80s Weekender

The gremlins have struck again and I have had to shelve my planned post for today, so here's a little dip into the archives for some 80s (or 80s adjacent) tunes.

I've created hundreds of mixtapes and compilations for this blog, but I only keep the links active for a month or so. Therefore, I've reactivated a selection that share my love of 80s music and especially the 12" remix. 

In total, there 159 songs, 94 artists, 12 mixtapes and selections, Enough to fill the weekend, I think!

A Kick Up The Eighties (Side 1 & Side 2)

Altered Perceptions (Side 1 & Side 2)

Floorshow

Flying In The Face Of Fashion

Just Walk Don't Talk

Kissing The Mix (Side 1 & Side 2)

Musik For Hairspray

Muzik For Hair Gel

Teenage Remix (Side 1 & Side 2)

The Fate Of The Eighties

What My Heart Yearns For Now

You Never Really Saw...

And the A-Z roll call of featured artists, noting if they pop up multiple times, with one runaway winner...

Act
Age Of Chance
Arthur Russell
Associates
Bauhaus
Belouis Some
Billy Idol (x4)
Billy Ocean
Blancmange (x3)
Bronski Beat (x2)
Cardiacs
Chakk
China Crisis (x2)
Clan Of Xymox (x2)
Cocteau Twins (x2)
David Bowie
Depeche Mode (x6)
Divine (x3)
Doctor & The Medics
Echo & The Bunnymen
Erasure
Eurythmics (x2)
Fad Gadget
Faith No More
Feargal Sharkey
Flesh For Lulu
Frankie Goes To Hollywood (x2)
Fun Boy Three
Gary Numan
Gene Loves Jezebel (x2)
Grace Jones
Heaven 17 (x2)
Howard Devoto
Icehouse
Iggy Pop
Information Society
It's Immaterial
Japan (x2)
John Foxx
Julian Cope
Killing Joke
King
Kissing The Pink (x2)
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions (x2)
Lords Of The New Church
Luxuria
M (x2)
Marc Almond (x2)
New Order (x2)
O.M.D. (x2)
Ofra Haza
Pet Shop Boys
Pete Shelley (x3)
Pixies
Prefab Sprout
Propaganda (x2)
Psychic TV (x2) 
R.E.M.
Scarlet Fantastic
Scritti Politti (x2)
Simple Minds
Siouxsie & The Banshees (x3)
Soft Cell (x2)
Sparks (x2)
T. Rex
Talk Talk (x6)
Talking Heads
Tears For Fears (x2)
The Armoury Show
The B-52's (x4)
The Chameleons (x2)
The Communards
The Cult (x3)
The Cure
The Damned (x3)
The Godfathers
The Icicle Works
The Leather Nun (x2)
The March Violets
The Psychedelic Furs (x9)
The Sisters Of Mercy (x2)
The Smiths (x2)
The Stranglers
The Sugarcubes
The The
The Undertones
Thomas Dolby (x4)
Trouble Funk
U2
Vicious Pink (x4)
Visage (x5)
Wang Chung
Westworld
Zeke Manyika

A Night On The Town

Mrs. K and I have been avidly following Married At First Sight Australia (MAFSAUS) on TV, which as ever has proved to be treasure trove of narcissism, mendacity, affectation and drama. 

With the exception of one couple, who genuinely seem to have developed strong feelings for each other - they use the 'L' word a lot, but let's see how things are at the 'weeks later' reunion - we're surprised that any other couple made it to the 'final vows' ceremony.

As the couples left their temporary home/bubble in Sydney in last night's episode, I thought of my stay in the city during my backpacking tour of Australia. As it happens, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May 1991 coincided with the tail end of my time there, and a memorable night time tour of King's Cross.

Looking back from a distance of three and a half decades, I'd forgotten how wet behind the ears I still was at twenty years old...

Take it away, er, me....!

Saturday 11th May 1991

The day didn't start too well, weather-wise, so I chose to stay in and write. Talking with my room-mate Jonathan on the roof of the hostel, it transpired that he was also a writer, which led to some interesting conversation.

