The Associates - Breakfast 12" Single

The Associates - Breakfast 12" Single

The Associates stuff seems to be popular judging by comments and downloads so here's something else.....

Breakfast was the third single from Perhaps (released just before the album itself), it's held up as one of the best songs from the post Rankine Associates but it's never really grabbed me, I love Billy for his hysterics rather than his torch songs. We've got the 12" version of Breakfast, Breakfast Alone (which is an instrument of Breakfast) and finally (and the main reason I'm posting this) a re-recording of Kites. Billy had covered this before with Christine Beveridge on vocals a few years previous (under the name 39 Lyon Street) but here he takes the lead.

More Associates soon no doubt, I'm more or less psychotically obsessed with them and therefore have an unhealthy amount of stuff to share......Heart of Glass single sounds like a plan, if only for the b-sides.

The Men - I Don't Depend On You

The Men - I Don't Depend On You

The Men are the mk1 Human League of Marsh/Ware/Oakey under an assumed name. Under pressure from Virgin to produce a hit (and to drop their hardline no traditional instruments rule), a compromise was reached where more commercial songs would be released under the name of The Men. A Colin Thurston produced disco number, it's not half bad. Before anything else could be released as The Men, the band had split in half and what would become the Human League mk2 would embark on a cheerfully commerical direction and straddle the charts in the process.

DAF - Fünfzehn neue D.A.F-Lieder

DAF - Fünfzehn neue D.A.F-Lieder

From 2003, this was (another) D.A.F. comeback album. Except it wasn't. Not the disco misstep of 1st Step To Heaven from the '86 comeback, not the Gabi led D.A.F. Dos, this was the D.A.F. that wore black leather, bared their chests and sweated malevolence. It's a progression from the usual D.A.F formula but still based in that familiar territory. Less aggressive than those albums, age has tempered them into a far more precise instrument.

I always forget how good this is, D.A.F. seem to be in vogue again and this seems to have been overlooked, and understandably so considering the post Fur Immer output from the duo but trust me, this is a blistering return to form.

Play - Chasing The Sun EP

Play - Chasing The Sun EP

Synth pop from Survival Records, very little information about them but they released three EPs from 82-84. This Little Girl/Chasing The Sun (the instrumental version of This Little Girl) is well worth a listen. I'm pretty sure this is from the UK but it really sounds Australian. Got that Aussie synth ring about it, hmm.

Survival Records are probably best known for Tik and Tok in the early 80's and the Quireboys in the later 80's. Hell of a jump....

The Revillos - Where's The Boy For Me?

The Revillos - Where's The Boy For Me?

After some contractual wrangling and line up changes, the Rezillos became the Revillos and released this as their first single under their new name. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love the Rezillos as much as any other right minded person but this, this is something else, this mines deep into pop and hits a vein of GLORY. Best thing they ever did. I still know the lyrics off by heart and will still drunkenly sing them whenever I'm reminded of their existence. God help you all.

I think they've reformed now, and Jo Callis (who was in classic pop era Human League) is back with them as well. Yay!

Lio - Sage Comme Une Image

Lio - Sage Comme Une Image

From the album Suite Sixteen (produced by the brothers Mael), probably the best thing she ever did and definitely the best thing the Mael's were involved with in the 80's. Twinkling synth pop/disco of the most glorious order. Completely essential if you like that sort of thing, which I do. So here we all are.

Ah, for the days of a higher class of jail bait chanteuse....

Palais Schaumburg - Hockey (12")

Palais Schaumburg - Hockey (12")

Hockey came out after Palais Schamuburg's second album, Lupa. The video was the first of Anton Corbjin's and it's possibly their most well known song. I think they had a slight presence in the music weekly over here (UK) at the time, there was even an version in English released the year before this came out on a flexi disc (with Danse Society on the b-side...)

Anyway. Hockey. It's about hockey. It's good. Honestly. Can't find the video on Youtube anymore but it's on the Corbjin DVD that Mute brought out a few years ago as part of it's Directors Series.

As a bonus........

Palais Schaumburg - Hockey (English Version)

This version is a completely different recording from the above, much rawer but the strings are still there and obviously English vocals. Sounds better in German, as the cheese is immense. And I spent most of last night listening to Bobby O so I am not averse to the charms of cheese....

The b-side was from The Danse Society. Which I haven't put up as I don't have it and I tend to think the Danse Society are a bit bobbins.


I am bored out of my skull today so perhaps something else later. I should really put up something from Palais Schamburg phase 1 (with Holger Hiller) but you can find that stuff on various blogs already, I'd recommend having a shufty. Lupa isn't bad either, but goes a bit too funk for my liking.

OMD - Red Frame/White Light

OMD - Red Frame/White Light

OMD's second single, I'm posting it for the b-side (not that I'm saying the A-side is anything less than genius) mainly, as walking around the South Bank with 'I Betray My Friends' at half seven in the morning was giving me 80's Doctor Who future shock heebie jeebies.

Hard to believe that (at this point anyway, come the early 90's you could see it coming) Andy McCluskey would go on to found Atomic Kitten. From Joan of Arc to Mum's Gone to fucking Iceland. Man.

