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Musik Music Musique 1979 – The Roots of Synth-pop compilation review

1 12 2025

Musik Music Musique 1979 is the fourth volume in the series from Cherry Red and is sub-titled The Roots of Synth-pop.

The 3 CD set is released on 16 January 2026. Featuring a colossal 60 tracks, the collection is made up of well-loved classics from 1979 alongside lesser-known gems. Musik Music Musique 1979 features The Buggles, Tubeway Army, The Human League, OMD, John Foxx, Visage, Yello and more. The compilation has track by track information along with sleevenotes by Electronic Sound magazine’s Mat Smith.

Video Killed The Radio Star

Disc one opens with Technopop from The Buggles Clean, Clean single (recorded in 1979 but released in 1980) and is also available on their debut album The Age of Plastic. I’m glad that the compilers avoided the obvious Video Killed The Radio Star, that is ubiquitous on compilations covering this era, plus they made the decision to include the pre-Buggles version from Bruce Wooley & The Camera Club, a more new wave tinged take on this 80s classic. Technopop is a slice of nostalgic pop, driven by Trevor Horn’s bass and vocals, and Geoff Downes multi-layered synths.

M offer Made in Munich, a track cut from the same cloth as their massive hit, Pop Muzik. Robin Scott is joined by members of Level 42 on this addictive track, that name checks John Travolta at one point. The Korgis Cold Tea saw James Warren and Andy Davis move away from their progressive rock past with Stockbridge, to this more angular electronic, 10cc on acid sound.

The first little-known highlight on this compilation comes from Dutch musician Floris Kolvenbach and his Metal Voices project, with the haunting At The Banks Of The River, an adventurous song with a mournful chorus.

Armband by Karel Fialka is a catchy piece of electronica from 1979. Fialka is also known for his singles The Eyes Have It and Hey Matthew (a top 10 hit in 1987). Life In Tokyo (Pt 1) from Japan is a collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, and is one of the bands finest singles.

Tubeway Army’s Are Friends Electric? was released on Beggars Banquet in May 1979 and soon made its way to no1 in the UK singles chart. There will be more from Gary Numan later in this compilation. Pop duo Dollar’s Star Control (B- Side Mix) was the b-side of the more tame Who Were You With In The Moonlight single in May 1979, and is a charming vocoder driven space themed oddity.

The Lone Ranger (1979 Remix) from Rupert Hine’s Quantum Jump was a top 5 hit the second time around, thanks to championing from DJ / television personality Kenny Everett.

“Taumatawhakatangihangakoayauo-
Tamateaturipukakapikimaungahoro-
Nukypokaiwhenuakitanatahu”

If you know, you know. Rupert Hine was an important figure in 80s pop (and beyond), producing and working with Rush, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, the Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Suzanne Vega as well as releasing a series of influential solo albums, including my favourite, 1982’s Waving Not Drowning.

Birmingham’s Fashiøn deliver the single Technofascist, one of the bands early tracks before line-up changes and a huge pivot in sound that led to the magnificent Fabrique album in 1982. The Technofascist line-up had a sharp post-punk sound, and I remember seeing this line-up supporting The Stranglers at The Rainbow in 1980.

The Cars sprightly Night Spots is an album track from Candy-O, the US bands second album. Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club’s early version of Video Killed The Radio Star features a line-up that included the influential musician Thomas Dolby, and is a spikier more new wave take on what went on to be an 80s classic.

Mirror Of Infinity from the US synth trio Moebius is another gem that passed me by on its original release, with progressive vocals on top of an icy synth soundtrack. The only mis-step for me appears with an awful cover of The Stranglers Hanging Around by Final Program, a cover where the musicians are playing as if they have never heard the original, far superior version. An instant skip from me!

One Rule For You

Disc two opens with an absolute banger in Gary Numan’s no 1 single Cars, that sounds as great today, as it did on its original release in 1979. Nuff said.

Donna Summer producer Giorgio Moroder offers the title track from his album E=MC², a synth pop, disco masterclass. Daft Punk fans will likely enjoy this track.

Nice Mover from Gina X Performance was produced by German producer Zeus B. Held (Fashion / John Foxx), who has his own track titled Held It on this disc. The Gina X Performance had an underground hit with No G.D.M., and were surely an influence on the mighty Propaganda in the later part of the 80s.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Almost slipped by me when I bought their Electricity 7″ single, why didn’t I play the b-side? Almost is a delicate, forlorn piece of electronica that stands up well. The Men (an early incarnation of The Human League) appear with a funky bass line driven I Don’t Depend On You.

One Rule For You from After The Fire should have been a massive hit, with Rupert Hine, Muff Winwood, Rhett Davies and John Leckie on production duties on their second album Laser Love. Thrash was the debut single from Cowboys International, a short lived pop band, who mixed new wave with synth pop.

Factory Records act Minny Pops early single Dolphin’s Spurt has an inventive guitar line running through the sparse electronics.

Producer extraordinaire Zeus B. Held bridges Krautrock and the late 70s electronic explosion with Held It from his second solo album, that will appeal to fans of John Foxx’s The Garden album. The Swedish band Secret Service round off disc two with the saccharin pop of Oh Susie. Once you hear this song, you will struggle to get it out of your brain for days.

Living By Numbers

The third and final disc opens with a track from The Human Leagues Reproduction album, the insanely catchy Blind Youth. Back To Nature from Fad Gadget (Francis John Tovey) was a dark electronic single released by Mute Records.

Landscape (featuring future acclaimed producer Richard James Burgess) contribute the 12″ version of the playful instrumental Japan, a precursor to the bands hits with Einstein A Go-Go and Norman Bates. Japan sounds like a theme tune to an 80s cop show that sadly never existed. What a bass-line too.

Frequency 7 by Visage was the b-side to their debut single, Tar, and is a sparse, dark piece of Ballard influenced electronica. Living By Numbers New Musik was an early single from the band that featured producer Tony Mansfield.

“They don’t want your name, just your number”

Suicide’s Dream Baby Dream, produced by The Cars’ Ric Ocasek, has found a new audience due to the songs use on television and in film, including Alex Garland’s disturbing Civil War.

John Foxx appears with Young Love (the 1979 version that was first released as part of a Metamatic album reissue). Forever Tonight by Hammer (featuring Jan Hammer, Miami Vice theme composer and future Styx vocalist Glen Burtnick) is a disco infused synth pop song.

Computer was included on Toyah’s debut album Sheep Farming In Barnet and has aged particularly well. Thomas Leer and Robert Rental’s Attack Decay is an album track that offers an industrial, warped peep into the future.

Don’t Dither Do It (7″ Version) from Steve Hillage (former member of Gong and future founder of System 7) is an enjoyable new wave, disco crossover. Rheinita (7″ Version) from La Düsseldorf is an instrumental shiny electronic pop piece.

Musik Music Musique 1979 disc three closes with the barely recognisable lo-fi cover of The Beatles All You Need Is Love by Instant Automatons.

Musik Music Musique 1979 is a wonderful time capsule that showcases the futuristic experimentation of the electronic / post-punk tinged sound that grew out of punk before mutating into the heady electronic pop that dominated the first half of the 80s.

