a lot of effort into making sure everyone knows that Street Hawk is currently available on DVD (ORDERING NOW) and that at one point there were Street Hawk toys and even freakin’ Street Hawk novelizations.  And then check this incredible Street Hawk fansite. Because if you don’t, who will? Aside from the apparently millions of dedicated Street Hawk fans out there.

Wait a second, this site even has Street Hawk fan-fiction.

I have to go. I have reading to do.

Fuck your Breaking Bad nonsense, Street Hawk for life.

 

Posted in B-sides, live, remixes, Tangerine Dream, Yes | 3 Comments »

If Congress Doesn’t Get Its Shit Together I’m Gonna Make Them Listen To That Korn Dubstep Album

October 14th, 2013

Yo, if the government defaults and the world descends into a Mad Max-style apocalypse before I move to Japan I’m going to be really pissed off.

Depeche Mode
Strangelove (Strangemix)
Photographic (Photogenic Remix)
I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead (Deathwish Remix)
These are bootleg mixes taken from an untitled LP, but I thought that were good enough to share here. Although the first is labeled as a remix of “Strangelove,” it’s actually a medley/megamix composed of what feels like nearly a dozen different Depeche Mode tracks. While I think megamixes are typically pretty bland, this one does some interesting things, including modifying the “pain” refrain of “Strangelove” to fit the melody of “Just Can’t Get Enough,” although to be honest I do feel that I’ve heard at least one other remix do that trick before, so maybe I’m giving this release too much credit. I also like the “Photographic” and how it transforms the tune into a more dance-friendly track with an upped tempo and an added synth-melody. The inclusion of a remix of “I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead” is a bit surprising, since that track wasn’t even on the original US release of Speak & Spell (I don’t even have that track, since my copy of Speak & Spell is a first-printing). However, since that track was never released as a single and has no official remixes at all, it’s kind of cool to hear another take on it, even if it is pretty simple.

Korn
A.D.I.D.A.S. (Synchro Dub)
A.D.I.D.A.S. (Under Pressure Mix)
A.D.I.D.A.S. (The Wet Dream Mix)
Yeah, so…I like this song. Always have. In fact, I like most of Korn’s sophomore album Life Is Peachy. Speaking as someone who has admittedly not absorbed the entire Korn oeuvre, I think it’s their best album. I sure as hell liked it when I was in high school. Sure, it stupid, sophomoric aggro-metal meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but it’s really good sophomoric aggro-metal meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator! “No Place To Hide” is a good song! “Good God” is a downright great song! “A.D.I.D.A.S” is…um…well…

I like this song. Don’t you judge me.

Posted in Depeche Mode, Korn, remixes | 4 Comments »

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