Waiting For My Audio Man – The Velvet Underground Acetates

July 11th, 2011

In September of 2002, a dude from Canada bought a record at an NYC yard for 75 cents. It was an acetate record with a handwritten label that read “Velvet Underground. 4-25-66. Att N. Dolph.”

On the acetate were nine cuts from the Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. (The N. Dolph in question was Norman Dolph, an engineer on the record.) That alone would have made the record quite the find, but it turned out that the nine tracks on the acetate were not the same versions that were on the final album. Some were different mixes of the album cuts, while others, like “Heroin” and “Waiting For My Main” were completely different takes. In 2006, he sold the record on eBay for over $25,000, which I think we can all agree is a pretty damn good R.O.I.

A month or so after the record was sold to an anonymous bidder, alleged MP3 rips of the acetate started to make their way online. Casual Velvet fans downloaded them en masse, eager to hear a version of the album that was previously unavailable.

Except that they weren’t previously unavailable and that the MP3s in question weren’t actually taken from the Dolph acetate.

While the Canadian dude bought the Dolph acetate in 2002, he didn’t actually sell it until December of 2006. During that time another acetate copy of the same recordings were found and released on a Japanese bootleg. Allegedly, this acetate was discovered in either Mo Tucker’s or Sterling Morrison’s basement (it’s commonly referred to as the Mo Tucker acetate). Regardless of the source, they appear to be taken from the same recording sessions found on the Dolph acetate.

Every download I’ve seen claiming to be a rip of the Dolph acetate have really been rips of Mo Tucker’s acetate. To the best of my knowledge, no copy of the Dolph acetate has made its way online, if anyone wants to prove me wrong please do.

Regardless of the source, these recordings are an amazing find for hardcore Velvet fans . Unfortunately, they sound like shit. They’re filled with pops, crackles and even a few skips. The poor quality of the recordings make them hard to tolerate, even for the most die-hard of Velvet Underground fans.

Ever since I downloaded them in 2007, I have been hoping that someone, anyone, would put a little effort into restoring them properly so they would at least be listenable. Four years later and I’m still waiting, so I guess sometimes if you want something done you just have to get up and do it yourself.

The Velvet Underground – Mo Tucker Acetate (April 25th, 1966)
European Son (Different Take)
Black Angel’s Death Song (Different Mix)
All Tomorrow’s Parties (Different Mix)
I’ll Be Your Mirror (Different Mix)
Heroin (Different Take)
Femme Fatale (Different Mix)
Venus In Furs (Different Take)
Waiting For My Man (Different Take)
Run Run Run (Different Mix)

This is what I did:

First I converted the tracks to WAV so I could run them through an audio editing program called ClickRepair. Like its name suggests, ClickRepair goes through a WAV file and removes anything it perceives to be a click, pop or crackle. I have yet to find an affordable program that can do this as good as ClickRepair. I used the default LP settings, and did not crank it up to it’s maximum settings in fear of giving the tracks noticeable digital distortion.

With most of the loud clicks gone, I moved on to the omnipresent hum that is present on all the tracks. Hum can be caused by both a poor source (like, let’s say a 40-year-old acetate record) or from poor recording equipment picking up DC interference. I think the Tucker rip has both. To remove as much of the hum as possible, I used Audacity’s “noise removal” feature. I think it did a pretty good job.

Finally, I opened up each song in Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio and manually removed as many of the remaining clicks, pops and other audio detects as I could. Sound Forge has a much more intuitive interface than Audacity, which is why I chose it for this task. After I was done editing the tracks to the best of my ability, I saved them as MP3s.

The results aren’t perfect. Although I was conservative with my use of ClickRepair, it was impossible to use the program in an effective way on a recording as damaged as this one without leaving some digital distortion behind. In my opinion, the digital quirks left behind by ClickRepair are preferable to the loud pops and crackles. Furthermore, there were some skips and many other audio problems that I could not fix. But I still think it sounds a hell of a lot better now, and can more easily be appreciated by both obsessive and casual Velvet Underground fans.

I hope you all enjoy them, and if you have any suggestions on how to improve them even more so, please let me know! I would love to make these sound even better, I consider this project a work in progress.

Sources for this post:
Portland Mercury
WFMU’s Beware of the Blog (Note: the tracks there are NOT taken from the Norman Dolph acetate)
Popsike

Posted in The Velvet Underground | 2 Comments »

In A Big Funky

July 7th, 2011

Apparently there’s this awesome music site called turntable.fm.

