The List: Compilations & Reissues Of 2024

Now's the chance to discover the best compilations and reissues of 2024, featuring remastered classics and especial collections, to bring alive classic and timeless tunes, hidden tracks, and interesting rare stuff, hope you love 'em: 

1. Oasis   "Definitely Maybe (30th., Anniversary Edition)"   (Big Brother Recordings)

Oasis are back to re-release their debut album Definitely Maybe yet again, for a 30th anniversary edition, offers previously unreleased early sessions and unheard outtakes not considered. After the early 1990s prevalence of grunge claimed to an end, so music transformed in 1994 with the emergence of britpop and Oasis eventually became the leading of the Britpop pack, their debut Definitely Maybe is truly one of the greatest albums of all time, combining the best of both worlds, the loud amps of Nirvana with Beatles-like melodies, simply a fantastic rock 'n' roll album for the ages

2. Suede   "Dog Man Star 30th., Anniversary"   (Demon Music Group)

Suede’s era-defining second album from 1994 celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. "Dog Man Star" is seen by many as the band's most musically adventurous album – sweeping strings sit next to orchestral ballads, epic widescreen pieces, indie anthems and trashy glam rock. It was the last to feature guitarist and co-songwriter Bernard Butler. It includes the classic hit singles "We Are The Pigs", "The Wild Ones", and "New Generation". CD1 comprises the original album, CD2 has B-sides and the full-length version of the non-album single "Stay Together" and CD3 includes additional tracks and rarities from the period.

3. Bryan Ferry   "Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023"   (BMG)

Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023’ provides the first ever comprehensive career retrospective to fully explore the depth and breadth of Bryan Ferry as a solo artist. It brings together for the first time his classic output with Island Records, Polydor, Virgin/E.G., and BMG and brings the story right up to date, spanning a period of over 50 years. This compilation showcases his skill both as a writer of original classics and reflects his status as the greatest interpreter of other writers’ material. It also draws out the sonic versatility of Bryan Ferry as a solo artist – from rock ‘n’ roll to sophisticated adult pop; from R&B and dance-based grooves to piano ballads; from electronica to ambient; from jazz to country, folk, blues and avant-garde new wave. At the centre of it all is the unique sound and style of Bryan Ferry, an artist who has remained relevant, interesting and unmistakably himself.

4. New Order   "Brotherhood Definitive Edition"   (Rhino)

New Order continues the series of Definitive boxsets, with the band's 1986 album Brotherhood. The boxset will include the original album remastered on CD and 180g LP, plus an Extras CD with previously unreleased demos and rarities, as well as two DVDs featuring the band's performances at Festival of the Tenth at the GMex, Manchester 1986 and Live in Brixton, 1987 in support of World AIDS Day. The DVDs will additionally include live TV performances, interviews and rare band footage. The extensive hardback book will include contemporary articles and liner notes by Irish radio DJ Dave Fanning.

5. Lightning Seeds   "Tomorrow's Here Today: 35 Years Of The Lightning Seeds"   (Sony Music)

Celebrating 35 years of career, The Lightning Seeds release this compilation "Tomorrow's Here Today: 35 Years Of Lightning Seeds", this is an absolute masterclass in modern pop songwriting from Ian Broudie.Kicking off with their classic debut single "Pure", this really is a greatest hits compilation worthy of the title from a band who have sold over 8 million albums. Across 19 tracks the compilation features Lightning Seeds favourites including 'The Life of Riley', 'Change', 'Lucky You', 'Sense', 'All I Want', 'Sugar Coated Iceberg', 'You Showed Me', '3 Lions' and more.

 

6. Various Artists   "Now Yearbook 1987"   (Now Twic)

 

NOW Yearbook 1987 features 80 tracks on the 4CD editions (deluxe hardcover book and standard card sleeve) and 49 tracks on the 3LP orange vinyl. This is a strong collection, featuring two tracks from George Michael (Faith and his Aretha Franklin duet "I Know You (Were Waiting), a pair from Pet Shop Boys (What Have I Done To Deserve This and Always On My Mind), and a couple from a-ha (The Living Daylights and Cry Wolf), New Order classic "True Faith" and sees Eurythmics go all experimental with the brilliant-but-bonkers (I Love To) Listen to Beethoven). 

 

7. Rusty Egan   "Rusty Egan Presents: Blitzed"   (Demon Music Group)

London, 1979. From the rubble and ashes of punk a new youth cult was emerging. Divinely inspired by Bowie, Roxy Music and Kraftwerk, a new tribe the press started labelling New Romantics, or Futurists, discarded punk’s old-hat claims towards authenticity and protest, in pursuit of glamour, make-up, dressing up and dancing. Their home was The Blitz Club, a tiny wine bar at the edge of Covent Garden and what went on there between 1979 and 1980 would genuinely change the world. The other name for this cult? Blitz Kids. And the club had a mighty soundtrack, assembled painstakingly by its resident DJ Rusty Egan. Rusty’s sets brought together heroes like Eno, Iggy, and Lou Reed cool European electronic pioneers like Kraftwerk, Telex and Yello, the electronic side of disco (Cerrone, Hot Chocolate, Amanda Lear) Compiled exhaustively from his DJ sets, ‘Rusty Egan Presents The Blitz’ brings together the sounds of a night at the club circa 1980. Beautifully presented with contemporary photography from Sheila Rock, Peter Ashworth and Terry Smith, the booklets also contain sleeve notes from Alexis Petridis and Rusty himself. 