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TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
The Buggles – Technopop
M – Made In Munich
The Korgis – Cold Tea
Metal Voices – At The Banks Of The River
Yello – I. T. Splash
Dalek I – The Kiss
Karel Fialka – Armband
Japan – Life In Tokyo (Pt 1)
Black Rod – Going To The Country
Tubeway Army – Are Friends Electric?
Dollar – Star Control (B- Side Mix)
Quantum Jump – The Lone Ranger (1979 Remix)
Fashiøn – Technofascist
The Cars – Night Spots
Devo – Strange Pursuit
Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club – Video Killed The Radio Star
Moebius- Mirror Of Infinity
Tanya Hyde – Herr Wunderbar
Final Program – Hanging Around
Metrophase – New Age

DISC TWO
Gary Numan – Cars
Giorgio Moroder – E=MC²
Gina X Performance – Nice Mover
Blah Blah Blah – In The Army
Gerry And The Holograms – Gerry And The Holograms (Alternate Drumbox Version)
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Almost
The Men – I Don’t Depend On You
Telex – Rock Around The Clock
They Must Be Russians – Nagasaki’s Children
Silicon Teens – Memphis Tennessee
Henry Badowski – Making Love With My Wife
After The Fire – One Rule For You
Cowboys International – Thrash
Jude – Mirror Mirror
Minny Pops – Dolphin’s Spurt
Mi-Sex – Computer Games
Passage – 16 Hours
Zeus B. Held – Held It
The Family Fodder – Sunday Girl #1
Secret Service – Oh Susie

DISC THREE
The Human League – Blind Youth
Fad Gadget – Back To Nature
Landscape – Japan (12″ Version)
Calvin Twilight – Harmony
Cuddly Toys – Madman (Original 1979 Japanese Mix)
R.L. Crutchfield’s Dark Day – Hands In The Dark
Visage – Frequency 7
New Musik – Living By Numbers
Suicide – Dream Baby Dream
John Foxx – Young Love (1979 version)
The Dodgems – Science Fiction (Baby You’re So)
Genocide – Pre Set Future
Hammer – Forever Tonight
Toyah – Computer
Thomas Leer and Robert Rental – Attack Decay
Plain Characters – Man In The Railings
Steve Hillage – Don’t Dither Do It (7″ Version)
La Düsseldorf – Rheinita (7″ Version)
Tim Blake and Jean Phillipe Rykiel – New Jerusalem (Extract)
Instant Automatons – All You Need Is Love

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Tags: 1979, 80s, Compilation, Electronic, music, New Wave, pop, re-issue, reviews, rock, Synth-pop, Trevor Horn
Categories : Music, Music Review

Rediscovering 1980s Music: Bill Nelson’s Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam Box Set reviewed

7 11 2024

Bill Nelson’s Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam receives a lavish box-set treatment from Cherry Red in December 2024. The album was originally going to be a Red Noise record, and a follow-up to their Sound on Sound release, but EMI passed on the album and it was finally released by Mercury Records in May 1981.

Bill Nelson Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam coverart

This new 3CD / 1 blu-ray set features a newly remastered version of the original album mix plus new 2024 stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound mixes by Stephen W Tayler and includes all the surviving recording sessions from 1979, a previously unreleased radio session from March 1981, a BBC John Peel session from June 1981 and a collection of rare single tracks from the era. Also included is the rare promotional film of Do You Dream in Colour.

Disc one is a 2024 remaster. If you know and love the original album, this will bring back memories of Bill Nelson’s highest charting release.

The fun really starts with discs 2 to 4 in this box-set. The second disc collects single tracks and a collection of sessions, all remastered. Ideal Homes, Instantly Yours and Atom Man Loves Radium Girl are from the 1980 Do You Dream in Colour EP and are a delightful throwback to the Red Noise sound.

Dada Guitare is a 1980 release. Nelson was so productive during this era that many gems like this exist outside of the main album track listing. Dada Guitare is a wonderful piece of sparse electronica, topped with trademark Nelson guitar lines.

Turn to Fiction, Hers Is A Lush Situation, and Mr. Magnetism Himself were released on the Banal 12″ single in 1981, with the extended mix of Banal also included on disc two. All rarely heard tracks, they are a welcome peek into the late 70s / early 80s music scene.

Youth of Nation on Fire is a catchy single and the other tracks from the 12” are also included here. Be My Dynamo is a fast paced experimental song and Rooms With Brittle Views is a twisted piece of new wave pop, recorded on 8 track. All My Wives Were Iron is a dystopian tale with an interesting arrangement, delicious chorused guitar and a shorter than short song length.

Birds of Tin and Love in the Abstract are from the Living in My Limousine 12″ single, and showcase the glitchy, more experimental side of Nelson’s work from this era.

The radio session tracks are interesting for historic purposes but sound like they were maybe sourced from cassette, so they stand out a little from the other tracks. Although there is a slight drop in quality, I’m still glad that the sessions have been included. The highlight of the sessions for me is the Red Noise Sound On Sound song, the mighty Stay Young. And keep in touch! Skids vocalist Richard Jobson guests on the final radio session track Jazz.

My favourite part of the collection is disc three, with new 2024 stereo remixes by Stephen W Tayler. All tracks were mixed from the original master tapes by Tayler at Chimera Arts, Real World, Box, Wiltshire between December 2023 and March 2024.

The new mixes are crystal clear and so much more powerful for it. Banal jumps out of the speakers, and the drums on Living in My Limousine cut through with more clarity.

The key track Do You Dream In Colour still holds its charm but again, packs more punch, especially the wonderful Bowie like end section, when the Solina synth arrives. It depends how you remember the album, but I am finding that I play these new Stephen W Tayler 2024 stereo mixes more than the original mix.

The sleevenotes state that Red Noise make a guest appearance on Disposable, in the form of Steve Peer (Drums), Rick ‘Pinky’ Ford (Fretless Bass) and Andy Clark (Keyboards). They also appear on a couple of the single tracks.

Youth of Nation on Fire and the albums title track (and what a gem of a track it is) particularly shine in these new 2024 stereo mixes. The bonus track The World And His Wife (released on an EP in 1983 along with the Red Noise sounding Dancing Music) is a welcome addition, and is a very commercial, memorable slice of alternative pop.

The 5.1 Blur-Ray was not provided for review, so I cannot comment on how the album transfers to surround sound, but I am looking forward to receiving my physical copy of the box-set to experience the album in this format.

The sleevenotes from Mark Powell offer a welcome insight into the albums creation, and the booklet includes press articles, shots of some of the single covers (which inspired me to rummage through my vinyl crates to find my Do You Dream in Colour 7″ to play), plus master tape photos and studio shots provided by producer John Leckie and album lyrics.

It was a pleasure revisiting and re-appraising this wonderful album from 1981. Quit dreaming and dive back in time to the early 80s, using this box-set as your soundtrack. You may never want to return.