I run a website called Lost Turntable.

Who the hell do I have to talk to get a damn invite to that place? Seems like a travesty of justice to me if I ever heard one.

Big Country
In A Big Country (Live)
I found this on a strange record called Vertigo Sampler. It’s a 2LP sampler, with one label each getting a side. Phonogram got the A-side, Beggars Banquet the B-side, Polygram the C-side and 4AD rounding out the collection with the D-side. That means you get an album with Colourbox, Mark Knopfler, Big Country, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, ABC and The Cult all together. And the whole thing originally cost the price of a 12″ single.

It was probably a great way to expose music fans to new artists they might not hear otherwise, so it’s a safe bet that record companies today would never try it.

According to the linear notes, this live version was recorded in Austin, Texas on March 22nd, 1984.

Herbie Hancock
Chameleon (Special ’83 Dance Remix)
This shit is funky with a capital UNKY.

Okay, so that didn’t make much sense. But that’s how good this jam is, it destroys your ability to form complete sentences. It’s a 14-minute funkgasm that will have you funking the funky night away until you can’t funk no more. If case you were wondering where this funksplosion came from, I found it off of a super-funky 12′ single for “Autodrive.”

Funk.

Belinda Carlisle
Band of Gold (Extended Mix)
Band of Gold (Dub Mix)
Band of Gold (Single Mix)
Most upbeat song about a downbeat topic ever? I think so.

While I get the basic gist of this tune, does anyone know what the hell this song is actually about? I’ve heard two prevailing theories. One, put forth by original singer Freda Payne, is that the woman singing the song is “frigid” and unwilling to consummate the romance on the couple’s wedding night. However, I’ve also heard another theory that it’s about the how the husband is either impotent or gay, and that’s why they can’t get it on. Either way, that’s a weird topic for a disco classic.

These remixes from from a 12″ single, and the also feature Freda Payne as a ringer on backup vocals.

Posted in Belinda Carlisle, Big Country, Herbie Hancock, live, remixes | 3 Comments »

I Pity The Blog – Mr. T’s Commandments

July 7th, 2011

More Mr. T, because more fools need to be pitied. Enjoy.

Mr. T – Mr. T’s Commandments
Mr. T’s Commandment 
Don’t Talk To Strangers
The Toughest Man in The World
Mr. T, Mr. T (He Was Made for Love)
The One and Only Mr. T
No Dope No Drugs
You Got to Go Through It

My first Mr. T post didn’t set the world on fire it seems, but no matter! I am committed to this endeavor of utter stupidity.

Mr. T’s Commandments came out in 1984, the same year as the Be Somebody album and video. It’s much more Mr. T-centric than the Be Somebody though, while that was more of a soundtrack that featured Mr. T, this is a Mr. T album, for better or worse. All but one of the tracks feature the great mohawked one rapping, the sole exception is “Mr. T, Mr. T (He Was Made for Love)” which is a spoof of “Monsieur Lee.” According to Wikipedia (which we all know is never wrong), the vocals on that track are handled by one Tata Vega. She’s best known to most who know her for her performance of “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” on the soundtrack to The Color Purple. She’s most known to me for being in Howard The Duck. Guess which is the only one she mentions on her official website?

The rest of the tracks on Mr. T’s Commandments mostly just Mr. T rapping his tough-love tips to the kids, such as saying no to drugs, saying no to strangers, and doing what your parents tell you. However, the best track on the record is “The One and Only Mr. T” which drops the education/motivational bullshit in lieu of four minutes and forty-five seconds of Mr. T detailing exactly how bad-ass he is.

Now, if I was a little kid in 1984 (and I was), this is what I would want from a Mr. T record! I don’t need Mr. T to tell me to wash my fucking hands and do what my teacher says, I got my parents for that. I want Mr. T to tell me that he can kill a cougar with his bare hands, all while pitying the fools who doubted his cougar-battling abilities. I want a Mr. T song where he just lists the multitude of fools that he pities. And I really want a Mr. T track about how much B. A. Baracus hates flying. Cuz that dude totally hated flying. Sadly those Mr. T songs only exist in my mind.

Anyways, this album is fun, and shockingly worth a good deal of money. I’ve seen mint copies of this record and Be Somebody go for over 50 bucks on eBay and other auction sites, and that just blows my mind. I guess one can never underestimate the value of novelty. I’m also willing to bet that since these records were primarily for kids, that most copies were torn to shit. Mine sure are, both of these took some heavy digital editing in order for them to be even somewhat presentable to all of you. So I hope you all appreciate that I probably spent two hours cleaning up these records, each of which look like they were dragged through a sandpaper factory. I’ve spent less time restoring out-of-print Depeche Mode B-sides, but hey, you got to have priorities.

