Random 80's Wednesday

Here's the second part of my La Folie Du Jour tribute.

Other Voices - Another Tuesday (7" Single, 1983)

22 Beaches - Dust (from the compilation cassette Another Spark, 1984)

The Another Spark compilation, an independent release, also included rare music by Microdisney, In Embrace, 1000 Mexicans, Perfect Vision, and many others.

Steve Lake - Life Of Riley (12" Single, 1987)

This is my second post of a Steve Lake track lately. Clearly an overlooked talent. His website is at www.stevelake.co.uk

Datblygu - Tu Allan (from Fi Du, 1984)

I couldn't find the track from the Datblygu single referenced on LFDJ, so here's a track from a very limited cassette released a couple of years earlier.

Captain Sensible - The Ballad Of Mark And Shula (from the "Come On Down" 12" Single, 1985)

My own find, this. A typically bizarre B-Side from the Captain, containing bits of his hit "It's Hard To Believe I'm Not" and what appears to be some factory boss bemoaning the fundamentally lazy British workers who clock in and read newspapers in the loo.

Frontier Scouts tracks can be found at the Chapter Music page on Bandcamp.

Go2 - I Like My Own Company

7" Single, released in 1982

Go2 - I Like My Own Company (A-Side)

Go2 - My Heart Bleeds (B-Side)

Suburban Sprawl - Borders

7" Single, released in 1986

Suburban Sprawl - Borders (A-Side)

Suburban Sprawl - Album Excerpts (B-Side)

The only Suburban Sprawl album I could find information on was called Ice and was released in 1989-90. I'm presuming that an earlier album exists - the excerpts are quite tasty - but I can't confirm this.

Random 80's Wednesday

Hello and thanks for stopping by today. Something a bit different this week, and moving forwards also. I've been meaning to comment on the slow pace of updates recently. My fiancee and I recently took on the full time care of two boys, one aged 8 and the other just a year. With my daily commute, three dogs, and living in a small house, it's been difficult to find the time and space to set up and use my turntable. For one thing, everything has to be kept out of baby's reach! So, like the Imajinca single I just posted, I'll do a few here and there but for the time being I'm largely restricted to music I've already recorded or obtained digitally elsewhere. So bear with me.

I was researching an album I saw on Discogs.com when I came across a very interesting, but old blog, namely La Folie Du Jour. It's been inactive for four years but the breadth of music showcased was quite impressive. Anyone who puts a Screen 3 B-Side in a compilation is o.k. with me! Sadly all the links were expired, but it did inspire me to go look for some of the music mentioned, so I'll be posting some here as a tribute to a great blog. I'll also try to comment on the bands as I go.

Yeah Jazz - Julie And The Sealions (7" Single, 1984)

Yeah Jazz were from Uttoxeter and released a handful of cassettes and albums. You can buy some of them at Smalltown Records.

The Turquoise Swimming Pools - Burst Balloons (from the Zoo compilation To The Shores of Lake Placid, 1982)

The sort-of supergroup TSP were Troy Tate and David Balfe from Teardrop Explodes, and producer/engineer Hugh Jones.

Bamboo Zoo - Submarine (from Look! Listen! Consume!, 1981)

Bamboo Zoo were a Manchester post punk band. They have a Facebook page. They have also posted new music on Reverbnation.

What To Wear - The Robbery (from Casual But Smart EP, 1980)

The Procession - Secret Love For Dinosaurs (from Haunted By Memories, 1987)

In addition, several of the tracks I saw posted are now available through legal channels:

Shiny Two Shiny, a Liverpool synth band, had the bulk of their material reissued on the compilation When The Rain Stops, in 2014.

Eton Crop have their own Bandcamp page.

Matthew Young also has a Bandcamp page.

New Zealand band Front Lawn also have a Bandcamp page.

The Brotherhood of Lizards album Lizardland, with bonus tracks, is also available at Bandcamp. English pop whimsy at it's finest.

Imajinca - The Very First Video Kiss

7" Single, released in 1984

Imajinca - The Very First Video Kiss (A-Side)

Imajinca - All In A Moment (B-Side) 

Random 80's Wednesday (and some other decades as well)

We had a very nice, sun dappled holiday in Europe. So why post songs about rain? Uh, why not, right?

Steve Lake - In Every Life A Little Rain Must Fall (from Murder Violence Sex Divorce, 1985)
Geoff Byrd - Tale Of The Rain And The Moon (from Candy Shell, 2003)
Last Gentlemen - Grey Rain (from Last Gentlemen, 1985)
Casey Stratton - Past The Rain (from Standing At The Edge, 2004)
Merge - Ocean Rain (from Lost Heroes, 2001)

Random 80's Wednesday

Ata-Tat - Where The Wind Blows Best (from Ata-Tat EP, 1986)
Applied Science - Shadows Of Fear (from Definition, 1986)
Immaculate Fools - Tragic Comedy (from Dumb Poet, 1987)
The Crystal Set - Benefit Of The Doubt (from From Now On, 1987)
Glory - Hearts Will Sing (7" Single, 1987)

