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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'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
'The Rise & Fall' is the fourth album by the British pop group Madness. This album saw Madness at their most experimental, exhibiting a range of musical styles including jazz, English music hall and Eastern influences. NME described it at the time of its release as "The best Madness record".
It has often been retrospectively described as a concept album. Though the album was never released in the USA, several tracks were later placed on the compilation Madness, including the melancholic pop of 'Our House.
Tracklisting: 01 - Rise and Fall 02 - Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) 03 - Blue Skinned Beast 04 - Primrose Hill 05 - Mr. Speaker Gets the Word 06 - Sunday Morning 07 - Our House 08 - Tiptoes 09 - New Delhi 10 - That Face 11 - Calling Cards 12 - Are You Coming (With Me) 13 - Madness (Is All in the Mind)
'Private Investigations' is a popular song by Dire Straits from their album Love Over Gold. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached number 2 in the UK, and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with 'Walk of Life'. Similarly, the album it came from, Love over Gold, only sold 0.5 million copies in the US, though it was well-received elsewhere.
The song begins with a slow piano riff accompanying an acoustic guitar. After several verses, the song opens up into a slow, bass-driven beat, with an electric guitar coming in at the end, before the gradual diminuendo featuring extended interplay between Mark Knopfler's acoustic guitar and Marimba played by Mike Mainieri.
On the Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits DVD, Mark Knopfler said this about the song: "It's just about the Private Investigations... "What have you got at the end of the day" - Nothing more than you started out with..." It is said the song was inspired by author Raymond Chandler.
The riff from the song was used on a BT advert in 1994.
Click the link below to download the following: Single Version T-Shirts - B-Side
'I Won't Let You Down' was a single in 1982 by the band Ph.D..
It reached number 3 in the U.K. charts in April 1982.
The band consisted of Jim Diamond who was the lead vocalist, Tony Hymas on keyboards and Simon Phillips on drums. It went on to become the 23rd best selling single of 1982 in the UK.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Hideaway - B-Side
Jon & Vangelis released 'State of Independence' as a single in 1981, with 'Beside' as the B-Side. It was re-released in 1984 and this version peaked at number 67 in the UK Singles Chart
Donna Summer covered 'State of Independence' on her 1982 album Donna Summer produced by Quincy Jones. It was released as the follow-up to her hit single 'Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)' in 1982. Summer's version of the song features an all-star choir including among others Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, James Ingram, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder and reached number 14 in UK Singles Chart.
Click the link below to download the following:
Jon and Vangelis Album Version Single Version Beside - B-Side
Donna Summer Video Single Version Love Is Just A Breath Away - B-Side
'Whispers' is a Japanese only single, which is particularly interesting because it contains a unique edit of Whispers that is not found any where else.
In 1982 TDK Japan made two TV adverts featuring Steve Strange, using Night Train and Whispers, both later released as singles in Japan.
Interesting feature is also the colour picture insert of the band photographed in the gardens of Munich's Schloss Nymphenburg with Japanese text biography and lyrics printed on the reverse of the vinyl.
The track was featured on the album Anvil.
Click the link below to download the following: Single Version The Horseman - B-Side
'Poison Arrow' is a New Wave single released and popularised by ABC in 1982 and also included on their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love.
It reached number 6 on the UK singles chart, number 4 in Australia and also was their first entry on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, at number 25. Karen Clayton provides the backing vocals.
The single was released in the UK on 7" and 12", with the same mix appearing on both formats; however a subsequent U.S. 12" remix (also known as the "Jazz Remix") appears on several ABC compilations and as a bonus track on reissues of The Lexicon of Love.
An alternate version of this song, entitled Theme From Mantrap, was released as the B-side of Poison Arrow in the UK and The Look of Love in the US. Their UK hit, Tears Are Not Enough, was the US B-side of Poison Arrow.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version US Remix Theme from Mantrap - B-Side
Tears for Fears released 'Pale Shelter' as a single three times. The first edition, with (You Don't Give Me Love) in the tiel, was produced by Mike Howlett and was released as the band's second single, after their debut single 'Suffer the children'. Both tracks of this single would appear on the band's debut album 'The hurting', but in re-recorded versions.
About the lyric, Roland Orzabal said: 'It's a kind of a love song, though more referring to one's parents than to a girl'. One of the oldest Tears For Fears songs it was recorded, along with 'Suffer The Children', for the duo's first demo tape in 1981. The title of the song is a reference to "Pale Shelter Scene", a 1941 drawing by British sculptor Henry Moore.
