For the Pete Wylie fans. A project called Big Hard Excellent Fish released a record featuring an unforgettable spoken word performance by Josie Jones. The track has been used by Morrissey many times over the years as an opener for his concerts. This is not pop music, not easy listening and not for the faint hearted. But it is 80’s, just the radical non charting 80’s. In 1989 dancer Michael Clark approached Josie Jones and Jake Walters of Big Hard Excellent Fish to write a piece of music for his forthcoming work with the Phoenix Dance Company. Josie Jones, formerly of Pete Wylie’s Mighty Wah! asked Pete to work with them on this and the ‘Imperfect List’ was born: a sober, chilling – and very heartfelt cry and denouncement of Britain’s then-ill’s. Michael’s choreography with the Phoenix Dance Company was performed at Sadler’s Wells and the track also featured in the South Bank Show’s documentary about him. The track was subsequently re-recorded with Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins and released as a 12” in 1990 with a remix by Andy Weatherall. In 2004 the track found a new audience when Morrissey began using it to open his shows – which he continues to do to this day. After many requests in subsequent years to ‘update’, it was not until 2011 when approached by One Little Indian that Big Hard Excellent Fish decided that the time was right – the political climate not that different from that of the 1980’s. Infact not that much has changed at all: Religion, Greed, Murdoch, WMDs, Hate Crimes, the Banking Crisis, Child Poverty, crooked Judges, Jeremy ‘Wanker’ Clarkson… And The Question Remains: Where Were You..?
I`m really quite tempted to open a thread somewhere along those lines, since my interest in the 80s goes way beyond all kinds of charts. From The Virgin Prunes, The Birthday Party, Swans, Einstuerzende Neubauten, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Coil, The Wolfgang Press, Cindytalk, Death In June etc etc....... There is a completely other spectrum of artists / labels very much active throughout the 80s that you wouldnt necessarily call "obscure", but some of the artists up there have certainly been labeled all kinds of names, most of all probably "goth", although I sincerely doubt that they would have excepted that label while they were active. Probably the most fair assessment would be "difficult listening".......in certain cases very difficult......
Don't worry, I thought it was about women dancing until I was about 22. The lyric "cos I can't stop messin' with the danger zone" was the tip-off. Gawd, I was so naive. Of course, once the penny drops, you hear all the other references right away — or see them in the hilarious video.
While on the subject of "rude records", here is another one from 1986 that stayed completely on the periphery due to its leftfield character and never got the chance to be banned...... Might by lyrically offensive to many, but sonically its quite a wonderful slice of well-crafted synth-pop....... PS: Parental Guidance alert (over 18 only) Another PS: S-Express or rather Mark Moore was obviously pretty knowledgeable about all kinds of leftfield records at the time that he used one of the lines from this track - namely "drop that ghetto blaster" as one of the samples on his #1 record.
I never agreed with separating compilations from the main album chart. Was better when they were allowed in.
Great band. Have seen them play live a lot - easy when you live in Ireland. 1993's Songs From The Rain is their masterpiece.
I actually agree. Look at the (artist) album charts in the early 90s, in particular. A lot of 1-week chart toppers that never stayed around for long. EG.
The Virgin Prunes supported Siouxsie & The Banshees here in 1985. They're an acquired taste - If I Die, I Die is good but largely down to Colin Newman's production. The Wolfgang Press - I like the first two albums. Never cared for Swans or Coil.
The Spandau singles LP was held off the top spot by two various artists compilations (a Now and a Hits, I think) which were at numbers one and two. So it only "officially" reached #3. What amazed me most about that exercise was realising that Kate Bush's The Whole Story would've been #1 for eight weeks if it wasn't for the Hits 5 and Now 8 comps.
I dunno. All those various artists records hold a lot of nostalgia for me (the Aussie ones, anyway) but at the end of the day they were number one albums for the record companies. It seems a shame that legendary artists like Elvis Costello, Tina Turner and OMD never had a UK number one album because of them, and especially unfair given the rule change at the end of the decade. And even though Sade would hit the top with Promise in 1985, I imagine it would've meant the world to them to reach #1 with their debut album (Hothouse Flowers too!)
Oh yes I can. It’s not all the time, but occasionally I will be enjoying a song (or songs) so much that I’ll listen to them in various iterations for hours. Watching the video, playing 12” or 7” mixes etc. I guess it’s like being a kid again. Remember when you’d buy a new single and then just play it over and over again? I guess I try to capture some of that magic again at times.
I enjoyed reading that and would kill to fork over the money to buy such a deluxe set. A Night To Remember was such a weirdly unfulfilling period for Cyndi. She rocked on the tour though. I saw her in October 1989 in Melbourne and she was in great voice and put on a fantastic show. I’ve seen her live 7 times now (last in 2017) and she never disappoints.
Agreed, she's absolutely fantastic live. I love that she sings 'Goonies' and 'Hole In My Heart' when she tours Australia as they were such big hits here and they always go down a storm. I remember at the Palais Theatre show in 2008 she came into the audience and stood on one of the seats to perform.
I was there for that one! She also came into the audience and sang when I saw her twice in Sydney in 2004- and I got to meet her after the show too!! Did you see her in 2013 at the Palais performing the entire She’s So Unusual album? She opened of course with ‘Money Changes Everything’ and almost ripped the roof off the building! The crowd was so completely into that show that Cyndi got a bit emotional towards the end when she thanked us. And she did of course give us ‘Goonies R Good Enough’ as one of the encores!
Pat Benatar is my favourite singer of all time (as most on here know), but Cyndi Lauper, Alison Moyet, Eurythmics and Pet Shop Boys were obsessions of mine as a kid. I tried to collect everything I possibly could and still get a thrill when I see old magazine articles that mention them.
Just came across this cover of Say Hello Wave Goodbye by A-ha. Pretty good but comes across as a bit detached compared to Soft Cell. Anyone know when it was recorded?
It's at least 11 years old because some of the videos on YouTube are from 2011 (unless they're different versions). I adore a-ha and Morten's voice does suit the song, but nothing can touch Marc's imperfect but passionate vocal on the original. It gives the song so much drama. I don't know what he was thinking when he re-recorded his vocal for the 1991 version.
I think I have both. I can´t comment on the sound quality, though - I haven´t played them for a while. Love both Kid "the Non-Killer" Creole and his coconuts.