I keep getting Emails from people asking me to re-upload the links and music etc. I think people are just getting to those particular pages so are not reading the reason for the dead links.
So I am putting this in place so hopefully people will read it and stop Emailing me about it.
The reason the links are dead is that my account with Media Fire has been closed with all 11,000 files lost. That is why you can not download the things and No I can not re-upload them.
Eventually I will start doing that again when I have found something suitable. In the meantime this blog will be information only blog.
Thank you all
Michaael
New Blog Forum
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'I Believe In Father Christmas' is a song by Greg Lake (most famously a member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), with lyrics by Peter Sinfield. Although it is often categorised as a Christmas song this was not Lake's intention.
Toyah covered the song on a performance broadcast on 26th December 1982 on the ITV programme Pop Goes Christmas.
If there’s one thing the 1980s had that seems to have been lost in more recent times it is the really cheesey song. They don’t come much cheesier than Save Your Love, the 1982 Christmas UK number one hit from classy duo Renee and Renato.
As mentioned Save Your Love hit the top of the charts at Christmas, but it was actually released back in October of 1982 entering the charts at a less than auspicious 54 in the charts. Somehow the song got discovered however and it rose up the charts both in the UK and The Netherlands and Norway, staying at the top of the British charts for no less than four weeks.
Renée (real name Hilary Lester) and Renato (full name Renato Pagliari) did release two other songs, Just One More Kiss and Jesus Loves Us All, but neither repeated their initial success and so Renée (sorry, Hilary) went back to her private life whilst Renato died in July this year.
The song was written by creator and voice of 1980’s TV robot Metal Mickey, Johnny Edward, with his wife Sue. Perhaps the song would have been funnier still had Renato been replaced by Mickey… Perhaps more surprising is that the song has even been covered several times, including most recently by Daniel O’Donnell and Mary Duff.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version If Love Is Not The Reaason - B-Side
Synth Britannia is BBC4 documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.
In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including the Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Volatire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard and dreamt of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain.
The crossover moment came in 1979 when Gary Numan's appearance on Top of the Pops with Tubeway Army's Are Friends Electric heralded the arrival of synthpop. Four lads from Basildon known as Depeche Mode would come to own the new sound whilst post-punk bands like Ultravox, Soft Cell, OMD and Yazoo took the synth out of the pages of the NME and onto the front page of Smash Hits.
By 1983, acts like Pet Shop Boys and New Order were showing that the future of electronic music would lie in dance music.
Contributors include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant.
Originally Transmitted on 16th October 2009 on BBC4
Get Close is the fourth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1986.
Officially, the band for this album now consisted of Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar), Robbie McIntosh (guitar), T.M. Stevens (bass) and Blair Cunningham (drums); however, this line-up (often augmented by session players) played on only five of the album's eleven tracks.
As well, the track 'Room Full Of Mirrors' was in fact performed by the Learning to Crawl-era line up of Hynde, Mcintosh, Malcolm Foster and Martin Chambers, with keyboards by Rupert Black. The rest of the album was performed by Hynde and McIntosh, backed by session musicians.
The album contained the band's two biggest chart hits, 'Don't Get Me Wrong' and 'Hymn To Her'.
The album reached number 6 in the UK Album Charts.
Click the link below to download the album
Tracklisting: 01 - My Baby 02 - When I Change My Life 03 - Light Of The Moon 04 - Dance! - Full Length Version 05 - Tradition Of Love 06 - Don't Get Me Wrong 07 - I Remember You 08 - How Much Did You Get For Your Soul? 09 - Chill Factor 10 - Hymn To Her 11 - Room Full Of Mirrors
The follow-up to a massive hit can go several ways, but the main possibilities include: 1) an almost exact simulation, a lucky strike turned into a formula or 2) the hit is used as a springboard to go deeper and weirder, with the added confidence caused by unexpected success.
'Bedsitter' came off the back of 'Tainted Love', Soft Cell's 1981 bestselling single. Their cover of Gloria Jones's northern soul classic (which segued, on the 12-inch, into the Supremes' Where Did Our Love Go) was a minimalist anthem that both betrayed the duo's north-western origins and made the most of their performance art leanings.
'Bedsitter' is cut from the same cloth as 'Tainted Love': sparse production, highlighting the simple, repetitive synth lines, the expressive vocal and the almost burlesque uh-uh hook cueing the verse. Ball understood structure and dance appeal, while Almond got the grunge beneath the glitz, the desperation behind the shiny facade of London's newly swinging club land.
Released in November 1981, Bedsitter peaked at No 4 that Christmas; the No 1 was the Human League with their breakthrough hit, 'Don't You Want Me'. The single version was included on Soft Cell's classic first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which continued the group's tender/wicked duality, especially in the segue between Youth and Sex Dwarf.
