...is forty-five minutes of four to the floor from '84.
A cheat from the start as the official 12" single of The Ghost In You by The Psychedelic Furs contained the 4:17 album version. A bootleg extended version of indeterminate age and provenance opens this selection, welding a new rhythm track to the undercarriage and stretching out the intro and outro ever so slightly. Good enough for me, it's in!
You Can't Hold Me Down by Felix was written and mixed by Killer Whale, both pseudonyms for the multi-talented Arthur Russell, here in collaboration with NYC DJ and producer Nicky Siano. You Can't Hold Me Down was a double A-side 12" with Tiger Stripes, but Arthur apparently disliked the latter so much that he refused to be credited on the release, hence the alias(es).
On the other hand Billy Ocean was so certain he had a surefire hit, when European Queen failed to set the UK chart alight in June 1984, he rejigged, retitled and re-released the single four months later. By November 1984, Caribbean Queen enjoyed a 4-week stint in the Top 10, peaking at #6.
Similarly, it took two goes with Doc Marten despoilers King to have a hit with Love & Pride. Both the UK and USA 12" versions were produced by Richard James Burgess, better known at the time as frontperson with Landscape, who had a couple of hits with Einstein A-Go-Go and Norman Bates. Whether distracted by Paul King's mega mullet or other summer singles, this version entered the UK chart at #84 and it was downhill from there. Undeterred, King tried again in January 1985, achieving seven weeks in the Top 10, three at #2. There's nowt so weird as the record buying public.
Dancing With The Big Boys by David Bowie is the final track on his album Tonight and included as a B-side to Blue Jean. Not one of his best - or best-loved - songs, even Bowie shortly after dismissed Blue Jean as "a piece of sexist rock 'n roll. It's about picking up birds. It's not very cerebral, that piece". Dancing With The Big Boys was co-written with Carlos Alomar and Iggy Pop, who had turned up at the end of the recording sessions and helped Bowie get some unfinished songs over the line. For the 12" single, Bowie enlisted John 'Jellybean' Benitez to remix the A side; Arthur Baker supplied vocal and dub mixes of Dancing With The Big Boys.
Pete Shelley had previously worked with Martin Rushent, but here he goes it alone. Never Again may be a comment on their studio partnership, but more likely it tackles with aplomb Pete's usual theme about love and disappointment. Criminally, another non-hit in a solo career packed with pop perfection.
Also yesterday's news by 1984 were Visage. Despite reaching #13 with their self-titled debut (1981) and soaring to #6 with follow-up The Anvil (1982), third album Beat Boy managed 2 weeks in the Top 100, with a first week peak of #79. The title track didn't even crack the singles chart. Far from their finest moment, the absence of Midge Ure (who was enjoying greater success with Ultravox) was keenly felt...
1) The Ghost In You (12" Remix): The Psychedelic Furs
2) You Can't Hold Me Down (Extended Version By Killer Whale aka Arthur Russell): Felix
3) Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) (New Extended Mix By Keith Diamond & Bryan 'Chuck' New): Billy Ocean
4) Dancing With The Big Boys (Extended Dance Mix By Arthur Baker): David Bowie
5) Love & Pride (USA Summer Mix By Richard James Burgess): King
6) Never Again (Extended Version): Pete Shelley
7) Beat Boy (Album Version): Visage
I have to admire your efforts to get us to reappraise the works of King.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, like most of my efforts, Errnie, very little effort involved! Rest assured, there will not be a dedicated King selection in the foreseeable future. I think it was all downhill after that song, wasn't it?! And that's if you consider Love & Pride to be a "peak"...
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