The Compilation: Now Yearbook Vault '86

NOW Music's Yearbook Vault series continues next month, when the spotlight falls on 1986, and songs that were minor hits, hit-adjacent or, and let’s use the word, flops.

For this release, the usual "Yearbook" 4CD option of deluxe hardcover book packaging or more basic card sleeve edition, offers 77 tracks, while a 3LP coloured vinyl (purple) delivers 44 songs from 1986.

For this Vault compilation, because there's some relatively big names here such as Paul Young's first single from his third solo album, 1986's Between Two Fires, had been "Wonderland". Vault ’86 also reminds us that acts we know and love as one hit wonders did actually ‘try again’; they didn’t want to be one hit wonders, after all. So yes, Belouis Some did release a few singles that weren’t ‘Imagination’ and funnily enough one of them was called ‘Some People‘! It was a very minor hit, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that 1986 was not a year to release a song called ‘Some People’. ‘Ed’s Funky Diner‘ was actually a great follow-up to It’s Immaterial’s ‘surprise’ hit.

Other tracks include Nik Kershaw's ‘Nobody Knows’ (No 44) and Howard Jones’ All I Want (No 35), both artists, like Paul Young, experimenting with new producers (in Nik’s case himself!) and it not really working out. The Thompson Twins‘ ‘Nothing in Common’ wasn’t released in the UK, but it didn’t trouble the upper reaches of the American chart when it was issued there (their previous two singles had been top 10 hits Stateside). Three singles from Sting's brilliant The Dream of the Blue Turtles album failed to get into the UK top 40 which seems crazy, and ‘Moon Over Bourbon Street‘, when issued as the fifth 45 (A&M were probably enthused because ‘Russians’ had reached No 12) was the last of them (No 44). Sting would have to wait until 1994 before chalking up a solo UK top 10 single (‘When We Dance’).

Tears For Fears make an appearance on Vault ’86, with a song that was both the first and last single from Songs From The Big Chair: ‘Mothers Talk‘. Included here is the US Mix, not issued in the UK. In America, it reached 27 which sounds decent, until you recall that the first three singles from the album were No 1, No 1 & No 3!. Roland Orzabal told this writer that he much preferred the version re-recorded for the North American market: “I always thought we got ‘Mothers Talk’ slightly wrong. It was a bit too fast. The US version worked really well, we were happy”. There’s plenty more interesting selections on this new compilation; scroll down for full tracklistings.

NOW Yearbook Vault ’86 will be released on 18 September 2026.

 

4CD Track List:

 

CD 1

1. Paul McCartney – Only Love Remains

2. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – The Miracle Of Love

3. The Lover Speaks – No More “I Love You’s”

4. Sting – Moon Over Bourbon Street

5. Chris Rea – On The Beach

6. The Bangles – If She Knew What She Wants

7. Belinda Carlisle – Mad About You

8. Billy Idol – To Be A Lover

9. Daryl Hall – Dreamtime

10. Paul Young – Some People

11. Wax – Right Between The Eyes

12. Nick Heyward – Goodbye Yesterday

13. Nik Kershaw – Nobody Knows

14. Thompson Twins – Nothing In Common

15. Howard Jones – All I Want

16. Ultravox – Same Old Story

17. Belouis Some – Some People

18. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – We Love You

19. ABC – Ocean Blue

 

CD 2

1. David Sylvian – Taking The Veil

2. Talk Talk – Living In Another World

3. Arcadia – The Flame

4. John Taylor – I Do What I Do (Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks)

5. China Crisis – Arizona Sky

6. It’s Immaterial – Ed’s Funky Diner

7. The Mission – Stay With Me

8. The Jesus And Mary Chain – Some Candy Talking

9. Siouxsie And The Banshees – Candyman

10. Cocteau Twins – Love’s Easy Tears

11. Mint Juleps – Only Love Can Break Your Heart

12. Everything But The Girl – Come On Home

13. Sandie Shaw – Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

14. Big Audio Dynamite – C’Mon Every Beatbox

15. The Stranglers – Always The Sun

16. The Housemartins – Sheep

17. Fine Young Cannibals – Funny How Love Is

18. The Blow Monkeys – Wicked Ways

19. Simply Red – Jericho

20. Elton John – Cry To Heaven

 