Click the link blow to download the following: Video Single Version 12 inch Extended Version Facility Girls - B-Side Favulty Girls - Extended 12 inch Version
The Story of a Young Heart is the third album by A Flock of Seagulls, released in 1984.
It was also the last to feature the entire original lineup as Paul Reynolds left shortly after the album's release.
The album reached number 30 in the UK Album Charts and number 66 in the US.
Click the link below to download the album: 01 - The Story of a Young Heart 02 - Never Again (The Dancer) 03 - The More You Live, The More You Love 04 - European (I Wish I Was) 05 - Remember David 06 - Over My Head 07 - Heart of Steel 08 - The End 09 - Suicide Day
'Music for the Masses' is the sixth studio album by Depeche Mode. Released by Mute Records on September 28, 1987, it provided the band with mainstream success in the United States for the first time since Some Great Reward. It was supported by the Music for the Masses Tour, which compiles material into the band's first live album 101.
The album became the band's highest-charting in the US upon its release, reaching number 35 on the Billboard 200. It also contained more hit singles than any of their previous releases. While there was no extremely popular single from the album - 'People Are People' from Some Great Reward reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100), the three singles that were released all made it onto the Hot 100, a feat that hadn't been achieved by any Depeche Mode single after those from Some Great Reward. Moreover, all three singles achieved modest success on the chart.
The first single from the album, 'Strangelove', only reached number 76 and spent 6 weeks on the chart upon its initial release. 'Never Let Me Down Again' was then issued and hit number 63, spending 10 weeks on the chart. Its success was duplicated by 'Behind the Wheel' which had a similar chart run. This propelled a re-released 'Strangelove' (as "Strangelove '88") to number 50, making it the highest-charting single from the album.
The story was similar in the United Kingdom. While no single reached the chart heights of Depeche Mode's early career, 'Strangelove' narrowly became the band's second-highest charting single since 1984 when it hit number 16. The two follow-up singles charted in the upper 20s. The album was less successful, reaching only number 10, though it was a major success throughout Europe. Generally, this album and its extracted singles continued the trend for Depeche Mode's releases to chart higher in Continental Europe than in their home country: 'Strangelove' and 'Never Let Me Down Again' both hit number 2 on the singles chart in what was then West Germany, 'Behind The Wheel' hit number 6 there, and 'Little 15' reached number 16.
The Music for the Masses Tour was one of Depeche Mode's biggest, notably because of the sell-out Pasadena Rose Bowl show where the band performed to around 65,000 fans, cementing their place in United States alternative culture. This made the band question if they had reached the peak of their careers, according to the 101 DVD, a documentary on the concert, but put that notion to rest with Violator, which was even more successful.
Tracklisting
01 - Never Let Me Down Again 02 - The Things You Said 03 - Strangelove 04 - Sacred 05 - Little 15 06 - Behind the Wheel 07 - I Want You Now 08 - To Have and to Hold 09 - Nothing 10 - Pimpf
Bonus Tracks
11 - Agent Orange 12 - Never Let Me Down Again (Aggro Mix) 13 - To Have and to Hold (Spanish Taster) 14 - Pleasure, Little Treasure (Glitter Mix)
'Don't Get Me Wrong' is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987.
In the US, 'Don't Get Me Wrong' became the group's second Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 10.
Their first Top 10 pop hit, 'Back on the Chain Gang', had reached number 5 in 1983. 'Don't Get Me Wrong' also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in November 1986.
In the UK, the song also peaked at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart.
This song was more commercial than the band's usual sound, with a jangly guitar sound and a pop melody. However, the lyrics were still as biting as their earlier material. It was covered by British pop singer Lily Allen for BBC Radio 1's 30th anniversary celebrations in 2007 and was released on the subsequent compilation album.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Album Version Dance - B-Side Dance - Full Length Version
'Listen' was the second album released by the UK synthpop band A Flock of Seagulls and was released in 1983.
The album teamed the musical group with record producer Mike Howlett again, except on the single release '(It's Not Me) Talking' which was produced by Bill Nelson.
The record included the UK Top 10 hit 'Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)'. The shape of a person's face on its sleeve cover is in fact the band's drummer, Ali Score.
Click the link below to download the album:
01 - Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) 02 - Nightmares 03 - Transfer Affection 04 - What Am I Supposed To Do 05 - Electrics 06 - The Traveller 07 - 2-30 08 - Over the Border 09 - The Fall 10 - (It's Not Me) Talking
Double formed in 1983 in Zurich, Switzerland by Felix Haug (drums and keyboards) and Kurt Maloo (guitar and vocals) out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members.
The high point of Double's career came shortly after the late 1985 release of their first full length album, Blue.
