Steve Bolton - Walk On The Wild Side 12" - 1987

This is a lighter funner version of the Lou Reed classic song. Steve gives it an 80's synth pop treatment and the overall effect is that it lightens the mood considerable. I like this version and I don't feel quite as dirty after listening to it like I do when I listen to Lou's version. His version is just a little grittier and dirtier. That's not a bad thing. It's just different.

I don't know anything about Steve Bolton other than I have this record. I see it for sale on various websites and auctions for 10-15 bucks. If you like it enough, go buy it. Otherwise just enjoy what I'm offering up today in digital form.

Enjoy!

01 Walk On The Wild Side (Vocal).m4a
02 Walk On The Wild Side (Instrumental).m4a

Tenderloinz - Where's The Beef - 1984

Here's a little electro funk novelty from the 80's. Many who lived in the 80's will remember the wildly successful "Where's the beef" campaign from Wendy's. For those of you who missed it the basic idea was that they were selling the idea that their hamburgers had more beef and so this old lady would get a burger from some other place, look at the small patty and demand "where's the beef?" It was a cultural phenomenon that basically just got annoying. Anyways just like other crazy pop culture phenomenon's someone saw an opportunity to cash in with a novelty song and this here is the result. Borrowing from the up and coming genre of electro hip hop this tried to capitalize on a couple fads. The record is fun to listen to now for nostalgia more than anything.

Enjoy!

01 Where's The Beef.m4a
02 Take A Number.m4a

Helen O'Connell - Green Eyes - 1957

This is the second record I've posted by Helen O'Connell. If you want to read more about her check out my last post on her. This is an earlier release of hers and again she is amazing. She's becoming one of my favorite female vocalists from this time.

The top song for me is "Brazil". The other highlights that come to mind are "Yours", "When The Sun Comes Out", "Green Eyes" and "Amapola". If you don't want to listen to the whole thing I suggest just starting with any of those.

Enjoy!

01 Star Eyes.m4a
02 Not Mine.m4a
03 Tangerine.m4a
04 Green Eyes.m4a
05 Yours.m4a
06 When The Sun Comes Out.m4a
07 All Of Me.m4a
08 Jim.m4a
09 Amapola.m4a
10 Time Was.m4a
11 Embraceable You.m4a
12 Brazil.m4a

Helen O'Connell - Green Eyes.zip

Dead Or Alive - Brand New Lover 12" - 1986

Absolutely love this song and the different mixes here are all good. My one question though with this record is, what the hell's the deal with the horse riding on the cover. Don't get the connection to "Brand New Lover". I'm sure there are plenty of records that have cover art that doesn't relate, but this one kind of stood out for me. Maybe I'm just looking for something to write about since it's getting late and I just want to get this one out.

Enjoy!

01 Brand New Lover (The Dust Monkey's Love Bubble Mix).m4a
02 Brand New Lover (Instrumental).m4a
03 Brand New Lover (Up Ducky Mix).m4a
04 In Too Deep (Live).m4a

The Human League - Don't You Want Me 7" - 1981

I got into a Human League mood this summer because of the regeneration tour and the Stuck In The 80's podcast. I put this record on my list of things to eventually write about and I did some internet digging to listen to some of The Human League's early work. I can say their early work is interesting and experimental, but when it comes right down to it I'd rather listen to Dare the album from which these two song came from any old day. It is a great time capsule of 1981 synth pop. "Don't You Want Me" is a timeless classic that I can listen to over and over again.

Enjoy!

01 Don't You Want Me.m4a
02 Seconds.m4a

Arthur Lyman - Bwana A: More Exotic Sound Of Arthur Lyman - 1958

I think it has been a while since I dove into the exotica records for the blog so I thought is was time again. I've been spending a lot of time in the 80's in recent weeks. To be honest my ipod has spent a lot of time in the 80's recently as I've been building a big ole 80's playlist. It's been fun.