8. Various Artists   "Now Yearbook 1993"   (Now Twic)

Another compilation just in time to celebrate the NOW collection legacy. This compilation available on 3CD companion set features 57 tracks from 1993 including Pet Shop Boys "I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing", New Order’s "Ruined In A Day", Duran Duran’s "Too Much Information", Annie Lennox’s "Little Bird", Sting’s "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You", R.E.M.’s "Nightswimming" and many more.

9. Thompson Twins   "Into The Gap 40th., Anniversary Edition"   (BMG)

One of the era-defining album of the 80s by Thompson Twins, is getting its 40th anniversary reissue now, and is the most comprehensive reissue of this album ever, remastered at Abbey Road Studios and compiled with the full blessing of all three band members from the classic line-up. The album stands as one of the band's most successful albums, emblematic of the synth-pop era's peak. The album features hit singles like ‘Hold Me Now,’ ‘Doctor! Doctor!,’ and ‘You Take Me Up,’ which highlighted the band's knack for creating catchy, synth-driven pop tunes. At the time, Thompson Twins were a leading force in the new wave movement, and the album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and selling over 1 million copies in the US. The album's success was bolstered by the rise of MTV, where the band's visually striking music videos played a crucial role in their global appeal. "Into the Gap" encapsulated the spirit of 1980s pop culture, combining innovative sound with a strong visual identity, making it a defining record of the decade.

10. The Other Two   "The Other Two & You"   (Rhino)

Originally released on London Records, the album was recorded in part at Real World Studios in 1990 and produced by Stephen Hague with contributions from A Certains Ratio's Jez Kerr. The album spawned the hit single "Tasty Fish" peaked at No. 42 in the UK singles chart, "Selfish" peaked just outside the top 40, "Innocence" was only issued in the United States as a single, and finally the 7" version of "Love To Infinity" remix replaces the album version on this brand new reissue.

The List: Books Of The Year 2024

Another year has come to an end, and now it's time to take a look back at our favourite books of the 2024, according to us, the most captivating, notable, brilliant, an exciting in terms about music, photography, fiction and pop culture, we hope you love 'em: 

 

1. Rick Astley   "Never: The Autobiography"   (Macmillan)

 

When 'Never Gonna Give You Up’ propelled Rick Astley into the pop stratosphere, it changed his life forever. Nothing could have prepared the young, unassuming boy from Lancashire for what was in store for him. This is Rick's story – in his own words.

 

2. Nigel Farndale   "Lives Behind The Music"   (Times Books) 

Delve into the tumultuous world of music stardom with this collection of obituaries from The Times. From the rock’n’roll pioneers of the 1950s to the pop superstars of the 21st century – as well as lesser known, boundary-pushing innovators with undeniable influence, this collection features music greats such as: Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Christine McVie, Kurt Cobain, Dusty Springfield and Shane McGowan. This era-defining obituaries are illustrated with behind-the-scenes photos from The Times archive, revealing the lives behind the music that have left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape. Authoritative, insightful and endlessly engaging, this collection of music biographies is a must-read for music fans and anyone with an interest in fascinating life stories.

 

3. Kiersten White   "Mister Magic: El Reencuentro"   (Umbriel)

Thirty years later after a tragic accident stopped the production of the classic TV show for kids "Mister Magic" the five members of the staff who survived, has done everything as possible to keep moving forward. However, while devoted fans of the old days of the show keep attaching to the lessons they learnt in the show, the staff members well-known as the "Circle Of Friends" has spent the all the life searching for happiness, friendship y sense of belonging and protección of Mister Magic.

 

4. Colin Greenwood   "How To Dissapear: A Photographic Portrait Of Radiohead"   (John Murray)

 

How to Disappear is bassist Colin Greenwood's stunning portrait of Radiohead in his own photographs. Two decades in the making, he takes us on a journey into the heart of the 21st-century's most influential band, a maverick collective who have vastly broadened our musical landscape while they dominate and distort it. On stage, backstage, in the rehearsal room, behind the scenes, on tour, at work and at play, Colin's photographs, and the stories and memories they evoke for him in his accompanying text, form an intimate portrait of the musical and cultural iconoclasts as they travel through 'our middle years: all the joy and doubt and confidence and uncertainty we would oscillate between

 

5. Dec Hickey   "From Heaven To Heaven: New Order Live: The Early Years (1981-1984) At Close Quarters"   (Damaged Good Records)

 

No one has ever documented the early live career of a truly iconic band in such detail, just like the way Dec Hickey did, he saw every New Order UK gig between Feb '81 and June '84 - some fifty plus nights A lovely book, with beautiful pictures and funny anecdotes, as well as very interesting details about the set lists, gigs themselves and instruments.

 

6. Rebecca Hook   "The Haçienda: Threads"   (Welbeck)

The music. The fashion. The nights. The people. The love. These are the threads that came together to make the Haçienda great. Celebrate the magic of the club that changed everything in this official book, told through evocative photographs and eye-witness accounts of the people who were there, from musicians, DJs and fashion designers to performers, clubbers and staff.

