Archive for the 1982 tag

TTL: Transistor Generation

There's a huge storm coming through Chicago; a great time to sort through some music. I'm not sure where I got this track from, but I suspect it came to me via one Omar Padrón. What I know about TTL: they're Dutch, this song is the B side to a 1982 single called "Bored & Lonely", and it appears to be the only thing they put out--this track is obviously a vinyl rip, and I doubt they made it to cd or even cassette for that matter. Though "Bored & Lonely" has a tinge of ska, this track is about as classic early new wave as it gets. The '80s is littered with these bands, who produced one track and were forced to give up when it went nowhere. In the days when it was so much more expensive to record a song, they weren't a safe bet...and in the days before the internet, they've been forgotten.

If you've got any info on TTL, drop it in the comments!

Modern English: Life In The Gladhouse

You know this band. You've heard "I'll Melt With You" about a million times in your life, but you probably can't remember a single other Modern English song, can you? It's ok, neither can anyone else. And that's a damn shame, because they have a really nice catalogue if you want to do just a little digging.

Signed to 4AD in 1980, their other material borrows more influence from post punk than you'd suspect from their biggest hit. "Life In The Gladhouse" is by far my favorite Modern English song, and if you know what a fan of Gang of Four I am, you'll not be surprised. Taken from their 1982 release After The Snow, the title track for which I highly recommend to New Order fans.

Trivia bit: A pair of Modern English songs inspired the formation of This Mortal Coil.

official website
buy After The Snow on Amazon.com

Nine Circles: Here Come I + Twinkling Stars

Lying somewhere between Joy Division and Fad Gadget and sounding far more French than they actually are is a Dutch duo I'll almost guarantee you've never heard of: Nine Circles. I can say this with some confidence because most of their catalog, though recorded in 1982, was never even released until 1996. No, I'm not making that up. I have no idea why they sat on it so long, because they probably would've been a big hit in some alternative dance clubs 28 years ago.

According to their MySpace page (sorry, it's all I have to go on), Lidia Fiala and Peter Van Garderen are actually doing concerts still. I doubt we will ever see them here in the States, but I can always hope they'll open on the next Ladytron tour...

Nine Circles on MySpace
Buy Nine Circles on Amazon.com

Depeche Mode Tribute this Thursday!

Every year, we do a tribute to Depeche Mode, one of the most popular and influential electronic bands that ever was [I'd place them just under Kraftwerk]. There's hardly anything I can say about them that hasn't been said, but certainly this week we'll be playing some DM tracks that don't normally get a lot of attention, right next to plenty that do. The frustrating bit about doing these is that there's always about 5 songs that, at the end of the night, I'm kicking myself for not playing. Six hours isn't even enough time for a band who has been putting out consistently good work for 30 years.
The particularly amazing thing is how while their early stuff still holds up pretty well after all this time, they've progressed so far as to sound almost nothing like those first albums--and yet still sound like the same band. To illustrate this, I've chosen to post "Monument", from the 1982 release A Broken Frame, a new wave track so minimal it can barely be danced to, whispering of techno and covered in fantastic '80s bleepy synths. In contrast, their recent single "Wrong" is loud and in-your-face, and the synths, now joined by guitars, are darker and harsher. This version is a remix by dubstep master Caspa [who coincidentally is playing at Smartbar on the same night]. The genre-overlay is really well done, and I think it says as much about the versatility of Depeche Mode's songwriting as Caspa's production skills.
Download and dig in, we'll see you on Thursday with a whole lot more!

official website
Depeche Mode on Amazon.com

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]

Ministry: Same Old Madness

So, you all know industrial gods Ministry. Most of you are familiar with the likes of "So What," "Stigmata" and "Jesus Built My Hotrod." You're even pretty familiar with the first Ministry album With Sympathy, which you're afraid to admit that you like better than the rest of their work. You wish Al Jourgensen would have kept hanging out with Depeche Mode (I kid!) for more fake British accent and made more records like this.

But HEY! You can take one more trip down that synthy route that they were known for at the time with this unreleased single "Same Old Madness."

This track still has not seen an official release. It was originally supposed to see light in 1982 as the band's second single following "Cold Life." The song was recorded and a video was filmed (partially at Chicago's Metro, as legend has it) until Ministry decided to move to Arista Records for the release of With Sympathy.

Sidenote: Angry Biker Al in the video? MMM, what a treat.

Ministry at Amazon.com

Toto Coelo: I Eat Cannibals

With good ol' Turkey Day right around the corner, why not feature a silly New Wave song about feasting on flesh, since that is essentially what the holiday has come to be about?! Then again, we're not eating our own kind like these five quirky ladies in Toto Coelo were on their 1982 hit single "I Eat Cannibals."

They are certainly the epitome of a one hit wonder but this dance nugget is one tasty treat of a track that deserves to be busted out of the vaults! And hey, they could very well be considered the Spice Girls of the 80's. Have a listen & think about it!

Their love is so edible, don't you agree?

Tin Tin: Kiss Me

Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy began his music career when he met bassist John Taylor. Along with keyboardist Nick Rhodes, the three pretty boys formed our favorite New Romantics, Duran Duran. Duffy served as the original vocalist of the band before Mr. Le Bon became their famous face. He eventually went on to leave the band and sign his own deal as Tin Tin in 1980, before Duran Duran even scored their first hit.

Tin Tin is remembered for his dance club favorite "Kiss Me." The memorable chorus ("Kiss me with your mouth / Your love is better than wine / But wine is all I have / Will your love ever be mine?") is taken from the book Song of Songs. One does have to wonder though- What else exactly would you kiss Tin Tin with?

There are two versions of the song - the original released in 1982 and then again in 1985 (featured on the album The Ups and Downs) with a new mix and added samples. Presented here is the edited version of the original from 82, though it may be worth your time to track down the 7 minute 12" version of the song as well... more dancing & smooching than you can handle! Let's work it, c'mon...