Posted in Complete Albums, Mr. T | 5 Comments »

I Pity the Fool who Doesn’t listen to Be Somebody by Mr. T

July 6th, 2011

It’s hard to explain to kids today (and by “kids today” I mean anyone under 25″) just how awesome Mr. T was in the early ’80s.

Growing up the ’80s I didn’t just idolize Mr. T, I wanted to be the dude. I wanted the gold chains, the awesome mohawk, and the unending ability to pity fools. I loved Mr. T because he was ALWAYS Mr. T. There never seemed to be an “off” switch on that dude.

Even as a little kid I knew that Slyvester Stallone was just an actor. Rocky wasn’t real, it was just a movie. I even had some doubt as to how real wrestling was – I knew Hulk Hogan didn’t just walk around the house tearing his t-shirts off and rocking out to Derringer, he saved that shit for the Main Event.

But Mr. T was Mr. T 24/7. Even when he was playing a role like on The A-Team or in Rocky III, he was still fucking Mr. T. No bullshit there. Not much acting there, what you saw was what you got, all the time.  The dude didn’t even change his act when he met Nancy Reagan or guest starred on Diff’rent Strokes. He even had his own cartoon where he played himself as a gymnast/detective. No matter what you say about Mr. T, you have to admit – that is a commitment to a lifestyle.

The kids loved Mr. T and he loved them back, so in 1984 he made an educational/motivational video for children called Be Somebody…or Be Somebody’s Fool. You should watch it. It’s pretty epic, filled with some great sage-like advice from Mr. T, as well as some “amazing” musical performances.

After you’re done watching it, you’ll probably be jonesing for that epic soundtrack so you can relive the magic and the music wherever you are.

Don’t worry. I have you covered.

Mr. T – Be Somebody
Be Somebody
Treat Your Mother Right
Stylin’
Love Each Other
I Am Somebody
Peer Pressure (New Edition)
Poppin’ and Breakin’
Try
Be Somebody…or Be Somebody’s Fool is a weird and wonderful artifact of the 80s, but the  Be Somebody album is even weirder and more wonderful, this is despite the fact that Mr. T only contributes to three of the eight songs on the album: “Be Somebody”, “Treat Your Mother Right” and “I Am Somebody.”

As you might expect, these are the best/worst songs on the album. Both “Be Somebody” and “I Am Somebody” are message songs (shit, a sample of a dude yelling something that sounds like “Message!” is looped throughout the latter track) about the power of self-esteem and doing your best. “Treat Your Mother Right” is a slow-jam about maternal love, and the less I say about that one the better.

The rest of the album is crazy mixed bag. “Love Each Other” is a ballad about loving each other (duh) sung by someone who is credited as “The Dimples.” A Quick IMDB search reveals this to be Marta Marrero AKA Martika, who appeared in Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo (not a surprise) and Disney’s Kids Incorporated (really not a surprise) before going on to one-hit wonderdom with “Toy Soldiers.”

The other ballad on the album is “Try”, featuring lead vocals by one Valeria Landsburg, who played Doris on the Fame TV show. While the titular fame seems to have eluded Valeria, she has managed to carve quite the small career for herself in Hollywood, working as an actress, singer, writer and director. Go Valeria!

NOTKB prototype New Edition make an appearance on Be Somebody with “Peer Pressure.” Guess what? It’s about peer pressure and how bad it is. It’s not “Candy Girl” I’ll tell you that much.

The two weirdest tracks on Be Somebody are “Stylin'” and “Poppin’ and Breakin.'” These are straight-up old-school instrumental electro tailor-made for breakdancing. What’s even more amazing is that they’re both pretty damn good too. They also feature a fairly impressive line-up of amazingly talented and diverse session musicians.

The percussionist on both tracks is a dude who goes by the name Munyungo. And if his webpage is to be believed (and why wouldn’t it be) that dude has quite the resume, working with Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Sting, and about every Motown band worth a damn. Bassist Michael Henderson, another frequent Miles Davis contributor, joins him on “Poppin’ and Breakin'” as well. When Michael Henderson isn’t rocking the bass on Be Somebody, fellow session musician Kevin Brandon is. A man whose work you may have heard on OutKast, Justin Timberlake and Mary J. Blige records. He’s not a household name, but he’s big enough to have a page on M-Audio where I found this information!