CD 3

1. The Communards – Disenchanted

2. Bronski Beat – C’mon! C’mon!

3. Yello – Goldrush

4. Grace Jones – I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You)

5. Aretha Franklin – Another Night

6. Chaka Khan – Love Of A Lifetime

7. Cameo – Candy

8. Hollywood Beyond – No More Tears

9. El DeBarge – Who’s Johnny

10. Matt Bianco – Dancing In The Street

11. Carmel – Sally

12. Dee C. Lee – Come Hell Or Waters High

13. Maxi Priest – Strollin’ On

14. UB40 – All I Want To Do

15. Loose Ends – Slow Down

16. Ruby Turner featuring Jonathan Butler – If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)

17. Billy Ocean – Love Zone

18. Lionel Richie – Love Will Conquer All

19. Gloria Estefan – Words Get In The Way

 

CD 4

1. Tears For Fears – Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)

2. Wang Chung – Everybody Have Fun Tonight

3. Stacey Q – Two Of Hearts

4. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force) – All Cried Out

5. The Fixx – Secret Separation

6. The Outfield – Your Love

7. Glass Tiger – Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)

8. Pat Benatar – Le Bel Age

9. Heart – Nothin’ At All

10. Boston – Amanda

11. Don Johnson – Heartbeat

12. Meat Loaf – Rock ‘N’ Roll Mercenaries

13. ZZ Top – Stages

14. Mr. Mister – Is It Love

15. Huey Lewis & The News – Hip To Be Square

16. The Moody Blues – Your Wildest Dreams

17. Mike + The Mechanics – All I Need Is A Miracle

18. Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust

19. Bruce Springsteen – War (Live at LA Coliseum)

News: Morrissey And Johnny Marr Have Worked On A New Rare Vinyl Released From The Smiths

 

Morrissey and Johnny Marr have both helped to create a rare new seven-inch release from The Smiths, as part of an upcoming Rough Trade boxset.

The legendary London independent label will release its second volume of newly printed classic singles, titled ‘Rough Trade 45s: Volume 2’, on October 30. It will comprise tracks from The Fall, Aztec Camera, Mazzy Star, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt and more, and the boxset will be limited to just 1000 copes, released on October 30. 

Among them is a new release from The Smiths, with "The Headmaster Ritual" on the A-side, and "I Want The One I Can't Have" on the flip side. Both songs originally appeared on the band’s second album "Meat Is Murder" in 1985, but they were never released as a single on Rough Trade.

Now, they will be available as a single for the first time, with Morrissey and Marr both requesting the two tracks. Morrissey has also overseen the creation of the new artwork, choosing a 1939 image of the American actor Billy Halop. It follows in the tradition of The Smiths' artwork throughout their career, with Morrissey having previously selected the likes of Truman Capote, Candy Darling, Alain Delon and Elvis Presley.

Both Morrissey and Marr have also both contributed sleeve notes for the release, and the booklet will also include writing from Elvis Costello, Stewart Lee, Green Gartside, Jonathan Richman and The Go-Betweens' Robert Forster.

You can pre-order here: Rough Trade 45s 

The Compilation/News: Rough Trade Announced 45s Volume 2 Boxset

 

Rough Trade Records announced the release of their Volume 2 of seven-inch singles boxset. The legendary London Label will release a second volume of their acclaimed boxset series tracing some of the key seven-inch singles in the independent label's history on 30 October.

Following the first set which came out last year and focused on the indie's first few years of existence, Volume 2 will feature nine seven-inch singles from the 1980s to the early 1990s, marking the period when Rough Trade came of age as a label.

Nine disc set includes repressings of handpicked 1980s and 1990s releases from The Fall, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt, Aztec Camera, The Go-Betweens, Jonathan Richman, The Sundays and Mazzy Star Additionally The Smiths' The Headmaster Ritual becomes a Rough Trade single especially for this release at Morrissey and Marr's request, with unique b-side plus new artwork from Morrissey

Sleeve notes feature new interviews with Rough Trade co-MDs Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis, plus contributions from Elvis Costello, Harriet Wheeler, Anton Corbijn, Stewart Lee and more.

Handpicked by Rough Trade’s co-MDs, Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis, the tracks represent a mix of key releases and personal favourites. Starting with The Fall's 1980 Totally Wired, Scritti Politti's The Sweetest Girl, Robert Wyatt's Shipbuilding, Aztec Camera’s Oblivious, The Go Betweens' Cattle and Cane, Jonathan Richman's That Summer Feeling and The Sundays' Can't Be Sure have all been repressed on seven-inch, including b-sides, as they were released by the label at the time.

Mazzy Star's cover of Love’s Five String Serenade, which appeared on Rough Trade's single's club in 1993, appears as the original release, but its b-side has been switched at Lee and Travis' request for David Roback and Hope Sandoval’s version of Slap Happy’s Blue Flower to create a unique “covers release”.

