Altered Perceptions

Side 1 of a mixtape recorded 26th November 1999.

Given the big hitters included on both sides, I'm surprised it's taken me this long to get around to posting this 1980s selection. This side perfectly captures the excess of glossy and expensive videos, stylised leather outfits, biiiig production (and hair) and film soundtrack numbers. Oh, and Talk Talk going in their own unique direction, against the flow.

First off though, it's The Psychedelic Furs and what for many long-term fans was the death knell of the band, re-recording and re-releasing Pretty In Pink to tie in with John Hughes' film of the same name. Personally, I have a lot of affection for this version of the song,  especially the 12" mix. I knew about the band before, but this was my proper entry point. I saw The Furs for the first time on the Midnight To Midnight tour and whilst I will always lean towards the first three albums, this period has a special place in my heart.

I don't think Rebel Yell was that much of a hit when first released in 1983 but more than made up for it when re-released on the back of White Wedding's success. The 12" mix mini-album Vital Idol (which didn't include Rebel Yell) was an essential purchase amongst a select few of us at secondary school. Sir William of Idol at the height of his powers.

 

It was a couple of years after it's release as a single that Siamese Twist by Flesh For Lulu wormed it's way into my head, from being played out at the indie/alternative clubs I was going to in the late 1980s. The 12" single survived my strapped-for-cash cull in the late 90s/early 00s and still gets an occasional airing at Casa K. I love the rather cack-handed false ending, too.

 

The long version of She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult has appeared here before but it's the definitive version for me, so why not? Another one (in this version) that got the dancefloor heaving back in the day. One of those examples of a band's most popular song also being their best song. 

Simple Minds, like The Psychedelic Furs, are here with the song that represented a turning point in their fortunes but also fans who had stuck with them through several albums of singular, angular music. Yep, it's Don't You (Forget About Me) from the soundtrack to another seminal John Hughes (him again) film, The Breakfast Club. Written by Keith Forsey and intended for Billy Idol, whose Rebel Yell album he'd produced a year or so previously, the song eventually went to Jim Kerr and crew. Although I've increasingly less fondness for the path Simple Minds took for the next decade or so, it was absolutely the right decision in the end. Even more so, having heard Billy Idol's subsequent go at the song years later. Don't You (Forget About Me) is another one where it's the 12" version over the 7" version, although the excessive sing-a-long live version that popped up on a later single gives it a run for it's money.

Life's What You Make It was a real jolt when it was released in 1986, a further stylistic shift for Talk Talk but also one that confirmed their intention to go against the general move into big music with ludicrously big production. Talk Talk were creating a sense of scale and grandeur but on a much more organic level, though the subsequent insights into how the sounds of this and The Colour Of Spring album were painstakingly created contradict that last statement somewhat. I owned the initial 12" with the more straightforward Dennis Weinrich extended version on it. It was another ten years or more before I finally got to hear Tim Friese-Greene's 'dance' mix on a compilation. I agree with the general view that this is the superior version. 

Give Me Back My Man by The B-52's first appeared on second album Wild Planet and it's a reminder that the band were capable of really heart-wrenching songs, even when it was underpinned by a compelling beat and lovely musical touches (the xylophone motif gets me every time). Give Me Back My Man didn't have a 12" extended version when released as a single. However, The B-52's were an early champion of the remix album with Party Mix! in 1981 taking six of their songs and reworking them, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter than the original versions. Give Me Back My Man closes the album and is truly spectacular.

 

1) Pretty In Pink (Berlin Mix): The Psychedelic Furs (1986)

2) Rebel Yell (Extended Version): Billy Idol (1983)

3) Siamese Twist (12" Version): Flesh For Lulu (1987)

4) She Sells Sanctuary (Long Version): The Cult (1985)

5) Don't You (Forget About Me) (Extended Version): Simple Minds (1985)

6) Life's What You Make It (Special 12" Dance Mix): Talk Talk (1986)

7) Give Me Back My Man (Party Mix): The B-52's (1981)

 

Side One (46:01) (KF) (Mega)

 

As an extra treat - well, it was the MTV-era for goodness sake! - here are the official videos for each of the featured songs. I particularly enjoyed Flesh For Lulu, which I haven't seen before and was at times unintentionally hilarious. The B-52's didn't have a video for Give Me Back My Man so I've plucked a performance from Netherlands TV show TopPop, broadcast 1st June 1980. it's brilliant, of course.