The Look & The Sound Of "The Voice"

There are some voices in music you hear and think "oh my god!!!" for me and I'm sure a lot of people Alison Moyet is one such voice.
Like most people my first introduction to "The Voice" was in March of 1982 when Yazoo's debut single "Only You" broke them into global recognition,the b side to "Only You" "Situation" also earnt them success here in America.....the rest as the saying goes "is history".....
"Upstairs At Eric's" the first Yazoo album was seldom off my stereo in 82 and I practically wore out my copy of "Situation" which I bought as a US import on 12'' vinyl{remember vinyl??}
Sadly Yazoo's career only produced two albums{one more than Vince Clarke output w/ Depeche Mode prior to Yazoo} and Vince went off to have a successful career w/ Erasure while Alison went solo.....

W/in a year of "You & Me Both" "Alf" Alison's debut solo album was released in 1984.....another album seldom off my stereo back in the day along w/ the three singles it spawned"Love Resurection" "Invisible" and "All Cried Out" and the following year her cover of the classic"That Ole Devil Called Love" further cemented her reputation.
1987's "Raindancing" LP picked up where "Alf" left off,more hit singles another blockbuster album but it would be the start of a lean period for Alison.
1991's "Hoodoo" began an 8 year battle w/ record companys for control of her artistic direction which included 1994's "Essex" b4 the release of  "Singles" which is where my cd collection ended untill earlier this year b4 adding 2002s "Hometime"2004 covers cd "The Voice" and 2007s "The Turn" and the 2009s "Best Of 25 Years Revisited" which like  "Singles" came w/ a bonus disc of live songs where Alison is at her best.

Earlier this year she released her first material of the new millennium "The Minutes" which was generally considered her best work in sometime and w/ it a tour that as luck would have it brought her to America {albeit for only three shows in LA,San Francisco and New York and the New York show just happened to be on the night of my 50th birthday....how could I not make the short trip up I 95 and see her for the first time since the "Upstairs At Eric's" Yazoo tour in 1982}???

Kicking off w/ the opening track off "The Minutes" "Horizon Flame" the first thing you notice about "Alf" is she's lost alot of weight these days.....but none of her vocal range..
"Nobody's Diary" was the first of five Yazoo numbers sprinkled through her 21 song set and one of my favourite Yazoo songs I will confess
"When I Was Your Girl" another "Minutes" number b4 "Raindancing's" "Ordinary Girl" b4 "Remind Yourself" also from "The Minutes",I had no problem w/ all "The Minutes" songs making up the set list.
"Is This Love?" was beautifully slowed down from it's "Raindancing" original.

Alison was in rare form talking to the audiance as she explained the different mindset from when she wrote "Winter Kills"  to "Filigree" if your not familiar w/ the story of writing "Filigree" Alison and her husband stumbled into an Amsterdam art house movie theater to see"The Tree Of Life" which saw the audiance leaving in their droves as it wasn't what they expected and as she explained to the crowd in New York's Manhattan Center"sometimes in life it's all too easy to give up on life,love etc when it's not going the way you precieve it should be but by sticking it out to the end sometimes you get to be rewarded.......very profound observation from the girl from Basildon!
"Falling" was a pleasent return to "Essex" b4 "A Place To Stay" which preceeded "Only You" which also got the slowed down treatment a la "Is This Love?'' and agin only served to enhance it's sonic beauty.....a profound observation from the boy from Lewisham!!

"Apple Kisses" and "Changeling" all but brought "The Minutes" to a close b4 a revist to "Hoodoo" and  "This House" b4 "All Signs Of Life" and my favourite "Minutes" track "Right As Rain"
Finally  the audiance got to their collective feet for "Love Resurrection" and "Situation" dancing in front of my seat I couldn't help but harken back some 31 years to the times I danced around my living room to the vinyl 12'' of both,50th b'day or not I still cherrish my 20's and those memories.
A slam dunk encore"Whispering Your Name" another "Essex" number,"All Cried Out"  a perennial favourite off of "Alf" b4 the obvious show ending number "Don't Go".
I can't think of a better way to have celebrated my birthday,the question is what do I do for an encore next year??

Still Alive & Kicking

My love of all things Simple Minds can be traced back to April 1982 and the release of "Promised You A Miracle"
Quite how previous singles such as "I Travel" "Love Song" and "The American" had failed to get enough air play to put Simple Minds into the Top 40 and on Top Of The Pops is still beyond me but "Promised You A Miracle" did the trick and ever since I've been a card carrying member of the Simple Minds Apprecation Society.......it didn't hurt that the 12'' b side of "Miracle" had "Theme From Great Cities" and "Seeing Out The Angel" instrumental which I played over and over and is probably why "Theme From Great Cities" is one of if not my ALL time favourite Simple Minds song.

While I missed the "New Gold Dream" tour I did buy the album along w/ the previous album "Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call" but when "Sparkle In The Rain" was released in 1984 I not only bought the album but also went to see them live at Hammersmith Odean on that tour,it would be the first of three Simple Minds tours in three years for me,in 85 I saw them at Wembley Arena on the "Once Upon A Time" tour and the following summer at Milton Keynes Bowl in front of 50,000 fans.......little did I think that it'd be over a quarter of a century b4 I'd enjoy a Simple Minds tour again!
The 90's were not as kind to Simple Minds after the success of 1989s "Street Fighting Years" there followed a  lull in their commercial success,while 1991s "Real Life" and 1995s "Good News From The Next World" still spawned minor hits in "See The Lights" and "She's A River" but the all conquering success Simple Minds had enjoyed was now only a memory,in fact by the release of "Good News...." Simple Minds were only a duo of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill........

1998's "Neopolis" saw the return of Derek Forbes and Mel Gaynor to the fold but somewhat surprisingly was never released here in the US and was followed by "Cry" in 2002,in my opinion the low point of their career,in 2005 "Black & White" saw the light of day......but like "Neapolis" not here in America B4 their last studio release "Graffiti Soul" in 2009,I did overlook their "comeback" cd "Neon Lights" from 2001 which was a series of covers but perhaps the most notable release was last years "5x5".
Having elected for a 14 date European tour that focused on 5 songs off of the first 5 albums{now that's a tour I wish had come to America!!!!} EMI reissued the first 5 albums on cd in a boxed set.....which delighted yours truly given I only owned them albums on vinyl and my Simple Minds collection began at "Sparkle In The Rain" on cd.......
The 5x5 tour also spawned "5x5 Live" a double live cd b4 the end of last year b4 a three disc retrospective collection"Celebrate"  released this  year celebrating the bands now 34 year career and affording the band a "Greatest Hits" tour.......which thankfully brought them back to America for the first time in 11 years.....having been out of town the weekend they last played in Philly in May of 91 on the "Real Life" tour and then not known about the 2002 show at The Beacon in New York City w/ Inxs I had to be at The Roselands last Thursday....even though I have tickets for their show in London at the O2 Arena w/ Ultravox at the end of next month this was too great a show to pass up.

The general feeling via "social media" was these American Simple Minds shows were going down a storm in New Jersey,Boston,Washington DC,Los Angeles,Toronto,and Montreal so the antisipation going into the final show of the tour in NYC was high.
In this day and age of the internet the lure of being able to go on line and look up previous dates set lists is tempting but I lke to be surprized so I avoided the setlist sites prefering to be surprized on the nite.
The risk of seeing a band w/ such an extensive back catalogue of material even w/ a  "Greatest Hits" tour is if you go in saying"I want to hear this,this and this song" you leave yourself open for disappointment so I limited my wish list to two songs ''Promised You A Miracle" because it's the song that started it all off for me w/ Simple Minds and '' Belfast Child" which I've always loved but never seen them perform live.