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TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

QUIT DREAMING & GET ON THE BEAM THE ORIGINAL STEREO MIX

Banal
Living in My Limousine
Vertical Games
Disposable
False Alarms
Decline and Fall
White Sound
Life Runs Out Like Sand
A Kind of Loving
Do You Dream in Colour
U.H.F.
Youth of Nation on Fire
Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam

DISC TWO

SINGLES & RADIO SESSIONS 1980 – 1981

Ideal Homes (original single mix)
Instantly Yours (original single mix)
Atom Man Loves Radium Girl
Dada Guitare
Banal (extended mix)
Turn to Fiction
Hers is a Lush Situation
Mr. Magnetism Himself
Youth of Nation on Fire (extended mix)
Be My Dynamo
Rooms With Brittle Views
All My Wives Were Iron
Living in My Limousine (remix)
Birds of Tin
Love in the Abstract
Konny Buys a Kodak (radio session 1981)
After Life (radio session 1981)
Boom Year Ahead (radio session 1981)
Art of Vision (radio session 1981)
Rooms With Brittle Views (radio session 1981)
Stay Young (radio session 1981)
Sleep Cycle (radio session 1981)
Jazz (radio session 1981)

DISC THREE

QUIT DREAMING & GET ON THE BEAM SESSIONS – NEW STEREO MIXES BY STEPHEN W TAYLER

Bonus tracks
The World and His Wife
Dancing Music

DISC FOUR

QUIT DREAMING & GET ON THE BEAM SESSIONS – HIGH RESOLUTION 5.1 SURROUND SOUND & NEW STEREO MIXES BY STEPHEN W TAYLER – BLU-RAY

Bonus tracks
The World and His Wife
Dancing Music

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Tags: 80s, Electronic, music, New Wave, re-issue, rock, Synth-pop
Categories : Music, Music Review

Heaven Sent – The Rise Of New Pop 1979-1983: UK Musical Zeitgeist

18 06 2024

Heaven Sent – The Rise Of New Pop 1979-1983 is a 4 CD compilation from Cherry Red, released on 26 July 2024. “New Pop” was a term associated with NME journalist Paul Morley, ‘New Pop’ came to describe any forward-thinking British music of the early 1980s which wasn’t ‘rockist’ or overtly punky and anti-establishment in outlook.

Opening with the “Full length disco mix” of M’s Pop Music, featuring Wally Badarou (Level 42) on keyboards, and vocals from Robin Scott, the song has aged well, and remains a staple of 70s / 80s themed radio stations. The low-fi charm of The Flying Lizards Money gives way to a pop titan as the 70s gave way to the 80s with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes Buggles and their biggest hit, Video Killed The Radio Star.

Godley And Creme’s An Englishman in New York from their 1979 album Freeze Frame, highlights the duos more experimental side, as compared to their later success with Wedding Bells and Cry.

“They boggle at menus in Olde English verse
“Ode to a burger” by Keats at his worst
The hissing of omelets the breaking of legs
Don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eggs”

Young ‘n’ Russian from The Korgis preceded their biggest hits (If I Had You and the classic Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime), and is an often overlooked part of their legacy. Living By Numbers from Tony Mansfield’s New Musik is, like The Buggles, a sneak peak into the sound that would soon come to define the next decade. Living By Numbers has a charming naivety that holds fast, even after all these years.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Red Frame / White Light is the Liverpool band mixing their early experimentalism with a snappy chorus. Toyah’s Bird in Flight sees the band starting to move away from their new wave roots, displayed on the excellent Sheep Farming in Barnet album, into the more electronic sound that would give them success in the early 80s with Ieya and It’s A Mystery.

One of the highlights of the collection is Dream Sequence from Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls. This classic electronic single from 1980 is a lost gem, from the timeless Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls album, that was produced by Martin Hannett. Following the split of Pauline’s previous band, Penetration (Come Into The Open remains a favourite new wave single), Pauline and Penetration bassist Robert Blamire were joined by a cast including Vini Reilly, the Buzzcocks John Maher, Wayne Hussey and New Order’s Bernard Sumner on an album that is a must listen from the early 80s.

The Clash offer Hitsville UK from their fourth album Sandinista!, featuring vocals from Mick Jones and US singer Ellen Foley (check out her Strummer/Jones heavy Spirit of St. Louis album from 1981). The Passions I’m In Love With A German Film Star is a staple on new wave compilations, but deserves to be championed and sounds better with age.

“I’m in love with a German film star, I once saw in a bar
Sitting in a corner in imperfect clothes
Trying not to pose, for the cameras and the girls
It’s a glamorous world”

African And White (Inevitable Version) from China Crisis is another sign that Liverpool was one of the strongest regions for late 70s and early 80s music. Is Vic There? was the only hit from Department S, and works so well due to its iconic guitar riff and propulsive beat. The Art Of Parties from Japan was an insistently catchy single highlighting all band members musical strengths. Altered Images are represented with A Day’s Wait, a Siouxsie and the Banshees influenced song, produced by the Banshees bassist Steve Severin.

The early Heaven 17 single I’m Your Money shows the influence they had on the burgeoning electronic music of the decade. Disc one ends with The Associates Q Quarters and its encouraging to hear a less obvious track from the duo. The Situation Two single from 1981 is a dark, brooding piece, with a restrained vocal from Billy Mackenzie. I still cannot believe we have lost Mackenzie and Alan Rankine, both are huge losses to music.

Disc two opens with Eurythmics and Never Gonna Cry Again, produced by Conny Plank, and from the era just before the massive success that followed from Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) onwards. Like a lot of Eurythmics material, time has been kind to Never Gonna Cry Again. Thomas Dolby’s debut single Urges is a more lo-fi release, compared to his majestic later material such as The Flat Earth, but highlights Dolby’s knack for adding layer upon layer of hooks to his songs.

The Slits Earthbeat (7” Version) (featuring future Banshees drummer Budgie) is a welcome addition as one of the post-punk highlights on this collection. Hazel O’Connor was at her best for me with the Breaking Glass album, but this is a respectful cover of the early Stranglers classic. Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call was a wonderful period in Simple Mind’s back catalogue, giving us the majestic The American and the track on this compilation, Sweat in Bullet. The band seem to be having a bit of a critical renaissance at the moment, and about time too.

Bedsitter is one of Soft Cell’s finest early singles and so another excellent addition. Chas Jankel contributes Questionnaire, and brings with him some of the pure, undistilled funk of The Blockheads, with lyrics from Ian Dury. The percussion from Charley Charles is out of this world.

Mad Eyed Screamer brings us back to Budgie and Siouxsie Sioux, and their first hit. Who needs a band when you have Budgie and Siouxsie Sioux at their creative peak (JuJu was also released in 1981). Tears for Fears debut single Suffer The Children is scheduled next to Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) from Haircut 100. Disc two shows a shift away from post-punk into a more dance / Latin infused era for pop music.

Tiny Children remains one of the highlights from the too short career of Liverpool’s Teardrop Explodes. Mari Wilson seemed to disappear from the charts almost as soon as she arrived, but the 50’s musical influenced Beat The Beat is a good, nostalgic pop single. The Day My Pad Went Mad from John Cooper Clarke is filled with JCC’s typically witty wordplay, delivered in his trademark Salford drawl.

Disc three opens with the mighty ABC, and their Trevor Horn produced single Poison Arrow. It still sounds sumptuous all those years later. The De Harriss led version of Fashiøn contribute their influential electronic single Streetplayer (Mechanik). How this Birmingham band were not global megastars is a mystery to me. If you ever come across their 1982 album Fabrique, I can heartily recommend it. All killer….

Culture Club are represented with the percussion heavy White Boy (Extended Mix), here in all its 6 minute plus glory. Scritti Politti offer the seemingly plastic soul / Young Americans Bowie influenced Faithless, a fine single, but the band really hit their peak for me with the glossy pop of Cupid & Psyche 85 three years later. Swamp Children and Taste What’s Rhythm is one of the tracks I was not familiar with from Heaven Sent – The Rise Of New Pop 1979-1983, and is performed on top of a delicious percussive backing.