Later, there was a new arrival from Canberra in our room. My suspicions were aroused when he praised the city, the totally opposite reaction to everyone else I've met who's been there. He complained that he was lonely after a few months' travelling. I was unsympathetic; I mean, how hard is it to make friends here?! After our tedious small talk, he decided to go for a walk.

Jonathan reappeared with an American girl, called Michelle. They'd bumped into each other earlier: it was Michelle's last day in Sydney, she'd run out of money, so was it alright for her to crash in our room? No problem.

The hostel had largely been taken over by the Malaysian national Dragon Boat team, who were competing in the annual race in the harbour over the weekend. I don't remember quite how this happened but, as night drew in, Jonathan, Michelle and I, and four of the Malaysian team, decided to go on a tour of King's Cross, Sydney's notorious red light district.

The Malaysians didn't actually speak a lot with us, and I didn't catch any of their names, although they all appeared to work for Malaysia Airlines. They seemed affable, but they were not destined to be with us for very long.

Arriving in separate taxis, we disembarked and walked along the main street. It was unbelievable. Every second building, it seemed, was a strip joint, with three or four men outside, trying to entice people to enter.

Most of them looked stoned and didn't waste time on a person, quickly moving on to the next passerby. Prostitutes and pimps were intermingled with street salesmen and panhandlers, and numerous police paraded the area, pretty much turning a blind eye to all that was taking place around them.

I'd been walking with Michelle, when we realised that the others were no longer with us. Pausing next to a 'Gypsy Rose Lee' and watching her read tarot cards for a punter, Jonathan eventually caught up with us and explained that the Malaysian quartet had succumbed to temptation a few strip clubs back. They'd made some vague promise to meet us outside McDonalds at 10.30pm.

We wandered around some more, taking in the sights: the drunk being forcibly evicted from a club by a mean-looking bouncer; a fight breaking out between two rival 'gangs' of security staff; a prostitute calmly waiting in a café for her 'pickup', then stepping into a white Rolls Royce, and the cocaine scales and equipment on display in the window of a tobacconist.

There was a little boy, he must have been about eight years old, watching everything with disinterested eyes as he sucked Coca Cola through a straw [yes, he was accompanied by an adult - K]

I mean, parts of Bristol were full on, but this was something else entirely!

After a drink at McDonalds and no sign of our newfound (and lost) Malaysian friends, we carried on to the outer limits of the district. We saw another prostitute, wearing a bikini and an overcoat, climbing into an expensive car. I hate rich people.

Our taxi ride home was a nightmare. The cab driver was literally half asleep, and admitted as much. What he didn't admit to was his flatulence, which he generously expelled for the entirety of the interminable journey. Even the windows wound down couldn't shift the fug. 

Needless to say, we were surprised and relieved to get back to the hostel in one piece.

Post Script: Sunday 12th May 1991

We got up at 8.00am to get ready for the Dragon Boat races and, to be honest, we didn't make too much of an effort to be quiet. Our new room-mate stared at Michelle uncomprehendingly and said, "What brings you here?"

MIchelle replied (and I love her for this), "Oh, you know, these guys found me in King's Cross last night and I had nowhere to sleep, so they brought me back".

He said nothing, but the expression on his face was priceless.

In 2007, Tracy Thorn recorded a beautiful cover version of King's Cross. I've also picked four other theme-appropriate classics to accompany this sordid tale.

 

 

 

From The Top Of The Sky To The Place Below

Twelve inches of Siouxsie & The Banshees to start the week.

I realised with horror that the only previous Siouxsie selection to appear here was in September 2021, recreating the gig that I attended in 1988. Time to make up for lost time!

The nine songs featured here are a mish-mash of official 12" versions and bootlegs that have appeared in the 21st Century, either physically or digitally.

I think all of the extended versions featured here manage not to outstay their welcome and work pretty well as a collection. As ever, you'll be the judge of that!