Finally, there’s guitarist Greg Poree, who produced most of the record, and appears on nearly all the tracks. He also worked with Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder, as well as Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin. Today he can be foun as the guitarist on Dancing With The Stars. A show that should totally have Mr. T as a contestant next season.

So that’s a lot of talent, but most of them aren’t really well-known.

Okay, how about Ice T?

That’s right, the Ice T (I assume no relation to Mr. T), served as the “associate producer for Mr. T’s vocal” on Be Somebody. I assume this means he just tried his damnedest not to make Mr. T sound any worse than he already was. It’s crazy the think that he was only three years away from Rhyme Pays when he helped on on this record. You think Coco knows about this skeleton in T’s closet?

Enjoy the Mr. T. There will be more later this week.

That’s right. You’ve been warned.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »

Holy Hypnotic Light Show of Hate! Also, Aerosmith

July 4th, 2011

Two people who know more about music and audio quality than I have said in recent weeks that the quality of my recordings could be better. Thoughts?

After being told, even I’ve noticed the lack of treble in them as of late, and I think I’ve managed to fix that problem via some EQ adjustment, bu I’m always open to new ideas on how to improve my setup. In the coming week or so I should be getting an Ortofon Arkiv cartridge. I’ve read numerous reviews on that one, and the general consensus seems to be that it’s the perfect cartridge for recording vinyl, I’ll let you all know if that’s PR bullshit or if it’s the real deal when I get it and test it out.

In the coming months I plan on getting an honest-to-goodness high-end pre-amp if need be as well as an internal M-audio soundcard (as well as a whole new computer, but that’s another topic entirely). After I do that, then it’s time for the final step, a Technics 1200.

Then if anyone tells me that my recordings sound like shit they can piss off.

Aerosmith – Look Homeward Angel (Bootleg)
S.O.S. (Too Bad)
Somebody
Dream On
Write Me A Letter
Walk This Way
Train Kept a Rollin’
Toys In The Attic
Okay, these songs sound kind of like shit, but it’s not my fault! They are all from a bootleg after all. While the quality might not be top-notch, as bootleg LPs go, this record sounds fucking amazing. According to this fan site, it was taken from a 1975 FM radio broadcast, which would explain the better-than-average sound quality. The fact that it’s an Aerosmith recording from the mid-70s (before the drugs stopped working) is the reason why the performance is fucking mind-blowing. How mind-blowing is it? Well, it has a version of “Train Kept a Rollin'” that’s  nine-minutes long, complete with a brief detour into the 1960s Batman TV show theme! Did you know that Aerosmith also covered the Spider-Man theme song? DC, Marvel, it doesn’t matter. Aerosmith breaks down barriers, man.

Posted in Aerosmith, bootlegs | 5 Comments »

Because 66.5 Days is a Shitty Name for a Movie

June 28th, 2011

Thanks everyone for the blog suggestions, as you may notice, the blogroll to the right has been vastly updated and improved tremendously.

And thanks to everyone who recommended Burning The Ground. Now I have blog envy.

John Taylor
I Do What I Do…(Theme For 9 1/2 Weeks) (Film Mix)
I Do What I Do…(Theme For 9 1/2 Weeks) (Extended Club Mix)
Jazz
“I Do What I Do…(Theme For 9 1/2 Weeks)” was nominated for a Razzie (the “awards” for the worst in film) when it came out. And sure, this song isn’t a classic, but worst song from a movie in 1986? It’s not even close. I just think that they wanted to shit all over John Taylor (the bass player from Duran Duran, by the way) because they were jealous of his fabulous hair.

In case you were wondering, the “winner” that year was Prince’s “Love Or Money” from Under The Cherry Moon, while the other nominees included George Harrison’s “Shanghai Surprise” from Shanghai Surprise, “Life in a Looking Glass by Henry Mancini for That’s Life! and Thomas Dolby’s “Howard The Duck” from…Howard The Duck (duh, although wouldn’t have it been awesome if that song was from Maximum Overdrive?).

Okay, first of all, “Howard The Duck” is an awesome track from an even more awesome movie (that’s right, I said it) so the Razzies can go fuck themselves based on that alone.