Anyways, that project is kind of done for now and I think a venture into something completely different is called for. This is an Exotica record from the 50's much in the same vain as Les Baxter or Martin Denny. There are bird calls and exotic sounding rhythms and instruments. It really lays out a lush tapestry and I think this is near the top of my limited list of records of this sort. I certainly enjoy it as it takes my on some sort of fictitious Disney-esque journey to some foreign land that doesn't really exist. It's like travelling to the Lost Worls to go looking for King Kong and cannibals. Oh what fun.

Tracks that stand out for me are "Bwana A", "South Pacific Moonlight", "Waikiki Serenade", "La Paloma", "Otome San", "Canton Rose" and "Colonel Bogey's March". The real attraction of all these songs are the mellow vibes. So soothing. What a great instrument.

Enjoy!

01 Bwana A.m4a
02 South Pacific Moonlight.m4a
03 Moon Over Ruined Castle.m4a
04 Waikiki Serenade.m4a
05 La Paloma.m4a
06 Otome San.m4a
07 Canton Rose.m4a
08 Blue Sands.m4a
09 Malaguena.m4a
10 Vera Cruz.m4a
11 Pua Carnation.m4a
12 Colonel Bogey's March.m4a

Bwana A_ More Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman side 1.zip
Bwana A_ More Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman side 2.zip

New Order - Shellshock 12" - 1986

Here's another in my series of New Order 12" records. I think I may have one more after this. Anyways, this is Shellshock another great club track from the mid 80's. In addition to being great in a club blaring out a huge sound system and having colored lights flashing all around in sync to some of the machine gun synth rhythms, this is also a great headphones track. New Order plays around with bouncing sounds from left to right which is always fun.

"Theives Like Us" is also another New Order classic. That signature drum beat in the opening just says New Order 80's club music. I love the build on this song. It comes at with with not as much assault as Shellshock, but it does suck you in and get you into the groove. It is a very welcoming track. As I'm writing I'm thinking this might be a good track to cruise around to in the car late at night. I have a few of those songs on my list. They are the kinds of songs you want to hear after getting out of a loud concert or movie and you're driving home through the streets of Hollywood. You want something that will chill you out, but will also still feel kind of hip and cool and citylike. Another track high on that list for me is "In Your House" by The Cure. It is on Seventeen seconds.

So give the song a chance next time your out in the city late at night heading home and wanting to unwind. If the weather is good roll down the windows and let the night air in and you're set.

Enjoy!

01 Shellshock.mp3
02 Theives Like Us.mp3

Conceited - Conceited 12"

Here's one I'm sure just about no one will know. Why you ask? Because this record was barely released. My brother actually raps on this record. He was involved with a bunch of different musical ventures back in the 90's. I don't think he was the driving force behind this production.

I remember him telling me about this Tulips song before and he thought it was so clever. It is kind of clever, but the end product is just so so and a bit juvenile. Then again a lot of music is juvenile. For me the B side with the 3 versions of "Bringin' It Back (Sweet Home Chicago)" is the real gem here. It kind of co-opts the chorus of Sweet Home Chicago and does so quite effectively. The rest of the song is good too and I think you might like it as well.

Enjoy!

01 Tie Me Up (Bondage Mix).m4a
02 Plant Your Two Lips (Street Mix).m4a
03 On This Dick.m4a
04 Bringin' It Back (Sweet Home Chicago).m4a
05 Bringin' It Back (Sindy City Mix).m4a
06 Bringin' It Back (Instrumental).m4a

Gito Gito Hustler - Wonderful 7" - 2005

I picked this hot little 7" up a couple years ago and boy does it sizzle. Like many other people I have a keen fascination Japanese rock music and an even greater fascination with Japanese girl bands. They don't sound like anything from the West. It's a mixture of their complete abandon and the accents that make them stand out as something different and engaging. Gito Gito Hustler have a more modern punk attitude and flavor than a band like The 5.6.7.8.'s for example. As far as I can tell their still recording and playing. I can only hope that someday I'll have a chance to see them.

