Archive for the ‘Kamar’ Category

New Order: Tribute at Neo 2/4/10

I  still get excited every year when we do our New Order Tribute Night. It’s not only a chance for us to play a bunch of New Order that we don’t normally play at Atomic, but it’s now one of the few times a year that I indulge in the brilliance of one of the most influential bands over the last thirty years.

The two songs here represent two completely different New Order styles, but they share that sentimental touch that ties the history of the band together. “Dreams Never End” is from their debut album Movement. Musically, the album still had a Joy Division feel to it, but it laid the ground work that turned them into international pop stars later in the decade. It’s one of the few New Order songs with Peter Hook on vocals. Listen to Dreams Never End (1982) and then The Cure’s Inbetween Days (1985). Trust me. The second song, “Here to Stay” was recorded for the 24 Hour Party People Soundtrack in 2002 and was dedicated to Martin Hannett (Joy Division/New Order producer), Rob Gretton (Joy Division/New Order manager), and Ian Curtis (Joy Division lead vocalist).

New Order Online [official fansite]

OMD: Sugar Tax

Sugar Tax was essentially a solo album released by Andrew McCluskey under the name OMD in 1991. Paul Humphreys left the band in 1989 and was followed by longtime members Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes, stemming from their unhappiness over the band becoming increasingly commercial. In addition, Graham and Neil Weir, who joined the band in 1985 and contributed to OMD’s mainstream success, left after disputes over their roles in the band. Surprisingly, Sugar Tax was a success in the UK and received attention in the States as well. Although it was missing many elements of what made OMD so great, the album included many memorable tracks such as “Sailing on the Seven Seas” and “Pandora’s Box”. McCluskey released two more albums as OMD (Liberator and Universal) before calling it quits. However, McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes, and Cooper re-united in 2006, and have consistently toured since. OMD announced plans for a new album (History of Modern) to be released sometime in 2010.

Official OMD Website
Sugar Tax on Amazon

Fatima: Hassan

I first heard this song on an untitled mix tape with no track listing about twenty years ago. The tape was destroyed after years of over-use, and sadly I never learned the name or artist. Sometime in the early part of the last decade, DJ Dave Roberts loaned me a CD with a bunch of obscure new wave. When I realized that this song was on the CD, I nearly pissed myself. It’s crazy how songs from the past somehow always end up finding you years later. The quality of this song isn’t that great; it was ripped  from a CDR  and then burned onto another. If anyone has the actual release of this song, please let me know!

Lisa’s note: I found a great post on Hassan, along with the Razormaid mix, here on RetroWonderland. Definitely worth checking out!

30 Years of The Cure

Robert Smith’s tips to sustaining a long career:

• Write good songs: “I could write songs as bad as Wham’s if I really felt the urge to, but what’s the point?”

• Don’t worry about status: “I’m not going to worry about the Cure slipping down into the second division; it doesn’t bother me because I never expected to be in the first division anyway.”

• Don’t do it for the money: “I’ve never wanted a group to ever fall out about money. It’s not important. We earn far more than we should anyway.”

• Be inspired and love what you do: “I do a job I really, really love and I kind of have fun with. People think you can’t be grown up unless you’re moaning about your job.”

• Do things in moderation: “I think the rock’n'roll myth of living on the edge is a pile of crap.”

• Don’t worry about what people say or think about you: ” Most of the time I’m a professional idiot. I really don’t care about what other people think, which can be a bad thing.”

• Know when to quit: “If any of our songs ever did make it on the top ten, I’d disband the group immediately.”

The Cure on Amazon.com
band website: www.thecure.com

Camouflage: Heaven I Want You

This band is probably best known for their classic single “The Great Commandment” but they also had a number of other great tracks such as “Love is a Shield”,  “Anyone”, “That Smiling Face”, and my sentimental favorite, “Heaven I Want You” from the 1991 release “Meanwhile”.

The band is currently active with live shows, re-releases, and new material. For more information, visit their website at: Camouflage Official Site

Boxcar: Freemason (You Broke the Promise)

It would be easy to dismiss this band as simply another one of those synthpop rip off bands from the late 80’s and early 90’s; especially considering their similar sound to late 80’s New Order and their work with Arthur Baker. However, this Australian band formed in the mid-80’s and experimented with house, techno, and trance for over ten years. This single (originally released in 1988) was taken from their 1990 album called Vertigo. They had minimal overall success on the charts but this track hit #8 on the Billboard Dance Chart 21 years ago.

If you like this song and like bands such as Red Flag, Cetu Javu, Camouflage, Kon Kan, Information Society, Depeche Mode, New Order and Cut Copy; check out the rest of the album:

Boxcar – Vertigo