1) Desert Kisses (Black Sand Extension) (2010)

2) This Wheel's On Fire (Incendiary Mix) (Cover of Bob Dylan & The Band) (1987)

3) Fireworks (12" Version) (1982)

4) Shadowtime (Eclipse Mix) (1991)

5) Cities In Dust (Extended 12" Version) (2007)

6) Red Over White (Re-Recorded Single Version) (1984)

7) Slowdive (12" Version) (1982)

8) Dear Prudence (McDoC Evo-XR Remix) (Cover of The Beatles) (2002)

9) Song From The Edge Of The World (Columbus Mix) (1987)

1982: Fireworks EP: 3

1982: Slowdive EP: 7

1984: The Thorn EP: 6

1987: Song From The Edge Of The World EP: 9

1987: This Wheel's On Fire EP: 2

1991: Shadowtime EP: 4

2002: Dear Prudence EP (bootleg MP3): 8

2007: Rare Twelve Inch Collection (Czech Republic bootleg 2x 12"): 5

2010: Extensions Volume 1: A Collection Of New Wave Remixes By Black Sand (bootleg MP3): 1

From The Top Of The Sky To The Place Below (58:24) (GD) (M)

For more Siouxsie & The Banshees magnificence, try my previous selection Peepshow, Creepshow.

Ha Ha Hallowe'en

A spooky selection today, in a nod to Hallowe'en, whether you will ready for the hordes of Trick or Treaters, or battening down the hatches and pretending you're not in when the doorbell rings.

Inevitably, lots of Halloween-referencing songs to choose from, though dig a little deeper into some of the lyrics and you may be surprised by what you find. I've also lobbed in a few pumpkins, though they're not necessarily seasonal tunes.

I had to include some music by John Carpenter, though rather than go for the obvious with the main theme of 1978's defining moment Halloween, I've instead picked an extract from the 2018 'sequel', which Carpenter scored for director David Gordon Green. 

1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins was a classic slice of nostalgic rock until Moby got his hands on it and transformed it into a spine-tingling horrorshow. 1979 was a ripe year for horror films, with Alien, Phantasm, The Driller Killer, The Amityville Horror, The Brood, Nosferatu The Vampyre, and a(nother) remake of Dracula.

The Prisoner by Tears For Fears is the penultimate song on their debut album The Hurting and a re-recorded version of an old B-side. It gave me the chills when I listened to it as a young lad, though it was - and remains - one of the best things they've ever done.

The Basement Jaxx remix of Trick Me by Kelis is arguably far too upbeat for inclusion in this selection, but I like the jarring juxtaposition with Siouxsie & The Banshees before and Phoebe Bridgers afterwards.

And, having recently discovered EMF's unexpected but strangely compelling cover of Bauhaus' classic Bela Lugosi's Dead, it was a shoo in for this selection.

And who better to start and end proceedings than Misfits? 

1) Halloween: Misfits (1981)

2) Halloween Parade: Lou Reed (1989)

3) Halloween: Ash (1997)

4) Laurie Sees The Shape: John Carpenter (2018)

5) 1979 (Moby Mix): The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

6) Pumpkin (Reincarnated): Tricky ft. Lucia (2023)

7) Halloween: The Gaslight Anthem (2014)

8) Pumpkin Head Xscapes: The Fall (1992)

9) Halloween: Japan (1979)

10) Halloween: Kirsty MacColl (1991)

11) Halloween: Sonic Youth (1986)

12) The Prisoner (Album Version): Tears For Fears (1983)

13) Halloween: Dead Kennedys (1982)

14) Halloween (Album Version): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1981)

15) Trick Me (Jaxxbackclash Rerub) (Remix By Basement Jaxx): Kelis (2004)

16) Halloween: Phoebe Bridgers (2020)

17) Bela Lugosi's Dead (Cover of Bauhaus): EMF (2025)

18) Halloween II: Misfits (1981)

1979: Quiet Life: 9

1981: Halloween EP: 1, 18

1981: Juju: 14

1982: Plastic Surgery Disasters: 13

1983: The Hurting: 12

1986: Flower / Halloween EP: 11

1989: New York: 2

1991: Electric Landlady: 10

1992: Ed's Babe EP: 8

1996: 1979 EP: 5

1997: A Life Less Ordinary EP: 3

2004: Trick Me EP: 15

2014: Get Hurt (Deluxe Edition): 7

2018: Halloween OST: 4

2020: Punisher: 16

2023: Maxinquaye (Reincarnated): 6

2025: Bela Lugosi's Dead EP: 17

Ha Ha Hallowe'en (1:06:08) (GD) (M)

If that's not frightening enough for you, then I've refreshed my #SpookyTunesSeason selections, originally posted on Bluesky this time last year. Follow the link for Volume One and Volume Two. 