Iron Out The Rough Spots was one of the few singles on Paul Young’s No Parlez that did not chart. I went to a recent Dolby Atmos playback of the album, organised by Super Deluxe Edition, and the Dolby Atmos mix adds a fresh excitement to this familiar album. Any compilation that highlights the finest band to come out of Sheffield, The Comsat Angels, is an instant friend of mine. After The Rain (single remix) showcases the band as they were shifting on their axis, from heavy post-punk towards a more commercial mid-80s rock / pop sound. After The Rain is a classic single. I miss the band so much, I wish we had more material from them.

Pale Fountains and Thank You is up there with Wah’s The Story of the Blues as one of the great Liverpool singles. The Pale Fountains released two fantastic albums over the next few years, with Thank You being a radio hit, but the commercial breakthrough never materialised, but the beautiful music remains. Glasgow’s Set The Tone and Dance Sucker still sounds as funky as hell. Beat Surrender ‘b’ side Shopping is an interesting inclusion from The Jam, with Weller’s horizon widening as The Style Council loomed ever nearer.

The final disc is the most “commercial” in this compendium of musical delights, with Lets Go To Bed, one of my favourite singles from The Cure. The 12″ version (not included here) is a delight. The Stranglers and their acoustic meets electronica period from the Feline album, with lead single European Female, fits the new pop aesthetic perfectly. The barracuda bass and jagged guitar replaced by a more sophisticated 80s palette.

Tracie Young delivered some warm pop / funk, and 1983’s The House That Jack Built was a slice of breezy pop that still sounds so optimistic. Paul Weller appears again with The Style Council’s Headstart For Happiness, an acoustic and Hammond driven pop song. County Durham’s Kane Gang have their 1983 single Brother Brother included, a song I missed on its original release, but one that I would have bought if I had been aware of it. A wonderful piece of UK funk / pop with a lovely refrain towards the end of the song.

The jangly guitar pop of Friends Again and State Of Art features two artists whose later work moved me greatly, James Grant and Chris Thomson, whose band The Bathers have released album after album of high quality, orchestral soulful pop. State of Art is very much of its time, but still a quality song. The final tracks on the compilation highlight the alternative indie-pop of Furniture and the sample heavy Colourbox and the still haunting Moments in Love from Art of Noise, with the technological advances of the 80s now in full effect.

Heaven Sent – The Rise Of New Pop 1979-1983 is a fascinating snapshot of an interesting period in the UK’s musical history. Fans of the late 70s and early 80s will find plenty to love in this expertly compiled collection.

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TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE
M – Pop Musik (Full Length Disco Mix)
The Flying Lizards – Money
The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star
Godley And Creme – An Englishman In New York (Single Version)
The Korgis – Young & Russian
New Musik – Living By Numbers
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Red Frame/ White Light
Toyah – Bird In Flight
Grace Jones – She’s Lost Control
Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls – Dream Sequence (One)
The Clash – Hitsville U.K.
The Passions – I’m In Love With A German Film Star
The Human League – Boys And Girls
China Crisis – African And White (Inevitable Version)
Fad Gadget – Make Room
Department S – Is Vic There?
Japan – The Art Of Parties
Altered Images – A Day’s Wait
Heaven 17 – I’m Your Money
Thomas Leer – Letter From America
The Associates – Q Quarters

DISC TWO

Eurythmics – Never Gonna Cry Again
Thomas Dolby – Urges
The Slits – Earthbeat (7” Version)
Monsoon – Ever So Lonely (Indipop version)
Hazel O’Connor – Hanging Around
Anthony More – World Service (Single Version)
A Flock Of Seagulls – Telecommunication
Simple Minds – Sweat In Bullet
Soft Cell – Bedsitter
Chas Jankel – Questionnaire
The Creatures – Mad Eyed Screamer
Tears For Fears – Suffer The Children
Haircut One Hundred – Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Liars A To E (Single Version)
The Teardrop Explodes – Tiny Children
Rip Rig And Panic – Bob Hope Takes Risks
Mari Wilson – Beat The Beat
TV21 With The Cannizarro Strings – All Join Hands
The Undertones – Beautiful Friend
Blue Rondo A La Turk – Klactoveesedstein
John Cooper Clarke – The Day My Pad Went Mad

DISC THREE

ABC – Poison Arrow
Fashion – Streetplayer-Mechanik
The Fun Boy Three – The Telephone Always Rings
Culture Club – White Boy (Extended Mix)
Scritti Politti – Faithless
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – You Little Fool
Haysi Fantayzee – John Wayne Is Big Leggy
The Apollinaires – The Feeling’s Gone
Weekend – Past Meets Present
King Trigger – River
Swamp Children – Taste What’s Rhythm
Dead Or Alive – The Stranger
Paul Young – Iron Out The Rough Spots
Wide Boy Awake – Chicken Outlaw
Comsat Angels – After The Rain (Single Remix)
The Higsons – Tear The Whole Thing Down
The Pale Fountains – Thank You
Set The Tone – Dance Sucker
The Jam – Shopping

DISC FOUR

The Cure – Lets Go To Bed
Malcolm McLaren And The World’s Famous Supreme Team – Buffalo Gals
The Stranglers – European Female
Madness – Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day)
Tracie – The House That Jack Built
Hey! Elastica – Suck A Little Honey
Paul Haig – Heaven Sent
Eyeless In Gaza – New Risen
The Style Council – Headstart For Happiness (Single Version)
JoBoxers – Johnny Friendly
The Kane Gang – Brother Brother
The Special AKA – Bright Lights
Dislocation Dance – Show Me
Friends Again – State Of Art
Ian Dury – Really Glad You Came
Colour Box – Shotgun
Furniture – Robert Nightman’s Story
Swallow Tongue – Animation
The Art Of Noise – Moments in Love

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: 70s, 80s, pop, Synth-pop
Categories : Music Review

The Mousetrap Factory – The Beauty of Routine album review

21 04 2023

In 1981 the Liverpool based band A Better Mousetrap was formed. The band performed in venues around the North West of England before disbanding in 1985 and they were never heard of again, until now. In 2020, three original members got together to work on the music they created in the 1980s. Calling themselves The Mousetrap Factory, over the next two years they recorded updated versions of old songs, along with some new ones. These form the album The Beauty of Routine which will be released in 2023 and is available on-line via Burning Shed.

The Mousetrap Factory - The Beauty of Routine album cover.

The Beauty of Routine features nine songs, including a cover of Humdrum by Peter Gabriel. Tim Bowness has written the sleeve notes.

The album starts with Trivia, and an old telephone dial tone, with a disembodied “hello”, maybe referencing the future calling the past? This is not the album the band would have made in the early 80s, and Trivia feels like a 21st Century song and production, whilst clearly drawing from the bands musical past. References to modern day living provide lyrical updates to the song that was originally conceived in 1981. I love the proggy keyboards from Brian Hulse, and as always with Hulse recordings, the drum programming is a highlight.

Distant Man was written in 1980, a slow building piece, with a wonderful post-punk bassline from David K Jones, and an emotive performance from vocalist Peter Goddard.