The album contained two of the band's earlier singles as well as the international smash hit, 'The Captain of Her Heart,' a plaintive, atmospheric, piano-led ballad which was an immediate success throughout Europe upon its 1986 single release
Click the link below to download the album 01 - The Captain of Her Heart 02 - I Know a Place 03 - Woman of the World 04 - Your Prayer Takes Me Off 05 - Rangoon Moon 06 - Urban Nomads 07 - Love is a Plane 08 - Tomorrow 09 - Devils Ball (Piano Version) Bonus Track 10 - Devis Ball - Bonus Track
'Signing Off' is the debut album by UB40, released in the UK on 29 August 1980 by Graduate Records. It reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of 71 weeks on the chart, and received a Platinum certification by BPI on 11 June 1981.
Signing Off was UB40's first album and it featured a mix of reggae and dub material which was lyrically politically charged and socially conscious, while musically it was reverb-heavy, doom-laden yet mellifluous, best exemplified in the hits 'King' and 'Food For Thought' as well as the searing 'Burden of Shame'.
The original vinyl album consisted of a ten-track LP plus a 3-track 12-inch record which included the tracks 'Madam Medusa', 'Strange Fruit' and 'Reefer Madness'.
Click the link below to download the album: 01 - Tyler 02 - King 03 - 12 Bar 04 - Burden of Shame 05 - Adella 06 - I Think It's Going to Rain Today 07 - 25% 08 - Food for Thought 09 - Little by Little 10 - Signing Off
Included is the 3 track 12 inch that came free with the album: 01 - Madam Medusa 02 - Strange Fruit 03 - Reefer Madness
A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls) are a British Grammy Award-winning band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score (keyboards, vocals) and Alister "Ali" James Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar).
'A Flock of Seagulls' is the bands eponymous debut album and was released in 1982 on Jive Records and featured international smash hit, 'I Ran (So Far Away)', which reached the top 10 in the U.S. and New Zealand, as well as number 1 in Australia. The song 'Space Age Love Song' also managed to score radio play. On the success of the singles, the album reached number 32 in the UK and 10 in the States.
The album received good reviews upon its release. It is generally recognized as a concept album about alien abduction with the tracks thus following a sequential story line. In his review for allmusic, Tom Demalon gave the album 4.5 stars, calling it "great fun and a wonderful collection of new wave ear candy". Robert Christgau ("The Dean Of American Rock Critics") was also happy with it, giving it an A- and saying that it is "so transparently, guilelessly expedient that it actually provides the hook-chocked fun most current pop bands only advertise." Other reviews pointed out the bands "pioneering sounds, compelling hooks and undeniably addictive gimmicks."
The band, and particularly this album, were influential during the 1980s, if not for their memorable image then for their surprisingly effective production techniques, which at one point garnered the respect of legendary record producer Phil Spector, who in the 1980s called the album "phenomenal."
Though this album was released in 1982, the songs 'You Can Run', 'Modern Love Is Automatic', and 'D.N.A.' came out in 1981 as part of the band's very first release, a self-titled EP which also included 'Telecommunication' and a non-LP track, 'Tanglimara'.
I have to say that this is still one of my favs albums of the 80's from a great band.
Click the link below to download the labum:
01 - I Ran 02 - Space Age Love Song 03 - You Can Run 04 - Don't Ask Me 05 - Messages 06 - Telecommunication 07 - Modern Love Is Automatic 08 - Standing In The Doorway 09 - D.N.A. 10 - Man Made 11 - Tokyo - Extra Track
The song Charlotte Sometimes is based on Charlotte Sometimes, a children's novel by Penelope Farmer, published in 1969.
Lyrics include "she was crying and crying for a girl who died so many years before" and "sometimes I'm dreaming where all the other people dance". It has dream-like rhythmic and melodic structures; recurring modal transitions, numerous harmonic suspensions and lamenting vocals create a feeling of inevitable drift into darkness. Originally a non-album single released in between Faith and Pornography, the song later appears on the 2005 reissue of Faith. A powerful live take was included on the Concert album
The B-Side of 'Charlotte Sometimes' is 'Splintered in Her Head', which is also based on the novel. The mood of 'Splintered in Her Head' is overall more disquieting, with metallic, distorted vocals and heavy percussion, foreshadowing the next year's Pornography. The Cure released a third song based on the novel, called The Empty World on the album The Top.
The ten minute live version of Faith on the B-side of the 12" version was recorded at the Sydney Capitol Theatre in August 1981 by the then Australian Broadcasting Commission's youth radio station 2JJJ. This version is reproduced on Disc 2 of the deluxe reissue of album Faith.
