Category: Music

A special edition of Friday Music for you today. In honor of the launch of , every song this week is chock full of New Wavey goodness….and we’re not talking the usual assortment of “TOTALLY 80s NOSTALGIA FLASHBACK WEEKEND ON K-R-A-P” stuff, either. I went for lesser-known stuff that I like — less well-known artists, and less well-known singles from the big artists. So, without further ado:

My favorite track from Berlin’s 1982 album Pleasure Victim, which featured the much-more-often-played singles “Metro” and “Sex (I’m A..)” How the group went from this to producing smarmy movie-soundtrack ballads like “Take My Breath Away”, I’ll never know. Berlin – “Masquerade.”

One of the first singles from INXS, who, as you all know, went on to become a supergroup in the late 80s. As much as I like tracks like “Need You Tonight” and “Suicide Blonde”, I still prefer the early stuff like this: INXS – “Don’t Change.”

Another installment in my effort to demonstrate that Men Without Hats were far more than “the Safety Dance” indicated. Another brilliant track from the same album, The Rhythm of Youth: Men Without Hats – “The Great Ones Remember.”

One of the few instances where the cover of a song is far better than the original. This was originally done by The Call (better known for “The Walls Came Down”, which I posted a few weeks back), and was covered by Tina Turner’s saxaphone player, Tim Capello, for a sequence in the movie The Lost Boys: Tim Capello – “I Still Believe.”

In case you never noticed, we spent a lot of time in the 80s singing songs about our Communist enemies (“Russians”, “Soviet Snow”, “Der Kommisar,” etc.). Here’s one of the few songs of that sort that wasn’t about the Soviet Union: Red Rockers – “China.”

When I was a lad, I had a mix tape comprised of nothing but songs called “Gloria” — I had the Van Morrison version (“G-L-O-R-I-A, glooooria!”), the Laura Branigan version (“..the voices in your head, calling Gloria…”), the U2 version (“Gloria, in te domine. Gloria…exultate..”)…and this version, from a little-known Detroit band: Figures on a Beach – “Accidentally 4th Street (Gloria).”

One of the things that pisses me of is the entire output of really good bands has been forgotten (usually by people who are engaging in “nostalgia” for bands and songs that they never listened to when they were actually in the 80s….but that’s another rant). It pisses me off that Flock of Seagulls now equals “I Ran” and jokes about haircuts. Here’s one of their forgotten songs: Flock of Seagulls – “Wishing.”

When Songs From The Big Chair hit big in 1985, I had the insufferable smugness of one who has arrived at a thing first, and now everybody else has shown up. I was a fan of Tears for Fears from their 1983 debut album, The Hurting, which I still like more. Here’s one of my favorite tracks: Tears for Fears – “Pale Shelter.”

I can’t remember who first exposed me to this, but it is one of my favorite lesser-known artists and singles. Peter Godwin was one half of a group called Metro, almost entirely unknown except for the fact that Bowie covered one of their songs (“Criminal World”) on Let’s Dance. Later, Godwin went solo, and this was the one song that made any degree of splash–I remember hearing it once or twice at dance clubs, but that’s about it: Peter Godwin – “Images of Heaven.”

When the New Wave sound took off, even older artists gave it a spin. I leave you now with this slice of cheese, which I really do love — it’s the last hit single by 70s darling Olivia Newton-John, the single from the soundtrack to her 1983 “reunion film” with John Travolta, Two of a Kind: Olivia Newton-John – “Twist of Fate.”

There you go, kids. We’ll return to my standard mix of genres next week. I hope you enjoyed this special installment.

I think that I may have found a new theme song. I was only familiar with Harvey Danger from their late-90s one-hit-wonder, “Flagpole Sitta” — but I recently gave this a listen, and I love it. Hell, the title alone is brilliant: Harvey Danger – “Cream and Bastards Rise.”

While we’re on the subject of artists that you only know from one single — I’m a big fan of Men Without Hats. Everybody knows “The Safety Dance” — but what everybody doesn’t know is that the album that featured it, Rhythm of Youth is one of the best New Wave albums ever recorded. I played my cassette of it so much that I warped it. Luckily, I finally tracked it down on CD. Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the album: Men Without Hats – “I Like.”