Random 80's Wednesday

Meat Loaf - Special Girl (7" Single, 1987)
Hearts On Fire - You Promised Me A Camera (from Dreams Of Leaving, 1985)
TV Smith - New Ways Are Best (Unreleased, available on Sparkle In The Mud CD)
Sad Lovers And Giants - Toy Planes In The Sky (from Treehouse Poetry, 1991)
Push - You Never Wait (from Push EP, 1984)

Random 80's Wednesday

The Goodbye Look - Half The Fun Of The Crime (7" Single, 1985)
The Snake Corps - Victory Parade (from Flesh On Flesh, 1985)
Twenty Two Cavegods - Raised Up (from Raised Up, 1988)
Emerald Choir - Autumn Winds (from Timber Timbre Burn, 1987)
Valerie And The Week Of Wonders - Real Surprise (7" Single, 1984)

Jump The Nile - Like The Cruel Sea

7" Single, released in 1984

Jump The Nile - Like The Cruel Sea (A-Side)

Jump The Nile - Wire (B-Side)

Portable People - Passion Beat

7" Single, released in 1983

Portable People - Passion Beat (A-Side)

Portable People - It's For You (B-Side)

Portable People was a pretty obscure Pittsburgh band fronted by Rick Reynolds. Rick continues to record and release music through CD Baby. I don't know if PP recorded anything else.

Radio Earth - Never To Make You Cry

7" Single, released in 1987

Radio Earth - Never To Make You Cry (A-Side)

Radio Earth - Heart Of Stone (B-Side)

Random 80's Wednesday

Freeze Frame - Today Tomorrow (7" Single, 1985)
Persian Gulf - Everything Begins Again (from The Movie, 1986)
Stream Dreams - Promises Of Love (from Red Red Rain, 1985)
Middle Class - Everything (from Homeland, 1982)
Systems Of Romance - Stay (from Dare The Dance, 1983)

Italian Heroes - All For Nothing

7" Single, released in 1986

Italian Heroes - All For Nothing (A-Side)

Italian Heroes - Monte Carlo (B-Side)

Random 80's Wednesday

Swing Set - The Dance (from Life Speeds Up, 1986)
Basking Sharks - Red Rose (from Shark Island, 1983)
D-Day - Dance It Off (from D-Day, 1983)
Jules Shear - Chain Within A Chain (from Demo-itis, 1986)
Milltown Brothers - Janice Is Gone (from Manchester, North of England, 1988)

Lemon Hearts - Shake Yourself

7" and 12" Single, released in 1987

Lemon Hearts - Shake Yourself (Extended Mix)

Lemon Hearts - Honey From The Spoon (B-Side)

Lemon Hearts - Pure Love (12" Single B-Side)

Lemon Hearts - Shake Yourself (7" Single A-Side)

Download

Although they only released one single, I love the Lemon Hearts. I took a chance on buying the single unheard several years ago, and then later I found the 12 inch. Last year I messaged producer Nick Tesco over Twitter and he confirmed that the Lemon Hearts had been a new incarnation of Epic pop hopefuls the Roaring Boys, last heard of in 1985. I may have featured a track or two before, but here's their entire recorded output, at least as far as I know.

The Bic - Musica Pop

7" Single, released in 1983

The Bic - Musica Pop (A-Side)

The Bic - Go Jo (B-Side)

This was the first single released by Go! Discs, famously the label of The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, The La's and, um, The Southernaires...

Vocalist Bric Brack appeared on a couple of other things, but this was a one-off - and pretty fun - single.

John Adams - Through The Eyes Of Love

7" Single, released in 1985

John Adams - Through The Eyes Of Love (A-Side)

John Adams - Don't Turn And Walk Away (B-Side)

Here's the solo 1985 single from Private Lives front man John Adams, produced by Andy Taylor of Duran Duran.

RAH Band - Sweet Forbidden

7" Single, released in 1986

RAH Band - Sweet Forbidden (A-Side)

RAH Band - Perfect Stranger (B-Side)

Eclectic and idiosyncratic, Richard Hewson's RAH Band flitted around the UK pop scene from the late seventies, enjoying a couple of sizeable hits - including "Clouds Across The Moon", a Top Ten smash which lead to a memorable Top Of The Pops performance including a Logan's Run-inspired 'Intergalactic operator'.

After releasing several singles from the resultant Mystery album, "Sweet Forbidden" was the first of a number of stand alone single releases, and after being dropped from RCA, their follow up album Something About The Music remained unreleased until appearing on iTunes a couple of years ago.

Not everyone's cup of tea, but personally I find it easy to warm to Liz Hewson's delightfully unaffected vocals. The band has a website and a Facebook page.

Random 80's Wednesday

Haven't done one of these for a while!

Figure 5 - Paradise (from Born To Vacation, 1985)
The MPs - Lavender Time (from Beater Release, 1987)
Black - It's Easy (Peel Session, 1982)
Naffi - D'Ya Hear Me (7" Single, 1981)
Some Now Are - Truth To Tell (7" Single, 1983)