The cover of the single is a distorted picture of Mary Poole, Robert's then-girlfriend and now-wife. The same picture was used again as the cover of The Cure's 1990 single Pictures of You, but in that case the picture was clear and undistorted.
'Visage' is the eponymous debut album from the British pop group Visage, recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading and released by Polydor Records on 10 November 1980.
The album reached number 13 in the UK and was certified "Silver" by the British Phonographic Industry in March 1981. There were 4 singles released from the album being 'Tar', 'Fade To Grey', 'Mind of a Toy' and 'Visage'.
Click the link below to download the album:
Tracklisting:
01 - Visage 02 - Blocks on Blocks 03 - The Dancer 04 - Tar 05 - Fade to Grey 06 - Malpaso Man 07 - Mind of a Toy 08 - Moon Over Moscow 09 - Visa-age 10 - The Steps
After the split from Adam and the Ants, Ant went solo, taking his song writing partner Pirroni with him.
In 1983, Ant worked with Phil Collins and Richard James Burgess on the Strip album which was recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm.
The Title track 'Strip' was released as the second single from the album in 1983 and featured Phil Collins playing drums on the track, and singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, of ABBA fame, performing the female spoken part on the song.
However the BBC banned both the video and the song which peaked at number 41 in the UK singles chart and number 42 in the US.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Only UK TV Performance Single Version Extended Version Demo Live Version Yours, Yours, Yours - Extended B-Side
There aren't that many Swiss bands that achieved international success, but the duo band Double (pronounced doo Ble) managed it in 1985 with their 4th single 'The captain of her heart'.
Taken from their 1985 debut album Blue, the song is a ballad about a girl waiting in vain for her absent lover to return.
The song was an international success, reaching number 8 in the UK Singles Chart and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, it was a top 10 hit in the Dominican Republic, Italy, Canada, France, Norway and Germany. Interesting enough, it only reached number 11 in Switzerland.
The cover does make it look like that there are 4 members in the band. However if you look closly the two members are cloned. Always loved this track as it was a soulful balled.
Click the link to download the following: Official Music Video US Official Video Single Version 12 inch Version US Extended Version Steady Groove Mix Your Prayer Takes Me Off (Part 2) - B-Side Your Prayer Takes Me Off (Part 2) - Dub Version
'Black Celebration' is the fifth studio album by Depeche Mode. Released by Mute Records on 17 March 1986, it further cemented the darkening sound that was initially hinted towards on their album Construction Time Again.
Black Celebration did not sell as well as the previous album, and none of the three singles was a big hit. The album is one of their darkest as well, focusing more on the band's bleak side.
Black Celebration is the Depeche Mode album that has the most songs with Martin Gore on lead vocals: 'A Question of Lust', 'Sometimes', 'It Doesn't Matter Two', 'World Full of Nothing' and 'Black Day' as a bonus track. The remaining tracks are sung by David Gahan.
The track 'Fly on the Windscreen' had already been released as the B-side of the 'It's Called a Heart' single. The band decided to rework the song (adding new effects and making it more stereophonic) and released it as the 'Final' version on this album. It was later performed live, and given a slight hip hop edge during the 1993 Devotional Tour. A recorded performance of this version is featured in the live video Devotional and a special live single of 'In Your Room'.
Tracklisting: 01 - Black Celebration 02 - Fly on the Windscreen - Final 03 - A Question of Lust 04 - Sometimes 05 - It Doesn't Matter Two 06 - A Question of Time 07 - Stripped 08 - Here Is the House 09 - World Full of Nothing 10 - Dressed in Black 11 - New Dress
Bonus Tracks 12 - Breathing in Fumes 13 - But Not Tonight (Extended Remix) 14 - Black Day
'Underground' is a song from the soundtrack of the film Labyrinth, performed by David Bowie.
The track was something of an experiment for Bowie, dabbling in gospel music to a small extent, helped by a large chorus of backing vocalists and blues guitarist Albert Collins, but retaining use of synthesizers.
Steve Barron directed the video clip for promoting the song, which featured images of Bowie’s most notable “roles”, including Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke (Bowie’s 1975 persona, explicitly named during the title track of Station to Station), Thomas Newton (from The Man Who Fell to Earth), Jareth (from Labyrinth) and Baal, before Bowie dances with the puppet characters from the film and turns into a cartoon himself.
The single reached number 21 in the UK charts. A video for 'As the World Falls Down', another track from the Labyrinth album, was mooted for a Christmas 1986 single release, with a 3:36 edit and another Steve Barron video made. However, this release was cancelled, for reasons that are still largely unknown. The video, comprising mainly of clips from the film, has since been released on Bowie collections. In January 1987, another track from the soundtrack, 'Magic Dance,' was issued as an American 12” only release.