In addition to these original releases, Volume 2 also boasts a ninth,  "new" single which has been created at the request of members of The Smiths, and will only be available in this edition. Although it was released in Netherlands, The Headmaster Ritual had never been an official Rough Trade single until now. At Morrissey and Marr's request the track from Meat Is Murder is backed by I Want The One I Can’t Have as its b-side, while Morrissey has overseen the creation of brand new artwork for the seven-inch.

Both band members have contributed to the sleeve notes that accompany Volume 2, which also includes contributions from Elvis Costello, Stewart Lee, Roddy Frame, Green Gartside, Jonathan Richman, The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler, David Gavurin and The Go-Betweens' Lindy Morrison and Robert Forster. Plus, there is a brand new, extensive interview with Travis and Lee, who discuss the label during the 80s and 90s, the music and their collaborations with the artists featured.

The sleeve notes also contain memorabilia and imagery from the Rough Trade archive, along with contributions from Anton Corbijn, Laura Levine, Paul Slattery, David Corio and more, who photographed the artists at the time.

Like its predecessor Volume 1 – which included singles from Augustus Pablo, Young Marble Giants, Cabaret Voltaire, The Raincoats and more – this second Rough Trade seven-inch boxset is strictly limited to 1000 copies worldwide.

Rough Trade 45s Volume 2 Box Ser Tracklisting:

 

7" -  RT056 - 1980

The Fall - "Totally Wired"
B-Side: "Putta Block"

7"   -  RT091 - 1981
Scritti Politti - "The Sweetest Girl"
B-side: "Lions After Slumber"
 
7"  RT115 - 1982
Robert Wyatt - "Shipbuilding"
B-Side "Memories of You"
 
7"  -  RT122 - 1983
Aztec Camera - "Oblivious"
B-Side "Orchid Girl"
 
7"  - RT124 - 1983
The Go Betweens - "Cattle and Cane"
B-Side: "Heaven Says"
 
7" -  RT152 - 1984
Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - "That Summer Feeling"
B-Side: "This Kind of Music"
 
7" -  RT0507S - 2026
The Smiths - "The Headmaster Ritual"
B-Side "I Want the One I Can't Have"
(Originally released in the Netherlands 1985 with B-side Oscillate Wildly - new B-side for this release selected by the band)
 
7" - RT218 - 1989
The Sundays - "Can't Be Sure"
B-Side: "I Kicked a Boy"
 
7" -  45rev19x – 1983
Mazzy Star "Blue Flower"
B-Side: Mazzy Star  Five String Serenade
(the single was originally released with B-side Under My Car, but has been changed at Rough Trade’s request for this edition)

Rocktrospectiva: New Order's Outstanding Comeback Single "Crystal" Turns 25

Released in the UK on 13 August 2001 "Crystal" was New Order's first single from thir 7th., studio album "Get Ready", the single was the band's first released in eight years attracting considerable attention and critical praise as the band's comeback single. The song also found success internationally, peaking at number three in Canada, number seven in Finland, and reaching the top 50 in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. "Crystal" appears as the first track on the album in a version different from the single release, with an extended intro and coda.

Singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner originally gave the song to German record label Mastermind for Success, and it was recorded by label artist Corvin Dalek. However, DJ Pete Tong heard the song and declared it to be the best New Order single since "Blue Monday", leading Sumner to reconsider the gift and have New Order record and release it.

A version of the single was also released in Japan to promote the release of the New Order DVD 316, and has a different cover that resembles the 316 cover. B-sides for the single were 4 live audio tracks taken from the DVD. The single was B-sided by a variety of remixes, and an original song titled "Behind Closed Doors", which was produced by Arthur Baker. All versions feature extensive backing vocals from Dawn Zee, mostly wordless. Zee has continued to perform with New Order on all their successive studio albums.

The main music video, set to the album version, was directed by Johan Renck, produced by Nicola Doring through London production company Jane Fuller Associates and cinematographed by Fredrik Callinggård. It does not feature New Order; instead, it depicts a younger band miming to New Order's music and words. At the end, a large number of people come on stage to pull them off-stage. The cover art for the CD and DVD shows actress and model Nicolette Krebitz with her trousers below her knees.

The single was called as possibly one of New Order's best singles" and described it as "fantastic" and the "confident, strutting return of a band that knows that the music industry has missed it." The fictional band seen in the song's music video is named "The Killers". This would inspire the name of American rock band the Killers, who would also lift a number of elements of the set layout in the "Crystal" video for their own video "Somebody Told Me".