Pre show over dinner the discussion lead to what would they open w/ I've always felt "Waterfront" w/ it's pulsating intro would make for a good show opener but instead they went w/ one of their new songs "Broken Glass Park"....I say new it's been around since 2011 if you happen to own "Live At Northern Meeting Park" or 2010 from Jim Kerr's solo "Lostboy AKA Jim Kerr"  although it never did make it onto the album instead it became a Simple Minds song,followed by "Waterfront"
In the build up to the Roselands show I'd read an interview w/ Jim Kerr where he'd said the American tour was geared towards their "MTV" era which I took to mean "Sparkle In The Rain" and "Once Upon A Time" so it was no surprize to hear "Once Upon A Time" and "All The Things She Said"
It was during one of those songs I got a "shout out" of sorts from Jim.....in honour of this show I wore my Scotland soccer jersey and being close to the front of the stage it caught Jim's eye....he patted his heart in acknowledgement of the that which I returned w/ a "it's all for you" point of my finger......people always claim they make eye contact w/ performers but I can honestly say my Scotland shirt caught Jim's eye on  Thursday nite.

"War Babies" off of "Neapolis" followed b4 a cover of The Call's "Let The Day Begin"  a shout out to former lead singer Michael Been who had opened for Simple Minds on prior US tours back in the day.
If there'd been any hesitency on either side of the stage about the 11 years since Simple Minds last New York concert it didn't show"I thought you'd never invite us back" joked Jim Kerr as the sometimes difficult to please New York fans welcomed him and the rest of the band back w/ open arms.
"Glittering Prize" and "New Gold Dream" brought the first set to an end b4 a 10 minute as both band and audiance caught their breath and maybe a beverage or two.....
The instrumental of "Speed Your Love To Me" by Andy Gillespie and Charlie Burchill hearlded the second set which read like a geeks dream "I Travel" off of "Empire & Dance" b4 "Someone Somewhere In Summertime" another nod to "New Gold Dreams"
"This Fear Of Gods" another "Empires & Dance" song preceeded "Let There Be Love" the first of two "Real Life" songs b4 back to back trips to "Sons & Facsination/Sister Feelings Call" "The American" and "Love Song" b4 "See The Lights" an apt song for midtown Manhattan.

It was a "no brainer" that they'd perform "Don't You{Forget About Me}the song that helped make them a bigger name around the world in 1985 from "The Breakfast Club" soundtrack,the 3,000 strong audiance sang the "la la la la's" as if their lives replied upon it.
Jim Kerr again apologized for being away for so long and told the Roselands crowd "we'll be back to tour American again.....while we still have hair and teeth" maybe a veiled reference to his thining hairline a far cry from the bands "MTV Heydays" back in mid to late 80's.
Fittingly for me at least "Promised You A Miracle" ended their set,the song that started it all way back when in April of 82.
"Theme From Great Cities" opened the encore,I've always loved that song,I've done my best Derek Forbes "airbass" for years to that song tonite was no different and even though Ged Grimes now plays bass for them it'll always  be a Derek Forbes song for me.
Not a total surprize "Sanctify Yourself" and "Alive & Kicking" brought the nite to it's climax as the band waved goodnite but not goodbye to the crowd{I belived they will return to American w/in a few years} the familiar strains of Bowie's "Jean Genie" played them off stage....why "Jean Genie" you may ask...ever wonder about the line"he's so simple minded"???? and how Johnny & The Self Abusers became Simple Minds?????

Ok so I didn't get "Belfast Child" but really I was hardly in a position to gripe w/ such gems as "I Travel" ''The American"''Love Song" AND "Theme From Great Cities" in the set list and plus I'm off to London to see them at the end of November,no 27 year gap between shows this time,try 37 days.....and I'm counting each and every one of them!!!!!!

Touched By The Hand Of Goth

The last time I saw The Mission was 14 years ago here at The Troc on the Resurection tour,it was only Wayne in the band but I was just happy to be seeing The Mission live.
Despite owing a vinyl copy of their 86 debut album "God's Own Medicine" it was another 15 years b4 i became a full blown "Eskimo"{a nickname Wayne Hussey gave the hardcorp Mission fans back in the day} and in that period I'd collected Mission music on vinyl,cd,Vhs and Dvd as if my life depended on it,I even tracked down a copy of their hard to find book "Names Are For Tombstones Baby"

Since the Resurection tour  there have been three studio albums, a series of final shows in 08 but w/ their 25th anniversary 2 years later alot of "Eskimo's" myself included willed a reunion of anykind....what we couldn't have imagined was 3/4s of the original line up Wayne Hussey,Craig Adams and Simon Hinkler getting back together{not sure what the offical word on drummer Mick Brown non involvement is} but the official word at the start of the year was a tour.....w/ US dates{yea!!!} and a new album.....
After several months of marking the days off my calender Wed Sept 4th arrived and w/ it The Mission's show at The Troc.
The band and their audiance may look alot older and the stetsons are from a bygone era but you know what? the songs sound as good as ever!!!

Opening w/ one of five new songs off the soon to be released "The Brightest Light" Wayne, Craig and Simon and drummer Mike Kelly launched into classic Mission setlist "Beyond The Pale""Serpent's Kiss""Naked & Savage" b4 another new song"The Girl In A Fur Skin Rug",the crowd on hand may have been sparse but made up for it's lack of numbers w/ it's enthusium as Wayne,Craig,Simon and Mike rolled back the years.
"Garden Of Delight""Severina""Butterfly On A Wheel" b4 a cover of Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane" b4 the song that introduced me to them all the way back in 86 "Wasteland"
two more new songs off the soon to be released "The Brightest Light" "Swan Song" and "Drag" b4 another cover"All Along The Watchtower" not a song I'd heard them cover b4.
Talk about leave them wanting more "Deliverence" and "Tower Of Strenght" and the end of their 90 minute 16 song set.

Is this "The Final Chapter"? w/ The Mission you never know,I for one hope not but given the 14 year gap between tours this side of the Atlantic from "Resurrection" to "Brightest Light" it could be....that said we're 3 years shy of a 30th anniversary of "God's Own Medicine" and frankly if I have to get on a plane to London to see that tour I may just have to,long may "The Dance Goes On" one's thing for sure this weekend my live Mission cds will be on heavy rotation on my cd player.....

And I Haven't Felt So Alive In {Fiveteen} Years

First off I need to correct an error I made in saying prior to Fridays  Revel Ballroom in Atlantic City show that this was my first Depeche Mode show in 17 years,I kept thinking the "Singles Tour" was in 96 when in fact it was 98,even so that's still 15 years between tours,too long when you're a big time Depeche Mode fan like yours truly but frankly if I'd known how easy it was to get to Atlantic City via the train I'd have been front and center for the "Exciter" tour in 01, "Playing The Angel" in 05 and "Sounds Of The Universe" in 09 at the House Of Blues trust me!!!
Still eager to make up for lost time I made sure the "Delta Machine" tour did not get by me even if it meant paying an astronomical fee for my ticket,I broke my never paid more than $100 for a ticket rule for this show but frankly it was money well spent....and frankly I wasn't waiting till 2017 for the next Depeche Mode tour!!!!!

I know there'd been some hue and cry on social media over the fact that  the band had said they would not performing anything off of their first four albums  but I wasn't too upset by this.
Don't get me wrong I like "Speak & Spell" "A Broken Frame" "Construction Time Again" and "Some Great Reward" but I saw ALL those tours in 81,82,83 and 84 and personally I think from 86's "Black Celebration" they became a  much better band both on cd and live so it was off to the Jersey shore w/ the hordes of black clad masses to see the "Delta Machine" tour.

Despite having less then great seats and paying a kings ransom for them I was hell bent on having a good time Friday nite and from 9.20pm when "Basildon's Finest" strode on stage for their two hour  twenty one song set I turned the enormous Ovation Hall at the Revel Ballroom into my very own Silk City where DJSC plays a bunch of Depeche Mode each month and danced my arse off after all isn't that listening to Depeche Mode is all about??!!!

Augmented by Peter Gordeno on keyboards and the excellent Christian Eigner on drums Dave, Martin and Andy let rip w/ an amazing show,leaning heavily as you'd expect on the new album {six songs off of "Delta Machine"} they revisited Violator,Black Celebration,Music For The Masses,Ultra and Playing The Angel and threw in a classic off of ''Speak & Spell"  "Just Can't Get Enough" to keep everybody happy.
When I'd heard they were performing "But Not Tonite" I was delighted to hear that but did not expect it to be Martin Gore on the vocals,w/a slowed down arrangement the classic "Black Celebtration" number took on a new sound and didn't sound any the worse for it either.
Granted back in 81 when "Speak & Spell" was unleashed on the music loving public Depeche Mode were considered a "synth pop" band but clearly over the recent years they've developed a much harder sound and dare I say it "Delta Machine's" "Soothe  My Soul" flat out rocked!!!! I'm already on the lookout for bootlegs of this tour for the new version of "But Not Tonite" and "Soothe My Soul" trust me.