Secondly, I do recall that Michael Mann’s Manhunter (wow, when you say it like that it sounds really weird) came out that year, and that soundtrack was more than worthy of a Razzie or twenty. Other songs that should have been up for nomination include any non-Queen track from the Iron Eagle soundtrack and any song that was in The Golden Child strictly because of guilt by association.

Anyways, these remixes (as well as the B-side “Jazz”) are from two 12″ singles for the song. I enjoy them in all their cheesy splendor. If nothing else they’re certainly better than the film 9 1/2 Weeks.

Then again, most things are.

Nitzer Ebb
I Give To You (Wilder Mix Full Version)
I Give To You (Elemental)
I Give To You (Pestilence)
Holy shit on a dumptruck this is a great track. Why don’t I own more Nitzer Ebb? I need to fix that. These are all from a 12″ single.

Posted in B-sides, Duran Duran, John Taylor, Nitzer Ebb, remixes, soundtrack | 9 Comments »

Tell Me Where To Get Music

June 27th, 2011

The majority of MP3 blogs I visit have gone dormant.

Comment and tell me some good MP3 blogs.

Thank you very much.

New music here either Monday or Tuesday.

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »

In A Huge Big Country Post

June 25th, 2011

Five posts in one week, just like I promised. Let’s end it with a bang.

Big Country
In A Big Country (Pure Mix)
Chance (12 Inch Version)
Fields Of Fire (400 Miles) (Alternative Mix)
The Tracks Of My Tears (Live)
Balcony
Flag Of Nations (Swimming)
Just A Shadow (Extended Mix)
Just A Shadow (7″ Version)
Winter Sky
One Great Thing (Boston Mix)
Song Of The South
One Great Thing (Big Baad Country Mix)
Look Away (Outlaw Mix)
Giant
Wonderland (Extended Mix)
Heart And Soul
Lost Patrol (Live)
Man, that’s a lot of Big Country. Some of these are reposts, but I recently recorded them with better equipment, so if you did download them in the past I still suggest downloading them again. The majority are new, however, recent finds by me when someone sold their entire Big Country collection at Jerry’s Records last week.

Now, let me break these down. The first four tracks are from the Japanese EP of “Fields Of Fire.” The live version of “The Tracks Of My Tears” is not the same version that’s on one of Big Country’s live albums.

The two B-sides “Balcony” and “Flag Of Nations (Swimming)” are from the “Harvest Home” 12″ single. The two versions of “Just a Shadow” are from that song’s 12″ single, as is the B-side “Winter Sky.” I have two different versions of the single to “One Great Thing” which is where I grabbed those remixes, as well as “Song Of The South” and the “Look Away (Outlaw Mix).”

“Giant” is from the UK version of the “Wonderland” single, and it’s basically an instrumental version of the album cut “All Fall Together.” The final three tracks are from the Japanese version of the “Wonderland” single.

Enjoy and I’ll see you all next week.

Posted in B-sides, Big Country, remixes | 3 Comments »

The 80s Were Kind of Fucked Up

June 23rd, 2011

The next time I promise to do five posts in one week I’m going to stick to stupid dance music that I can talk about in 100 words or less.

The Bunburys
Fight (No Matter How Long)
This is the kind of weird, stupid shit I can only find at Jerry’s Records. I got this track off of a 12″ promo single. The single had no art, just a label that read the following:

“In the tradition of famous pseudonyms like Dr. Winston O’Boogie, George Harrysong, Klark Kent, The Glimmer Twins, Suzy and The Red Stripes, Lord Chocice, and The Barbusters comes The Bunburys. The lead vocalist and guitarist on this track is a core artist on rock radio, who is currently at a crossroads at his career. One listen and the mystery will be solved.”

Oooh! So mysterious! That label is right though, as soon as you start playing this record it’s more than obvious that the singer/guitarist in question is none other than Eric Clapton (as if the whole “Crossroads” reference on the label wasn’t hint enough).

What’s weird about this is that the label makes no mention of the other artists who make up The Bunburys. This was actually not a side-project or pseudonym for Clapton, he’s just a guest on the track. Actually, The Bunburys was a pseudonym for The Bee Gees.

Details on how and why the Bee Gees decided to record as The Bunburys are a little hard to come by, although this site fills in the details good enough. Apparently it was their manager David English’s idea. He was working on a children’s cartoon that taught the importance of teamwork and…um…cricket to impressionable young Britons and he had The Bee Gees created a theme song for the show. That track, “We Are The Bunburys,” was was released as a single in 1986.