 

7. Matthias Harder   "Helmut Newton. Berlin, Berlin"   (Taschen)

 

Born in Berlin in 1920, Helmut Newton trained as a teenager with legendary photographer Yva, following her lead into the enticing pastures of fashion, portraiture and nudes. Forced to flee the Nazis aged only 18, Newton never left Berlin behind. After his career exploded in Paris in the 1960s, he returned regularly to shoot for magazines like Constanze, Adam, Vogue, Condé Nast's Traveler, ZEITmagazin, Männer Vogue, Max and the Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin as well as his own magazine Helmut Newton’s Illustrated. This collection includes Newton’s most iconic Berlin images, as well as many unknown shots from the 1930s to the 2000s: nightcrawlers in uber-cool clubs and restaurants, nude portraits in the boarding houses he knew from his youth, and the Berlin film scene, featuring Hanna Schygulla and Wim Wenders at the Berlin Wall, John Malkovich and David Bowie. 

 

8. Chris Stein   "Under A Rock"   (Corsair)

 

Musician, photographer, storyteller, and longtime partner to Debbie Harry, Chris Stein defined the sound of an era, catapulting the icon band Blondie to #1 and selling over 20 million copies of Parallel Lines. In this no-holds-barred autobiography, Stein reveals himself-this time not in songwriting or photography, which he's previously been known for, but in words. From a Brooklyn boyhood, a move across the river to the gritty and fecund East Village in the late 1970s allowed Stein to tap the explosive creativity that defined the era in the city. It was a time when David Bowie and the Ramones were also making music, when Andy Warhol was still alive and promoting Jean-Michel Basquiat's work, when cool was defined not by where you came from but by what you could contribute to culture.

 

9. Ian Shirley   "Record Collector: The Rare Record Price Guide 2024"   (Diamond Publishing Group)

 

It is the undisputed key text detailing pricings for a huge array and range of vinyl, from familiar classics to lost, underground albums of yesteryear. Launched in 1987 and published bi-annually - the Rare Record Price Guide 2024 is the seventeenth edition of the World's most comprehensive guide to prices of UK releases from 1950 to the current day. Compiled by the expert staff and contributors of Record Collector, the World's leading magazine in the field, The Guide spans every musical genre from Rock, Pop, Soul, Punk, Blues, Jazz, Disco, Acid House, Techno, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Dance, Rock ‘n' Roll, Metal, Progressive, Psych, Indie, Country, Folk, Exotica, Soundtracks and M.O.R.

 

10. Steve Schapiro   "Andy Warhol And Friends"   (Taschen)

 

In 1965, Steve Schapiro started documenting Andy Warhol for LIFE magazine: Warhol was cementing a reputation as an important Pop artist who drew his inspiration from popular culture and commercial objects. With his sunglasses, blond wig, and bland public utterances, Warhol was enigmatic, charismatic, intensely ambitious, and aware that to become a star, you needed the presence of people to document your ascent. Schapiro, also ambitious and hardworking, who in his own words “kept quiet and smiled a lot,” was an ideal witness to Warhol’s relentless rise from cult New York artist to 20th-century icon. Ironically, LIFE never published the story, so many of these images are seen here for the first time, scanned from negatives found deep in Schapiro’s archive.

Rocktrospectiva: The Mass Appealing "Deep" Turns 35

Released on 19 December 1989, "Deep" was the third solo studio album by English musician Peter Murphy. Produced by Simon Rogers, the album features contributions from Murphy's backing band, The Hundred Men. 

The album spawned three singles: "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth (And That Which Cannot Be Repeat)", "Cuts You Up" and "A Strange Kind of Love", there was a fourth single "Deep Ocean Vast Sea" but it was released for Spain only. The track "Cuts You Up" became a modern rock hit in 1990, spending seven weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and crossing over to Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 55. The other singles also charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at numbers 18 and 21, respectively.

Murphy finally broke into the fertile late ’80s Modern Rock Radio landscape with the album Love Hysteria. With backing group The Hundred Men in place, but Peter Murphy kept up his momentum with Deep, still regarded as Peter Murphy’s finest studio work. It’s a solid collection of dramatic, dynamic pop, practically his dark and morbid side in Bauhaus were left behind him (although he re-interprets the Bauhaus song "In the Flat Field" into the jagged "The Line Between the Devil’s Teeth)" and while there’s a wistfulness and romantic longing in ballads like "Marlene Dietrich's Favorite Poem" and "A Strange Kind of Love". But it's the brilliant "Cuts You Up" that deserve all the attention, the strings playing counterpoint to Murphy's dusky baritone, the hooky chorus and the exuberant ”la la lala la la” bridge.

Peter Murphy had to evolve even tought to keep the same darkness that characterized Bauhaus, but with an obvious evolution notable on this album "Deep" the music was more accessible than that of any Bauhaus records, but it keeps the same quality that characterizes them or Love and Rockets, the other part of Bauhaus. It's curious but to listening to such beautiful and delicate ballads as "Marlene Dietritch's Favorite Poem" and "A Strange Kind of Love (Part One)" or the exquisite pop songs like "Cuts You Up," which is as close to perfect as a pop song can get.  

This album sees Peter Murphy working with a constant core of musicians, his band called The Hundred Men,  along with consistent collaborator, keyboardist/guitarist/songwriter Paul Statham, he’s relying on bassist Eddie Branch, drummer Terl Bryant and guitarist Peter Bonas to help turn his moody art pieces into truly pop rock gems. Other songs are fine and brilliant, for instance "Crystal Wrists." with a very cleverly layered guitar lines, a crisp rhythm, and bright tones, open to different interpretations everytime you can hear it, the elegant "Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem" describes the aging film star at death's door dressed in acoustic guitar, delicate harp and changeling synthesizers, it’s one of Murphy’s most moving pieces.  A similar approach is taken on "A Strange Kind Of Love," which dispenses with most of the synth washes in favor of even more acoustic guitar, a minor key love ballad with even better lyrics.