The second version was produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Collum, released just after Tears for Fears' debut album 'The hurting' in 1983. To provide a chart push this second time around, Mercury took full advantage of the picture disc and coloured vinyl gimmicks that were popular at the time. In all, eleven different variations of the reissued single were available for purchase. It helped get the single to peak at number 5 in the UK singles chart in April 1983. The promotional music video for 'Pale Shelter' was filmed in early 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. The video is notable for a scene in which Orzabal and Smith walk on the tarmac of an airport towards an image of a giant iron burn, with steam coming off the image as they walk over it. It was also notable for a scene in which they walk headfirst into a sea of flying paper airplanes, with one of them hitting Orzabal directly in the eye. The video was directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron.
Welcome to the year 1982. It was a year of royal stories: future heir to the throne, Prince William, was born. The Queen had a rude awakening when she found a man sitting on the end of her bed in Buckingham Palace... and it wasn't Prince Philip.
Channel 4 went on air for the first time on 2nd November and began broadcasting with Countdown. The government gave the go-ahead for satellite television.
Actress Sophia Loren was imprisoned for a month in her native Italy for tax evasion.
The Barbican Arts Centre in London was opened by the Queen and Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit Britain in 450 years.
Video laser discs began a short lived existence and the Sony Pocket Television or Watchman was introduced.
ET landed in cinemas and Boy George set the charts alight with the group Culture Club.
'It Must Be Love' is a song written and originally recorded in 1971 by Labi Siffre. However, the best known version was recorded by ska/pop band Madness in 1981. The single made it to number 4 in the UK singles Chart.
The song was featured in the 1989 movie, The Tall Guy starring Jeff Goldblum, Rowan Atkinson and Emma Thompson. Suggs also appeared in the movie whilst singing this song. The single was reissued to tie in with the film but was not a hit on that occasion.
A version with altered lyrics was used to advertise Midland Bank in 1994, and Madness' version was also used to advertise LoveFilm in 2009. Siffre's original version also appeared in a 2007 UK television advertisement for Vodafone.
The singer of the Belgian group Arid, Jasper Steverlinck, also released a cover of this song
The original Labi Siffre recording was released as a single in 1971, and reached number 14 in the UK singles chart. It also appeared on his 1972 album Crying Laughing Loving Lying.
Madness' version was originally issued as a standalone single in 1981 and appeared on their UK number one compilation album Complete Madness the following year, and on many other Madness compilations since. In 1983, it peaked in the US Billboard Magazine chart at number 33.
The video mostly shows band members playing in a white room and standing over a grave. It also features guitarist Chris Foreman and saxophonist Lee Thompson playing their instruments underwater. Foreman appears at the start of the video warning viewers not to attempt the "very dangerous stunt" they are about to see, presumably referring to the swimming pool sequence. Labi Siffre makes a cameo appearance as a violin player.
Madness' recording was re-issued in 1992, and this time reached number 6 in the UK charts. A slightly remixed version with a definite ending instead of the original fade-out, appeared on the 2002 compilation Our House: the Best of Madness. More recently, in 2007, a remixed version of the song appeared in the German Edgar Wallace spoof movie Neues vom Wixxer, along with a new recording called “NW5”. As well as the remix to the song, a new video was filmed, including the band and members of the cast.
Also in 2007, Paolo Nutini covered the song for BBC Radio 1's cover compilation album, Radio 1 Established 1967.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version Almighty Mix Shadow On The House - Original B-Side Shodow On The House - Instrumental Mrs Hutchinson - Re-issue B-Side Bed And Breakfast Man - 1992 B-Side Bed And Breakfast Man - Video
Today is the first anniversary of me starting my blog. I never thought it would last this long and that it would generate interest so I am happy to be passing this first of many milestones.
On that first day I posted as my first post Imagination - New Dimension. I thought that it would be only fitting to post the first post of the next year as another Imagination post (as you can never have enough of them LOL). So here is ....
After the success of 'Body Talk', Imagination released their 2nd single in 1981 titled 'In And Out Of Love'.
Continuing the soulfulness of the previous single this only reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Live Performance Single Version Imstrumental Version
Mistaken Identity, released in 1981, is the sixth studio album by Kim Carnes.
It reached number 26 and spent 16 weeks on the UK Album Charts. It also spent four weeks as number one on Billboard magazine's Pop Albums chart, and was subsequently certified platinum.
The album spawned three singles, 'Bette Davis Eyes', 'Draw of the Cards' and the title track (but not released in the UK).
Tracklsiting: 01 - Bette Davis Eyes 02 - Hit and Run 03 - Mistaken Identity 04 - When I´m Away from You 05 - Draw of the Cards 06 - Break the Rules Tonite (Out of School) 07 - Still Hold On 08 - Don't Call It Love 09 - Miss You Tonight 10 - My Old Pals
'The Sound Of The Crowd' is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It became the band's commercial breakthrough, reaching number 12 on the UK singles chart in May 1981.
Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Ian Burden, the song was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios, Reading, in March 1981. Originally released as a stand-alone single in April 1981, it was subsequently re-recorded and incorporated into the studio album Dare, later in the year.
'The Sound Of The Crowd' was the first Human League song to feature female vocals from new band members Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, interacting with Philip Oakey's baritone lead.
The single was the first to feature a distinctive, though short-lived, marketing tactic, where Human League singles were labelled 'Red' or 'Blue' to help buyers differentiate between the band's musical styles. 'Red' was for dance tracks, 'Blue' for pop songs. 'The Sound Of The Crowd' was designated 'Red'. When asked to explain the system, vocalist Sulley explained that "Red is for posers, for Spandy (Spandau Ballet) types." Oakey added: "Blue is for ABBA fans."
Click the link below to download the following: TOTP Performance Single Version 12 inch Verson Instrumental Version
Body Talk is the debut album by British soul/dance group Imagination, produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released in 1981 . It is one of the earliest albums of its genre to have a distinctive 'British' sound as opposed to being an attempt to recreate contemporary American styles.
The title track was an immediate hit, reaching number 4 on the UK singles chart. Two further singles, 'In and Out of Love' and 'Flashback', also reached the top 20. The album itself peaked at number 20.
Body Talk proved to be an enduring album, with the tracks So Good, So Right' and 'Burnin' Up' being cited as influential and ahead of their time (the latter has been acknowledged by Frankie Knuckles as a key track in the development of house music).
Tracklisting: 01 - Body Talk 02 - So Good, So Right 03 - Burnin' Up 04 - Tell Me Do You Want My Love 05 - Flashback 06 - I'll Always Love You (But Don't Look Back) 07 - In and Out of Love
'Shut Up' is a pop song written by Suggs and Chris Foreman. It was recorded by British pop/ska band Madness, and was featured on the band's third album 7. It was released as a single on September 11, 1981, spending 10 weeks in the UK Singles Chart. It reached a high position of number 7.
The song tells a story of a criminal who, despite obvious evidence, tries to convince people he is not guilty. Even though the song is called 'Shut Up', the two words do not appear in the lyrics at all. However, they were the final words of an additional verse which was part of an early version of the song.
The promotional video for the single released featured the band dressed as a group of criminals, then later as policemen, while lead singer Suggs remained dressed as a villain. In one sequence, the costumed band gather round as Chris Foreman (in police uniform) plays the song's guitar solo on a "Super Yob" guitar.
In addition to its single release and appearance on the album 7, 'Shut Up' also appears on the Madness collections Complete Madness, It's... Madness Too, The Business, Divine Madness (a.k.a. The Heavy Heavy Hits) and Our House. It also features on two US Madness compilations, Madness and Total Madness.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single Version A Town With No Name - B-Side
'Wild Is the Wind' is a song written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington. The track was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis for the 1957 film Wild Is the Wind. The song was very popular and was one of five songs nominated for an Academy Award; it was sung by Johnny Mathis at the March 1958 Oscar presentations. It was later covered by Nina Simone on the album Wild Is The Wind (1966). David Bowie recorded a version of it in 1976 for his album Station to Station. Bowie was an admirer of Simone’s style, and after meeting her in Los Angeles was inspired to record the song for his album.
The Dutch band Clan of Xymox released a cover version of the song in 1994 on their album Headcloud. Australian/English band Fatal Shore recorded 'Wild Is the Wind' in 1997 for their self-titled debut album. George Michael covered it on his 1999 album Songs from the Last Century, and Chan Marshall (Cat Power) recorded a version on her 2000 album The Covers Record, as well as a live version for iTunes in 2006. Scottish singer Billy Mackenzie also covered the song; a version appeared posthumously on the 2001 EP Wild Is the Wind and on the 2005 album Transmission Impossible. TV on the Radio sampled Nina Simone's version on the song 'Say You Do' on their self-released 2002 debut OK Calculator.In 2003, Barbra Streisand recorded the song for her album The Movie Album (2003), and filmed a music video. Nina Simone's version appeared on the trailer for the 2008 movie Revolutionary Road.
Click the link below to download the following: Single Version Golden Years - B-side
'Open Your Heart' is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK in October 1981 and peaked at number six in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis. The song features a lead vocal by Oakey and female backing vocals by Susanne Sulley (now Susan Ann Sulley) and Joanne Catherall, analogue synthesizers by Jo Callis, Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden. Drum machines, sequencing and programming were provided by producer Martin Rushent.