“The letters fade, I loose my hands
And they must never know what I feel for you”

Space is the first “new” on the album. Set to a laid-back, loping beat that is underpinned by deep bass, minimal synths and percussive guitar lines, the reflective, at time spoken, lyrics suit the music perfectly. This song makes me want to jump into my (imaginary) time-machine and visit the long-lost London Planetarium to listen to this song, lying back with headphones on whilst experiencing the laser lightshow.

“Infinite, vast, formless, nothingness”

A Contradiction, originally written in 1981, changes direction mid-way through the song, with a very clever dialling down of the speed and pace, with the end section reminding me a little of The Garden era John Foxx. Not in the sound of the vocals or the instrumentation, but the highly emotional, gentle and almost choral arrangement.

A Contradiction is an epic track, with the band pouring more ideas into this single track than some bands put into the mix for a whole EP. Talk about value for money!

Humdrum is a cover of the Peter Gabriel song from his 1977 debut. The Mousetrap Factory add more jittery electronics to their updating of this classic late 70s original. The reimagining is respectful, whilst taking the song into new directions so many years later. Peter Goddard adds his own vocal stylings, instead of providing a more obvious, deeper delivery of the lyrics.

Waiting/Monologue was originally written in 1982, and has some early Simple Mind’s referencing drum and bass interplay, giving the song a potent urgency. Stripped back lyrics and heavily processed vocals make this one of the most interesting arrangements on the album.

I Stand Aside is the second and final new song on the album. Its also my favourite song on The Beauty of Routine. It has a freshness and lightness of touch, to make it stand aside (sorry, not sorry) from the other songs on the album. A stunning vocal performance and arrangement from Peter Goddard, with sympathetic and unobtrusive backing from band colleagues Hulse & Jones, delivers one of the albums key tracks.

“I stand aside
I only came here to enjoy the ride
But if you’re planning something more beside
I stand aside”

The final two songs were both written in 1980. Mrs. Green reminds me a little of The Teardrop Explodes, which is always a good thing. The nursery rhyme-like lyrics, and the unexpected break-down at the half-way mark, gives this track its unique charm.

The Beauty of Routine ends with the slow-paced and atmospheric The Nineteenth Day, featuring deep-cut synths and a melodic bass-line that works so well alongside a very theatrical, expressive vocal from Peter Goddard.

“I hold the future…”

The Beauty of Routine brings together the bands past and transports their music into the here and now, in a way that hints at a possible future.

Pre-order The Beauty of Routine CD from Burning Shed

Download the bands cover version of The Blue Niles Over The Hillside

Trivia
Distant Man
Space
Contradiction
Humdrum
Waiting/Monologue
I Stand Aside
Mrs. Green
The Nineteenth Day

Visit The Mousetrap Factory website.

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Tags: 80s, Synth-pop, Tim Bowness
Categories : Music Review

New Musik – From A To B – The Sony Years review

8 03 2023

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Cherry Red are releasing a 4CD box set bringing together all of New Musik’s three studio albums along with a disc of B-sides, single edits and remixes.

New Musik - From A To B – The Sony Years cover

The From A To B – The Sony Years box-set includes a booklet featuring fascinating, scene setting notes from Record Collector’s Daryl Easlea, that includes quotes from Tony Mansfield.

Formed in 1977 by Tony Mansfield, a former member of The Nick Straker Band (A Walk In The Park) with bassist Tony Hibbert and drummer Phil Towner, New Musik’s first single Straight Lines was released in 1979, and their debut album, From A to B, followed in April 1980.

Living by Numbers was the band’s most successful single and the album, which entered the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, featured two further hit singles with This World of Water and Sanctuary.

New Musik’s first album came at the beginning of the 80s synth driven explosion that was to shape the decade, sharing a similar electronic soundscape to The Buggles, but also including guitars and bass. Straight Lines is a powerful opener and is followed by the equally commercial Sanctuary, a bright shining pop gem.

From A to B is primarily an extremely commercial electronic pop album, but with a variety of moods and textures. Slower paced songs such as A Map Of You and the fretless bass driven, shifting The Safe Side hint at the further experimentation that was to seep into the music on the later albums.

Its the singles that stay with you on the debut album. This World Of Water has dark lyrics that are disguised in the upbeat music.

“These waters have frozen
Can’t break the ice no more
It’s raining so hard now
Can’t seem to find a shore”

My favourite New Musik single from the album is Living By Numbers, a song that reached No13 in the UK singles chart, and instantly takes me back to 1979 whenever I hear it.

“They don’t want your name
Just your number…”

The band’s second album Anywhere was released in 1981 and and was the last album to feature band members Towner and Hibbert. At this point, its time to strap yourself in, as the music takes a slightly more left-field turn. The warm pop sound remains but is peppered with a darker, more experimental side.

Anywhere‘s opening track, They All Run After the Carving Knife, was chosen by Steven Wilson to be included on his curated Steven Wilson Presents: Intrigue – Progressive Sounds In UK Alternative Music 1979–89 compilation from early 2023, so is likely to have turned some new fans onto New Musik.

Areas is one of the highlights in the New Musik back catalogue, and this is referenced by the faithful 2013 cover version by Dutch rock band The Gathering from their Afterwords album. The mood of the New Musik original is hazy and evocative, and it may have been a missed opportunity not releasing this song as a single. Churches is an evolution in the bands sound, with a more dynamic bass line, and a more natural arrangement.

This World of Walter is an obvious play on words on the single from the first album. CR-78 percussion drives this charming, short album track.

“And Walter’s sure that his world’s no more
Than just a fading dream”

In the sleeve-notes, Tony Mansfield describes this period of New Musik as his favourite, and its easy to see why. There is a playfulness and warmth to songs such as Luxury, and more experimentation with reversed vocals along with sharp tangents cutting into some of the arrangements.

Peace sees a clever use of tribal drumming, a tool often used in post-punk recordings, but here used as a tight, mechanical mechanism buried quite deep in the mix, as a way to drive the song and add a degree of tension.

Traps adds some progressive / Tony Bank’s like keyboards to the palette, and is one of the most electronic songs on the album, topped by wonderful production touches such as Mansfield’s trademark twisted, processed vocal lines.

Anywhere ends with the uplifting Back To Room One. A haunting song, crammed full of aching, emotional nostalgia and the perfect way to end an album. This track is pure pop, shorn of most of the production touches, relying on the honesty and vulnerability of the song to hit you hard.

“Take me back to my old room
It’s not there any more”

The third and final New Musik album was Mansfield with studio musicians. Warp was released on Epic in March of 1982. Digital samplers and sequencers were utilised for this album. Here Come The People features some lovely funk guitar lines and percussion that is very much of its time. A Train On Twisted Tracks includes a Wasp synth sequence similar to The Stranglers Just Like Nothing On Earth, bubbling away in the background. The use of disembodied sampled voices adds to the slightly sinister feel of this track.

All You Need Is Love features twice, with the first being a New Musik original inspired by The Beatles classic, with New Musiks version coming next, topped up by a taste of Greensleeves for good measure.

Hunting features some deep synth bass and heavily processed vocals that add a layer of strangeness to this key experimental album track. The quality dips a little for the remainder of the album, with the seemingly Kraftwerk influenced The Planet Doesn’t Mind offering one of my least favourite New Musik songs.

The final song on the final New Musik album is the title track Warp. A more robotic percussion lets the synths and powerful vocal take centre stage as the band comes to its natural end, with the track slowly decaying into a series of audio errors. Warped to the final note.