The Associates - Live In Edinburgh 1985

The Associates - Live In Edinburgh 1985

I seem to be having a run of finding stuff I've haven't heard from my all time favourite bands at the moment. Chameleons, Microdisney, Martin Dupont and now this. This is quite interesting for various reasons, Alan Rankine had left the band at this point, and in fact Billy was the only original member. It was the era of Perhaps, he'd played Ronnie Scott's the year before with a torch song set but this was with a full band. Party Fears Two gets an airing, as do a couple of other Sulk era songs (which was never really toured due to various reasons, Rankine leaving, Billy not really wanting to hence Rankine leaving etc). Heard bits and bobs from this before, but never the whole gig. Until yesterday. So here we are, Billy Mackenzine and his new Associates coming off the crest of a wave created by Sulk. Nowhere to go but down but such heights to fall from.

Microdisney - Final Peel Session

Microdisney - Final Peel Session

The wonderful Microdisney clocked up six Peel Sessions and this is the final one (well, three out of four of them at least). Featuring And He Descended Into Hell, Soul Boy and Half A Day. Armadillo Man is, alas, missing. It was not broadcast on the same night as the other three, (if it was broadcast at all) so isn't included.

The final Peel session was not part of the Peel Sessions album that came out for Microdisney, and I've never seen the tracks anywhere else on the internet so it's a bloody miracle I got hold of these. Enjoy!

One final thing, I'm currently missing the following Microdisney Peel session tracks:

Sleepless - 03/08/83
People Just Want To Dream 03/12/1985
Armadillo Man - 27/07/1986

If anyone should have these and wish to pass them on, I'd be eternally greatful.....

Palais Schaumburg - Easy Go

Palais Schaumburg - Easy Go

Palais Schaumburg are most famous for launching the career of Holger Hiller and their involvement in the early Neue Deutsche Welle movement. Hiller left the band after the first album, leaving the rest of them to carry on with Walther Thielsch. Another album (Lupa) was produced and while being quite a departure from the first (much more of a jazz/funk thing going on) it still wasn't too bad. Then Thielsch left. And then suddenly there was one original member left.....what do you do? What *do* you do....

You go synth pop of course!

And here we are, the final single from Palais Schaumberg. Easy Go. The band's second drummer on vocals, the glorious Moritz Von Oswald on, er, scarf (on the strength of the video at least, which I recommend you track down on Youtube) and Thomas Fehlmann still holding it all together. It's not bad actually, you occasionally get flashes of the old band coming through but it's very much a more polished, accessible band. This single was probably the strongest track from the resulting album (Parlez-Vous Schaumburg?) but it wasn't enough to save the band who finally dissolved soon after.

FUN FACT! Anton Corbin's first music video was for this band, for the single "Hockey". Which is bloody fantastic and something I should really post sooner or later.

Rhythm of Life - Portrait of Heart

Rhythm of Life - Portrait of Heart

Don't have a scan of the record sleeve, so here's a picture of Paul Haig instead. The rent boy look at it's very zenith in the 80's it seems.

Anyway, the second single from Rhythm of Life. The short lived moniker that he used between Josef K and his solo career proper. This time it features artist and paragon of human virtue Sebastian Horsley on vocals, bit more scrappy than Soon/Summertime and probably the last example of the old punchy guitar style of Josef K as it gave way to the pop sensibilities of his subsequent work. Years later, Sebastian Horsley found fleeting fame via crucifixion and various light entertainment programme appearances. He should have combined the two really, who wouldn't watch Saturday Night Golgotha with Ant 'n Dec eh?

Tits - Daddy Is My Pusher

Tits - Daddy Is My Pusher

Dutch punk from 1978, as the Wally Van Middendorp led Tits tell us that Daddy is my pusher and indeed, that Daddy is my pimp. If this wasn't enough, as a world was still in mourning they then process to inform us that they are in fact, so glad that Elvis is dead. Apparently Dutch punks were singing it at enraged Teddy boys back in the day. A glorious, frantic mess. Lovely stuff.

Wally was a big name in the underground Ultra movement, and went on to form the rather underrated Minny Pops by the end of '78.

Chameleons - Rarities

Chameleons - Rarities

Yes I know, more bloody Chameleons. Well this small collection is a bit special, so do forgive me. What we've got here are alternative takes of three of the tracks on the Tony Fletcher EP (Free For All, Denim and Curls and the Healer), a live cover of Breakdown (originally by the Buzzcocks) and a demo of Serocity which is probably Mark Burgess solo from later on but never mind, tis rather good regardless. Free For All has slightly more "Baaing". I approve.

Elcka - Nothing To Lose

Elcka - Nothing To Lose

Seems to be a lot of Britpop talk recently so I thought I'd post something from one of the more interesting bands of that era. Elcka at first glance look to be yet another identikit collection of haircuts but they did have a few moments of greatness. Hints of carry-on high jinks, bits of above average foppery...I'm not sure they can be called a great lost band, but they're always worth a quick listen.

Anyway, this was the only single I didn't have by them but now I do. And hey, now you do too. Huzzah.

Hmm, just noticed I practically wrote the same thing about this band last time I posted something about them. Ah fuck it, it's Britpop, it's not as if I've got a lot to work with.