'Open Your Heart' was the last of three songs from the Dare album to be released in advance of the album itself. Unlike previous singles 'Sound of the Crowd' and 'Love Action (I Believe in Love)', 'Open Your Heart' was written specifically for the album Dare. It was chosen by Virgin executive Simon Draper to be the Dare's taster single, deliberately issued just in advance of the album. It quickly reached number six in the UK singes chart and raised the band's profile to the highest it had been to that point. Issued only three weeks before Dare, the single acted as a powerful promotional vehicle for the album.
The cover artwork and promotional video was deliberately coordinated with its parent album.
At the time, as a short-lived marketing tactic, The Human League were labeling their singles "Red" or "Blue" to help buyers differentiate between the band's musical styles. 'Open Your Heart' was the first to be designated "Blue".
Smash Hits magazine wrote at the time: "You have to give the band their due. From being considered no-hopers, they're now Virgin's biggest (financial) hope. This is a number one. It's got everything - strong chorus, instant appeal and dreamboat topping."
The music video which accompanies the original version of 'Open Your Heart' was the first video that the band recorded. Previous Human League (Mk1) releases had been promoted with footage of the band onstage, interspersed with Philip Adrian Wright's slides and visuals. The preceding single 'Love Action (I Believe in Love)' had originally been released without a video, but one was later recorded for its U.S. release in 1982.
Virgin Records and Oakey were keen to use the video to promote the future album as much as the current single, so video director Brian Grant borrowed heavily from the album’s imagery. The opening scene is a video montage of the portraits of the six band members exactly as they appear on the cover of the album. The band are all dressed and made up in the same style as Dare's photography. The video was shot in a studio on video tape and was mixed and enhanced using then cutting edge analogue video effects. Imagery of Oakey dominated most scenes, cut in with Sulley and Catherall dancing in slow motion and static shots of Wright, Callis, Burden. The final shot of the video lingers on an actual cover of (then) unreleased Dare.
Click the link below to download the following: Video Single ersion Remixed Version
Randy Crawford was born 18th February 1952, Macon, Georgia, USA.
Randy Crawford's initial notoriety came from her fiery vocal on 'Street Life,' a 1979 song matching her with the Crusaders that was included on the soundtrack for Burt Reynolds' film Sharky's Machine.
Crawford was born in Macon and grew up in Cincinnati; she worked in clubs as a teen, accompanied by her father. Crawford was lead vocalist in a group that included bassist Bootsy Collins before touring as George Benson's opening act in 1972.
Secret Combination is Crawford's 5th Studio Album. Rich, proud work from Randy Crawford, sung with the mature mix of jazz and soul that made her one of the more sophisticated mainstream singers of her generation! The album's heavy on mellower cuts, but it's never too sleepy thanks to a slow-burning sensibility that Randy uses to keep things cooking on the low burners, a style that brings out some good vocal force even when the backings are somewhat gentle. Production's by Tommy LiPuma, and somewhat slick, and tracks include 'You Might Need Somebody', 'That's How Heartaches Are Made', 'Two Lives', 'You Bring The Sun Out', 'Rio De Janeiro Blue', 'Time For Love', 'Trade Winds', and 'When I Lose My Way'.
Tracklisting: 01 - You Might Need Somebody 02 - Rainy Night in Georgia 03 - That's How Heartaches Are Made 04 - Two Lives 05 - You Bring the Sun Out 06 - Rio de Janeiro Blue 07 - Secret Combination 08 - When I Lose My Way 09 - Time for Love 10 - Trade Winds
'Jealous Guy' is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several countries directly after John Lennon's death.
Following Lennon's death in 1980, Roxy Music added a cover version of the song to their set while touring in Australia, which they recorded and released in March 1981. This attracted some criticism at the time as it was suggested that they were cashing in on the success of Lennon's work following his death.
Previously Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music's lead singer) had recorded the song as a solo artist. The single was released by Polydor with 'To Turn you on' as the B-side. The song was the only UK number 1 hit for Roxy Music, topping the charts for two weeks in March 1981.
Clic the link below to downloaad the following: Video Single Version Extended Version To Turn You On - B-Side
Fun Boy Three were a short-lived but successful English band which ran from 1981 to 1983 and was formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left The Specials. They dispensed with the darker, moody sound and demeanour which they and Jerry Dammers had crafted with great success in the ska revival of the late 1970s and went into a much brighter, poppier phase with this new band, though maintaining savagery and wit within the lyrics and Hall's wholly expressionless persona.
Together, they set about making music which covered a variety of genres. Their first single was titled 'The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylym)' was a fun single with a serious message that showed the public the new direction the band was to follow.
The single made it to number 20 in the UK Singles chart.
Click the link below to download the following: Video TOTP Performance Single Version Faith, Hope and Charity - B-Side Faith, Hope And Charity - Extended Version