When the two hour set came to a close w/ the "hands waving above our heads in unison" "Never Let Me Down Again" I couldn't help but think back to my first Depeche Mode show in November 81 at London's Lyceum on The Strand almost 32 years ago,if you'd told me then I'd still be rocking out to Depeche Mode I may not have believed you but believe me when I say that despite overdoses,nervous brakedowns and members leaving Depeche Mode continue to conqurer all b/4 them and I'm still dancing up a storm to them....long may both continue in my book

Setlist
Welcome To My World
Angel
Walking In My Shoes
Precious
Black Celebration
Policy Of Truth
Should Be Higher
Barrel Of A Gun
The Child Inside
But Not Tonite
Heaven
Soothe My Soul
A Pain That I'm Used To
A Question Of Time
Enjoy The Silence
Personal Jesus
Encore
Home
Halo
Just Can't Get Enough
I Feel You
Never Let Me Down Again

Don't You Forget About Me......As If I Could!!!

It's almost 28 years since I first saw the time honoured John Hughes classic "The Breakfast Club" I'd just returned from my first visit to America where "Breakfast Club" had already been released and managed to catch an 11pm showing just off of Oxford St and Tottenham Court Road in London's west end one Friday after work.....little did realize the profound effect a movie about five kids in high school detention would have on me.

Seldom has a movie come along that I could reacall all the names of the cast members{John,Andrew,Brian,Alison,Claire,Richard and Carl}much less car about all of them....ok maybe not so much Carl the Janitor but his role has its significence never more so in the scene w/ Vernon when they're drinking beer in the basement as Vernon bleets about"these kids turned on me" and Carl busts his balls how"you took a teaching job cos you thought it's be easy"
When I first saw the movie I was almost 22 now at almost 50 I'm like Richard Vernon if only in the respect of looking at the youth of today and wondering if they will take care of me in my twilight years but scratch just below the surface and my "inner John Bender" still lurks.

I can't think of a role that has resonated w/ me as much as that of Judd Nelson's John Bender,yeah I was  a rebel in high school but not at that level,more's the pity.
If I had a dollar for the times I've recited a John Bender line over the years I'd be wealthy beyond my dreams now,from"Screws fall out all the time" to my perenial favourite "How come Andrew gets up,if he gets up we'll all get up,it'll be anarchy.....it's out of my hands"!!!! I've tried to make them a regular part of my daily vocabulary....it isn't always easy to work "Show Dick some respect" and ''Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe on the weekends" but I try!!!!

Seeing the movie again last nite on the big screen for the first time since I first saw it back in 85 brought back a lot of great memories my toes were taping from the opening drumbeat of the Simple Minds classic "Don't You Forget About Me" and I wanted to jump up and boo when Richard Vernon first walked into the libary,yeah "The Breakfast Club" has that effect on me and I for one hope that in two years time on it's 30th anniversary we'll be treated to a reissue on dvd,can you imagine the gag reel and outtakes from this movie? and wouldn't you want to see them? I know I do!!

{New}Order In The House

In my last entry I talked about how music can transport you back in time well Friday nite at New Order at The Mann Music Center not only felt like going back into the 80's{forget DisneyWorld,the 80's ARE the most magical place on earth!!!} but also being at the famed Hacienda club in Manchester and not Fairmount Park....and we didn't need plane tickets or passports!

They say confession is good for the soul so allow me to get this off my chest.......I was never the biggest New Order fan till earlier this year.
Sure I owned a 12'' vinyl copy of "Blue Monday" back in the day.....but really who didn't? but the only New Order album I owned was "Substance"{not a bad album to have if you ask me} which has since been upgraded to cd.
I did own a copy of "Republic" but my favourite New Order cd until recently was the cd single for "World In Motion" the Italia 90 England World Cup song,which has made it's way onto many a mix tape let me tell you and why wouldn't it w/ lyrics like"Catch me if you can cos I'm the England man and what you're looking at is the master plan,we ain't no hooligans this ain't a football song Three Lions on my chest I know I can't go wrong"
At the start of the year Sex Dwarf featured New Order at its January dance party and after 5 hours of dancing to a ton of New Order songs that nite I realized how much I really loved them,that coupled w/ becoming a regular at DJSC at Silk City each month since Febuary where New Order and Joy Division{all bow to the memory of Ian Curtis}also feature heavily it was somewhat of a no brainer then when New Order announced a North American summer tour and Philly was a stop that I'd be there in a heartbeat.

I was a little concerned when more than one of my group of concert going friends passed on the New Order show citing"they're not a great live band" mantra this coupled w/ a Jimmy Kimmel Live performance early in the year I wondered if they were right....then I caught a few tracks off the recently released "Live At Bestival 2012" cd I felt I had nothing to worry about,like Dennis Nordon used to say on tv back in the day"it'll be alright on the night".....and was it ever!
From the dulcet intro of "Elegia" it was straight to the  jugular w/ "Crystal" probably my favourite newer New Order song b4 Bernard Sumner apologized for the length of time since New Order last played Philly.
A one two punch times two followed,"Regret" "Ceremony" "Age Of Concent" and "Isolation" the first of the nites Joy Division songs.
It was interresting to see the reactions from differing sections of The Mann,some folk were up and dancing all nite others waiting till more recognizable songs but trust me to quote an old Blondie track"the jam was moving"
New Order are a dance band,how can you listen to them and sit still?I know I can't!!
Continuing to share the wealth of their considerable derth of material "Here To Stay" followed by another personal favourite "Touched By The Hand Of God" "Your Silent Face" and "World"
For a guy w/ a fractured leg Bernard Sumner was doing a stellar job leading the line and while the purists will say it's not New Order w/out Peter Hook it was still a kick arse show and w/ Barney and Stephen it's still half of Joy Division and from a personal point of view I'm glad to have Gillian Gilbert back in the line up.
Winding things up for  the big finish we got "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith" b4 "586"

There was one song I wanted to hear more than anything tonite......"The Perfect Kiss" and I got it b4 the set ended w/ "Blue Monday" and "Temptation"
Returning for their encore Barney asked if there were any Joy Division fans in the house.....the roar was deafening"some people think I don't like playing Joy Division songs.......that's a load of bollocks"
"Atmosphere" kicked things off complete w/ the iconic video on the big screen,maybe the loudest cheer of the night was when the image of Ian Curtis appeared,gone but NEVER to be forgotten!
"Shadowplay" lead us to inevitable finale"this is our final song"lamented Barney"but it's a good one" as he switched guitars and struck the first note of the seminal classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
My love affair w/ Joy Division and subsequently New Order began back in 1980 when I first heard Ian's ode to Annik Honore but my understanding of the song became much clearer after seeing the 2007 movie "Control" the movie based on Ian Curtis's wife Deborah's novel "Touching From A Distance"I whole heartedly recomend both to anyone not familur w/ Ian's short yet tragic life.

As I made my way home across West Philly after the show I couldn't help but feel even though I'd never set foot inside the famed Manchester nite club The Hacienda made famous by New Order that this is how it must of felt like back in the 80's when they played,that to me is the beauty of music it can transend time even contenents if you let it.....

The {English}Beat Goes On

There's a great line in a Neds Atomic Dustbin song "Suave And Suffocated" that says "My childhood inspection is my record collection" which I'm sure most of us can attest to.
For me most of my early record collection was made up of 7'' & 12'' vinyl singles so retrospectivly I guess if and when I did go the extra mile and buy an album In must've really like that band.........
One such album that fell into that catagory was The Beat's 1980 freshman effort "I Just Can't Stop It",of all the Ska bands back then,The Beat,The Specials,Madness,Bad Manners and The Selecter the only album I owned was "I Just Can't Stop It" in amongst several singles.....maybe that's why The Beat remain a favourite band 34 years after first hearing them cover the Smokey Robinson classic "Tears Of A Clown" and giving me my first taste of Ska and Two Tone music.