We already talk about it, but again the centerpiece of the album was, of course, "Cuts You Up."  It’s a song of which you never grow tired.  Murphy has struck a melody which perfectly suits the timbre of his voice and the lyrics take unexpected paths, the bass guitar and drums add perfect support to Murphy's voice, "Roll Call" has two versions, the second of which is nearly two minutes longer than the first.  The guitars have an 80's new wave element reminiscent of the playing of Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx,  the longer remix adds even more percussion and some sort of Middle Eastern horn – all for a song about getting bored with the club scene.  

There is the mysteriously delightful in "Deep Ocean, Vast Sea," the certain reminiscence of U2's "The Unforgettable Fire" days on and few others reminiscences of Bauhaus both musically and lyrically)can be found in "The Line Between the Devil’s Teeth." much more mature and reflective, putting more emphasis on love and human condition than on demons, vampires and blasphemy. And this new sensibility didn’t seem to take his cleverness away.

Definitely "Deep" was a sort of redemption record, maybe the usual fan would love to had more darkness, more world music elements, stronger guitar lines, less shimmer, more songs, nevertheless, the record  always remained true to Murphy's intentions, even the critics praised the record, stating that Murphy was simply having the time of his life, he managed-well to balance mass appeal and his own distinct dark art perfection

 

Deep Track List:  

1. Deep Ocean Vast Sea

2. Shy

3. Crystal Wrists

4. Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem

5. Seven Veils

6. The Line Between The Devil0s Teeth (And That Which Cannot Be Repeat)

7. Cuts You Up

8. A Strange Kind Of Love

9. Roll Call

10. Roll Call (Reprise)

In Memoriam: Spanish Actress "Marisa Paredes" Dies At 78

The beloved Spanish actress and former president of the Academy of Cinema, Marisa Paredes has passed away at the age of 78. Her death was reportedly attributed to heart failure. In a heartfelt statement on Tuesday, December 17, the Film Academy shared, "Spanish cinema is left without one of its most iconic actresses."

Marisa Paredes, who leaves behind a long career in which the public has been able to see her on more than 75 occasions on the big screen and stage. Born in 1946, she began her acting journey in the 1960s, appearing in television programmes like Estudio 1. Her breakthrough finally came in the 1980s with Fernando Trueba’s Ópera Prima, where her performance captivated Spanish audiences.

Her career soared as she became part of Pedro Almodóvar's cinematic world, debuting as Sister Estiércol in Entre Tinieblas (1983). Her role in Tacones Lejanos (1991), where she portrayed Becky del Páramo, remains one of her most iconic performances, her collaboration with Almodóvar extended to films like La Flor De Mi Secreto (1995) and Todo Sobre Mi Madre (1999), earning her acclaim as one of Spain’s most versatile actresses.

Her international career was equally remarkable. She starred in Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful (1997), Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone (2001), and Manoel de Oliveira’s The Magic Mirror (2005). In 2018, Marisa was honoured with the Goya Award for her extensive career. At the ceremony, her daughter, actress María Isasi, presented the award.

Paredes kept her personal life private but was known for her relationships with filmmaker Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi and, later, José María Prado, with whom she spent over 40 years. She is survived by her daughter María and her granddaughter Thelma.

Rocktrospectiva: The Stormy And Flamboyant "Hallelujah EP" Turns 35

 

Released on this month 35 years ago, "Hallelujah EP" was a 7-track EP by the Manchester band Happy Mondays, the EP was exclusively for the US and Australia markets, and featured a number of remixes by Paul Oakenfold, such as "Hallelujah (MacColl Mix)" which ws created by Steve Lillywhite featuring the vocals of Kirsty MacColl. The "Hallelujah (MacColl Mix)" was remixed with the help of Andrew Weatherall and "Rave On" with Terry Farley 

 

The idea to released this EP was to draw attention in the United States mainly, as a result, the listener got a good balance between rambling and intense funky dance music the band was famous for, including the major dance floor-oriented tracks, indeed Steve Lillywhite's "Hallelujah" mix served as a highlight to introduce the band, sneaking with MacColl voice around the chorus performed by Ryder and the band following with this massive bumping sound, the other tracks "Rave On" is the especial version of "Madchester, Rave On", which was the most remarkable of this set, with its heavy vocals and thumping sound. 

 

The rest of the three tracks were remixed by Oakenfold, working alongside with Andrew Weatherall and Terry Farley, "Hallelujah", "Rave On" (Club Mix) and of course "W.F.L. (Think About The Future)" using a sample of Jack Nicholson from the Batman film, to balance the sound on this rock/acid house classic that could stand face to face to Primal Scream's creations back then. 

 

An acid house/madchester testament and legacy from a era that never seems to be outdated. 

 

Hallelujah EP Track List: 

 

1. Hallelujah (MacColl Mix)

2. Clap Your Hands

3. Holy Ghost

4. Rave On

5. Hallelujah (Club Mix)

6. Rave (Club Mix)

7. W.F.L. (Think About The Future Mix)

8. He's Gonna Step On You Again - Step On (Stuff It In Mix) after Rave On *

 

* The Australian edition only. 

 

New Music: Him

           

A Flock Of Seagulls presents "Him" their latest single and one of their most finest songs ever released, a blend of modernism with melancholy pop to describe a doomed love triangle, the single comes from the band sixth studio album "The Some Dream" out now, and their first of new material since 1995. Mike Score proves to us once again that he can deliver well written, hooky, but serious pop music.