 

Crystal Track List:  

 

CD1: NUOCD8 UK & Europe

 

1. Crystal

2. Behind Close Doors

3. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix edit)

 

CD2: NUCDP8 (UK & Europe)

 

1. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix edit)

2. Crystal (Lee Coombs Remix)

3. Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K main remix edit)

 

CD: WPCR-10985 (Japan)

 

1. Crystal

2. True Faith (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

3. Temptation (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

4. Atmosphere (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

5. Isolation (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

 

CD. 9 42397-2 (US)

 

1. Crystal (radio edit)

2. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock radio edit)

3. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix)

4. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock dub)

5. Crystal (Lee Coombs remix)

6. Crystal (Lee Coombs dub)

7. Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K main remix)

8. Crystal (Creamer K main mix)

9. Behind Closed Doors

Rocktrospectiva: Pet Shop Boys' Summery And Fun Single "Se A Vida É" Turns 30

Released on 12 August 1996 "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, as the second single from their sixth studio album, Bilingual (1996). The song was based on "Estrada Da Paixão" by African-Brazilian band Olodum, which Pet Shop Boys heard during the South American leg of their Discovery tour in 1994. The band shares songwriting credits with Pet Shop Boys. The correct English translation of "Se a vida é" from Portuguese is actually "If Life Is...". ("That's the way life is" would be "É assim que a vida é..." or "A vida é assim".) The other Portuguese lyric is "Essa vida é..." ("This life is..."), which sounds very similar to "Se a vida é". Neil Tennant acknowledged that he started writing the lyrics with a mistranslation of the phrase but decided he liked it as is. The addition of "Essa vida é" was intended as a more accurate way to convey "that's the way life is".

"Se A Vida É" spent eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight, and became a top-five hit in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Spain. It topped the European Hit Radio chart, with airplay on 98 stations in 23 countries. 

In the United States, the song was released in 1997 as a double A-side with "To Step Aside". This version reached number eight on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart while "To Step Aside" by itself reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

The single covers (CD1 pictured) featured photos from the music video shoot at a water park, taken by Lynda Churilla. The photos were printed on a yellow background in duotone pink, blue, green, red, and orange, with flecks of spot varnish to give an effect of splashing water. The 12-inch double vinyl cover had plain panels of the same colours, with the photos on the inner sleeves. The compact discs were yellow, and the vinyl records were green for side A/B and yellow for side C/D. Designer Mark Farrow described the look as "summery and fun and wet and sexy".

The accompanying music video for "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was shot at the Wet 'n Wild water theme park in Orlando, Florida, and was directed by Bruce Weber, who had also directed the video for "Being Boring" (1990). Actress Eva Mendes appeared in a small role as a teenager with her friends at the park. The video entered heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 that summer.

The single has been described as "a sexy and vibrant song", and a "life-affirming lambada". Other described it as the best Pet Shop Boys single in years. Justice demands it be the biggest of summer hits." An extremely commercial and very positive song, it features a four-piece brass section, a guitar and 20 female drummers. The latter's inclusion gives a sometimes thunderous rumble to appropriate sections of the song, but the rest is very lightweight and breezy, with a vaguely Latin flavour floating in with the brass section.

 

Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) Track List: 

 

UK And Australian CD1 Japanese Maxi-CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

3. How I Learned To Hate Rock 'n' Roll

4. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Pink Noise Mix)

 

UK And Australian CD2:

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Deep And Dark Vocal) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Shelter Dub)

3. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)" (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

 

UK Cassette Single And European CD Single

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

 

Japanese Mini CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Go West 

US CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Album Version) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

3. To Step Aside (Album Version)

4. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

5. The Calm Before The Storm

6. Betrayed

 

US 2x12 inch Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Pricchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

3. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

4. To Step Aside (Hasbrouck Heights Mix)

5. To Step Aside (Davidson Ospina Dub)

6. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Old School Dub) 

7. To Step Aside (Brutal Bill Mix)

8. To Step Aside (Ralphi's House Vox)

Rocktrospectiva: The Groundbreaking And Globally Succesful "The Black Album" Turns 35

Released on 12 August 1991 "Metallica (The Black Album)" was the fifth studio album by the US heavy metal band Metallica. The album marked a change in the band's music from the thrash metal style of their previous four albums to a slower, heavier, and more refined sound. Metallica promoted Metallica with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Sad but True", all of which have been considered to be among the band's best-known songs. The song "Don't Tread on Me" was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release but did not receive a commercial single release.

