Paul Young - Tomb Of Memories - The CBS Years 1982 - 1994

This is my latest purchase. I first read about this release back in June and pre ordered it and it seemed ages away before it was released. All of a sudden Friday 21st of August came and this box set dropped on the mat! It is a box set compiled of singles, album tracks alternative mixes and the odd unreleased track with a few live faves added for a complete mix.

It is quite a good compilation with his most famous stuff being on the first two discs with the lesser known single and album tracks on the last two discs. The last two discs may be made of less familiar stuff to the occasional Paul Young fan but they are still pretty good songs. The first 500 ordered off the Sony site were autographed by the man himself!

Philip Lynott - Yellow Pearl

Here is a great track from the late great Thin Lizzy leader. Back in 1980 Phil released a solo album, Solo In Soho and had a couple of reasonable hits for him. When Midge Ure was a temporary replacement for Gary Moore during Thin Lizzy's tour, between rehearsals and sound checks for the shows, Midge would often try to write the basic Yellow Pearl tune on the keyboards. When Phil was recording his album, he remembered the tune and asked Midge if they could work on it to make it a proper track. The song isn't about much apart from making a thought about the technology that was beginning to hit the west in the early 80's with a lot of it coming from Japan. Phil made the lyrics up as he sang and they basically are a load of lyrics that rhymed but nothing more that that, no hidden messages. It was released as a single in early 1981 and managed to reach number 56. It's release in clear vinyl managed to push it so far but not enough to reach the top 40.

In 1981 Top Of The Pops which had been a must watch TV show every Thursday night, was caught in the middle of a strike at the BBC which meant many shows were off air for the weeks of the strike. During this time, they had decided that the format of the show need updating to follow the trends of the new 1980's. The show complete with a new title sequence needed a new and exciting theme tune, as it had previously used Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. The producer of the show had liked Yellow Pearl and asked Phil to write a new theme tune for the show. Phil had asked what would they like and the reply was something like Yellow Pearl, so Phil replied "so why don't you use that?" The instrumental track was remixed by Midge and also featured his Ultravox band mate Chris Cross and Midge's old band drummer Rusty Egan (who were all involved with the New Romantic sound that was current in 1981). The single was remixed and reissued in a new sleeve which stated it was the theme to the show and reached a more respectable number 14 in the UK charts.

I love this track, it is such exciting electronic track and always manages to get on my playlists. I love electronic music anyhow and no doubt many a track since has been influenced by this single! I've included the remix version on my Spotify playlist as it is so much more full of life than the original track, although that is a great song in itself! Check out the Spotify link here http://open.spotify.com/user/1158943663/playlist/5Jn1HAojaqM3cPMko6MN4b

The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture

This is The Stranglers 8th album and the second for Epic Records. It was a more mellowing sound of the band although some of the lyrics to the songs showed they had lost none of their bite. The tracks were recorded in Brussels the previous year and into early 1984 and was produced by the now very much in demand Laurie Latham, thanks to his work on the Paul Young debut album. This album was quite a departure for the band, after the last album which had more of a European sound, this album was the first one to have a three piece horn section on. The lead single off the album was Skin Deep, which was a great keyboard featured track which managed to get to number 15 in the UK charts but the following two singles fared less well. The album came out in November 1984 and reached number 14 but also helped the band gain a following in Europe.

As typically Stranglers, I originally had the album on cassette, at the end of the album was a short explanation and screams from the band before it went into a game for the ZX Spectrum. It was the Aural Quest, where you had to complete parts of the game to build parts of an ear. I never completed the game as it was always a pain to load up onto the computer, but when it worked, you had to think how would one of the band think, their strange humour featured too, it was a nice added touch to the album. Have a listen to the album on Spotify, it is quite a departure from the previous Punk and New Wave sounds, you'll probably enjoy it. Skin Deep is one of my favourite tracks, along with North Winds Blowing, Souls and No Mercy. Here's the sleeve

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

My favourite Michael Jackson single ever, Billie Jean was released in January 1983 and went to number 1 in the UK. it was the second single to be released off the album Thriller (which has become the biggest selling album ever) and is one of Jackson's most popular songs. The song which many reviewers think is about a fan saying that he is the father of her child, Michael has claimed it was more about groupies that used to follow the Jackson 5 around when the band had hit the big time!

The video to the single was a great dance film, with Michael dancing on top of lighting up tiles, a result of a limited budget for the video, the director told Michael which tiles where lit and Michael told him not to worry and when filming, he just danced and hit those tiles! The video they say changed the way MTV used to show music vids, they never showed black artists until this video came out, it helped the single get to number 1 in the various charts in America, helped Thriller to sell bucket loads of copies and helped MTV to become established and become the station that it is today!