Rocktrospectiva: The Massive "Agent Provocateur" Turns 40

 

Released on 14 December 1984, "Agent Provocateur" was the fifth studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, the album peaked at No. 1 in the UK and No. 5 in the United States, the album spawned five singles including the band biggest single to date "I Want To Know What Love Is" that reached No. 1 on the UK/US. 

 

The band started to work in the album in June 1983, with producer Trevor Horn, and officially began to record in early October 1983, but things changed a lot by Christmas holidays when the band joined him in England to resume the recording: Horn soon backed out of the project, feeling that he and the band were heading in different directions and that it was not going to work out. 

 

In hindsight, the band recognised that Horn's production style wasn't really suited to their music, according to drummer Dennis Elliott, because Horn wanted to make the band more electronic than we wanted to be. Eventually, another month was spent trying to look for another producer to fill his shoes, subsequently hiring Alex Sadkin, who was busy finishing the Thompson Twins' Into the Gap album.

 

Sadkin helped rekindle the project when it was on the verge of total collapse, but despite that, according to Jones, recording still never seemed to end: the sessions had been dogged from the very start and continued to remain unfocused, according to Sadkin: "The Foreigner project a couple years back, on the other hand, just seemed to go on and on. Everyone, including the band, got really pissed off with it. They're used to it, though, and I wasn't, so it just threw me. I couldn't believe what was going on! There was a problem with people not coming in, then the songs wouldn't be really ready, even when while the album was being mixed the lyrics were still being written!, things were being changed right up to the last minute, and that is what took a long time. That is why I don't want to go into the studio when somebody wants to write the stuff there; it just takes too long and it isn't worth it, it doesn't come out right. You can't write properly in the studio because you're under pressure. How can you really be creative when you're watching the clock going round burning up the money?".

 

The album took the band to scale new global lattitudes achieving important things but unfortunately things went wrong for the band, remember the hit "Waiting For A Girl Like You", Thomas Dolby synthesizers and emotional vocals by Lou Gramm set the path to follow, at leat for guitarist Mick Jones, who wanted a second hit like that, so that was the main reason they decided to pick Trevor Horn to produce at the beginning to produce the record, but on the other hand, Gramm was reluctant and he was right, because he tought this track "I Want To Know What Love Is" despite being dreamy and twith that hypnotical feel, would do a serious harm to the band, and eventually that was the price the band had to pay for. 

Even when the album has huge rock songs, for instance the opener "Tooth And Nail", the follow-up "Reaction To Action", and the mid-tempo "A Love In Vain", and why not pick "That Was Yesterday" with Tom Bailey background vocals from the Thompson Twins, was a terrific hit single, features a catchy chorus and a nifty synthesizer lick. "Reaction to Action" and "Down on Love" were both minor hits, and finally "Growing Up the Hard Way"another minor hit.

 

Unfortunately the album that  brought a huge result and commercial success, cost the life of the band itself, Lou Gramm moved away from the band and went onto his solo-career, Jones eventually did the same despite the band reunited periodically in the '90s, the would broke the band apart earlier in the next decade. 

 

Agent Provocateur Track List: 

 

1. Tooth And Nail

2. That Was Yesterday

3. I Want To Know What Love Is

4. Growing Up The Hard Way

5. Reaction To Action

6. Stranger In My Own House

7. A Love In Vain

8. Down On Love

9. Two Different Worlds

10. She's Too Tough

Absolute Xmas/Absolute Scrooged: Light Sleepers (Christmas Mix)

           

Just in time for Christmas, Soft Cell are releasing "Light Sleepers (Christmas Mix)" featuring scenes of from the last time it snowed in Los Angeles back in the 1950s, for the occasion, they commissioned Ewan McWilliams for the lyric video, to accompany the released of this Maxi CD.

Rocktrospectiva: Band Aid II "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Second Version Turns 35

Released on 11 December 1989 under the name of Band Aid II, a second version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was recorded by the most successful British production team of the late 1980s, Stock Aitken Waterman. 

 

Bob Geldof had telephoned Pete Waterman to ask him to produce a new version of the song to aid the ongoing situation in Ethiopia, and within 24 hours the recording session had been arranged at Stock Aitken Waterman's studios on London's South Bank. 

The recording took place over the weekend of 2 and 3 December, and featured several artists who had already been produced by SAW, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Bananarama, Sonia, and Cliff Richard, as well as other artists who had big hits in 1989, such as Lisa Stansfield, Jimmy Somerville, Wet Wet Wet and Bros. Bananarama's Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward became the only artists to appear on both the 1984 and 1989 versions of the record. Siobhan Fahey, who had been part of Bananarama's line-up at the time the first recording of the song was released, had left the group in 1988.

About the lyrics, these were rearranged for a more traditional 'verse and chorus' structure, with the opening verse being split in two with a short repeat of the ending chorus being played at the end of both, followed by the "here's to you" section and a final lengthened version of the closing chorus (with commentary by Michael Buerk played over the outro in the music video).

The Band Aid II version spent three weeks at number one in the UK, becoming the Christmas number one single and the last number one single of the 1980s, and ended the year as the ninth biggest selling single of 1989. 