You can catch the Gito Gito Hustler wave by visiting some of their myspace page. You can hear a few of their other songs there. Wikipedia aslo has a little info on the band. Here's also an article from Salt Lake City.

If you like what you hear please go out and support them by picking up one of their releases from gearhead.

Enjoy!

01 Wonderful.m4a
02 Romantic.m4a


As a bonus here's a little video of Gito Gito Hustler performing "Wonderful".

Jerry Reed - When You're Hot, You're Hot_Amos Moses 7" - 1970

Yesterday Sept 2nd Jerry Reed died in Nashville at age 71 from complications with emphysema. You can read the particulars and some history over at CNN or just about any other major news source.

If you're a regular reader you will have read me going on about my love of Jerry Reed from time to time. I posted a few of his records since the inception of this blog back in January. The world will truly miss him, but at least we have his music to remember him by.

So in tribute to Jerry I thought I'd post another record from my stack of 45's from old Mr. Reed. This one's from 1970. "When You're Hot, You're Hot" is a great song. It starts off with that legendary "Son" from Jerry. If you know Jerry Reed's music at all you'll know that "son" that I'm talking about. No one sings it like him. This song has a fun chorus with some lighthearted back up singers. The song has also a healthy helping of funk in addition to the country factor. For that matter "Amos Moses" follows the same recipe. The bass line is super tasty on that B-side. Get's you're head a bobbin'. The song is about Amos Moses who as the lyric says was used by his father for alligator bate. How can you go wrong with a song like that.

Enjoy!

01 When You're Hot, You're Hot.m4a
02 Amos Moses.m4a

Of course two songs don't quite seem fitting for a tribute so here again are some of the other Jerry songs from previous posts.

The album "East Bound And Down"

01 East Bound And Down.m4a
02 Lightning Rod.m4a
03 The Bandit.m4a
04 Bake.m4a
05 Legend.m4a
06 Framed.m4a
07 You Took All The Ramblin' Out Of Me.m4a
08 Rainbow Ride.m4a
09 Just To Satisfy You.m4a
10 Don't Think Twice It's All Right.m4a

And here is the whole glorious thing.

And the "Patches 7".

01 Patches.m4a

02 Stray Dogs And Stray Women.m4a

And the classic from Scooby-Doo.

Pretty Mary Sunlite

Liberace - As Time Goes By/Liebestraum 7"

I don't have much to write here. I kind of just wanted to get this one out of the way and out of the system. I can't believe I own a Liberace record. I think I'm more interested in the man than the music. I think his piano style just never really appealed to me with all those fills and runs. Anyways, this is an example of the kind of stuff he was doing that helped make him famous. I'm sure you may find like me that it wasn't necessarily the music that kept audiences enthralled. I also apologize because the quality of this record isn't too great, but I figure you'll probably be okay with it since you probably won't listen to it again after the first time.

Enjoy! (the unenjoyable)

01 As Time Goes By.m4a
02 Liebestraum.m4a

The Freeze - Guilty Face 7" - 1983

Here's a re-release of a classic EP from The Freeze. The Freeze were from the early 80's Boston Hard Core scene. They do a couple of my favorite songs from that era "Refrigerator Heaven" and "This Is Boston, Not LA". Track those tracks down for sure if you haven't heard them.

This is a 7" from 1983 and has their usual speedy hard core sound. Makes you just want to jump head first into a mosh pit. Ah the good ole days. Now I leave that up to my son to do, while I stay safely on the sidelines.

On this record I really like "Voices From My Window", "We're Not the Abnormal Ones" and "I'm Too Good For You". "Halloween Night" is also a tasty one for me, because I have a soft spot in my heart when I find Halloween related music.

Anyways, you can probably find this record online or at any decent record shop that sells new releases. You can probably find an original print of this on e-bay for some exorbitant price. Here you can have a little sample and see if you find it worth purchasing to put on your turntable. I don't have any regrets.