When you watch Dave Wakeling perform  it's hard to believe he's been doing this for 35 years now,he still posesses the same passion for his music  now as when The Beat formed back in Birminghan in 1978,and The English Beat as they're known here since original members Ranking Roger and Everett Morton retain the rights to the name The Beat back in England are no strangers to playing live,I can almost guarantee The English Beat will tour year round on both sides of the Atlantic and are frequent visitors to Philadelphia.
Since this was a free show as part of the 80's Awesome Fest I knew we weren't getting a whole set from Dave and co but judging from set lists from previous shows on this leg of their current US tour we got a pretty close facsimile to what they've been performing recently.

It's funny how music can transport you back in time as I stood in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Eakins Oval on Friday nite The English Beat sung "Too Nice To Talk To and in the blink of an eye it felt like I'd been magically transported back to my old grade school where my church used hold school dances/discos back in the late 70's early 80's
"Too Nice To Talk To" felt like it should have been my theme tune,I could never work up the nerve to talk to the girls there unlike some 30 years later as I now possss the "gift of the gab" but that's not to say I have it all sussed out cos I don't,I've just learnt how to use the smoke and mirrors a lot better these days!!!

Never Ending Story Meets Non Stop Erotic Cabaret

I think by now my love of the 80's has been well docuemented,however I like to not only practice what I preach but also "walk the walk and talk the talk" which is why last weekend was such a pivitol weekend in the realm of 80's music.
Back to back to back concerts not to mention Friday being a double header OMD at Union Transfer followed by Sex Dwarf the  #1 Philadelphia 80's dance party......underlining the fact there's NO such thing as too much 80's music in one evening.......although when you're still dancing to Tears For Fears classic "Shout" at 3.20am it's one evening and the early part of the following morning!!!!!!

OMD will "forever(live and die)" hold a very special place in my black pagan heart having graduated high school in the summer of 1980 and been lucky enough to find a job w/in a few weeks I found myself in the position of being able to afford a ticket to see them at famed Hammersmith Odean in December on their "Organasation" tour I can still recall freezing my keester off taking the train up to Charring Cross on the Sunday b4 taking the tube to Hammersmith to get a standing room ticket for the back of the stalls for the following Wednesdays show,it was worth it trust me!
That show not only began a way of life for me as I now attend shows on a regular basis but also made OMD  an integral part of the soundtrack of my life.
Since buying the 10'' vinyl of "Messages" earlier in the year OMD  began to  become regular visitors to my stereo,so much so that I think my Dad probably knew the first two albums off by heart!!!!
Now I don't think for one second I'll ever be famous enough to be invited by the BBC to appear on "Desert Island Discs" but IF I did then w/out a doubt one of the eight albums I'd take w/ me would be either of the first three OMD albums.....which one is debatable as all three are classics,hell I might select all three and frankly in this blogger/80s fan's humble opinion the new OMD album "English Electric" could in time rank right along side them.

After seeing OMD in 86 on the "Pacific Age" tour I had to wait another 25 years till 2011 and the "History Of Modern" tour so any chance to see them now feels like making up for lost time and while I still yearn for "classics" such as "Bunker Soldiers"  "Red Frame White Light" ''Statues" and "Stanlow" I'll happily take whatever I'm offered as I can still picture the 17 years old me bouncing around my fathers living room{while he was out I hasten to add!!!} pretending to be Andy McCluskey playing bass or standing behind the sofa pretending to be Paul Humphreys playing keyboards ,the fact they went from "Metroland" to "Messages" at the top of their set just made me smile and dance that much more!

I never saw The Specials or for that matter any of the Ska bands back in the day,my enjoyment was limited to either my stereo or.......and here comes a tip of the pork pie hat to The Selecter "On My Radio"!!!!
Sadly most Ska concerts back in day either ended in skinheads causing a fight/riot or you spent most of the evening waiting for the inevitable trouble to kick off which sadly it did more often than not.
While I never owned either Specials albums back in 79 or 80 they were a band I liked and I would often cadge a free listen to either LP when I went to vist my best friend John who lived at the end of my street,I did however own several of their singles including The Specials AKA Live which included "Too Much Too Young" and "Guns Of  Navarone" "Rat Race" and "Stereotypes".
After finally seeing The Beat(sorry as a Brit I have a hard time referring  to them as The English Beat!)last year I found myself eager to add The Specials,The Selecter and maybe even Madness to the list so imagine my joy when earlier in the year it was announced The Specials were not only touring but coming to Philadelphia.....even if it was to The Tower.

While I like The Tower I just felt it was the wrong venue for them The Specials are a band you want to be able to "get your skank" on to or at the very least be able to dance/groove to so I'm glad the show got moved to the TLA {Theater Of Living Arts} and judging from the crowds reaction they were happy not  to have pesky seats in the way of their skanking.....or temptation for any skinheads who still think chairs at concerts are for breaking and throwing!!!!!!
Four songs into their set I leaned over to my buddies Eric and John and said"four songs in and no fights....this is great!!!"
W/ no inpending sense of fear that the show would get disrupted by fighting skinheads my only concern was Terry Hall,he looked like he didn't want to be there but I think that's just his demeanor because when he did speak to the audiance he was hysterically funny!
A beach ball w/ The Specials two tone logo found its way on stage from the back of the audiance only to be swiftly removed by a stage hand b4 Terry retrieved it and sent it back into the crowd saying"this is turning dangerously into a MTV Beach Party.....and you know how much I hate fun in any form"!!!!
A while later he mentioned seeing his first Armish person earlier in the day"that's it,I'm quitting this band and I'm getting a horse and a straw hat" he joked
Terry's final wise crack of the evening came during the encore"all I knew about Philadelphia b4 today was that Tom Hanks and Denzeil Washington lived here and they had a big falling out and they weren't speaking to each other......they're still not speaking....oh shit"!!!!never let anyone tell you Terry Hall isn't a funny guy!
My only gripe of the evening was that "Pearl's Cafe" wasn't on the set list,it's not the greatest song The Specials ever sung but it would've been fun to hear them and the crowd sing"it's all a load of bollocks and bollocks to it all" proving not for the first time,or the last time that even after 26 years here you can "take the boy out of South East London but you can't take the South East London out of the boy!!!!"

To round off my 80's Weekend I saw A Flock Of Seagulls at The Trocadero on Sunday night,I'd never seen AFOS back in the day so this was a chance to add them to my ever expanding resume of 80's bands live.
I always felt AFOS devided opinions back in the day,some people liked them,some dismissed them as a "novelty act" and some couldn't get past the hair....A Flock Of Haircuts was a frequent put down associated w/ them way back when,me I always liked them and as for the hair Mike Score was never an 80's artist I wanted to look like but it's nice to see these days we're rocking the same hairstyle.......I went for the shaved look almost elevan years ago so I feel he may be copying me!!
There was some grumbling that this line up of A Flock Of Seagulls is only Mike Score from the original line and three hired musicians but frankly they more than held their own recreating those songs from  1982's "A Flock Of Seagulls" 83's "Listen" 84's '' A Story Of A Young Heart"  and 86's "Dream Come True" albums and two songs off the 95 album"The Light At The End Of The World" by which time it was just Mike from the original foursome.

Following one of the early songs Mike turned to his bassist and joked "we're getting too old for this" but clearly there is still an audiance for this era of music,ok they weren't cramming them into The Troc w/ a shoe horn and a pound of Crisco but it wasn't a "one man and his dog " show either and it speaks volumes for peoples love of the 80's that a band who had their heyday roughly thirty years ago and only has one of it's original members in the line up can still draw an audiance and on a Sunday night no less.
I'll look back on this weekend w/ very fond memories,I still have several more 80's bands to see this year but I doubt there'll be another three shows in three nights not to mention Fridays double header of concert and dance party.

One Score,And Thirty Years Later.....