Going back to 1988's ...And Justice for All , Metallica had pushed their epic and often complex thrash metal as far as it could go. But as Kirk Hammett said: We realized that the general consensus was that the songs were too long. Everyone in the audience had these long faces, and I was like, Damn, they're not enjoying it as much as we are. As drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed: The ten-minute, twelve-tempo-change Metallica phase had run its course. We wanted to streamline and simplify things. They had reached the glass ceiling of thrash metal and were ready to shatter it. However, to achieve such a drastic stylistic shift, the band knew they needed a powerful sound that would pack a punch. And they knew exactly the right producer to deliver it. The arrival of Bob Rock was the first indication that Metallica was willing to risk their reputation to achieve their musical goals. Rock was renowned for his work with Bon Jovi and The Cult, and Metallica had chosen him for the sound he captured on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood . 

The first song written during the "Black Album" sessions, "Enter Sandman" was built around a basic riff and set the standard for the "less is more" approach Metallica aimed for on their fifth album. After this break, they were quick to prove they hadn't lost any of their heaviness in the slow, crushing riff of "Sad But True." It was clear the band's venomous sonic bite hadn't lost its potency, permeating the vigorous "Holier Than Thou" and the abrasive "Don't Tread On Me," while "Wherever I May Roam" showcases the considerable experience the band members had gained in songwriting. "Through The Never" offers a twisting and turning structure very similar to the band's previous material, but this time it gets straight to the point in just about four minutes.

Metallica learned the dynamics of songwriting early on, using lighter moments to make the heavier parts sound colossal. On "The Black Album," "The Unforgiven" offers a respite while also recalling the desperation of the band's then-biggest hit, "One." Even the ballad "Nothing Else Matters" gets a jolt of power to ensure it never veers into cheesy territory. Meanwhile, the thunderous crunch of "Of Wolf and Man" and the rattling of "The God That Failed" keep things focused, which in turn leads into the heartbreaking "My Friend of Misery," before the frenetic "The Struggle Within" brings the self-titled album to a close. Bob Rock encouraged Metallica to use the drums to drive each song, rather than letting them lag behind the guitars. It was a technique that propelled the band to stratospheric success 

At the time of Metallica's recording, the band's songs were written mainly by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield being the lyricist. The duo frequently composed together at Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California. Several song ideas and concepts were conceived by other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. For instance, Newsted wrote the main riff of "My Friend of Misery", which was originally intended to be an instrumental, one of which had been included on every previous Metallica album. The songs were written in two months in mid-1990; the ideas for some of them were originated during the Damaged Justice Tour.

Metallica was impressed with Bob Rock's production work on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood (1989) and decided to hire him to work on their album. Initially, the band members were not interested in having Rock producing the album as well, but changed their minds. Ulrich said, "We felt that we still had our best record in us and Bob Rock could help us make it". Four demos for the album were recorded on August 13, 1990; "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Wherever I May Roam". 

Because it was Rock's first time producing a Metallica album, he had the band make the album in different ways; he encouraged them to record songs collaboratively rather than individually. He also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield. Rock was expecting the production to be "easy" but had trouble working with the band, leading to frequent, engaged arguments with the band members over aspects of the album. Rock wanted Hetfield to write better lyrics and found his experience recording with Metallica disappointing: the recording experience was so stressful that Rock briefly swore never to work with the band again.

The album cost US$1 million to produce. The troubled production coincided with Ulrich, Hammett, and Newsted divorcing their wives; Hammett said this influenced their playing because they were "trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it. The album was a change in Metallica's direction from the thrash metal style of the band's previous four studio albums towards a more commercial, heavy metal sound. Despite this, it still had characteristics of thrash metal. Some critics also described the album as hard rock and groove metal. The band took a simpler approach partly because the members felt the songs on ...And Justice for All were too long and complex. Hetfield said that radio airplay was not their intention, but because they felt "we had pretty much done the longer song format to death," and considered a good change doing songs with just two riffs and "only taking two minutes to get the point across".

Instruments not usually used by heavy metal bands, such as the cellos in "The Unforgiven" and the orchestra in "Nothing Else Matters", were added at Rock's insistence. Rock also raised the volume of the bass guitar, which had been nearly inaudible on the previous album ...And Justice for All. Newsted said he tried to "create a real rhythm section rather than a one-dimensional sound" with his bass. Newsted credited Rock with helping him find a sound that would work without interfering with the bass drum or the guitar, which Newsted claimed had always been an issue in his experience. The lyrics of Metallica written by James Hetfield were more personal and introspective in nature than those of previous Metallica albums; Rock said Hetfield's songwriting became more confident, and that he was inspired by Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and John Lennon.