More Altered Perceptions

Side 2 of an 80s mixtape recorded 26th November 1999.

Another compilation that's taken me ages to return to, Side 1 making an appearance here in November 2023. Better late than never...!

In 1987, Get It On by T. Rex was re-released with a new remix by Tony Visconti. I don't remember why exactly, as the (rather excellent) Best Of The 20th Century Boy compilation had already been out for a couple of years and there was no jeans ad tie-in as far as I recall. There were two 12" singles with new extended versions: the Dawn Mix on yellow vinyl and the Dusk Mix on blue vinyl; I've got both, there's not a lot of difference between the two.

Propaganda's second single was Duel, a gorgeous slice of Germanic pop. On the flip side was its roughneck relation, Jewel, Claudia Brücken's sweet voice replaced by Susanne Freytag's shouty vocals. Similarly, their album A Secret Wish was mirrored with a remix companion, Wishful Thinking. It's a bit hit-and-mix, but the remix of Duel/Jewel is superb, creating a sublime duet between Susanne and Claudia.

Love Like Blood is arguably Killing Joke's defining song and originally came out in two extended 12" single formats. Not content with that, producer Zeus B. Held had a go at the song, providing the flip side to his other remix of 1986 single Adorations. This one adds a few contemporary remix touches, including some crowd noises for some reason, to firmly root the song in the mid-1980s.

I do have the 12" single of More by Doctor & The Medics, which features a remix by an up-and-coming artist called William Orbit. Unfortunately, I don't have a MP3 rip and couldn't find an alternative on t'internet. So, I've grabbed the intro from the video version and spliced it with a slight edit of the album version and Hey Presto! a DIY extended version to fill the void. Derivative it may be, but I like this song.

Derivative is not a word that could be used to describe Peek-A-Boo by Siouxsie & The Banshees. When I first heard it in 1988, I was thrilled by this change of direction for the band. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is less experimental and more familiar, but the impact of this song hasn't diminished. Peek-A-Boo was released on 7", 12" (two of 'em) and CD single. The eight minute Silver Dollar Mix which appeared on the limited edition 12" single is in fact an edit; the full length version appeared in the USA and runs for another two minutes.

Whilst Siouxsie and co were trying to push themselves in a new direction, by 1988 Iggy Pop had pretty much gone full hair metal. I like the album Instinct but it's dumb rock, even by Iggy's standards, though unapologetically so. I first heard this remix of Cold Metal on the Sounds Blasts! 1 EP, a freebie 7" single with music paper Sounds that also featured The Blue Aeroplanes (yay!), Fishbone (mmmm) and the Dan Reed Network (meh). 

Closing out this compilation is my favourite version of Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, the Carnage remix by Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson following the standard ZTT format of instrumental first half and vocal second half. However, they also chuck in a few vocal snippets from Nash, Peds and Mark taken from throwaway B-side 'interviews', which add a bit of colour. 

As with my previous post, I've tracked down the videos for each song, or TV performances where these aren't available. The clip for Jewel by Propaganda is a real treat. The others run the range from so so serious (Killing Joke) to stunning (Siouxsie) to silly (Doctor & The Medics) to... well, you've just got to see Iggy Pop's video to wonder how many cans of hairspray the film crew got through for this one.

And then there's Two Tribes, possibly one of the greatest videos ever made. If a band tried to do that today, the pustulous orange turd would probably buy MTV, install himself as CEO and shut it down. That's if the barrel chested bareback rider hadn't already dealt with them permanently.