Billie Jean is also well known for the dance routine on the Motown 25th anniversary show, where Michael sang the song and showed the audience the Moonwalk for the first time. The show went down in history for that little dance move and whenever Billie Jean was sung, he had to do the Moonwalk! The track of the song, to me sounds quite sparse in production but is so sinister in the words and the way he sings the song, such a powerful performance. Here is the cover to the single and the scan of the vinyl, here as a 7'' red vinyl single from a pack of singles released of all his singles up to Bad.

Hazel O Connor - Eighth Day

This single was the debut hit from the movie Breaking Glass, which Hazel was staring in. She starred as Kate, a singer songwriter who tries to crack the charts and the film shows the rise and fall of her and her band Breaking Glass, the pitfalls of the recording industry and the people involved. At the end of the film it shows her after being pumped with drugs, perform this amazing early 80's track, just before she runs off and suffers a nervous breakdown.

Released in the Summer of 1980 on A&M records, the single and the video to the single (from the movie) was so modern, so fresh and so amazing and very much reflected the futurism of 1980. The single got to number 5 in the charts and helped the soundtrack album and the movie do really well in the UK. Hazel had another couple of hit singles before becoming more known for being an actress in the mid 80's. When I listen to this track it still sounds so amazingly exciting and reminds me of when I first saw the clip of the song on TV and saving my pocket money up to buy a copy, money well spent!

Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You

This fantastic power ballad was a hit both sides of the Atlantic in November 1981. Foreigner were never that huge over here in the UK, I think because their sound had no place in the music scene of the UK between 1978 and 1982 as we had Punk, New Wave, Mod, Ska, Disco, Pop and New Romantic movements happening. They had minor hits here with Cold As Ice and Hot Blooded, but their sound was more American rock (not bad seeing as two members of the band were British).

This was a bit of a crossover for the band as their previous albums were more hard rock so this was a lot more easier to play on radio stations and it caught on with the listeners who got it into the charts. The single was the second from the album 4 and reached number 8 in the UK. It also featured Thomas Dolby on keyboards just before he started his solo career. Also this single spent 10 weeks stuck at number 2 in the American charts having two other singles jump over this track to get to number 1. The follow up singles never dented the UK top 40 which is a shame as they are great tracks from a really great album too. Here's the single

Toyah - It's A Mystery

This track formed part of an E.P called Four From Toyah. Released early in 1981 it was Toyah's breakthrough hit single after several years of building up a large fan base. It wasn't like anything she had released before and was weary of releasing the single as she didn't want to upset the fans, but it was the record company that suggested to Toyah that she recorded a cover version. It's A Mystery was in fact a cover version for another band and she wrote the lyrics for the track.

The single hit the charts and peaked in the UK at number 4 of 1981 and came from the album Anthem and having a hit album and single, gave her the boost she needed and began several years of successful releases in the UK. At this time, there wasn't always a video released with chart singles so she would appear on Top Of The Pops to promote this single, but her later singles all came with good videos. Here's the single cover

The Human League - Dare

I really love this album. This was the first CD I ever bought, even before I had a player to play it on! I bought the vinyl copy as a picture disc in December 1981 and played it several times and just thought it was a great pop album. It contains four hit singles, The Sound Of The Crowd, Love Action, Open Your Heart and the worldwide smash Don't You Want Me. It was released in October 1981 and later in 1982 in America and couldn't be any different than the previous two albums by the band.

The original line up of The Human League, split up in late 1980 (the other 2 members went to form Heaven 17) and with Phil Oakey guiding the band wanted to be more of a pop band than the electronic group the old band was. Virgin wanted hits from the band so they recruited Suzanne Sully & Joanne Catherall to salvage a European tour. Virgin put them with producer Martin Rushent and the result was Sound Of The Crowd which was a decent hit reaching 12 in the UK charts, Virgin were happy and making the album went ahead.

Love Action was released in the summer of 1981 and climbed to number 3, Open Your Heart reached number 6 and was used to market the albums following release. Dare went straight to number 1 in the album charts and at the end of 1981 Don't You Want Me was released. This song ended up being the biggest selling single in the UK in 1981 and also the Christmas number one of that year too! Not bad for a song that Phil Oakey didn't think was a hit, they even put it at the end of the album as they didn't think of it that much, it ended up being a worldwide smash!

The Human League rode the success of the album well, but came the day they had to follow it up. Not many bands can follow such a successful album and they realised that. I remember watching an interview with Martin Rushent and he said it was an album of the time, one that just came together. When it came to record the follow up they struggled as they didn't know how they came up with Dare, it just happened! Martin Rushent was working on remastering Dare and rumours of extra unreleased tracks that were recorded for the album were getting sorted, but Martin died before the project was sorted and I read that his son was concidering taking on the project, fingers crossed he does! Here is the classic album sleeve, an idea taken from Vogue magazine!

Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away

Randy Crawford was probably known before this as the vocalist on a disco smash Street Life by the Crusaders. More known as a jazz singer, Randy released this soul hitting single in September 1980 in the UK. Such a smash, it raced up to Number 2 in late September and became her biggest hit single. strangely I don't think this single did anything in her native America but did really well in Europe too. She had another couple of hits with Rainy Night in Georgia and You Might Need Somebody after the success of One Night with further minor hits but had a further hit later in the 80's with Almaz.

Here's the single

Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short

To me, this single is the start the New Romantic movement that broke big in the UK at the end of 1980. London band Spandau Ballet would be one of the many groups that used to hang out and occasionally play at Blitz night club (which many say was the birthplace of the New Romantic scene).

Spandau were making waves in the music biz and after a record company bidding war, they signed to Chrysalis Records, who gave them their own label, Reformation. The single To Cut A Long Story Short was released in November 1980 and climbed to number 5 within a couple of weeks of release. The video was a band performance and gave many a view of what the New Romantics was all about, smart clothes, guys in make up and a catchy tune.

This single helped the band have a long and worldwide successful career up to the breakup in 1990. They since got back together in 2009 for reunion shows of which the first London show sold out in 20 minutes and had to add extra dates!

Here's the single

Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up

Bucks Fizz were chosen to represent the UK in the Eurovision song contest in 1981. They were put together in January of 1981 by the writers of Making Your Mind Up just for the contest and followed the old pattern (after Abba) of 2 boys and 2 girl format. The band members were Mike Nolan, Cheryl Baker (who had previous Eurovision contest experience as she was in the band Co-co who were the 1978 entry for the UK), Jay Aston and Bobby G.

The song was released on RCA Records and when the contest was staged the single was already number 2 on the UK charts. Complete with a good tune and a memorable skirt ripping dance routine, they won the contest and the single went to number 1 in the UK. It also was number 1 around several countries in Europe too, but the hardest thing was to continue after the contest without slipping into obscurity which they managed as the next single charted. In all the band were successful around the world, had 3 UK number 1 singles and are still touring today, but as two separate groups after years of legal wrangles. Here's the cover, sorry had trouble loading photo's in for some reason!

Visage - Fade To Grey

One of my all time fave singles, a classic electronic single from the early 80's which really brought the New Romantics into the charts. Released in November 1980 just as the Blitz kids where getting a name for themselves as the club to be seen at in London. The New Romantics, all dressed up heavily made up and frilly shirts and incredibly smartly dressed used the club to meet up to dance to the latest electronic sounds coming from Europe and the UK. Rusty Egan ran the club along with Steve Strange and thought it would be good to have a house band who could play the tracks the clubbers wanted to hear.

The single was written by Midge Ure, Chris Payne and Billy Currie. Chris and Billy were part of Gary Numan's backing band and Midge was about to join Ultravox which was Billy's old band! The idea of the song came from Steve after looking over the Berlin wall to see how grey everything looked, Midge gave Steve singing lessons so he could be the voice and the face for the band. The single hit the charts early 1981, became an instant classic and peaked at number 8 in the UK but got to number 1 in Germany. It came off the album Visage which featured another 2 hits, Mind Of A Toy and Visage!

The song was helped by the now classic but simply made (by todays standards) video shot by Godley & Crème. It showed off the use of make up and how image could strongly be used to sell a product too as well as the music. Video was still in it's early stages but proved just how useful they could be. The single had a re-issue in 1993 as part of a greatest hits album but managed to scrape to number 39.

Tears For Fears - Shout

With news this week that Tears For Fears are going to be back in action this year, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of their first album, I thought I'd feature this single that shot the band into superstardom around the world. Released in November 1984 and got to number 4 in January 1985 and hit the top spot in America the same year. It was off the classic album Songs From The Big Chair and Shout was a change of sound as the band sound was going more towards a synth pop, rock, stadium band sound. The song was basically about protesting rather than keeping quiet, but to think about what you are protesting about rather than just going ahead and just have no idea why you are protesting, also the single lasted over 5 minutes but was still played heavily on the radio. A classic single for classic times, I think it is from one of the last great years for UK pop music!

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Rage Hard

This was Frankie's fifth single and was released in the summer of 1986. The band were riding on the wave of Welcome To The Pleasuredome's success and had a lot to prove about who they were and that they were not the puppets of Trevor Horn. The single was a big hit and got to number 4 in the UK and came with the usual amounts of remixes. I remember them on Top Of The Pops performing the single throwing money around on stage and always thought it was such a strong single. It is my favourite FGTH single, I just think it has so much power to it. The album it came off Liverpool was moving more towards a rockier feel rather than the dance of the last album. They never hit the same highs as the previous singles and album which was a shame but it also showed just how the British record buying public came move on to the next big thing, which around this time was the start of Stock, Aitken & Waterman.