Metallica was met with widespread acclaim from both heavy metal journalists and mainstream publications, including NME, The New York Times, and The Village Voice: "Metallica may have invented a new genre: progressive thrash". Retrospective appraisals have been positive by saying Metallica was the album that propelled the band out of the metal ghetto to true mainstream global rock superstardom", a deliberate departure from the band's thrash style on ...And Justice for All, "Metallica was slower, less complicated, and probably twice as heavy as anything they'd done before".Classic Rock called it "the absolute pinnacle of Metallica's long and successful career", and credited the album for inspiring 1990s post-grunge music and convincing the music industry to embrace heavy metal as a genre with mass appeal.

 

Metallica The Black Album Track List: 

 

1. Enter Sandman

2. Sad But True

3. Holier Than Thou

4. The Unforgiven

5. Wherever I May Roam

6. Don't Tread On Me

7. Through The Never

8. Nothing Else Matters

9. Of Wolf And Man

10. The God That Failed

11. My Friend Of Mysery

12. The Struggle Within 

Rocktrospectiva: Depeche Mode's "A Question Of Time" Turns 40

Released on 11 August 1986 "A Question Of Time" was a song by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, as the third and final single from their fifth studio album, Black Celebration, following the similarly titled "A Question of Lust". The single was a top 20 hit in several European countries. The accompanying music video was the beginning of a long collaboration between Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn.

Depeche Mode had entered the studio to record tracks for their album Black Celebration in November 1985, with recording of all album tracks starting at Westside Studios in London and final production and mixing moving to Hansa Studios in West Berlin by early 1986.

Depeche Mode released Black Celebration in mid-March 1986, and "A Question of Time" was the album's third and final single, released on 11 August 1986 by Mute Records in the US, Intercord Records in West Germany, and Sire Records in the US.

In the UK, commercial releases included a 7", a 12" and a limited 12" vinyl single, given catalogue numbers 7BONG12, 12BONG12 and L12BONG12, respectively. Mute also released the 7" and both 12" singles promotionally, with a unique mix on the 7" release.  In West Germany, Intercord Records released initial pressings of the 7" on red vinyl with catalogue number INT 111.841, as well as 12" and limited 12" releases that mirrored the UK release. In addition, Dischi Ricordi released a rare promotional 7" in Italy (catalogue number BONG12) that included a unique cover. After Black Celebration's first two singles, "Stripped" and "A Question of Lust", both featured black as the dominant color of its cover art, the 12" releases of "A Question of Time" got "optimistic" white covers.

Music producer Phil Harding remixed "A Question of Time" for the 12" single, and the B-side to both 12" releases were tracks recorded on 10 April 1986 in Birmingham, England, while the band was supporting the album with their Black Celebration Tour.

The music video for "A Question of Time" is the first Depeche Mode video to be directed by Anton Corbijn. Shot in Los Angeles in black and white and inspired by road movies, the video marked the beginning of a relationship that allowed Depeche Mode to craft the image they wanted. Said Alan Wilder later, "it wasn’t until Anton got involved in 1986, that we realised we could take more control over the cohesive image of the group." Corbijn had photographed the band back in 1981 for NME, and they had approached him to direct some of their music videos earlier in their career, but Corbijn had turned them down, saying "I didn't like their music much. They were kind of a teen band, and I was into serious music back then." The band liked Corbijn's video shoots because they were more intimate, sometimes just Corbijn and the band instead of having large video crews like their earlier videos.

 

A Question Of Time Track Listing: 

 

7": Mute/ 7Bong12 (UK)

 

1. A Question Of Time (Remix)

2. Black Celebration (Live)

 

12": Mute/ 12Bong12 (UK)

 

1. A Question Of Time (Extended Remix)

2. Black Celebration (live)

3. Something To Do (live)

4. Stripped (live) 

 

12": Mute/L12Bong12 (UK)

 

1. A Question Of Time (New Town Mix)

2. A Question Of Time (Live Remix)

3. A Black Celebration (Black Tulip Mix)

4. More Than A Party (live)

 

CD: Intercord/Mute INT 826.850 (West Germany)

 

1. A Question Of Time (Extended Remix)

2. Stripped (live)

3. Black Celebration (live)

4. Something To Do (live)

5. A Question Of Time (remix) 

Albums: Foreign Tongues

"Foreign Tongues" is the 25th., studio album in the UK and the 27th., studio album in the US by the legendary English rock band The Rolling Stones, under Andrew Watt production, the album features musical contributions from Steve Jordan, Darryl Jones, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith, Paul McCartney, Benmont Tench, Bruno Mars, and Chad Smith, among others. It also features a song recorded with Charlie Watts prior to his death. So far, the album has released two singles "In The Stars" backed with "Rough And Twisted", and "Jealous Lover" backed with "Divine Intervention".  