Over the years it has been speculated that Underground was the inspiration for Madonna's 1989 hit 'Like a Prayer', which also features a pop melody combined with a gospel song. 1987's 'Man in the Mirror,' co-written and sung by Michael Jackson, is another possible influence on 'Like a Prayer' and, indeed, 'Underground' could have been an influence on 'Man in the Mirror.'
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Extended Dance Mix Instrumental Version
'We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)' is the hit theme song to the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, the song was performed by Tina Turner, who also played the role of Aunty Entity in the movie, and produced by Britten.
'We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)' was released at the peak of Tina Turner's musical career, on the heels of her multiplatinum Private Dancer album and its many hit singles. The song's lyrical content and theme is mostly a statement of anti-war and anti-violence. The version played during the film differs from the version on the album and single. The song was also released in an extended, six-minute-plus 12" version, included on the soundtrack album.
The song received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song in 1986 and a 1986 Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
The video is generally considered to be one of Tina Turner's best, and remains one of her most well-known and recognizable music videos. The video features an iconic Tina Turner dressed in a heavy chain mail gown, more or less in character as Aunty Entity. Striking a bold pose atop an illuminated circular pedestal, as several spotlights train themselves on her and the camera swoops beneath her, she proceeds to sing atop the platform while various scenes from the movie are shown. In the last part of the song, Turner's tour saxophonist Tim Capello and a children's choir accompany Tina.
The music video received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video.
The song was written and produced by the same people behind Turner's Private Dancer album. Turner was backed by a choral group from King's House School in Richmond, London. One of the choir members who appeared on the record, Lawrence Dallaglio, became famous in a totally different field as a rugby union star and captain of the England national team.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Extended Video Single Version Instrumental Versionextended Version
'Crazy' is the name of a 1984 single by British pop group Five Star.
It was their third single and would later be included on their 1985 debut album Luxury of Life.
It was written by Gary Bell (who co-wrote their later hit 'System Addict'), and Anne Dudley, one of the UK's top female songwriters and composers.
This is one of a few that I did not get around to buying. If anyone has this to share, especially the Extended and Instrumental Versions, then let me know. Thank you.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Album Version
'Brothers in Arms' is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the last track on the album of the same name. It peaked at number 16 in the UK.
There are actually two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 seconds, and the shorter version which is 6:05 seconds and features slightly different (and shorter) solos at the beginning and end of the song. The version that appears on Dire Straits' greatest hits album, The Very Best of Dire Straits, is 4:55. The version featured on the live album On the Night contains an extra slide guitar solo and is 8:55. Mark Knopfler usually played the song on a Gibson Les Paul guitar, rather than his usual Schecter "Stratocaster", and a Les Paul appears in the distinctive promo video, which is in the style of a charcoal drawing, interspersing scenes of the band playing with scenes of war. During Dire Straits' 1992 On Every Street tour, Knopfler used his Pensa Suhr MK1 for this song, like most of the others.
The single was re-released to promote the compilation album, which came out just in time for Christmas 1988, but this re-release was unsuccessful in all territories.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Going Home - Live - B-Side
'Some Great Reward' is the fourth album by the British electronic group Depeche Mode, released in 1984. The album peaked at number 5 in the UK and at number 54 in the US.
The title comes from the last lines of the bridge in 'Lie to Me' when it repeats near the end.
Traclisting:
01 - Something To Do 02 - Lie To Me 03 - People Are People 04 - It Doesn't Matter 05 - Stories Of Old 06 - Somebody 07 - Master And Servant 08 - If You Want 09 - Blasphemous Rumours
'Our Lips Are Sealed' is a song written by Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Specials and Fun Boy Three singer Terry Hall.
It was first recorded by The Go-Go's as the lead-off song on their 1981 album Beauty and the Beat, and served as their debut American single. In 2000 Rolling Stone named it one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time.
In 1983 Fun Boy Three recorded their version of the song and had a major hit with it as it made it to number 7 on the UK singles Chart.
Click the link below to download the followinng: Video Single Version Special Club Remix Urdu Version Zipper Mix Going Home - Live - Bonus Limited Single We're Having All The Fun - Bonus Limited Single
'Construction Time Again' is the third studio album by the British synthpop band Depeche Mode, released in 1983. This was the first Depeche Mode album with Alan Wilder, who composed the songs 'Two Minute Warning' and 'The Landscape Is Changing' (as well as the B-side 'Fools'). The title comes from the second line of the first stanza of "Pipeline".
The album was recorded at John Foxx's Garden studios in London, engineered by Gareth Jones (who had also engineered Foxx's seminal electronic album, Metamatic). It was mixed in the famous Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin (where much of David Bowie's trilogy of seminal electronic albums featuring Brian Eno had been produced). The album's cover artwork features the Matterhorn mountain.