Enjoy!

01 Violent Arrest.m4a
02 Voices From My Window.m4a
03 We're Not The Abnormal Ones.m4a
04 Halloween Night.m4a
05 Guilty Face.m4a
06 I'm Too Good For You.m4a

Baile Con Sus Favoritas - 1988

I've been excited about this record for weeks now. This is one of those "find" records. I picked is up for the ridiculous album cover. I had hopes from some good cheesy music as well. I see what I think looks like movie posters and I thought, maybe this will be some kind of Latin disco music from some movies or something. As it turns out I still don't know if any of these songs are from films, but the music is not cheesy disco. It is actually some good Latin music that to my ignorant ears sounds a little more traditional. I don't know anything about these artists, but I can say that I like quite a few of the Latin Brothers and Sonora Dinamita songs. I like "Sobre La Olas", "El Carretero", "La Conga", "Las Caleñas", Lindo Maridito", "El Caminante", "La Vaca Vieja" and "La Perra". There is also music from Fruko Y Sus Tesos and I don't know much about them either. I can say I tend to not favor their numbers as much. I don't understand a word but I can say the music is very enjoyable.

If anyone has any information or input on any of this music I'd love to hear it. If not then just have fun with these selections.

Enjoy!

01 Sobre Las Olas - Latin Brothers.m4a
02 Charanga Campesina - Fruko Y Sus Tesos.m4a
03 El Carretero - Latin Brothers.m4a
04 La Conga - Sonora Dimanita.m4a
05 Pegaso - Latin Brothers.m4a
06 El Patillero - Fruko Y Sus Tesos.m4a
07 Todo Lo Que Tengo Es Tuyo - Sonora Dinamita.m4a
08 Las Caleñas - Latin Brothers.m4a
09 Lindo Maridito - Sonora Dinamita.m4a
10 Como Suenan Los Cueros - Fruko Y Sus Tesos.m4a
11 Cuando Calienta El Sol - Sonora Dinamita.m4a
12 El Caminante - Fruko Y Sus Tesos.m4a
13 La Vaca Vieja - Sonora Dinamita.m4a
14 Los Characos - Latin Brothers.m4a
15 Que Me Coma El Tigre - Latin Brothers.m4a
16 La Perra - Sonora Dinamita.m4a

Baile Con Sus Favoritas 1.zip
Baile Con Sus Favoritas 2.zip

Jane Wiedlin - Blue Kiss 12" - 1985

Last month I posted another Jane Wieldlin single. This one I like even more. I think "Blue Kiss" is catchier and has an even sweeter candy pop flavor. Sounds light and airy like cotton candy.

"One Hundred Years Of Solitude" is a little more serious of a song and has a little more indie attitude and edge. Sounds like something you'd expect from IRS, which is the record label this is on. It's okay. Personally I think her real talent lies in writing the pop.

Enjoy!

01 Blue Kiss.m4a
02 One Hundred Years Of Solitude.m4a

Triumph - Allied Forces - 1981

This is one of the earliest records I picked up when I started buying used vinyl a few years back. It was also one of the first things I digitized when I started ripping vinyl. It seems like these guys have been forgotten by the mainstream classic rock outlets. Triumph was so great back in the day. "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight" and so incredibly perfect rock songs. If you are of the younger generation and have not heard these song, please stop reading now and download these songs and give them a listen immediately. As a side note I think that "Fight The Good Fight" was used on TV commercials in Chicago for WLUP (The Loop). If it wasn't the Loop then it was WMET. Which ever one it was, for me that opening guitar riff was like the theme song for classic rock. Triumph had another good release with "Never Surrender" but this is my favorite. This was the transition between being a prog rock band to a more mainstream band. They had more mainstream success with "Never Surrender", but to me this is their crowning achievement. It is just great guitar rock. I love it. I love it. I love it.

Enjoy!