Fleetwood Mac - Sara

Written by Stevie Nicks, this gorgeous ballad came from the album Tusk which was released in 1979 and was the follow up to Rumours. The album has the full 6 minute version on, but the single came with a 4.37 minute edit. The song is supposed to be about the relationships and love affairs in the band, but the finished song cut most of this off. Released in January 1980 the single only managed to reach a disappointingly 37 in the UK charts but did better in America where it got to number 7.

When Tusk was released on CD for the first time, they put the 7'' edit on the album but it wasn't until the Greatest Hits came out in 1988 that the full version was first heard on CD. Rumours are there's a 9 minute version of the song! Here's the single.

ABC - Poison Arrow

A classic song for Valentine's Day! A very much loved track from 1982 and released in the middle of the New Romantic period. Produced by Trevor Horn, who loved the idea of a big production, full of orchestra and drama. Written by the band and it came off their platinum selling debut album The Lexicon Of Love and the single reached number 6 in the charts. It was also helped by the 12'' remixes of the song which at this point was at the beginning of the 12'' club remix period for many of the early 80's bands who took advantage of this format to aim at another audience. A classic piece of pop that I don't think has aged at all and has lost none of it's sparkle!

The Associates - Party Fears Two

This single hit the charts on the back of the New Romantic movement that was hitting the British music scene in the early 80's. The Associates were Billy MacKenzie & Alan Rankine, who had been on the scene since 1979 releasing several independent albums before hitting the top 20 with Party Fears Two and the album it came off Sulk. Billy's operatic vocal soared over this great keyboard based track and pushed it to number 9 in early 1982. The band released another couple of singles that hit the top 20 but by far this was the best track for me!

The band split up just as they were to go on tour promoting Sulk and left Billy to carry on under the bands name, but success wasn't there and in the 1990's he recorded under his own name. In 1997 Billy MacKenzie committed suicide after suffering from clinical depression, he was thinking of making a comeback at the time and the material he recorded before his death has been released.

He had such an awesome voice, the notes he reached were amazing and when you listen to this track those hairs on the back of your neck stand up. A classic slice of synthpop circa 1982!

John Foxx - Underpass

This was the debut single from John Foxx, who originally had been the lead singer with Ultravox. Ultravox were formed from Tiger Lilly in 1976 and signed to Island records where they released 3 albums. They had a good following but no success in the charts, after the third album Systems Of Romance, Foxx left the band to go solo, Midge Ure would later join the band and take them in a different direction.

In 1980 John released this first single, Underpass on his own label through Virgin called Metal Beat. The single only reached number 31 in the UK charts but it summed up the early electronic songs of the early eighties, cold, stark, drama laden but still a classic track. It also came off his first album, Metamatic which reached number 18 in the charts and influenced many of the up and coming electronic bands, Gary Numan was a fan too!

He had several more hits in the early eighties before dissapearing for a few years before making a return to recording in the 1990's and he is still recording and touring today!

The Venus Hunters - Starburst

Here is the Venus Hunter's only single, from 1982, well that's what the makers of the TV show Hunting Venus wanted us to think! The one off show for Yorkshire Television was shown in April 1999 and Starred Martin Clunes & Neil Morrisey. The plot was getting the band from the 80's back together from their lives in 1999 for one more show at the BBC. It is an amazing show and I'm really surprised it has never been released on DVD as it is a period piece from the 1980's complete with an 80's soundtrack!

Starburst is about looking forward into the future about moving and exploring and giving hope to the human race, well it is supposed to be but really the song is full of double entendres about having a wank (I sent my children skywards) and puns and one liners. The track really was written by Joolz Holland for the show, but it is so 80's sounding and if it had have been a single in the early 80's I'm sure it would have charted. A great song from a great TV show! Here is the sleeve to the soundtrack album with a picture of the Venus Hunters!

Ultravox - Vienna

January 15th 1981, this classic piece of a synth ballad, appeared out of nowhere. It was so different from what was happening in the charts at the time, but fitted in with the New Romantic scene so right. It summed up the time, all drama, over the top production, electronic music, plus the classic video that made the single showed that image and music could go together to make more of a complete package.

The single came off the album of the same name and was the third single off the L.P. Sleepwalk was the first and made a modest entry into the top 30, Passing Strangers was a great track but didn't crack the top 40. I guess it was such a risk to release a track like this at the time, after a flop single, would it get radio play or would anyone bother with it? It was released (like all Ultravox singles) in clear vinyl but it sold on the song, not the gimmick and reached number 2 for 4 weeks. The ground breaking video (slightly inspired by The Thrid Man) was cheaply shot in Covent Garden and in parts, in Austria as the video made you believe it all happened in Austria! I really believe it was this video that started the video revolution here in the UK. Here is the single, plus the clear vinyl scan!