The album primarily consists of new material, with four compositions recorded during the band's last album, Hackney Diamonds including "Covered In You". The album includes material from band's final session with drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, as confirmed by Jagger at a press conference hosted by the band in New York City. 

Foreign Tongues has just arriving just before Mick Jagger's 83rd birthday, and picks up where Hackney Diamonds left off. Again, Andrew Watt produces; again, the songs pull from every decade rock ‘n’ roll has existed in. The Stones, after all, have been there for most of them. It’s the sound of the best bar-room rock band there has ever been settling in and doing what they do. Rather well, as it happens. 

Paul McCartney turns up on bass again. Robert Smith is in there somewhere, though you’ll be hard pushed to spot him. Steve Winwood, much more visible, plays organ across nine tracks. Bruno Mars, of all people, contributes an almost inaudible cowbell to ‘Never Wanna Lose You’. Charlie Watts appears from beyond the grey veil on ‘Hit Me in the Head’, preserved from a session before his death in 2021 — among the record’s most satisfying moments, for reasons we’ll get to. There are 14 tracks here, several passing five minutes, and almost everything could lose a minute or so. Extended choruses and outros abound, undercutting an album that is at its best when it is leanest.

The album opener "Rough and Twisted" is a proper vintage raw Stones. Foreign Tongues contains three genuinely great Stones songs, tracks that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the classic era, and this is the first. Everything you want from the band is on show with Jagger honks on his harp and sings about Muddy Waters. The guitars are great. They're great throughout, actually: Keith in one speaker, Ronnie in the other, crunching and jangling at each other. Everyone follows Keith. Richards and Wood are the engine of the record. When it works, it works because those two are locked in on each other and everyone else, including the producer, knows to stay out of the way, Next comes the astonishing and powerful "In The Stars" setting the awesome tune the record will have. 

"Never Wanna Lose You", comes with its Some Girls funk shuffle and is perfectly serviceable with Bruno's cowbell alongside with long-time bassist Darryl Jones putting in a solid shift, although "Jealous Lover" does this better. "Side Effects" is the closest thing here to the 90s Stones — is the clear low point.

"Mr Charm" has a gospel-backed chorus that flirts with ‘Gimme Shelter’ — dangerous territory, that — but otherwise heads somewhere different: rollicking, funny and tossing off a couple of the sharpest Jagger lines on the record. "Divine Intervention" hides its Robert Smith cameo so effectively you’d never know he was there, but the song itself is a belter, a Some Girls-style boogie with a coda of soulful horns that opens it into something unexpectedly celebratory. "Ringing Hollow" is the second of those three classics, and possibly the best thing here. Country Stones. A letter to America that isn't angry. It's disappointed, which is a much harder mood to sell. The band pull it off. They' ve been in love with the place since they were teenagers and have explored more of it than most. 

The third classic here is "Some of Us", in which Keith Richards takes the mic and leans into his years. One of the album’s great strengths is that Mick Jagger, at 82, doesn’t sound like an old man. Another is that Keith does. And that’s what makes him interesting. It leaves the song unusually exposed. You can almost see the tears leaving clean lines down his grubby, craggy face. The arrangement pulls closer to Let It Bleed’s country-gospel than to any of his solo records, and Jagger’s harmonies in the final section provide one of the few moments here that genuinely raises the hairs on the back of the neck.

Another comes in Ronnie Wood's solo on "Back in Your Life", a long, weeping performance of the kind he is rarely given room to unleash. Jagger introduces it with a delighted “Come on, Ronnie!” Wood has said the performance was bound up with hearing of the deaths of Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, and there’s something in the playing that knows it. The song itself sits at the ‘Wild Horses’ end of the ballad catalogue, and though it wouldn’t dream of comparing itself, Jagger’s sincerity steals it. It is not quite a fourth classic, but it may contain the album’s finest individual performance. He’s not phoning any of this in. The great late Charlie Watts returns on "Hit Me in the Head", a fast, sardonic garage-punk thing on which Jagger plausibly sings about wanting to be knocked unconscious to speed up his own demise. Watts might be beyond the grave, but he’s right on the groove, and the pocket he creates isn’t your imagination. It sounds satisfyingly like the Stones because it is the Stones. Steve Jordan does a fine job elsewhere. But when Watts is there, you really can feel it.