Band Aid II Personnel: 

 

Bananarama

Big Fun

Bros

Cathy Dennis

D Mob

Jason Donovan

Kevin Godley

Glen Goldsmith

Kylie Minogue

The Pasadenas

Chris Rea

Cliff Richard

Jimmy Somerville

Sonia

Lisa Stansfield

Technotronic 

Wet Wet Wet 

 

Other musicians: 

 

Matt Aitken (keyboards, guitar)

Luke Goss (drums)

Chris Rea (guitar)

Mike Stock (keyboards)

New Music: Your Name In Lights

           

The iconical Scottish band Simple Minds are presenting their new single "Your Name In Lights" released to celebrate the premiere of the acclaimed documentary "Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible" which was shown today on BBC Scotland, the track was written in collaboration with writer and producer Paul Statham, the band set out to match the film¡s ambience whilst recapturing the innocent spirit of their early days "when we were "wee boys" playing around with out synthesizers, says the band's leader Jim Kerr proudly wearing our Kraftwerk and Brian Eno influences on our sleeve.  

Rocktrospectiva: The Clash Iconical Single "London Calling" Turns 45

Released on 7 December 1979 "London Calling" was released as a single from the band's 1979 double album of the same name. This apocalyptic, politically charged rant features the band's post-punk sound, electric guitar and vocals.

 

Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The title alludes to the BBC World Service's station identification: "This is London calling ...", which was used during World War II, often in broadcasts to occupied countries.

 

The lyrics reflect the concern felt by Strummer about world events with the reference to "a nuclear error" just like the incident at Three Mile Island, which occurred earlier in 1979. Joe Strummer has said: "We felt that we were struggling about to slip down a slope or something, grasping with our fingernails. And there was no one there to help us."

 

The line "London is drowning / And I live by the river" comes from concerns that if the River Thames flooded, most of central London would drown, something that led to the construction of the Thames Barrier. Strummer references police brutality in the lines "We ain't got no swing / Except for the ring of that truncheon thing" as the Metropolitan Police at the time had a truncheon as standard issued equipment. 

The lyrics also reflect desperation of the band's situation in 1979 struggling with high debt, without management and arguing with their record label over whether the London Calling album should be a single or double album. The lines referring to "Now don't look to us / Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust" reflects the concerns of the band over its situation after the punk rock boom in England had ended in 1977.

 

The sinlge "London Calling" was recorded at Wessex Studios located in a former church hall in Highbury in North London. This studio had already proved to be a popular location with the Sex Pistols, the Pretenders and the Tom Robinson band. The single was produced by Guy Stevens and engineered by Bill Price. 

 

London Calling" was released as the only single from the album in the UK and reached No. 11 in the charts in January 1980, and becoming at once the band's highest-charting single until "Should I Stay or Should I Go" hit No. 1 ten years later. The song did not make the U.S. charts, as "Train in Vain" was released as a single and broke the band in the United States, reaching No. 23 on the pop charts.

Also "London Calling" was the first Clash song to chart elsewhere in the world, reaching the top 40 in Australia. 

 

The success of the single and album was greatly helped by the music video shot by Don Letts showing the band playing the song on a boat (Festival Pier), next to Albert Bridge on the south side of the Thames, Battersea Park in a cold and rainy night at the beginning of December 1979.

Rocktrospectiva: The Charity Christmas Single "Do The Know It's Christmas?" Turns 40

Released on 7 December 1984, "Do They Know It's Christmas'" the charity song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia, was recorded by a supergroup called Band Aid assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of popular British and Irish musical acts. It was recorded in a single day at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, in November 1984. 

It entered the UK singles chart at number one, where it remained for five weeks, becoming Christmas number one. It sold a million copies in the first week, making it the fastest-selling single in UK chart history until Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997". UK sales passed three million on the last day of 1984. The song also reached number one in 13 other countries. In the US, it fell short of the top ten in the Billboard Hot 100 due to a lack of airplay, but sold an estimated 2.5 million copies by 1985. It had sold 11.7 million copies worldwide by 1989 and 3.8 million in the UK by 2017.

The Charity song raised £8 million for Ethiopia within a year, far exceeding Geldof's hopes. The success led to several other charity singles, such as "We Are the World" (1985) by USA for Africa, and spin-off charity events, such as Comic Relief and the 1985 Live Aid concert. Some critics objected to its depiction of Ethiopia and Africa as barren. Ure said the song was secondary to the purpose of raising money for the cause.

Inspired by a series of reports made by the BBC journalist Michael Buerk in 1984, which drew attention to the famine in Ethiopia. With Buerk's report on 23 October describing it as "a biblical famine in the 20th century" and "the closest thing to hell on Earth". The report featured the nurse Claire Bertschinger, who had to choose which children would receive the limited amount of food at the feeding station and who were too sick to be saved. The reports shocked the UK, motivating the British people to inundate relief agencies, such as Save the Children, with donations.

The Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof and his partner, the television presenter Paula Yates, watched the broadcast on 23 October and were deeply affected by it. Geldof said about Bertschinger: "In her was vested the power of life and death. She had become godlike, and that is unbearable for anyone.^" On 2 November, Yates was in the Tyne Tees studio in Newcastle upon Tyne, where she was presenting the weekly live music show The Tube. Among the acts performing were Ultravox, promoting their greatest hits album The Collection. The singer, Midge Ure, was chatting to Yates in the dressing room when Geldof called her. Geldof had worked with Ure at the 1981 charity benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball. Geldof asked to speak to Ure and told him that he wanted to do something to alleviate the suffering in Ethiopia. He and Ure arranged to discuss ideas over lunch the following Monday, 5 November, and decided to make a charity record.