Disc four features B-sides / edits and extended versions. The Planet Doesn’t Mind (single edit) works better than the Warp album version. Single B-side Sad Films (from 1979/1980) is one of the most “band” sounding tracks from New Musik, and features some late 70s harmonies and a traditional arrangement, making it quite unique in the bands catalogue.

Missing Persons/Tell Me Something New is notable for a New Musik guitar solo! Again, quite a traditional arrangement, with a killer chorus, and an abrupt ending leading into a haunting soundscape of reversed and mutated sounds to end the track.

She’s A Magazine could easily have been included as an album track. Chik Musik sounds exactly how you would imagine it to sound, and this short instrumental jam is followed by another instrumental, the short burst of Magazine Musik (aka She’s A Magazine).

From The Village was inspired by the cult tv show The Prisoner. While You Wait (extended version) is a longer take of the Anywhere era single, and the extras disc ends with an extended mix of the Warp opening track, Here Come the People – Remix.

Mansfield went on to achieve success as a producer with After The Fire, a-ha, Aztec Camera, The B-52’s, The Damned, Captain Sensible, Naked Eyes, and Mari Wilson. From A To B – The Sony Years pulls together the studio albums and the majority of the key non-album tracks, and is a perfect collection for fans of the band who don’t already own the CD reissues from a few years ago. The box-set will also appeal to the more casual fans of early 80s electronic pop.

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DISC ONE
From A To B
Straight Lines
Sanctuary
A Map of You
Science
On Islands
This World of Walter
Living By Numbers
Dead Fish (Don’t Swim Home)
Adventures
The Safe Side

DISC TWO
Anywhere
They All Run After the Carving Knife
Areas
Churches
This World of Walter
Luxury
While You Wait
Changing Minds
Peace
Design
Traps
Division
Back To Room One

DISC THREE
Warp
Here Come the People
Going Round Again
A Train on Twisted Tracks
I Repeat
All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is Love
Kingdoms For Horses
Hunting
The New Evolutionist (Example ‘A’)
Green And Red (Respectively)
The Planet Doesn’t Mind
Warp

DISC FOUR
B-Sides / Edits / Extended Versions
Straight Lines – Single Edit
While You Wait – Single Edit
The Planet Doesn’t Mind – Single Edit
Sad Films – B-Side Living by Numbers
Missing Persons / Tell Me Something New – B-Side This World of Water
She’s A Magazine – B-Side Sanctuary
Chik Musik – B-Side Sanctuary
Magazine Musik – B-Side Sanctuary
Twelfth House – B-Side All You Need Is Love
From The Village – B-Side While You Wait
Guitars – B-Side While You Wait
The Office – B-Side Luxury
24 Hours from Culture (Part 2) – B-Side The Planet Doesn’t Mind
While You Wait – Extended Version
Here Come the People – Remix

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Tags: 80s, Electronic, re-issue, Steven Wilson, Synth-pop
Categories : Music Review

Musik Music Musique 3.0 – 1982 Synth Pop On The Air compilation album review

23 01 2023

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Musik Music Musique 3.0 – 1982 Synth Pop On The Air is the third 3CD compilation from Cherry Red, released on 17 February 2023. Featuring more obscure tracks from well-known artists from 1982, including Thomas Dolby, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Japan, Ultravox, Soft Cell and Kim Wilde, alongside lesser known acts that give the collection a real taste of the time.

CD one of the collection opens with Thomas Dolby’s third single, a homage to Radio Caroline, the percussive Radio Silence. Manchester’s The Passage deliver the electronic pop of XOYO, with its addictive chorus. Mirror Man has always been one of my favourite early Talk Talk singles, with the band going on to make such a valuable contribution to 80s and early 90s music as their style expanded from these early pop beginnings.

OMD’s She’s Leaving comes in the form of a slightly remixed European single version, and is one of the key tracks on the bands Architecture And Morality album from the previous year. Breakdown (1982 Single Version) from Colourbox features a heady mix of synth, guitar and percussion topped with soulful vocals, hinting at the experimentation that would culminate in the one off M|A|R|R|S collaboration that led to the No1 single for Pump Up The Volume in 1987.

I’ve Seen The Word (a double A side with God’s Kitchen) was one of the slower-paced, more reflective early singles from Blancmange. One of the most influential early 80’s synth bands, Fashion, contribute the Zeus B Held produced slice of pop-Electronica that is Streetplayer (Mechanik), taken from their wonderful Fabrique album.

Japan’s European Son is a David Sylvian song that drips with Giorgio Moroder sounding hard-synth lines, but Moroder actually passed up the opportunity to produce this song, with production duties handled by Simon Napier-Bell, with the song mixed by John Punter. Always one of the bands most commercial songs, it fits well on Musik Music Musique 3.0. Justice is performed by Paul Haig, the former guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for post-punk band Josef K. Justice is a previously hard to find, very commercial single recorded in New York in 1982. Paul worked with former Associates singer Billy Mackenzie in the late 80s and contributed to several much-loved posthumous releases from his former colleague.

The original Mike Howlett produced single version of Tears For Fears Pale Shelter from this compilation highlights the longevity of much of the duo’s work. Last years The Tipping Point added to the bands stellar discography. Arthur Brown (yes, the Fire Arthur Brown) offers a synth based track, with wonderful electronic percussion that is a complete departure from his past work.

Coded World by Faith Global is one of the more interesting lesser-known tracks on this compilation. Vocalist Jason Guy is joined by original Tiger Lily / Ultravox! guitarist Stevie Shears for this confident, well-structured song. The later, more successful version of Ultravox are represented by the instrumental Monument, the B side to the single Hymn.

Disc two kicks off with Dramatis (Gary Numan’s backing band) with their sixth single The Shame. The Fiat Lux b-side This Illness was produced by Bill Nelson, and has touches of Nelson’s sound from around this time. Bill’s brother Ian was a member of this short-lived band. The track is one that Bill Nelson fans will surely love. Tasteful bass and guitar lines are a highlight of Shame, with a real Chimera feel to the keyboards.

The 7″ version of New Order’s early classic single Temptation is a highlight of Musik Music Musique 3.0. Dead Or Alive’s What I Want, here in demo form, is a world away from their massive hit You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) that followed in 1984. What I Want has more new wave leanings, and a harder vocal from the late Pete Burns.

Ieya 1982 is a re-recorded version of the Toyah single that originally featured on 1980’s The Blue Meaning. A smoother, tighter arrangement compared to the original take, it highlights the contributions of the new band line-up.

“Isn’t it nice, sugar and spice
Luring disco dollies to a life of vice”

Sex Dwarf is the lyrically and musically uncompromising side to Soft Cell, taken from late 1981’s debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, hence why it was able to sneak onto this compilation. Sex Dwarf is the duo of Marc Almond and Dave Ball at their shocking, seediest best, and they still have the power to deliver, have a listen to 2022’s magnificent Happiness Not Included album (available on CD and vinyl).

The slinky bassline of You Remind Me Of Gold is a highlight of the Mirror Man b-side from The Human League. Edinburgh’s Drinking Electricity contribute the Altered Images via The Loco-Motion twisted pop of Good Times, which sounds better than my description of the song.