Now Jagger wanted a blunt, punk bass sound on "Covered in You", and so naturally phoned Paul McCartney, the most melodic bass player who has ever lived. You have to hand it to Macca, though: he knows how to serve the song. The bass grunts. Jagger sounds properly annoyed about something but the intensity of the outro over a great little Ronnie lick is fantastic. Meanwhile, a cover of Amy Winehouse’s "You Know I’m No Good" shouldn’t work. Jagger cannot reproduce the wounded self-indictment of Winehouse’s vocal, and Watt leans too hard on Mark Ronson’s polish where the track needed roughing up, but Winwood’s organ sounds great, Jagger’s harmonica is ace, and there’s more crossover between the Stones and Winehouse's rootsy soul than the pairing initially suggests.

Foreign Tongues closes, as Hackney Diamonds did, with a cover from the band's oldest heroes. That record signed off with Muddy Waters’ ‘Rolling Stone Blues’; this one goes with Chuck Berry’s "Beautiful Delilah", a song the Stones were playing on the radio in 1964. It’s intimate, acoustic-led and deliberately vintage, with slide guitars drenched in reverb. It does smack a bit of ‘look at us, we’re still keeping it real’, which is the one thing the Rolling Stones absolutely don’t need to do. They’ve earned being whoever they want to be. But it’s a hard heart that doesn’t enjoy it. If this turns out to be their last album, which seems unlikely but is theoretically possible, closing with Chuck Berry, whose ‘Come On’ became their debut single, creates a satisfying and presumably intentional full-circle moment.

So far, the album has received fairly good reviews  and described Foreign Tongues as "a thoroughly modern-sounding, occasionally political record that has the band confronting the world around them and their remaining time within it, providing richness, energy and joy on offer here to make the case that rock 'n' roll still rules in the modern pop firmament, and the Stones remain its greatest advocates.

 

Foreign Tongue Track List: 

 

1. Rough And Twisted

2. In The Stars

3. Jealous Lover

4. Mr. Charm

5. Divine Intervention

6. Riging Hollow

7. Never Wanna Lose You

8. Hit Me In The Head

9. You Know I'm No Good

10. Some Of Us

11. Covered In You

12. Side Effects

13. Back In Your Life

14. Beautiful Delilah 

New Music: Sauna

           

Jessie Ware shares her new video and single "Sauna" her latest release taken from the British artist 6th., studio album "Superbloom" released last April. In the video, Ware transforms an elevator into a bathhouse. Directed by photographer Jordan Rossi, the campy clip sees Ware entering a sterile-looking lift dressed in a trench coat. Already visibly hot and bothered, she swoons when two dashing men in suits join her

In Memoriam: Legendary English Producer & Electronic Music Pioneer "William Orbit" Has Died

William Orbit, the English producer, composer, and electronic music pioneer passed away on 23 July 2026, aged 69, leaving behind a catalogue that shaped the sound of mainstream electronic music across four decades.

Orbit was born in London on 15 December 1956 and started earlier circa 1980 when he co-founded Torch Song, a synth and ambient trio operating out of a squatted school in Notting Hill. In the 1990s he launched Bassomatic, whose Fascinating Rhythm reached the UK Top 10, and founded Guerilla Records, one of the defining labels of the UK progressive house explosion. 

Things suddenly got changed when in 1998; Orbit co-produced Madonna's Ray of Light, a record that arrived at the exact moment electronic music was moving from the underground into the mainstream and pulled both worlds into the same room. The album won four Grammys. Frozen, the title track, and The Power of Good-Bye are still in rotation. It remains one of the most significant crossover records electronic music has produced. The following year he produced Blur's 13. Harder, more abrasive, equally important. Tender alone is reason enough for the credit. 

The production reputation tends to overshadow the solo work, which ran longer and reached further. Orbit began the Strange Cargo series in 1987, building atmospheric ambient electronic records that were influencing the genre well before the mainstream caught up. Orbit's sixth solo album make a crossover moment on the U.K. charts. Originally released in 1995, Pieces in a Modern Style applied the producer's signature electronic style to the works of masters like Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Händel. "Adagio for Strings," a new spin on the piece by Samuel Barber, climbed the singles charts in 1999, eventually reaching No. 4. In 2000, Pieces in a Modern Style reinterpreted classical compositions through his production approach and became a genuine commercial hit. 

In his final decade he released Pieces in a Modern Style 2, worked on orchestral live projects, and completed The Painterin 2022, folding his visual art practice into the music. He was still making cutting-edge things.