 
1) Get It On (Dusk Mix) (Tony Visconti 87 Remix): T. Rex (1987)

2) Jewelled (Remix By Robert Kraushaar & Paul Morley): Propaganda (1985)

3) Love Like Blood (The '86 Remix By Zeus B. Held): Killing Joke (1986)

4) More (Full Video Version By Doctor & The Medics & Graham Meek): Doctor & The Medics (1987)

5) Peek-A-Boo (Silver Dollar Mix By Mike Hedges) (Edit): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1988)

6) Cold Metal (Rock Version By Andy Wallace): Iggy Pop (1988)

7) Two Tribes (Carnage) (Remix By Trevor Horn & Stephen Lipson): Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1984)

Side Two (46:06) (GD) (M)

Side One here

 

 

 

 

 

 

They Could Have Been Contenders

I'm having a lot of fun compiling the Decadance series and revisiting tunes from the 1990s. 

Making the cut for the final dozen can be a challenge though, and many excellent, or memorable, or both, songs get discarded along the way (and not just Pop Will Eat Itself, I mean).

I've rescued a couple from each year that I've covered so far, not least because most of them were accompanied by hugely enjoyable videos, albeit each for different videos. Step up (or step on) Pet Shop Boys, The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, R.E.M., Siouxsie & The Banshees, Depeche Mode and Happy Mondays.

There was no video for Her Jazz by Huggy Bear, but they did make an unforgettable appearance on Channel 4's The Word, not least for their post-performance diss of Terry Christian and subsequent removal from the studio. 

Likewise, no pricey promo for Middle Of The Road by Denim. What you get instead is a video filmed specially for ITV's graveyard shift music programme The Beat in 1993. With an intro by presenter Gary Crowley and Lawrence and co. squashed into the back of a stretch limo, of course it's brilliant.

1) I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing: Pet Shop Boys (1993)
2) Her Jazz (Live @ The Word): Huggy Bear (1993)

3) Television, The Drug Of The Nation: The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy (1992)

4) Middle Of The Road: Denim (1992)

5) Losing My Religion: R.E.M. (1991)

6) Kiss Them For Me: Siouxsie & The Banshees (1991)

7) Enjoy The Silence: Depeche Mode (1990)

8) Step On: Happy Mondays (1990)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decade II: 1983

Side 2 of a mixtape, compiled circa March 1990, lost along the way, reimagined and recreated 12th August 2024.
 
I hope you've brought your cardboard, there's some electric boogaloo ahead...
 

Again, as the cassette, sleeve and track listing are lost in the car fumes of history, I've recreated this from scratch, a dozen songs culled from my collection in spring 1990, when I originally recorded this thing.

I'll acknowledge the elephant in the room and say that yes, Temptation by Heaven 17 got to #2 in May 1983 and even that wasn't enough to secure a place in this collection, much as I love it. 

Was swapping it out for Kissing With Confidence by Will Powers (a mere #17 in Oct 1983) a step too far? Not for me, it's not. Besides, it's got Carly Simon on vocals and it's produced by Todd Rundgren! And the video's lots of fun.

At the expense of other contemporary classics, I've also given a nod to the fact that though I'd been blown away by The Message and Buffalo Gals, The Rock Steady Crew were the ones that my mates at school were more interested in. Whilst I didn't feel particularly inclined to wear a Sergio Tacchini tracksuit or start body popping behind the Science block, I did enjoy the music. 

I do remember that the original 1983 cassette started with Burning Down The House by Talking Heads, which is an obvious choice, perhaps. What's more surprising is that when released as a single in the UK in July 1983, it failed to chart. It took 16 years, Sir Tom Jones leathery lungs and The Cardigans' polish to take the song into the Top 10.

 

More debuts on this side, including Cocteau Twins with the beautiful (but non-charting) Sugar Hiccup. I perhaps should have picked something from the equally wonderful Sunburst And Snowblind EP as the record buying public at least managed to get that release to #86, but it's all good.

Talk Talk, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Depeche Mode are all back, with debuts from Aztec Camera, Shannon, Wall Of Voodoo, Fun Boy Three and an up-and-coming band from Manchester, with a striking lead singer and lyricist. Sadly now a complete twit, but made a big impression on me as a 12-year old.