Tracklisting: 01 - Love, in Itself 02 - More Than a Party 03 - Pipeline 04 - Everything Counts 05 - Two Minute Warning 06 - Shame 07 - The Landscape Is Changing 08 - Told You So 09 - And Then... 10 - Everything Counts (Reprise) - [hidden track]
'Everything Counts' is Depeche Mode's eighth UK single - released on 11 July 1983, and third US single -released on 2 November 1983, from the then upcoming album Construction Time Again.
It was the first in a long line of industrial-inspired singles released by the band, and has been referred to as "arguably...the first English-language industrial pop hit." The single was re-released (in live format) on 13 February 1989 (25 March 1989 in the US) to support the live album 101.
In January 1983, shortly before the release of the 'Get the Balance Right!' single, lyricist Martin Gore attended an Einstürzende Neubauten concert, giving him the idea to experiment with the sounds of industrial music in the context of pop. This experimentation hinged on the band's first use of a Synclavier, a synthesizer that not only contained a large number of pre-programmed sounds, but also allowed for samples to be imported. With this, the band proceeded to travel around the neighbourhood where they could tape "found" sounds and feed them into the Synclavier, then manipulate the noises to fit into their songs. These sounds consisted mainly of hammering anvils, clanging pipes, running water, and the like. In addition to the "found" sounds used as samples, the single also samples a variety of musical instruments, such as the xylophone and a melodica (which Martin has been known to play on stage for the song). That spring, the band converged in London to begin recording their third album, Construction Time Again, and changed recording studios as well. For the previous two albums, the band had recorded at Blackwing Studios, but would switch to John Foxx's "The Garden" studio. This change, along with the addition of Gareth Jones to the production team facilitated the band's transition from the hook driven pop songs of their past (a transition that had begun to take shape in 1982 with the more noticeably melancholy 'Leave in Silence. The band continued perfecting their industrial formula over their next two albums, 1984's Some Great Reward and 1986's Black Celebration.
In addition to the change in the band's musical influence, the single would introduce a transition in lyrical content as well. Construction Time Again would include a bevy of political themes, sparked by the poverty Gore had seen on a recent trip he had taken to Thailand. These themes were in stark contrast from the inoffensive, love-themed pop numbers of the band's early career. 'Everything Counts', specifically addresses corporate greed and corruption in the music industry, as the chorus sings of "grabbing hands" that "grab all they can". Perhaps surprisingly, the single was released at a time when the band itself was not under a formal contract with Mute Records.
It was also the first song in the band's catalogue which includes both of the band's singers prominently (at different times). Lead vocalist David Gahan sings the verses, while song writer Martin Gore sings the chorus.
The music video for 'Everything Counts' was directed by Clive Richardson in and around Berlin. The band returned to Richardson after not being satisfied with the work of Julien Temple for the A Broken Frame singles. Richardson had previously directed the video to 'Just Can't Get Enough' two years earlier. According to Wilder, "It was felt that after the Julien Temple years, we needed to harden up not only our sound but also our image. Clive had lots of new ideas which didn't involve stupid storyboards where we were required to act."
In the original music video, the xylophone, the melodica, and the shawm are played by Alan Wilder, Martin Gore, and Andrew Fletcher, respectively. The shawm, however, is produced by a synthesizer on the studio recording, but the band used the real shawm in the music video and television performances for show.
The 'Everything Counts (Live)' video was directed by D.A. Pennebaker. The video not only includes portions of the live performance, but also contains various references to the money made from merchandise and ticket sales at the concert, humorously connected to the theme of corruption and greed of the song.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version in Larger Amounts - 12 inch mix D.I.N Remix Extended Stratosphere Remix Dub Version Roger Sanchez Remix Work Hard - B-Side Work Hard - East End 12 inch Mix
'Get the Balance Right!' is the seventh single by Depeche Mode, originally released on 31 January 1983. It is the first Depeche Mode single with Alan Wilder as an official band member, and the first with a song written by both Martin Gore and Wilder - 'The Great Outdoors!'.
'Get the Balance Right!' was not included on the following album Construction Time Again, but does appear on the American compilation People Are People and the compilation The Singles 81-85.
The B-side is 'The Great Outdoors!', an instrumental written by Martin Gore and Alan Wilder. It was the first Depeche Mode song not to be played live.
Included on the 12" releases is 'Tora! Tora! Tora! (Live)', the first live song released on a Depeche Mode single. A limited edition of the single was released, which features more live tracks: 'My Secret Garden', 'See You', and 'Satellite'. It was the first DM single to have a Limited Edition.