Sunday July 14th Trocadero Setlist

Modern Love Is Automatic
Hearts On Fire
Rainfall
The More You Live,The More You Love
Naked
She Won't Let You Down
Man Made
Nightmares
Space Age Love Song
Telecommunication
Wishing(If I Had A Photograph Of You)
I Ran
Encore
Messages
The Traveller

Now And Then W/ OMD

Friday July 12th Union Transfer Setlist
Please Remain Seated
Metroland
Messages
Tesla Girls
Dresden
History Of Modern(Part 1)
(Forever)Live And Die
If You Leave
Night Cafe
Souvenir
Joan Of Arc
Maid Of Orleans
Our System
Kissing The Machine
So In Love
Sister Marie Says
Locomotion
Sailing On The Seven Seas
Enola Gay
Encore
Secret
Electricity

Sometimes Things Really Are Just Black And White

Steppin' Up Inside The Big Boss Groove

Standing in line the other evening at a local Starbucks I happened to hear "Long Hot Summer" by The Style Council while waiting for my venti Zen tea.
While I wasn't surprised to hear "Long Hot Summer" given the time of year what did force me to do a double take was when I looked up The Style Council on trusty Wikipedia,"Long Hot Summer" was released 30 years ago in the summer of 1983.......has it really been that long ago?

I had been a big Jam fan back in the day,"All Mod Cons" remains one of my ALL time favourite albums EVER but sadly to my eternal shame I never saw The Jam live,by the time I became a regular concert goer in 81 there were more bands than I had pounds to go and see and somehow messers Weller,Foxton and Buckler slipped through the cracks calling it a day in 82.
It's fair to say the new musical direction Paul Weller took along side Mick Talbot w/ The Style Council was a radical departure from what he had done w/ The Jam and several hardcorp Jam fans were less then willing to join Paul Weller's new musical scooter so to speak{sly Mod reference!!} but seriously any Jam fan who heard them cover the Curtis Mayfield standard"Move On Up" couldn't have been shocked by the soulfulness the once"angry young man of pop" had in spades.
I personally liked what The Style Council brought to the table their debut "Speak Like A Child" dripped w/ soul and "A Solid Bond In Your Heart" also makes my Top Five Style Council songs of all time.
1984's double A single "You're The Best Thing"/Big Boss Groove" showed how multi layered Weller's Style Council could be,the soulful ballad of "You're The Best Thing"  coupled w/ the bombastic hard hitting "Big Boss Groove" was seldom off my turntable but was nudged to the side in December of that year when "Soul Deep" was released under the moniker of Council Collective.

Never one to shy away from his political opinions Weller launched a musical attack on then prime minister Margaret Thatcher's handling of the miners strike and donated the proceeds of "Soul Deep" to the families of the striking miners,some what surprisingly the single wasn't "banned" by the BBC for being "too political" and was even performed on "Top Of The Pops",to this day "Soul Deep" remains a Style Council favourite and is why I spent the extra dollars to get the deluxe copy of the "Our Favourite Shop" cd just to be able to hear "Soul Deep" over and over again.
The 1985 release of "Our Favourite Shop" would mark the beginning of the end  for The Style Council while 1987's "The Cost Of Loving" album yielded a pair of hit singles "It Didn't Matter" and "Wanted" the wheels were slowly coming off and in 1989 The Style Council were no more.

This however would lead to the third chapter of Paul Weller's career which continues to florish and head into it's fourth decade,"The Modfather" continues to record,tour and be a major influence on English music,long may that carry on.

Still Got The Beat

By the time I reached these shores in the fall of 87 the once all powerfull original Riot Grrrls The Go Go's had called it a day,Belinda was beginning her successful solo career but they left us w/ three great albums to remember them by.
Let's be honest there'd be no Spice Girls or dare I say it Pussy Riot if it hadn't have been for Belinda,Jane,Gina,Charlotte and Kathy and the blue print for every all female group since 1982 was "Beauty And The Beat"

When I heard the Go Go's were coming to The Keswick I quickly set aside my dislike of the venue to see them,don't get me wrong I think The Keswick is a great venue for certain types of bands but my concern w/ seated venues for  bands is if you want to get up and dance to is you give the audiance the option of sitting and if you happen to be in front of someone who prefers to sit then the whole "can you sit down please" debate kicks off,personally if I wanted to sit and listen to the Go Go's I could stay home and listen to the cds{that said while listening to their "Greatest Hits" cd on Wedneday lunch time I found it very difficult to sit still!!},seriously what's the point of having the beat if you can't dance to it????

Prior to the tour I was disappointed to hear Kathy Valentine was no longer w/ the band,I always liked Kathy and I have a fondness for redheads and a weakness for female bass players{Patricia Morrisson.....need I say more....thought not!} so imagine my delight to see Abby Travis filling in as bass player on this tour....I won't say I was heaven but I swear St Peter and the angel Gabriel were in the row next to me!!!!!!
W/ a thundering drum intro The Go Go's kicked off their set w/"Get Up And Go" and while that only got a handful of the audiance on their feet "Vacation" had alot more folks up and dancing....including the women behind me{Sex Dwarf anytime ladies??}so I didn't have to worry about them asking me to sit down.....!
"Tonite" and "How Much More" followed b4 "Mad About You" a Belinda cover,the first of a few.....

"Automatic" and "Fading Fast" continued the "Beauty And The Beat" celebration.nine of the eleven songs on the album made it onto tonites set list.
I recognised the intro to "Paint It Black" the Stones classic right away and was pleasently taken aback at how good of a cover version the Go Go's performed which then lead to an in band discussion about the merits of Mick and company and their ability to cover the song
''Cool Places"  the Sparks written song w/ Jane Wiedlen  followed.....eventually after the band stopped mid way through,Abby had begun the song in the wrong key...hey she's the new girl cut her some slack!,it did however give creedence to what Charlotte had said on the introduction to "Fading Fast" "what you see is what you get w/ the Go Go's,live music,no tapes etc" which Gina then backed up w/ her comment  about them being 100% live and being happy to play for the auidance.
Another cover,"Cool Jerk" followed w/ the band inviting some members of the crowd up on stage to dance w/ them,looking at the tiny girl dressed in a Go Go's t shirt as she danced on the stage probably oblivious to the magnatude  of how cool it was to be on stage w/ the Go Go's I couldn't help but think that as an "elder statesman" of the 80's it's my responsibility to help keep this great music alive for the generations that follow,I was lucky to not only love the 80's but live it also,and making sure that the generations to come who didn't live it w/ me can still enjoy the music.

"This Town" began to crank up the hits as the set drew to a close,"Unforgiven" was the lone "God Bless The Go Go's" number of the nite.
"Skidmarks On My Heart" served as a chance for some of the still seated to get up and dance,by the time the set closed w/ two Go Go's classics "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat'' which segued nicly w/ the Kiss classic "Rock N Roll All Nite" it seemed like the whole crowd was finally up and dancing.
"Lust To Love" and "Head Over Heals" served as the encore and sadly the end of the show,I'd have loved to have heard "Girl Of 100 Lists" but in concerts as in life we don't always get what we want,if that were true I'd have Abby Travis's phone number.......

Read It In Books

I just finished reading Jonathan Bernstein's "Pretty In Pink-The Golden Age Of Teenage Movies" book and like any book worth the paper it's printed on regarding 80's movies there was a chapter devoted to 80's movies soundtracks....a subject near and dear to my {pagan black} heart.
While not as good a read as Susannah Gora's "You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried" it was still none the less an enjoyable read and while I may not agree 100% w/ all the songs that made the chapter on 80's movies soundtrack songs I guess untill such a time as "The 80's According To Kev" gets published and I get  to devote a whole chapter to 80's movies soundtracks....ney why not a whole book{if you're gonna dream why not dream big??!!} I'll always have to make do w/ other peoples lists.

That said Jonathan Bernstein's list isn't too shabby,more pros than cons in my opinion{for what that's worth} and while I'll never be the final voice on all things 80's I will say of the 30 songs on this list well over half of them would make my list,what about you?