While we’re in a retro one-hit motif — I posted a new protest song a while back by Ricky Lee Jones, which reminded me how much I loved her one-and-only hit single from the late 70s. So, here it is: Ricky Lee Jones – “Chuck E.’s In Love.” I love her voice, and the lyrics are great. The whole sound makes make think of NYC during the period.

Composer Terence Blanchard is the go-to-guy for Spike Lee. His work on Malcom X is some of my favorite film score work. Here’s a track that he did for the recent Lee-directed flop, The Inside Man, which breaks away from his usual score work and into the realm of danceable electronica– he and Panjabi MC created a mix of his score work and a popular single from an Indian film. Terence Blanchard and Panjabi MC – “Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint”

An ode to overzealous lawyers: Here’s a track from the group Spacehog, off their release The Chinese Album. Spacehog is fronted by Royston Langdon (better known as Mr. Liv Tyler), and this song was originally supposed to be called “Mongo City”, about the citadel of Ming the Merciless, until King Features got huffy. So, one letter change later, and we have this glamtastic tribute to the capital of the universe: Spacehog – “Mungo City.”

Mark Wahlberg starred in a film called “Rock Star” (originally filmed under the title “Metal Gods”, which I think would have been better), the fictionalized story of a tribute-band singer who is tapped to replace the lead singer in the band that he covers (in other words, what actually happened in Judas Priest, until Halford came back). It’s largely a crap movie, but the songs, from the fictional metal band “Steel Dragon” aren’t that bad….and my favorite is this near-perfect example of the power ballad: Steel Dragon – “We All Die Young.”

Last song this week — This is taken from David Bowie’s 1999 album Hours, which came out while and I were living in the city. At the time, I was slightly disappointed that he didn’t continue in the electronica direction that he had featured on Earthling, but this album grew on me. This song in particular always reminds the two of us of our time there. David Bowie – “Thursday’s Child.”

Enjoy.

I’m not even going to apologize for this, they way I did the last time I posted a track from Christina Aguilera’s new album, Back To Basics. I’ve now heard another, and DAMN if it isn’t really fucking cool. As anyone who has seen this month’s cover of Rolling Stone can attest, she’s decided to embrace the whole Boogie-Woogie Bugle-Boy thing, and it’s HOT. Check this neo-retro: Christina Aguilera – “Candyman.” I absolutely love the whole 30s-40s retro sound mixed with modern, blatantly sexual lyrics: “He’s a one-stop shop, Makes the panties drop…he’s a sweet-talkin’ sugar-coated Candyman…”

A special selection for and the girls, getting into character for tonight’s KCRF media party: Space – “Female of the Species.”

Japanese turntablist/electronic musician DJ Krush has a new two-disc career retrospective out, where he again plays with expectations. Instead of releasing a “best of” collection, he instead releases two discs of his older material, but each track is a brand-new remix. This track is absolutely brilliant, and features the incomparable Mos Def on vocals: DJ Krush feat. Mos Def – “Shinjiro (Harsh Mix)”

Sticking with the Japanese for a moment, here’s a track for , although I’m sure others will enjoy it as well. Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of J-Pop…I find most of it to be fairly formulaic and kinda annoying. I really liked this when I heard it, though, so I figured that I’d pass it along. BeForU – “Scenario.”

Because sometimes, I just need to hear it: My favorite track by one of my favorite bands. The English Beat – “I Confess.”

I found another really well-done Mash-up this week. A DJ who calls himself Arty Fufkin (which was the name of Paul Shaeffer’s incompetent label-promotions guy in “Spinal Tap”) has mixed Supertramp’s “Logical Song” with Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”, adding bits of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” and The Who’s “Go To The Mirror, Boy”, and the results are wonderful: Arty Fufkin – “Crazy Logic.”

I was introduced to Shivaree by the inclusion of their track “Goodnight Moon” on the Kill Bill soundtrack. This is another track by them, and is equally nifty. Shivaree – “Thundercats.”

My favorite track from Rufus Wainwright’s Want One album, which is constructed around the main hook from Ravel’s Bolero. I’m fairly sure I may have posted this one before, but I don’t care — It’s that good. Rufus Wainwright – “Oh What A World.”

Lastly, more of Le Hip-Hop Francais, pour . I know nothing about the group, and haven’t sat down and listened closely enough to the lyrics to translate them….Mostly because once the track really gets moving, I’m too busy bobbing my head and moving my ass to care what they’re talking about. 113 – “36 Quai Des Orfevres.”

Enjoy, kids. More next week.