In the music video Wilder lip-syncs the first lines of the song, even though Dave Gahan should be singing it. The band were too afraid to tell the director that Gahan was the lead singer. The music video is not commercially available.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Demo Version Combination Mix 12 inch Mix Beat Machine Mix The Great Outdoors - B-Side
'Tar' is the debut single by the British pop group Visage. It was initially released on Radar Records on 7 September 1979, before the band had signed to Polydor. Although not a chart hit, the track is also available on Visage's eponymous debut album released in 1980.
The lyrics are centered around the habit of smoking cigarettes.
The b-side to the single is 'Frequency 7', a rapid synth song with robotic vocodor vocals. This version of 'Frequency 7' has never been re-released in any form since the original release of Tar in 1979 and is a rarity.
The more commonly-circulated 'Dance Mix' of the song is stripped of all vocals. This is also the sole Visage song where bassist Barry Adamson receives a writing credit.
Click the link below to download the following: Single Version Frequency 7 - B-Side
'Pleasure Boys' is the seventh single by the British pop group Visage, released on Polydor Records on October 29, 1982.
The track is the only one of the band's singles not to be taken from an album, though it was subsequently included on their 'Fade To Grey: The Singles Collection' compilation album in 1983.
It was also the first release by Visage after the departure of Midge Ure, who left the group due to creative differences with Steve Strange and also to concentrate on his role in Ultravox.
Possibly due to Ure's absence, 'Pleasure Boys' was the first Visage single to miss the UK top 40 (peaking at 44) after a string of five hits during the 1981-82 period.
The B-Side is a track called The Anvil. There was a German language version of The Anvil, made as a DJ white label 12" single only and later appeared on Fade to Grey - The Singles Collection (cassette version) and the Beat Boy CD release.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Dance Mix The Anvil - B-Side The Anvil - Dance Mix Der Amboss (The Anvil) - German DJ Whilte Label
'Tonight, I Celebrate My Love' is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser, recorded as a duet single released in 1983 by singers Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack.
It became a big hit for both singers, peaking at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100, number five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number four on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts.
It also peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 25th best selling single of 1983 in the UK. It boosted the careers of both stars and brought them both returns to prominence. The song was used in the mid 80's as the love theme for Bo and Hope on Days of our Lives.
Click the link below to download the following: Single Version Born To Love - B-Side
'The Look of Love' is a song recorded by ABC in 1982, included on their debut album, The Lexicon of Love.
Released as a single and as a 12" remix, the single went to number one on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart as well as the Canadian pop singles chart. It was their biggest hit in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 4, and was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., peaking at number 18.
The single consists of four parts, referred to as "Parts One, Two, Three and Four". Part One is the standard album version, Part Two is an instrumental version, Part Three is a vocal remix and Part Four is a short acoustic instrumental part of the song, containing strings and horns, as well as occasional harp plucks and xylophone. A different remix version by producer Trevor Horn appeared on the 1982 U.S. 12".
A music video for the song featured the band's members at a carnival, taped on a soundstage. The video vaguely pays homage to Gene Kelly's Ballet sequence from An American in Paris.
The '82 U.S. Extended Remix was not widely available after its initial release, but the track remained much in demand by club DJs and fans alike, and copies of the original 12" version fetched high prices. When Neutron (the band's UK label) discovered this, they issued a limited edition re-pressing of the Horn remix (though did not officially re-release the song) in 1985.
A new remix of the song by Paul O'Duffy was officially released in 1990, without participation or approval from the band's members. Subsequent years have brought numerous re-releases of The Lexicon of Love and several hits collections, yet oddly enough on the frequent occasions when a remix of 'The Look of Love' is included, it is almost always the 1990 O'Duffy retread, and not the classic, chart-topping 1982 Trevor Horn original.
The US B-side, entitled 'Theme From Mantrap', was an alternate version of 'Poison Arrow'.
In 2009 Virgin Trains used the song to front an advertising campaign to promote its services.
In 2009, the song was performed by the cast in a full song and dance number on the U.S. CW TV serial drama series Valentine, as part of the plot in which the goddess Aphrodite makes a love match at a karaoke bar.
In 2009, Payless used the song to promote holiday sales of shoewear.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Parts 1 and 2 Part 3 Part 4 7up Extended mix Disconet Mix DJ Ozyboy Mix Dream Time Mix Part 1 1990 mix Part 1 - Album Version Tackmaster Millennium Mix Ultimix Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1982 Live in Musikhalle Hamburg 1983 US Remix 1990 Remix Ocean Blue - 1990 B-Side
'I Believe In Father Christmas' is a song by Greg Lake (most famously a member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), with lyrics by Peter Sinfield. Although it is often categorised as a Christmas song this was not Lake's intention.