We Got The Beat-The Go Go's-Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Johnny Are You Queer-Josie Cotton-Valley Girl
Weird Science-Oingo Boingo-Weird Science
Rebel Yell-Billy Idol-Sixteen Candles
Invincible-Pat Benatar-The Legend Of Bille Jean
Pretty In Pink-Psychedelic Furs-Pretty In Pink
Hazy Shade Of Winter-The Bangles-Less Than Zero
People Are Strange-Echo & The Bunnymen-The Lost Boys
{Don't You}Forget About Me-Simple Minds-The Breakfast Club
If You Leave-OMD-Pretty In Pink
Crazy For You-Madonna-Vision Quest
On The Radio-Donna Summer-Foxes
Stay Gold-Stevie Wonder-The Outsiders
In Your Eyes-Peter Gabriel-Say Anything
Endless Love-Diana Ross & Lionel Richie-Endless Love
Just Once-Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram-Last American Virgin
Flashdance-Irene Cara-Flashdance
St Elmo's Fire{Man In Motion}-John Parr-St Elmo's Fire
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now-Starship-Manequin
Let's Hear It For The Boy-Deniece Williams-Footless
Old Time Rock n Roll-Bob Seger-Risky Business
Oh Yeah-Yello-Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Soul Man-Sam Moore & Lou Reed-Soul Man
Johnny B Goode-Judas Priest-Johnny B Goode
Who Made Who-AC/DC-Maximum Overdrive
Infatuation-Rod Stewart-The Sure Thing
All The Right Moves-Quarterflash-All The Right Moves
Together In Electric Dreams- Phil Oakey & Giorgio Moroder-Electric Dreams
Stand By Me-Ben E King-Stand By Me
Somebody's Baby-Jackson Browne-Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Old Punks Never Die....They Keep Making Albums And Touring

I can still remember buying the debut album by The Stranglers "Rattus Norvegicus" in the summer of 1977.
I had just compleated my second year of high school and was off on my summer vaction w/ my family in Cornwall.....oh the irony!,anywho back then as a 13 year old my weekly allowence/pocket money didn't stretch that far so buying albums was reserved for b'days and xmas but w/ vacation money at the start of the trip I plundered a record store in St Austell and bought the cassette of "Ratus Norvegicus",I'd have prefered vinyl but that would mean having to wait till I got home to hear it and armed w/ a tape recorder I figured the tape would get played during the week we spent sampling the delights of South West England....and beyond!
I listened to "Rattus Norvegicus" so much back then not only did I know the lyrics off by heart but if I had played either lead or bass guitar,drums or keyboards I would have had all those parts down pat too.
I also remember later than year thumbing through album racks in WH Smiths one Saturday afternoon and finding their follow up album "No More Heroes",rushing home I dropped a not so subtle hint to my father that there was an album I wanted.....this was met was stone silence....parent speak for"we don't want any more of that racket you call music in this house thank you very much"!!!
I never bought another Stranglers album till the advent of cds but did buy 7'' vinyl singles, "5 Minutes" and "Duchess"were two that frequently made their way onto my fathers old record player and eventually my stereo,I can recall taking "5 Minutes" into our music class in 1978 and pogoing around Mr Berridge's music classroom w/ Glee Rolle one afternoon when we were allowed to bring in our own music,these are just a few of my cherrished Stranglers memories.

For a band who once released the single "Big In America" stateside success for The Stranglers was limited so it was somewhat of a jaw dropper to discover 17 years since their last tour The Stranglers were coming to the States this summer,this was a show I didn't have to think twice about.
Granted Hugh Cornwall is no longer in the band and at 74 Jet Black and suffering from atrial fibrillation often skips tours to be replaced by his drum tech Ian Barnard but still Baz Warne has filled Hugh Cornwall's considerable big shoes and the reviews of recent albums and live shows have indicated The Stranglers are still a force to be reckoned w/ live,on the evidence of last nites Union Transfer show this is true.
The intro to "Waltzinblack" preceeded the band as they hit the stage b4 launching into a rocking version of "Toiler On The Sea".....I knew it was going to be"one of those nights!!!"
''Goodbye Toulouse" followed b4 the classic {Get A } Grip {On Yourself} from the moment Dave Greenfield's keyboard into begun I was pogoing up and down like it was 1977 all over again,sadly at almost 50 and not 13 I don't reach the heights I once did!!!
One of the more recent songs "Norfolk Coast" was next followed by "Nuclear Device" b4 a pair of songs off of "Giants" the most recent and seventeenth studio Stranglers album "Freedom Is Insane" and ''Mercury Rising" as Baz Warne said in a recent interview this wasn't a tour to promote "Giants" but it was understandable they would perform some tracks off of it,and why not it's a good album...don't take my word for it check it for yourself.

A Stranglers classic followed "Peaches" I can remember them taking all kinds of flack for that song on "Rattus" and truth be told they perform it w/ as much tongue in cheek now as they did back in 77.
"Relentless" off of "Suite XVI" followed b4 "Golden Brown" a classic Stranglers track,when I first heard "Rattus Norvegicus" in 1977 I could not have imagined such a tender mellow track as "Golden Brown" 5 years later,leopard,spots.........
"Skin Deep" and "Always The Sun" finished off the softer side of The Stranglers b4 another ah hell yeah number.
"Walk On By" aside from being a classic cover tune is also one of the great brake up songs ever and from Jean Jacques Burnel's bass intro to Dave Greenfield's keyboard solo this has RIGHTIOUS stamped all over it!
"Burning Up Time" "Nice N Sleazy" "Bring On The Nubiles" and "Who Wants The World" allowed us another journey back into classic Stranglers b4 a final "Giants" track "Time Was Once On My Side",ironic given Jet Black is 74,Dave Greenfield is 64  and Jean Jacques Burnel is 61....the once sneering punks have mellowed and judging from the smiles displayed by all four members of the band throughout the evening life is good for the Men In Black and they enjoy what they are doing.
"Duchess" and "No More Heroes" brought their set to an end,but they weren't finished yet......not by a long shot!
BOOYAH! "5 Minutes" began the first encore,cue yours truly going ape ship,granted it wasn't like 78 when Glen Rolle and I pogoed around the music room slamming each other into the desks but after a shitfest of a work day this was the release I craved.
"Straighten Out" followed b4 a second encore of "Hanging Around" and "Tank" Jesus talk about going back in time to 77/78.

I hope I'm wrong but I suspect this may be the last time we see The Stranglers on our shores if that is the case they left me and the crowd at Union Transfer wanting more,I hope my neighbours like The Stranglers cos I have a feeling the cds of "Rattus Norvegicus" "No More Heroes" and "Black And White" will be in heavy rotation this weekend on my cd player.......

Now And Then Jerico

I was delighted to read recently that the original line up of Then Jerico are back together and touring again.
In 1987 their debut cd "First{The Sound Of Music} came out of left field and hit me between the eyeballs like a  two by four.
In 85 their debut singles failed to make a dent in the charts but were huge club hits "The Big Sweep" and "Fault"
Prior to the release of "First" the single "Muscle Deep" was released as a single w/out any success but  somehow "Let Her Fall" became a minor hit in 87 reaching #65{personally I feel it should've gotten higher as it's one several stand out tracks off the album}
Another track I highly rate, the Roxy Music cover of "Prairie Rose" failed to chart and Mark Shaw and co must've wondered if Then Jerico would ever have a hit.........enter "The Motive{Living W/out You"}

Why "The Motive{Living W/out You}'' broke Then Jerico and "Let Her Fall" and "Prairie Rose" both failed is beyond me,granted "The Motive{Living W/out You}'' is a masterpiece but personally I feel any of the first seven tracks off of "First{The Sound Of Music} could've been hits:"Let Her Fall" "Blessed Days" "Laughter Party" "Stable Boy" "The Motive{Living W/out You}" "Muscle Deep" and "Prairie Rose" but don't take my word for it seek out a copy of "First{The Sound Of Music} or check it out on Last FM{MAJOR BOO HISS to Spotify for not having either "First{The Sound Of Music} or "Big Area" but only  their Best Of cd!!!
In 1987 "The Motive{Living W/out You}" was the most played record on BBC Radio One

Two years after "First{The Sound Of Music} in 1989 we were treated to the follow up "The Big Area" which much "First{The Sound Of Music} had some great moments but limited chart success ''Big Area" reached #13, "What Does It Take" reached #33 and should've done better period but given it featured Belinda Carlisle b4 "Sugar Box" reached #22 and w/ that came an abrupt end to Then Jerico.
Mark Shaw released two solo albums in 1990 and 91 "Love So Bright" and "Under Your Spell" but he to faded into 80's obscurity....... another Then Jerico interesting fact "The Big Area" sold 100,000 copies w/in 40 minutes when it was released.