The third and final disc is launched by one of Heaven 17’s finest singles, of which there were many, with Let Me Go!

An early Thomas Leer song, Mr Nobody, stands up well as a brilliantly arranged and not at all dated track. Thomas formed Act in the late 80s with Claudia Brücken (Propaganda). Their only album Laughter, Tears and Rage included the wonderful Snobbery and Decay, and is worth tracking down.

The compilation has gone for a less obvious Kim Wilde track, the melancholic late 1982 single Child Come Away. Prior to their success on the Top Gun soundtrack, Berlin were delivering songs in the vein of the Giorgio Moroder inspired synth-pop of Sex (I’m A….).

Mikado’s Par Hasard is a sweet, gentle pop song released on Les Disques du Crépuscule. Scotland’s Those French Girls second and final single Sorry Sorry is a Simple Minds meets Ultravox piece of quirky angular pop. The most well-known song by cult artist Nick Nicely is featured, the lysergic widescreen pop of Hilly Fields (1892). If you have never heard this song, you are in for a treat.

Ukraine, featuring former Fischer-Z keyboard player Stephen Skolnik, is a heady mix of early 80s synths, with new wave guitar and Fashion-like percussive bass. The bands Remote Control is a delightful taste of the genre crossovers that fueled a lot of the great music created in 1982.

1-2-3 is an 80s updating of the 1965 Len Barry song, performed by Julie And The Jems, the sole single release from former Tight Fit vocalist Julie Harris.

Thick Pigeon (Miranda Stanton and American film composer Carter Burwell) contribute the delightfully eccentric Subway, a mixture of new wave bass and sugar-sweet electronics, topped by Stanton’s unique spoken vocals. One listen will result in this song becoming lodged in your brain for days.

Sergeant Frog, with the instrumental Profile Dance, is an alias of Phil Harding, who went on to work with Stock Aitken Waterman a couple of years later. Harding’s resume as engineer and producer included The Clash, Toyah, Matt Bianco, ABC and Donna Summer.

The final disc ends with The Buggles infuenced electro-pop of Omega Theatre with their epic Robots, Machines And Silicon Dreams. Omega Theatre was the electronic pop project of 60s songwriter John Shakespeare. Shakespeare and Grammy-winning co-writer Geoff Stephens threw the kitchen sink at Robots, Machines And Silicon Dreams, with multiple shifts and turns throughout this pleasing single.

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DISC ONE
Thomas Dolby – Radio Silence
The Passage – XOYO
Talk Talk – Mirror Man
100% Manmade Fibre – Green For Go
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – She’s Leaving
Poeme Electronique – V.O.I.C.E.
Colourbox – Breakdown (1982 Single Version)
Blancmange – I’ve Seen The Word
Fashiøn – Streetplayer (Mechanik)
Japan – European Son
Greeting No 4 – Condition
Richard Bone – Digital Days
Paul Haig – Justice
Tears For Fears – Pale Shelter
Arthur Brown – Conversations
Die Krupps – Goldfinger
Planning By Numbers – Lightning Strikes
Faith Global – Coded World
Aerial FX – Instant Feeling
Ultravox – Monument

DISC TWO
Dramatis – The Shame
Fiat Lux – This Illness
New Order – Temptation
Kevin Coyne – Tell The Truth
Dead Or Alive – What I Want (Demo)
Toyah – Ieya 1982
Fad Gadget – Life On The Line
Thirteen At Midnight – Climb Down
Soft Cell – Sex Dwarf
Yello – Heavy Whispers
Zoo Boutique – Happy Families
The Human League – You Remind Me Of Gold
Moebius – Pushing Too Hard
Passion Polka – Juliet
Endgames – First-Last-For Everything (Club Version)
Leisure Process – Love Cascade
Drinking Electricity – Good Times
Section 25 – Hold Me

DISC THREE
Heaven 17 – Let Me Go!
Voice Farm – Beatnik
Telex – Sigmund Freud’s Party
Thomas Leer – Mr Nobody
Kim Wilde – Child Come Away
Communication – Future Shock
Berlin – Sex (I’m A….)
Local Boy Makes Good – Hypnotic Rhythm
Mikado – Par Hasard
Falco – Maschine Brennt
Those French Girls – Sorry Sorry
Nick Nicely – Hilly Fields (1892)
Time In Motion – Quiet Type
Ukraine – Remote Control
Julie And The Jems – 1-2-3
Thick Pigeon – Subway
Sergeant Frog – Profile Dance
Omega Theatre – Robots, Machines And Silicon Dreams

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Tags: 1982, 80s, Compilation, Electronic, Synth-pop
Categories : Music Review

Re-Flex – Vibrate Generate

10 05 2022

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Vibrate Generate is the sequel to Cherry Pop’s previous double-CD re-issue of Re-Flex’s The Politics Of Dancing album, and is released via Cherry Red on 24 June 2022.

Vibrate Generate brings together rare and unreleased tracks from across the bands career, including two new versions of The Politics Of Dancing, songs from their subsequent albums Humanication and Jamming The Broadcast, and tracks that were written for the soundtrack for Superman IV.

Opening with the last track Re-Flex ever recorded, Vibrate Generate heads off in a more traditional rock arrangement than their more well-known 80s recordings, with a tiny lyrical steal from an early David Bowie classic popping up and catching you off-guard towards the end of the song.

An interesting, in the spirit of the 80s remix of The Politics Of Dancing opener Praying To The Beat works well. How Much Longer, featuring Sting on guest vocals towards the end of the song, is a clipped guitar driven remix, and should have been a hit when originally released in the late 80s.

Couldn’t Stand A Day was always one of my favourite tracks from The Politics of Dancing, mainly because of its delicious chorus.

Revolution Now and on disc two, Life’s Too Dangerous were recorded for the soundtrack of Superman IV. The late Andy Gill from Gang of Four added guitar, and former Fashion vocalist Dave “Dee” Harris contributed backing vocals to these two strong tracks.

The first of two versions of the most well-known Re-Flex song, The Politics of Dancing, closes the first disc on the Vibrate Generate compilation. The remix is sympathetic to the original, with the wonderful guitar textures still front and centre in the chorus.

Opening disc two is Human, a new song with subtle nods to late 80s Bowie in its vocal styling. The powerful layered production makes this my favourite “new” song on the compilation.

The Politics Of Dancing‘s Hurt is presented in remixed form, without straying too far from it’s original incarnation. Love At First Sight (Alternative Version) is less 80s, more late 70s New Wave and offers a different take on the Re-Flex sound.

The second version of The Politics Of Dancing is a club remix, stripped back to keyboards and drum machine, with less guitar in the chorus.

The final track on disc two is one of the last songs recorded by the original Re-Flex line-up, Angry Man. Late 80s sampler technology mix with addictive guitar lines on the album closer.

Vibrate Generate works well as a “best of” or as an introduction to the music of Re-Flex, and is a perfect time capsule of the guitar and synth pop of the mid to late Eighties. The compilation includes exclusive sleeve-notes and background information written by band member Paul Fishman in 2022.