Geldof began recruiting musicians. He called Sting and Simon Le Bon, who agreed to participate along with the rest of Duran Duran, and recruited Spandau Ballet after a chance meeting with the band's guitarist Gary Kemp at an antiques shop in London. Geldof said: All the big names in pop are suddenly ready and willing to do this... I knew then that we were off, and I just decided to go for all the rest of the faces and started to ring everyone up, asking them to do it." Further phone calls from Geldof also secured promises of everybody involved to provide their services free of charge. Other contributors included UK music magazines, which donated advertising space to promote the single; Geldof's record label Phonogram, which released the single; their parent company PolyGram, which distributed it; and the artist Peter Blake, who created the single's sleeve.

About the composition, Geldof's and Ure's biggest challenge was to write a song that could be recorded and released in time for Christmas. To avoid having to pay royalties, which would diminish the amount raised for charity, they wrote an original song rather than record a cover version. Ure wrote what he felt was a Christmas-like melody on a portable keyboard. Geldof came to Ure's house the next day and they worked on the song with Geldof on acoustic guitar. Geldof added lyrics based on a song he had originally written for the Boomtown Rats, which he had provisionally titled "It's My World". Ure recorded Geldof and his guitar and used the recording to develop Geldof's ideas in his home studio, adding his own melody as a chorus. 

Geldof asked Trevor Horn to produce the song. Horn was an in-demand producer, having produced three number-one singles that year for Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He was receptive but said he would need at least six weeks, which would make it impossible to release by Christmas. However, he allowed the team to use his studios, Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, free for 24 hours on 25 November. Horn later remixed and co-produced the 12" version and remixed it for the 1985 rerelease.

The reception in the UK music press was mixed, NME wrote:"Millions of dead stars write and perform rotten record for the right reasons". Sounds said, "It's far from brilliant (if not quite the Bland Aid some have predicted) but you can have fun playing Spot the Star on the vocals, and it deserves to sell by the truckload".

Eventually "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was rerecorded and rereleased in 1989, 2004 and 2014. The 1989 and 2004 versions also raised funds for famine relief, while the 2014 version raised funds for the Ebola crisis in West Africa. All three reached number one in the UK, and the 1989 and 2004 versions became Christmas number ones. The 2004 version sold 1.8 million copies. A new mix, combining elements of the previous versions, was released in 2024 for the 40th anniversary. 

Band Aid Personnel: 

 

Vocalists:  

Robert "Kool" Bell (Kool & The Gang)

Bono (U2)

Pete Briquette (The Boomtown Rats)

Adam Clayton (U2)

Chris Cross (Ultravox)

Simon Crowe (The Boomtown Rats)

Sara Dallin (Bananarama)

Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama)

Johnny Fingers (The Boomtown Rats)

Bob Geldof (The Boomtown Rats)

Boy George (Culture Club

Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17)

Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet)

John Keeble (Spandau Ballet)

Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet)

Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet)

Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran)

Marilyn

George Michael (Wham!)

Jon Moss (Culture Club)

Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet)

Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)

Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran)

Francis Rossi (Status Quo)

Sting (The Police)

Andy Taylor (Duran Duran)

James J.T. Taylor (Kool & The Gang)

John Taylor (Duran Duran)

Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)

Dennis Thomas (Kool & The Gang)

Midge Ure (Ultravox)

Martyn Ware (Heaven 17)

Jody Watley

Paul Weller (The Style Council)

Keren Woodward (Bananarama)

Paul Young

 

Spoken Messages on B-Side: 

 

David Bowie

Stuart Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, Bruce Watson (Big Country)

Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)

Paul McCartney 

Other Musicians

Phil Collins (Drums)

John Taylor (Bass Guitar)

Midge Ure (PPG Wave, Yamaha DX7, Oscar, Drumtraks programming

Absolute Xmas/Absolute Scrooged: It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas

          

Pet Shop Boys are getting us into Xmas mood with this season classic "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas" re-edited the video for the occasion with the graphics from their Christmas cards the duo mailed to fan club members

New Music: Late '88

           

Deacon Blue just announced the released of their 12th., studio album "The Great Western Road" and this is the first single taken from it "Late '88" now this is such a class song, that take us back to the late 80's where everything begins, nostalgia and modernism in one track, their brand new album will be out this 21st. March 2025.  

News: Deacon Blue Announces New Album

The iconic Scottish band Deacon Blue will release their 12th studio album, The Great Western Road, in March. As a celebration because this 2025 marks 40 years since the formation of Deacon Blue and this new album according to the band will reflect the journey they have taken. 

 

Honest to the age and experience that the band share. Frontman Ricky Ross says the album is "the next part of the adventure" which remains "as exciting now as it was back in 1988", now this is something cool and interesting especially because mostly of us, become fans of this band back then due their interesting and appealing sound.

The Great Western Road sees Ross, and guitarist Gregor Philp, on production duties, having produced the band's last studio album. The album was recorded by Matt Butler, who worked with the band on their debut Raintown. You can preview lead single 'Late '88', below.

The 12-track album is available on vinyl, CD and cassette, which also has signed bundles. On vinyl, The Great Western Road is available in a number of coloured pressings including transparent blue and an official shop white marble pressing.

The Great Western Road will be released 21 March 2025 via Cooking Vinyl.