 

More from this decade next weekend. Don't miss it, Big Brother is watching....

1) Burning Down The House (Album Version): Talking Heads
2) Oblivious (Album Version): Aztec Camera
3) (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew (Vocal) (Single Version): The Rock Steady Crew
4) Let The Music Play (Radio Edit): Shannon
5) Kissing With Confidence (12" Mix): Will Powers ft. Carly Simon
6) Everything Counts (Single Version): Depeche Mode
7) This Charming Man (Manchester): The Smiths
8) Mexican Radio (UK Extended Mix): Wall Of Voodoo
9) My Foolish Friend (Extended Version): Talk Talk
10) Sugar Hiccup (Single Version): Cocteau Twins
11) Dear Prudence (Single Version) (Cover of The Beatles): Siouxsie & The Banshees
12) Our Lips Are Sealed (Singles Version): Fun Boy Three

20th March 1983: My Foolish Friend EP (#64): 8

27th March 1983: Call Of The West (#57): 9

15th May 1983: Waiting (#7): 12

??? July 1983: Speaking In Tongues (# n/a): 1

14th August 1983: Construction Time Again (#6): 6

9th October 1983: Dear Prudence EP (#3): 11

16th October 1983: High (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew EP (#6): 3

30th October 1983: Kissing With Confidence EP (#17): 5

27th November 1983: High Land, Hard Rain (#18): 2 *

27th November 1983: Sunburst And Snowblind EP (#86): 10

27th November 1983: This Charming Man EP (#25): 7

19th February 1984: Let The Music Play (#14): 4 *

Side Two (46:00) (GD) (M)

* Oblivious initially entered the UK chart on 30th January 1983 and got to #47 by March, but no higher. Second time lucky when Oblivious was re-released at the end of October and got to #18 a month later.

** Let The Music Play first charted on 13th November 1983, peaked at #51, dropped out of the chart for a month or so, then returned in January 1984 for a further 14 weeks.

Decade I: 1980

Side 1 of a cassette compilation, recorded 3rd February 1990.

 

In 2023, Toby Roberts dreamed of competing in the 2024 Olympics, qualifying in October and yesterday bringing home gold with an incredible boulder and lead performance, aged 19.

In 1990, 19-year old me dreamed of girls, music and getting away from the UK. As Meat Loaf once over emoted on vinyl, two out of three ain't bad. My love life was at least consistent: mostly short-lived or unrequited. But...I did eventually get away from the UK later that year, a life-changing solo experience in Australia. Gold Coast rather than a gold medal, but good enough for me.

And my relationship with music has sustained me through the years, never letting me down. Well, apart from that Simple Minds headline gig at the Ashton Court Festival in Bristol, but nothing's perfect, right?

So, as 1989 turned into 1990 I had the notion of doing a themed series of cassette compilations, looking back at the previous decade. Five C90s, one year per side, 12 songs apiece. 

I had a growing record collection by that time, mostly vinyl and cassettes, with a few CDs creeping in. I also had access to my brother's vinyl - he'd gone to uni in Bournemouth and left most of behind with my parents - and my friend Stuart's collection, to plug any gaps in my 'wants' list.

1980 is inevitably a cracking selection, if I say so myself, as there was so much good music to choose from. Pretty much all of these came from my own records, the only exceptions being Martha & The Muffins (my brother's copy of Metro Music) and Talking Heads and U2, borrowed from Stuart.

And yes, I accept that Once In A Lifetime wasn't released in the UK as a single until January 1981. However, in those pre-internet years, I went by the P&C year stated on the back sleeve and labels. Remain In Light said 1980, so that was good enough for me. I subsequently found that the info printed on records were often unreliable in this regard. in this case, I'm happy to confirm that Remain In Light came out in October 1980. Yippee, me.

A strong opener to the series, then. Could I sustain it? 

You won't have long to find out...

 

1) Messages (10" Version): O.M.D.