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Disc One

Vibrate Generate *
Praying To The Beat (Remix)
How Much Longer (Remix) *
Wrong Decision (Remix) *
Jamming The Broadcast (Remix) *
Hitline
Couldn’t Stand A Day
Cut It (Music Re-Action Mix)
When Did You Stop Loving Me (Remix) *
Revolution Now (Remix) *
Sending Out A Message *
The Politics Of Dancing (Remix)

Disc Two

Human *
Give It Up *
Jamming The Broadcast (Alternative Version – Remix) *
Forever And Ever *
Something About You
How Much Longer (12ʺ Dance Remix) *
Life’s Too Dangerous *
Hurt (Music Re-Action Mix)
Love At First Sight (Alternative Version) *
The Politics Of Dancing (Club Mix – Remix)
Over The Top (Remix) *
Angry Man (Remix) *

*Previously unreleased

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Tags: 80s, Compilation, re-issue, Synth-pop
Categories : Music Review

David K Jones – Days In Corners album review

3 04 2022

Days In Corners is the first solo album from David K Jones (bass player with Moonshot, Plenty and The Swan Chorus). Developed in collaboration with Brian Hulse (Plenty / Tim Bowness) and Peter Goddard from demos recorded over 20 years ago, its creation became a lockdown labour of love.

The album includes guest performances by Tim Bowness, Darren Dean, Henry Rogers (Mostly Autumn), Jenny Whittaker and John Wilkinson (Mama / Moonshot).

Album opener rescue me builds from an 80s infused pop base, with some lovely progressive synth solos and a frenetic percussion backing.

The pace slows down with crazy rain, one of the album’s strongest songs. Vocalist Peter Goddard brings some of the wistfulness of Peter Coyle (The Lotus Eaters) to this perfectly paced lament. The electronics and synths work well with the more acoustic backing of piano and drums.

don’t go features some sterling percussion from Mostly Autumn drummer Henry Rogers and the arrangement and vocal styling reminds me of Liverpool’s It’s Immaterial, with a touch of early Elbow thrown in for good measure. Some fine bass work from David K Jones on this track, one of the most openly progressive pieces on the album. I would love to hear more songs in this vein.

The mood lightens with the more optimistic footprints in the sand, featuring a strong, melodic and memorable chorus.

David K Jones has worked with Tim Bowness as a member of Plenty, and contributed bass to three tracks on Tim’s 2019 album Flowers At The Scene as well as appearing on the Moonshot / Bowness spinoff album in 2020, so it is no surprise to hear Tim featuring on the dark balladry of world keeps turning. Tim’s vocals work well alongside Peter Goddard.

as good as it gets is a surprising slice of modern Americana, with an addictive chorus. that summer dials in the electronica, with a stripped back arrangement of bubbling sequencers, piano, bass and drum machine. Peter Goddard gives a strong vocal performance on one of the album’s standout tracks, with lyrics that drift through the changing of the season.

last cigarette features Mama / Moonshot vocalist John Wilkinson alongside Peter Goddard, with lyrics dedicated to Jeff Buckley. The vocal arrangement is outstanding on last cigarette.

The final two tracks head off into more familiar Plenty territory, with spin featuring Moonshot guitarist Darren Dean. The final track no more lullabies is a synth driven, lightly percussive farewell.

Days In Corners is an impressive solo debut from David K Jones. Although the album features a series of guest performers, there is a strong feeling of continuity throughout, with the album held together by the trio of Jones, Hulse and vocalist Peter Goddard.

Listen to Days In Corners on Spotify

Buy Days In Corners on CD from Burning Shed

Tracklist

rescue me
crazy rain
don’t go
footprints in the sand
world keeps turning
as good as it gets
that summer
last cigarette
spin
no more lullabies

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Tags: Synth-pop, Tim Bowness
Categories : Music Review

Wolfgang Flür – Magazine 1 album review

26 01 2022

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Magazine 1 is a new electronic album from former Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür, in partnership with Peter Duggal and featuring guest appearances from Midge Ure (Ultravox), Peter Hook (New Order) and Claudia Brücken (Propaganda), plus contributions from contemporary artists MAPS, Juan Atkins, Carl Cox, U96, Anushka and Ramón Amezcu (AKA Bostich).

The 9 song album is a celebration of techno-pop, and will appeal to fans of electronic music, as well as Kraftwerk fans.

Deep bass synths and classic 80s drum machines propel opener Magazine.

“Read all about it!”

The album has a consistent lyrical theme running throughout, with a commentary on the dis-jointed times we live in, the information we are force-fed, all delivered from a humanist stance, although not always from the viewpoint of humans!

Zukunftsmusi, the first of three U96 collaborations, is a power-house of electronic “Music of the Future”, with a compelling mixture of ice-cold synth lines, topped with rich percussion patterns. A synth motif that reminds me of Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds as well as Close Encounters of the Third Kind breaks out of the mix around the half-way mark of Zukunftsmusik.

The second track featuring U96 is the anti-consumerism Best Buy, with a charmingly bonkers vocal performance and an up-tempo, naggingly addictive melody.

“Take-away, night and Day”

Das Beat features Midge Ure, with a warm tale of how music is universal (“beats in Moscow, beats in France”) and a few sounds that appear to lovingly reference Wolfgang’s former band. The chorus stays with you long after the song has finished, which is always enjoyable.

Birmingham features former New Order bassist Peter Hook and vocals from Ex-Propaganda singer Claudia Brücken, and is my favourite song on the album. I’ve loved Claudia’s work since A Secret Wish in 1985, and this is a perfect mix of the darkness of German electronic music, with a sprinkling of early New Order magic (that bass!). The contributions from Peter and Claudia are a potent and powerful blend, and it is worth buying the album for this track alone.

Night Drive draws from a more contemporary electronic palette, and the final U96 appearance (along with Carl Cox) is the charming tale of the life of a robot, Electric Sheep. There may be more to this robot than we initially think. Be afraid!

Detroit’s Juan Atkins joins Wolfgang on Billionaire (Symphony Of Might), a song of greed feeding environmental disaster (“The world needs more wealth, not more people”). Another strong chorus lets us know who has the power and control in this story. Isn’t that always the way?

Magazine 1 ends with the simple but powerful messaging of the anti-war Say No! The music perfectly underpins the lyrics, with slow build ups to the multiple anthemic choruses. This life-affirming song, with its nod to the music of the past along with a promise of a peaceful future, is an emotional climax from this powerful album.

“There’s only one thing to do, say no”

Wolfgang Flür – Magazine 1 is released via Cherry Red on 4 March 2022

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Buy Magazine 1 on CD from Amazon

Buy Magazine 1 on vinyl from Amazon

Magazine [ft. Ramón Amezcua]
Zukunftsmusik [ft. U96]
Best Buy [ft. U96]
Das Beat [ft. Midge Ure]
Birmingham [ft. Claudia Brücken & Peter Hook]
Night Drive [ft. Anushka]
Electric Sheep [ft. Carl Cox & U96]
Billionaire (Symphony Of Might) [ft. Juan Atkins]
Say No! (ft. MAPS)

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Tags: Electronic, Synth-pop, Vinyl
Categories : Music Review

News: Japan – Quiet Life reissue

13 01 2021

In March 2021 BMG / Warner will reissue Japan‘s Quiet Life album from 1980, in several formats, the highlight of which is the deluxe 1LP/3CD edition. The deluxe edition features a 2020 Abbey Road half-speed remaster of the original album, alt mixes, b-sides, singles, rarities and live material.

The 3CD/1LP version comes in and out of stock on Amazon, so keep an eye on the site. It is available from other retailers, including Burning Shed (link below).