 

The Great Western Road Track List: 

 

1. Great Western Road

2. Late '88

3. People Come First

4. Wait On Me

5. Ashore

6. Underneath The Stars

7. Up Hope

8. Turn Up Your Radio

9. How We Remember It

10. Mid Century Modern

11. Curve Of The Line

12. If I Lived On My Own

Rocktrospectiva: The Cursed Album "Second Coming" Turns 30

Released on 5 December 1994, "Second Coming" was the second and final studio album by English rock band The Stone Roses, the album sold over 1 million copies under the dedication of the band's publicist Philip Hall who died of cancer in 1993, the album spawned three singles "Love Spreads", "Ten Storey Love Songs" & "Begging You". 

Some people called the album as a cursed album for many reasons, perhaps a tainted one, by its long gestation, emerging five years later after the band's masterful debut, and for some others, this was the album that finally destroyed the band. 

Second Coming was never an accessible album. the opener Breaking Into Heaven takes four-and-a-half minutes of tribal drumming, swampy atmospherics and occasional blasts of guitar before it actually gets going. When it does it is a groove-laden blues opus, complete with extensive solos, highlighting all the practice that John Squire put in while the Roses were spending five years in legal wrangles with their previous record company.

Actually it was this guitar-led formula dominates the album, yet it only throws up one song that reaches the heights of the masterful "Love Spreads." There are good moments dotted throughout, the languid roll of Daybreak and the pure energy of "Begging You" in particular, but whereas their early days were marked by an optimism and ambition that captured the hearts of a generation, this is an altogether darker and more aggressive beast.

The softer touch that marked their eponymous debut make an appearance with "Your Star Will Shine" is a stumbling, staggering folky ballad that you can't help but be touched by, while "Ten Storey Lovesong" takes the Roses back to their Byrds-influenced psychedelic heyday, and is the only other song after the brilliant "Love Spreads" that runs the first album close.

The second album by the Manchester four-piece, it suffered greatly at the time from the sheer weight of expectation generated by both the 5 years since the band's eponymous debut, and the band's withdrawal from the live arena for 4 of those years. In addition, the Stone Roses made their return to a changed musical environment, having to compete with a new generation of Britpop bands. The album reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart.

The album had mixed reviews in the UK and US, called its songs "tuneless retropsychedelic grooves bloated to six-plus minutes in length. althought they're praised John Squire's guitar work on the record.  

 

Second Coming Track List: 

 

1. Breaking Into Heaven

2. Driving South

3. Ten Storey Love Song

4. Daybreak

5. Your Star Will Shine

6. Straight To The Man

7. Begging You

8. Tightrope

9. Good Times

10. Tears

11. How Do You Sleep

12. Love Spreads

13. The Foz (Hidden track)

Rocktrospectiva: The Magnificent "Getting Away With It" Turns 35

 

Released on 4 December 1989 "Getting Away With It" was the first single by the English super group Electronic, comprised by Bernard Sumner (New Order), Johnny Marr (The Smiths), and guesting vocalist Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys).

Basically, Bernard Sumner wrote the verse and Johnny Marr wrote the chorus. The lyrics, co-written by Tennant with Sumner, are a parody of Marr's Smiths partner Morrissey, and his public persona as morose and masochistic. Morrissey, for his part, criticised the song in a 1991 interview, calling it "totally useless" and joking that the song had a "very apt title".

Back in 2021 during an interview with Music Radar, Marr revealed that Chris Lowe also worked on the track, citing the bassline as his work. ABC and The The drummer David Palmer programmed the track's drums. The fluid, rich production incorporates a full orchestra (conducted by Art of Noise's Anne Dudley) and a rare guitar solo by Marr, while the three remixes that appeared on the two UK 12-inch releases take in disparate musical styles like disco and acid house.

Released as a single "Getting Away with It" was first issued by Factory Records in the United Kingdom in December 1989, and released the following year in the rest of the world. It appeared on 7-inch, 12-inch, CD and cassette. The primary B-side was an instrumental called "Lucky Bag", the only unadulterated reflection of Marr and Sumner's early, shared enthusiasm for Italo house. This song was also remixed and released on the UK maxi single.

The single artworl was designed by Peter Saville, who used an elegant stock photo of a glass of whisky. The title was originally written in sentence case, just as Pet Shop Boys songs are. The photograph was inverted for the second UK 12-inch, with the typeface from the Panasonic logo appropriated for the band's name.This arrangement was used for the US editions of the single in 1990. 

The music videos for "Getting Away with It" were two. The first, directed by Chris Marker and produced by Michael Shamberg for European use in 1989, featured Sumner, Marr and Tennant in a studio environment miming to the single edit of the song. Additional footage of Marker's muse Catherine Belkhodja, strolling among peacocks through Paris Zoo and also singing to the track, was left out. The second video, shot in 1990, was made for the US release. Sumner and Tennant appeared, alternately, against a series of coloured background, with artistic effects superimposed. Two women's faces are also panned in close-up.

The critics called the released as the most complete pop record of the week, by an infinite margin...A lovely airy melody drifts in and out of the song; gently weighted with obtuse, lovelorn one-liners...The record somehow manages to be much more than the sum of its parts and stubbornly refuses to give up its element of mystery". On the other hand, some critics were not so impressed and concluded that the single better than New Order, worse than Pet Shop Boys, with Marr conspicuous by his abstinence".

The single peaked at No.12 in the UK and No. 38 in the USA, it was played live in August 1990 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles when Electronic supported Depeche Mode on their World Violation Tour for two dates, along with "Get The Message" and "Disappointed" it remains their best known son, and their biggest selling singl.