2) Fade To Grey (Dance Mix Edit): Visage

3) Echo Beach (Album Version): Martha & The Muffins

4) Once In A Lifetime (Album Version): Talking Heads

5) Call Me (Theme From American Gigolo) (Single Version): Blondie

6) Do It Clean (Single Version): Echo & The Bunnymen

7) Independence Day (Album Version): The Comsat Angels

8) Israel (Single Version): Siouxsie & The Banshees

9) Love Will Tear Us Apart (Album Version): Joy Division

10) My Perfect Cousin (Album Version): The Undertones

11) A Day Without Me (Album Version): U2

12) Being Boiled (Album Version): The Human League

23rd March 1980: Metro Music (#10): 3

20th April 1980: Call Me EP (#1): 5 

11th May 1980: Holiday 80 EP (#56): 12 *

11th May 1980: Hypnotised (#9): 10 

15th June 1980: Messages EP (#13): 1

13th July 1980: Waiting For A Miracle (# n/a): 7 **

20th July 1980: Love Will Tear Us Apart EP (#13): 9

24th August 1980: Boy (# n/a): 11 

5th October 1980: The Puppet / Do It Clean EP (# n/a): 6

30th November 1980: Israel EP (#41): 8 

1st February 1981: Visage (#8): 2 ***

1st March 1981: Remain In Light (#14): 4 ****

Side One (46:12) (GD) (M)

 

* Being Boiled was re-released on the back of The Human League's chart success and peaked at #6 in January 1982.  

** Neither single nor album troubled the UK charts in 1980, but a re-recorded version of Independence Day made it to #71 in January 1984 

*** Fade To Grey first entered the UK singles chart on 14th December 1980

**** Remain In Light entered the UK album chart on 26th October 1980 and that, M'lud, is my sole defence!

Our Children Shall Rise Up Against Us Because We Are The Ones To Blame

Don't worry, there hasn't been a revolt at Casa K. Instead, here's some agit from the late 1970s, embracing punk, post-punk, post-modern, post-Mott and stick-it-in-your-pipe-and-smoke-it sounds from 15 of the best.

British Lions formed from the ashes of Mott The Hoople (via Mott) with John Fiddler (Medicine Head) taking front of stage. One More Chance To Run was their debut single and the opening track of their eponymous first album.

Quite a few self-titled debut albums featured here, now that I think about it, taking in The Clash, Tubeway Army, Squeeze, The B-52's, The Pretenders and (almost) Public Image Ltd. and Talking Heads.

 

A first appearance here for Sham 69 with - what else? - Hersham Boys and inevitable returns from Siouxsie & The Banshees, Magazine, Associates and The Jam. 

The closing song - and inspiration for today's post title - is We Are All Prostitutes, the blistering debut single by Bristol's own The Pop Group. 

 

It's been nearly a year since Mark Stewart tragically left us, so much to say in 1979 and so much still to say when he passed on in 2023. This one's for Mark and anyone who has spoken up and called out wrong doing.

Even so, our children shall rise up against us because we are the ones to blame.

 

1) One More Chance To Run: British Lions (1977)

2) What's My Name: The Clash (1977)

3) Hersham Boys (Long Version By Jimmy Pursey & Peter Wilson): Sham 69 (1979)

4) Poppy Day (John Peel Session): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1979) 

5) My Shadow In Vain: Tubeway Army (1978)

6) Attack: Public Image Ltd. (1978)

7) The Light Pours Out Of Me (Album Version By John Leckie): Magazine (1978)

8) Boys Keep Swinging (Cover of David Bowie): Associates (1979)

9) Sex Master: Squeeze (1978)

10) Marooned: Wire (1978)

11) Don't Worry About The Government: Talking Heads (1977)

12) 6060-842: The B-52's (1979)

13) News Of The World: The Jam (1978)

14) Brass In Pocket: The Pretenders (1979)

15) We Are All Prostitutes (Single Version By Dennis Bovell): The Pop Group (1979) 

 

We Are The Ones To Blame (46:05) (KF) (Mega)

 