Now, what I can’t find out is how/why they decided to re-release the single in 1988, with this decidedly non-children’s song as the B-side. I also cannot find out how the hell Eric Clapton got involved, and I certainly can’t decipher exactly how or why this track ended up on the soundtrack to the 1988 Olympics.

I’m just going to chalk it all up to “wtf 80s” and be done with it. I can’t think about this stuff too much, it makes my brain hurt.

Wall Of Voodoo
Do It Again (Extended Mix)
Do It Again (Bonus Beats)
Do It Again (Single Version)
Do It Again (Dub Mix)
Further proof of my “wtf 80s” hypothesis.

This is a cover of a Beach Boys song by Wall Of Voodoo, or at least the band that was calling themselves Wall of Voodoo in the late 80s (lead singer Stan Ridgway and two other members of the classic line-up had left the band by this point). I was a child in the 80s, and while I do recall a prevailing theme of 1950s nostalgia throughout the entire decade, even that can’t explain how something as batshit crazy as this manages to will itself into existence.

Even more out there, Brian fucking Wilson from the Beach Boys appeared in the video, which is so freaky and trippy that I’m surprised it didn’t make the poor bastard relapse into another psychotic episode.

Posted in Eric Clapton, remixes, The Bee Gees, The Bunburys, Wall Of Voodoo | No Comments »

Religion and Cheerleading Go Great Together

June 22nd, 2011

Tonight, I start with some controversial, classy “arty” music and end with…well..the opposite of that.

Brian Eno & David Byrne
Qu’ran
Okay, I’m going to tread lightly here.

In 1981 Brian Eno and David Bryne released My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts. It was their first album together, and was one of the very first albums to incorporate sampling, albeit in a very unusual way. The samples on My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts aren’t taken from records of popular music like most samples today. Instead, the samples are from obscure sources, such as the ramblings of a radio host or from found audio of an exorcism. The samples are then layered over creative beats and other musical creations by the two greats of art-rock.

Today it sounds a bit dated, kind of like early Art Of Noise, but it’s a great record and still worth picking up, even it doesn’t sound as revolutionary now as it did when it first came out.

But if you buy it today, the version you pick up will not have this track. This song, which features Algerian chants of the Qu’ran, angered some Islamic group in England, so Byrne and Eno pulled the song from all subsequent versions of the record.

I’m not going to rant about whether or not I think such a move is stupid. Readers of this blog can probably figure out my stance on such an issue, and I’m too tired to discuss it without probably sounding like a xenophobic idiot. I’m just going to say that I think “Qu”ran” is a beautiful track and worth listening to, even if others beg to differ.

I hope you enjoy it.

Tom Tom Club
On, On, On, On… (Remixed Version)
David Byrne was, of course, the lead singer of Talking Heads. The Tom Tom Club features both Tina Weymouth and her husband Chris Frantz, who were also in Talking Heads. So that means the only person from Talking Heads not featured in tonight’s post is Jerry Harrison. Sorry, I don’t have any rare Modern Lovers tracks.

Tom Tom Club is a classic example of a band that I have mixed feelings about. Yes, they gave us both “Genius of Love” and “Wordy Rappinghood,” but they also brought upon humanity “The Man With The Four Way Hips”, a song I find so goddamn annoying that I’d rather rip out my own teeth and shove them in my ears than hear it again. This track falls somewhere in the middle. It’s not a classic, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t make me want to inflict dental harm on myself, so it’s not that bad. This version is a B-side to the 12″ single of “Under The Boardwalk.”

Toni Basil
Mickey (Special Club Mix)
Okay, so here’s how this happened.

I was going to post some Pet Shop Boys remixes, then I found out that they weren’t rare at all.

The next track on my list was a Peter Gabriel B-side I recorded a while a go, but I found out my recording has a skip in it that I have to fix.

The back-up to my back-up was the 12″ remix of Freur’s “Doot-Doot”, but it turns out that even that song has been re-released on CD and iTunes.

Which brings us here, a 12″ remix of Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” a song that is now stuck in your head, even if you have chosen not to download it (sorry about that.) This club mix is an extended mix in the classic sense, and not a drastic remix. In fact, it’s pretty much the exact same song with about two dozen refrains of “Hey Mickey!” thrown in to pad it out. So hey, if you’ve ever listened to this song and thought, “Geez, I wish this song was two minutes longer!” then you’re in fucking luck tonight! Rock out with your pom-pons out!

Posted in Brian Eno, David Byrne, Tom Tom Club, Toni Basil | 1 Comment »

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