As a champion of Mark Shaw and Then Jerico I'm inclined to pick up their"Acoustic Live London 2012" cd/dvd later this year when I'm in London but for now and for the gazillionth time it's time to play "First{The Sound Of Music}"....you should check it out or revisit it

Dynamic Duos

My last blog entry on Go West got me thinking about 80's music duos,I didn't have to think too hard about a Top Ten and most of theses bands came straight to mind:

Blancmange

China Crisis

Eurythmics

Go West

OMD

Pet Shop Boys

Soft Cell

Tears For Fears

Wham

Yazoo

Go West Young Man

The 80's produced a number of great duos{possibly enough for me to make a Top Ten list}one of whom were Peter Cox and Richard Drummie aka Go West.
Go West won me over from the gate,their debut single "We Close Our Eyes" released in February 85 went to #5,I remember when it first broke into the Top 20 Go West were quoted as saying they would celebrate this w/ "a nite of serious drinking".....I knew then they were a band I could like!!!

They're follow up single "Call Me" reached #12 in May of 85,I'm not sure what came next their self titled debut album or their third single "Goodbye Girl"...I do know I loved both!
"Goodbye Girl" will always hold a special place in my heart,in January of 85 I met my now ex wife while she was visiting London,that August I came here to Philly to visit after seven months apart{this was pre Internet/Skype}it was great to spend actual time together but inevitably I had to leave and return to London,leaving Erica behind was one of the toughest things I'd ever done and surfice to say "Goodbye Girl" was a song that captured all of those emotions,even now some 28 years later I get choked up when I hear it,now that we're sadly divorced another Go West song off their debut album "Missing Persons"  also holds certain memories and emotions.
"Eye To Eye" was released here in the US as single while "Don't Look Down" would give them another Top 20 hit back in the UK.

As a stop gap between their 85 debut album and 87's follow up "Dancing On The Couch" 1986's "Bangs And Crashes" was an album of remixes,live tracks and also featured "One Way Street" a song from the "Rocky  IV" soundtrack, a few years ago I was finally able to get hold of a reasonably priced cd copy of it,I have to say it's a cd that gets "heavy rotation" on my ipod,the live version of "Ball Of Confusion" featuring the unmistakable vocals of Carol Kenyon makes it worth owning.
From a personal opinion I think "Dancing On The Couch" was as good as their debut.....sadly judging from the chart positions of the singles off the album "True Colours" and "I Want To Hear It From You" #48 and #43 respectively the British record buying public didn't feel the same way,although the remix of "Don't Look Down-The Sequel" gave them their first US Top 40 hit.

Proving yet again how fickle the music industry can be three years later they scored a  US Top 10 hit w/ "King Of Wishful Thinking" a song that feature on the "Pretty Woman" soundtrack and also their third album "Indian Summer" an ironic title given that all three UK releases off the album went Top 20 in the UK,#18 for "King Of Wishful Thinking" #13 for "Faithful" and #15 for "What You Wouldn't Do For Love".
The last hurrah for Go West would come in 1993 on a Greatest Hits collection"Aces And Kings" a cover of the Smokey Robinson classic "Tracks Of My Tears"  reached #16 in the UK.
As is often the won't of a once popular 80's band a comeback album in the guise of 2008 "Futurenow" was released,sadly as of yet I haven't gotten hold of it nor have I been able to track down "3D" a trilogy of EP's released in 2010,2011, and 2013, 5 songs per EP w/ a  new recording of an old Go West classic on each one,"Call Me" "We Close Our Eyes" and "King Of Wishful thinking" proving you can't keep a good band down.

Happy Days Are Here Again

I missed out on Bauhaus in their first incarnation,"Bela Lugosi's Dead" had been a huge influence on my early clubbing days but by 83 Bauhaus as we knew and loved them were no more.....
Pete Murphy launched a successful solo career while Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins formed Tones on Tails b4  David J then made them Love And Rockets.....
Fast forward to 1998 and the reunion of Bauhaus I was lucky enough to catch them at The Electric Factory on that tour and could now add Bauhaus to my list of Goth bands seen live in concert
However the often volatile relationship w/in Bauhaus broke them up again by 2008 and once again "The Gothfather" Pete Murphy was touring solo,I caught his 2011 "Ninth" tour at The Troc where he closed the show w/ the Bauhaus classic cover of  Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" a song Bauhaus have made their own over the years.

Maybe that's where Pete Murphy got the idea to have his current touring band perform Bauhaus songs for the "Mr Moonlight" tour and while the purists may cry foul that it's not really Bauhaus,is it really Inxs w/out Michael Hutchence? is it really Queen w/out Freddie Mercury? and yet these bands tour so why shouldn't Pete Murphy celebrate 35 years of Bauhaus w/out the guys from Love & Rockets????
Anyone who thought they were getting Bauhaus Lite after the acoustic opening of "King Volcano" and "Kingdom's Coming"  were in for a rude awakening as Pete and co amped it up w/ a triple shot of Bauhaus classics "Double Dare" ''In The Flat Field" and "God In An Alcove" as their 90 minute set not only built up momentum but went straight for the jugular.

For me there's always a risk seeing a band w/ a substantial back catalogue,if you go in w/ the mindset"I want to hear".....{submit ones own laundry list of songs}chances are you'll end up being let down as seldom have I been to show where the band/artist has performed  everything I  wanted to hear,easier said then done I try to limit the songs I want to hear and then hope for the best.....
The full set list
King Volcano
Kingdom's Coming
Double Dare
In A Flat Field
God In An Alcove
Boys
Silent Hedges
Kick In The Eye
Adrenalin
Three Shadows Part 2
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
Bela Lugosi's Dead
The Passion Of Lovers
She's In Parties
Stigmata Martyr
Dark Entries
Severance
Burning From The Inside
Ziggy Stardust

Surely something to please most people{cos you can't please all the people all of the time!} w/ this set list,"Bela" was a no brainer and I did say I'd go ape shit if "Dark Entries" made it into the set list....
"Kick In The Eye" "The Passion Of Lovers" and "She's In Parties" all delighted me but sadly no "Spirit" or "Lagartija Nick" neither of which have shown up on previous sets lists so far from the tour,and "Telegram Sam" which has been in and out of the set list didn't make The Troc show either.
Not sure why "Ziggy Stardust" ended b4 the classic line "and Ziggy played guitar" Peter was already stage right and heading to the dressing room followed by his band mates and no encore,always leave them wanted more eh Pete?

Double Speak

In the almost 33 years since I saw my first concert{OMD at Hammersmith Odean Dec 16th 1980}I've learned that sometimes it's worth getting there early to catch the opening act.
Granted over the years there have been some opening acts who were instantly forgettable but also some who were really good but never quite took off......and then there are those who became headliners,Talk Talk fall very much into the latter category.

I'll go out on a limb here and guess that someone at EMI thought it would be a good idea to have Talk Talk open for Duran Duran on their 1981 pre Christmas UK tour,whatever the logic behind that choice I hereby wholeheartedly endorse that decision!
Even though I didn't know who Talk Talk were and didn't know any of their songs that nite they left a huge impression on yours truly in Dec 81 and when they released their debut single ''Mirror Man" the following February I was quick to rush out and buy it.
Two months later the single "Talk Talk" was released,like "Mirror Man" it failed to make the Top 40 but it did pave the way for their debut album"The Party's Over" in July which I still rate as one of the best 80's debut albums.
"Today" finally gave them a Top 20 hit and then they re released "Talk Talk" which at the second time of asking was a hit.
It didn't hurt their success any when they were asked to open for the Genesis reunion show at Milton Keynes in  October,I suspect many a Genesis fan became overnite Talk Talk fans

I just listened to their second album "It's My Life" the other day,it's as good as if not better than "The Party's Over" and while it yielded three great singles,"It's My Life","Such A Shame" and "Dum Dum Girl" for me it's  a track like "It's You" that makes me sit up and take notice in the same way the title track "The Party's Over" had the same effect on me on their debut album.
By 1986 things had come full circle,I was back at Hammersmith Odean to see Talk Talk only this time they were headlining in support of their third album "The Colour Of Spring"
This album would mark a significant change in Talk Talk's future,their commercial success ended w/  the singles "Life's What You Make It" and "Living In Another World".