We Are All Prostitutes

We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
Everyone
 
And you too will learn to live the lie
And you too will learn to live the lie
And you too will learn to live the lie
Everyone has their price
 
Aggression
Competition
Ambition
Consumer fascism
Consumer fascism
 
We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
Everyone
 
Capitalism is the most barbaric of all religions
 
Department stores are our new cathedrals
Department stores are our new cathedrals
Our cars are martyrs to the cause
Our cars are martyrs to the cause
 
Our children shall rise up against us
Our children shall rise up against us
Because
Because we are the ones to blame
Because we are the ones to blame
Because
Because
They will give us a new name, we shall be
Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Sorry I Disturbed Your Cat Nap

Siouxsie & The Banshees' debut album The Scream was released on 13th November 1978.

 

I was seven years old at the time and I didn't get on board until 4th album Juju in 1981 but coming back to The Scream as as adult, it was a remarkable first album which continues to unsettle after many years and repeated listens. 

 

Is it punk? Is it post-punk? I'd struggle to categorise it even now but there's something about the collision of on-point bass, frequently martial beats, squalling guitar and Siouxsie's at-times primal expulsions of words and sound that set it apart from their contemporaries and still sounds like a rage that's relevant to the times we're living through. Far from their most accessible album, it can be a difficult listen yet it's little surprise that it broke the Top 20 in the UK album charts.

 

Technically just the one single with Metal Postcard (Mittageisen) released as a double A-Side with Love In A Void, although a re-recorded version of Overground appeared on The Thorn EP in 1984.

 

Here's a selection of performances from The Scream, beginning with the opening and closing songs, Pure and Switch, bridged by a few lines from The Lord's Prayer which itself appeared on their second album Join Hands the following year. 

Steve Severin and John McKay either side of the stage, static yet relentless, Kenny Morris inevitably the next most animated performer. But all eyes on Siouxsie, white jeans, scarf and waistcoat, making full use of the stage space and a mesmerising stage presence.

Next up, one of two performances from Swiss TV show Lucarne Ovale broadcast 8th June 1979 a few months before the release of Join Hands. Jigsaw Feeling was the first of a 5-song set comprising Placebo Effect, Hong Kong Garden, Switch and - following up in this post - Suburban Relapse. Again, the band look and sound fantastic, Siouxsie and McKay almost pre-New Romantic in their respective wardrobe.

 

Back to Blighty for this performance of Overground from the Oxford Road Show, recorded on 3rd December 1982 and broadcast on BBC2. McKay and Morris were gone by now, replaced by Robert Smith and Budgie respectively. The look and sound has also evolved: Siouxsie with proto-Goth Cruella De Ville hair and dress, Severin in blousy shirt and bleached hair; the band backed by a couple of violinists, at first plucked then urgent, sweeping strings adding a grandeur and menace to the song.

Metal Postcard (Mittageisen) was showcased on The Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC2 again) along with Jigsaw Feeling on 11th July 1978. With it's marching, motorik rhythm (later used to stunning effect by Massive Attack on on their song Superpredators) it's long been one of my favourite Banshees songs. Do I need to say Siouxsie provides yet another example of why she is a superlative front person?

Closing this sample - and the TV show itself, as the end credits roll - with a return to Lucarne Ovale from June 1979 and the penultimate song from The Scream, Suburban Relapse. Siouxsie wanders up to the camera, turning it's attention to a prepared 'dressing room' set opposite the stage. Siouxsie finds a conveniently placed brick and casually lobs it at a mirror, risking seven years' bad luck. 

 

The broken mirror has the phrase "Il y a quelque chose de pourri..." scrawled across it in lipstick which, according to my D in French O Level roughly translates as "There is something rotten..." Again, another attention-grabbing show from the band, including John McKay who by now has turned his back on the main audience and seems to be playing directly to a small group of immobile men side of stage. And who is the mysterious figure at stage rear in the banana yellow polo neck and Mick Ronson-circa-72 coiffure? 

 

None of this detracts from Siouxsie of course, who builds the audience up and leads to a literal collapse at the song's climax. The credits have rolled and the backdrop screen proclaims, "C'est Fini".