01 Fool For Your Love.m4a
02 Magic Power.m4a
03 Air Raid.m4a
04 Allied Forced.m4a
05 Hot Time (In This City Tonight).m4a
06 Fight The Good Fight.m4a
07 Ordinary Man.m4a
08 Petite Etude.m4a
09 Say Goodbye.m4a

Full record

Huey Lewis And The News - The Heart Of Rock & Roll 7" - 1984

This last year Huey Lewis was interviewed on the "Stuck In The 80's" podcast which I highly recommend. It was recently featured on "Penn And Teller's Bull***t". The Huey Lewis interview is a pretty funny episode because Huey gets a little snippy with one of the hosts. I don't want to say anymore. Just give it a listen. Listening to that episode reminded me how many great little tunes Huey and the boys put out in the 80's. I dug up some of the records I owned and since then I've added them to the ole ipod so I get a fresh injection of Huey every once in a while. One of the things Huey points out in that interview is that they tried to write timeless music. I had never thought of it that way, but if you listen to his singles you'll notice that they aren't filled with the in fashion synths of the time. Instead they are straight ahead pop/rock songs dealing with "timeless" themes. So the songs still work out great. A song like "The Heart Of Rock And Roll" works in any time and when doesn't "Workin' For A Livin'" not connect with people. Kudos to Huey Lewis And The News for succeeding at what they set out to do.

By the way this live version of "Workin' For A Livin'" is the real reason to listen to this one. It really cooks.

Enjoy!

01 The Heart Of Rock & Roll.m4a
02 Workin' For A Livin' (Live).m4a

Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet - 1982

I've already done a some Rick Springfield posts and expressed my recent love of his powerpop genius. Just this week I listened to his new album "Venus Overdrive" and it is sooooooo good. It sounds very current and the first 4 tracks or so are just great. There is only one track that I really wasn't fond of and that was track 10 "She".

It's been mentioned that the first track "What's Victoria's Secret" sounds a lot like Springfield from the 80's and it does. It sounds like it could be off of "Working Class Dog". In fact the guitar riff is very reminiscent of "Jessie's Girl". The other tracks however don't even sound like Rick. His voice is great and still really powerful. The subject matter has also matured which I appreciate. If you have a chance do give it a listen.

As for today's post here is one of Rick's classic 80's releases which I'm sure any fan in the 80's owned. This isn't new to anyone or hard to find. It's just nice to go back and enjoy the record all over again. "Kristina" is a highlight for me. I also like "How Do You Talk To Girls" and "I Get Excited".

By the way I find it funny that a song called "Don't Talk To Strangers" is followed by a song called "How Do You Talk To Girls" which is kind of like talking to strangers.

Enjoy!

01 Calling All Girls.mp3
02 I Get Excited.mp3
03 What Kind Of Fool Am I.mp3
04 Kristina.mp3
05 Tonight.mp3
06 Black Is Black.mp3
07 Don't Talk To Strangers.mp3
08 How Do You Talk To Girls.mp3
09 Still Crazy For You.mp3
10 The American Girl.mp3
11 Just One Kiss.mp3
12 April 24, 1981.mp3

Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet.zip

I.S.H. - You're My Only Lover/It Ain't Necessarily So 12" -

I'll be honest and if you are a regular reader you may have picked up on this, but the amount of effort I've been putting into recent posts has been lacking. I do apologize. Unfortunately I'm not in a place to change that for now. I've just been a little caught up in other things and so I've been just spitting these things out. This is another one of those.

This is just another 12" record from the 80's I have in the collection. It's not the greatest, but it is okay. It is perfect for this kind of half hearted post. If anyone else wants to write in and tell some story about this group or these tracks please do.

Enjoy!

01 You're My Only Lover (Extended Dance Remix).mp3
02 You're My Only Lover (Instrumental Dub).mp3
03 It Ain't Necessarily So (Extended Dance Remix).mp3
04 It Ain't Necessarily So (Instrumental Dub).mp3