Two years later when "Spirit Of Eden" was released Talk Talk had seemingly abandoned their "pop" roots and gone for a more improvised sound w/ elements of  jazz,classical and ambient music making up their sound,to this day I don't own a copy of "Spirit Of  Eden" and I've probably only listened to it's follow up "Laughing Stock" once since buying it in 1991,if you listen to tracks like "April 5th" and "Chameleon Day" on "The Colour Of Spring" you can hear the shift in their musical direction,the fact there was no tour for "Spirit Of Eden" pretty much marked the beginning of the end for Talk Talk as we'd come to know and love them but as the years have gone by their final two albums have been often cited as influential to the likes of Sigur Ros,Mogwai,God Speed You Black Emperor and later work of Radiohead while artists like Catherine wheel,Sarah McLachlan and Doves have heaped praise on "Spirit Of Eden".

A Fine Bromance Part One

I have no problem admitting that "back in the day" I had somewhat of a "mancrush" on Inxs lead singer and all round rock God Michael Hutchence.
What wasn't to be in awe of? the consummate front man "Hutch" had it all,great voice,unbelievable stage presence,oozing sensuality and sexuality all the things you want from a lead singer,Michael was like a "chick magnet" also the list of ex girlfriends read like a who's who of the worlds most beautiful women, Elle McPherson.Kylie Minogue, and Helene Christensen so it's small wonder in the pantheon of singers I most wanted to be Michael Hutchence came out a resounding first

Aside from a love of "all things Inxs" I could lay claim to being in the minority of people who'd actually seen his 1986 movie "Dogs In Space" and owning a copy of his first solo project 1989's "Max Q' which I'll review in another post{hence the title A Fine Bromance Part One!}
"Dogs In Space" is NOT the greatest film ever made,lets not kid ourselves set in Melbourne in 1978 it features a group of music fans living in a house together including Sam played by Michael Hutchence the singer of a band called Dogs In Space and traces the day to lives of the inhabitants of the house.
The soundtrack features songs by Iggy Pop,Gang Of Four,Brian Eno and a couple of Michael Hutchence tracks,the keeper of which is "Rooms For The Memory"
Since I'm devoid of the roughly $100 the soundtrack goes for these days I make do w/ the You Tube clip when I want to hear it,I still consider it a crime that "Rooms For The Memory" didn't find a way onto  his posthumous solo album "Michael Hutchence" that was released in 99 two years after his tragic suicide,maybe the length of time between "Rooms" being recorded in 86 and the releases of his solo album 13 years later meant it's exclusion,more's the pity "Rooms For The Memory" is a great reminder of the awesomeness that was,is and always will be Michael Hutchence.

Collaborations

Buoyed by the news that the Pet Shop Boys are coming to Philly in September I feverishly dug out my copy of "Discography" to refresh my memory of Pet Shop Boys classics from back in the day
The classic "What Have I Done To Deserve This" w/ Dusty Springfield got me to thinking about classic 80's duets/collaborations so here off the top of my head{ie not resorting to the internet!!!} is an impromptu top ten.

Pet Shop Boys-Dusty Springfield What Have I Done To Deserve This
UB40-Chrissy Hynde I Got You
Peter Gabriel-Kate Bush Don't Give Up
John Lydon-Afrika Bambatta-Time Zone
Phil Oakey-Georgio Moroder-Together In Electric Dreams
Inxs-Jimmy Barnes-Good Time
Fun Boy Three-Bananarama-Our Lips Our Sealed
Marc Almond-Bronski Beat I Feel Love
Phil Collins-Philip Bailey Easy Lover
Terri Nunn-Paul Carrick Romance

Remember Music Videos?

Cast your mind way,way,way back when MTV stood for Music Tele Vision and  they actually showed such a thing as music videos.....I realize it's from a bygone era of Beta Max,Walkmans,Rubix Cubes etc etc but such a thing did exist......I know it's hard to believe.
MTV hit the airwaves here in 81 even though not everyone could get access to it,meanwhile back in dear old Blighty there was no such thing,we relied on Top Of The Pops maybe showing a music video,the advent of the Video Juke Box in pubs was a saving grace for me,I spent many a happy couple of hours in a public house that had such a contraption,what was the point of bands making these wonderful videos if you couldn't watch them??

On my first trip to America in 85 I was treated to "Friday Night Videos" on NBC at 12.30am,90 minutes of music videos this was just unheard of back home,a  whole show devoted to music videos....no wonder I wanted to move here....of course when I did make the move in 87 NBC cut it from 90 mins to an hour and pushed it back to 1.30am but still it was an hour of music videos!!!
It would be a while b4 I finally got cable by which time MTV had added a two hour show showcasing quote unquote "alternative music" called simply "120 Minutes" beginning in 86 but at midnite on a Sunday.
Between years of no cable,then cable but no vcr or even worse having to work the 11pm -7am graveyard shift I missed more "120 Minutes" shows than I saw
By 2000 it had found a new home on MTV2 but w/in three was cancelled,video may've killed the radio star but it seemed MTV had now killed off "120 Minutes"

Thankfully these days it can be found airing three times a week on VH1 Classic,albeit at 4am but thanks to my trusty vcr I can preset it to record and sit back and watch when it's convenient for me.
It's fun to catch old videos or maybe videos I haven't seen b4 or for a while,in a recent edition these were some of the videos that had me waxing lyrical for days gone by

Killing Joke-A New Day
REM-Can't Get There From Here
A-ha The Sun Always Shines On TV
Blur-There's No Other Way
Oasis-Champagne Supernova
New Order-Perfect Kiss
School Of Fish-Three Strange Days
Midnight Oil-Beds Are Burning
The Cure-Hot Hot Hot
Alice In Chains-Down In A Hole
Sisters Of Mercy-This Corrosion
Ministry-Jesus Built My Hotrod
Nirvana-The Man Who Sold The World
Pearl Jam-Betterman
Rage Against The Machine-Testify

The Red Coats Are Coming

In honour of St George's Day yesterday here's a mix tape I made back in the mid 90's,the obvious Britpop influence is all over this collection.

Sing-Blur
Round Are Way-Oasis
Mile End-Pulp
Monkey-Bush
Connection-Elastica
Hey Dude-Kula Shaker
Sour Times-Portishead
I Wanna Be Adored-Stone Roses
#1 Crush-Garbage
Stop Whispering-Radiohead
I Wanna Touch You-Catherine Wheel
Inbetweener-Sleeper
Trouble In The Message Center-Blur
Headshrinker-Oasis
Common People-Pulp
Swallowed-Bush
Stutter-Elastica
Tattva-Kula Shaker
Wandering Star-Portishead
Ten Storey Love Song-Stone Roses
Vow-Garbage
Fake Plastic Trees-Radiohead
Crank-Catherine Wheel
Sale Of The Century-Sleeper

Kicking Off W/ Killing Joke

Last nite at Union Transfer saw the beginning of what I've dubbed "Philly's 80's Palooza"
Between last nite and Sept 4th over a dozen 80's acts have announced dates here in the City Of Brotherly Love,talk about "start as you mean to go on!"

To mark their 35th anniversary which in of it's self is a remarkable fete Jez and Geordie are on the road to promote their retrospective "The Singles Collection" a audio feast of Killing Joke songs from their 1980 self titled debut through last years "MMXII" there is a little something for everyone on this tour.
My introduction to "Notting Hill's finest" was 85's "Night Time" which yielded three kick arse singles "Eighties" "Love Like Blood" and "Kings And Queens" of which the first two songs made last nites set list,it would be churlish to whine that "Kings & Queens" not making it,afterall there were plenty of tunes from their  15 studio albums to make up the setlist from  "Requiem" "Wardance" and "The Wait" off of "Killing Joke to"Corporate Elect" off of "MMXII.

If the kink in my neck today is anything to go by Killing Joke have lost none of their vim and vigor since they first assaulted our ears w/ their "Turn To Red" EP. back in 79,miss them on this tour at your peril!