If there’s one thing the 1980s had that seems to have been lost in more recent times it is the really cheesey song. They don’t come much cheesier than Save Your Love, the 1982 Christmas UK number one hit from classy duo Renee and Renato.YETDpw~~_12.jpg)
In 1982 Shakin Stevens released a single in time for the christmas market.
Synth Britannia is BBC4 documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.
Get Close is the fourth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1986.
The follow-up to a massive hit can go several ways, but the main possibilities include: 1) an almost exact simulation, a lucky strike turned into a formula or 2) the hit is used as a springboard to go deeper and weirder, with the added confidence caused by unexpected success.
The Story of a Young Heart is the third album by A Flock of Seagulls, released in 1984.
'Music for the Masses' is the sixth studio album by Depeche Mode. Released by Mute Records on September 28, 1987, it provided the band with mainstream success in the United States for the first time since Some Great Reward. It was supported by the Music for the Masses Tour, which compiles material into the band's first live album 101.
'Don't Get Me Wrong' is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987.
'Listen' was the second album released by the UK synthpop band A Flock of Seagulls and was released in 1983.
Double formed in 1983 in Zurich, Switzerland by Felix Haug (drums and keyboards) and Kurt Maloo (guitar and vocals) out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members.
'Signing Off' is the debut album by UB40, released in the UK on 29 August 1980 by Graduate Records. It reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of 71 weeks on the chart, and received a Platinum certification by BPI on 11 June 1981.
A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls) are a British Grammy Award-winning band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score (keyboards, vocals) and Alister "Ali" James Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar).
The song Charlotte Sometimes is based on Charlotte Sometimes, a children's novel by Penelope Farmer, published in 1969.
'Visage' is the eponymous debut album from the British pop group Visage, recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading and released by Polydor Records on 10 November 1980.
After the split from Adam and the Ants, Ant went solo, taking his song writing partner Pirroni with him.
There aren't that many Swiss bands that achieved international success, but the duo band Double (pronounced doo Ble) managed it in 1985 with their 4th single 'The captain of her heart'.
'Black Celebration' is the fifth studio album by Depeche Mode. Released by Mute Records on 17 March 1986, it further cemented the darkening sound that was initially hinted towards on their album Construction Time Again.
'Underground' is a song from the soundtrack of the film Labyrinth, performed by David Bowie.
'Hymn to Her' was the 2nd single release from the album 'Get Close'.
'We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)' is the hit theme song to the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, the song was performed by Tina Turner, who also played the role of Aunty Entity in the movie, and produced by Britten.
'Round and Round' is the fifth single released by Jaki Graham.
'Beat Boy' is the ninth single by the British pop band Visage, released on Polydor Records on November 4, 1984. The single did not chart.
'Crazy' is the name of a 1984 single by British pop group Five Star.
'Love Glove' is the eighth single by British pop group Visage, released on Polydor Records on 17 August 1984.
'Brothers in Arms' is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the last track on the album of the same name. It peaked at number 16 in the UK.
'Some Great Reward' is the fourth album by the British electronic group Depeche Mode, released in 1984. The album peaked at number 5 in the UK and at number 54 in the US.
'Our Lips Are Sealed' is a song written by Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Specials and Fun Boy Three singer Terry Hall.
'Construction Time Again' is the third studio album by the British synthpop band Depeche Mode, released in 1983. This was the first Depeche Mode album with Alan Wilder, who composed the songs 'Two Minute Warning' and 'The Landscape Is Changing' (as well as the B-side 'Fools'). The title comes from the second line of the first stanza of "Pipeline".
'Everything Counts' is Depeche Mode's eighth UK single - released on 11 July 1983, and third US single -released on 2 November 1983, from the then upcoming album Construction Time Again.
'Get the Balance Right!' is the seventh single by Depeche Mode, originally released on 31 January 1983. It is the first Depeche Mode single with Alan Wilder as an official band member, and the first with a song written by both Martin Gore and Wilder - 'The Great Outdoors!'.
'Moon Over Moscow' is a strange single as it was only ever released in Japan, in 1981, and does not always appear on
Visage's Discographies.
'R.S.V.P.' is the name of a 1985 single by British pop group Five Star.
'Tar' is the debut single by the British pop group Visage. It was initially released on Radar Records on 7 September 1979, before the band had signed to Polydor. Although not a chart hit, the track is also available on Visage's eponymous debut album released in 1980.
'Pleasure Boys' is the seventh single by the British pop group Visage, released on Polydor Records on October 29, 1982.
'Night Train' is the sixth single by the British pop group Visage, released by Polydor Records on 11 June 1982.
'Tonight, I Celebrate My Love' is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser, recorded as a duet single released in 1983 by singers Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack.
'The Look of Love' is a song recorded by ABC in 1982, included on their debut album, The Lexicon of Love.
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