SSQ - Screaming In My Pillow (1983)

When I posted "Screaming In My Pillow" by SSQ last week, I was unaware that there was a promo video and that it was also a bit naughty. Apparently there was a VHS tape called Sexy Shorts released in 1984 that contained several uncensored music videos, including the SSQ promo and "Images of Heaven" by Peter Godwin, among others.

Check this out! [Embedding/link updated November 2011]


More Videos at ChordsCenter

If the embedding doesn't work, the direct link is here.

And, in case you missed it, I also posted the Peter Godwin video here.

And, seeing as it's Halloween and I'm posting naughty SSQ videos, I can't really avoid posting the clip of "Tonight We'll Make Love 'Til We Die" from the movie Return of the Living Dead.

Random 80's Wednesday

Jules Shear - All Through The Night (from Watch Dog, 1983)
Bill Pritchard - Tommy And Co (from Three Months, Three Weeks And Two Days, 1988)
The Big Dish - Prospect Street (from Swimmer, 1986)
Jimmy The Hoover - Bandana Street (Use It) (7" Single, 1985)
The Beloved - A Hundred Words (from Where It Is, 1988)

With many thanks to I Am Not The Beatles for allowing the shameless theft of the Jimmy The Hoover track.

Nostalgia Trip: Action Transfers

Anyone remember these things? Minutes of fun guaranteed, thanks to Action Transfers or Letraset, as I seem to remember they were also called.

You could relive the best moments from movies by carefully rubbing your transfer onto a generic background using a ballpoint pen. I remember this because it was about the only time a ballpoint pen would find it's way into my grubby little mitt.

Inevitably, the transfers would go wrong, and Obi-Wan Kenobi would get cut in half - without a lightsaber. They were permanent, so if you accidentally rubbed on a stormtrooper upside down, you had to claim that the force had thrown him against the wall or something.

It wasn't just Star Wars, either. At one time you could get rub-on transfers for anything. There's a website devoted to the subject here.

Well folks I looked for more exciting websites devoted to the subject, but I guess that's your lot.

Saying Goodbye - And Hello

Probably my favorite new wave inspired music blog It Should Have Been A Hit has just shut down. I'm amazed how many posts the author Mikeyten managed to fire out in less than twelve months. The guy deserves a rest! I've discovered so much great music there, I will probably post a couple of compilations for the curious.

On the other hand, I've just discovered Hallway of Memories which is a great trawl through obscure 80's material, mostly rarer extended mixes. Very nice.

The Sweet Sounds of Zuckerbaby

Here's another little gem I found for 99 cents recently. Zuckerbaby is a Canadian band that mixes classic rock, britpop and power pop in a good way. Platinum Again, their second album, was released in 1999. The album is out of print, but available at Amazon for just a few cents. Here's some tasters:

Zuckerbaby - Blindside
Zuckerbaby - Overexposure
Zuckerbaby - Destination Alone

You Are Going To Love This Band

I received an email from somewhere a little while ago urging me to check out a band called Empire of the Sun, because "you are going to love this band". Yeah, right, I thought.

I guess someone knows me pretty well, because the first track I previewed, "Walking On A Dream" is awesome. Aside from the excellent Star Wars inspired artwork, the sound is very reminiscent of what I imagine a collaboration between Prince and Fischerspooner might be like. In other words, bloody marvelous. The video, set in Shanghai, is cool as well.

MySpace Site
Official Site

By the way, hope you like the new look. There's going to be some changes around here!

On the Road

I've been in Portland, Oregon this week. Hence the lack of updates. I came here eleven years ago but it seems like a new city.

Lots of discoveries. Like, that the world's largest new and used bookstore is called Powell's City of Books and is here in Portland. And yes, you do need a map there.

Normal(ish) service will resume soon!!

Pigs Will Fly

I'm not sure if everyone has been paying attention, but 2008 has turned into a bumper year for reissues of classic albums on CD.

When I started posting my wish lists on 80's boards a few years ago, most of them were pipe dreams. Now, with the dwindling market for physical product generally, it seemed likely that future releases would go towards an electronic format. However, we've seen a bunch of new releases recently that give me great hope for the future.

Here are just a selection that are either available now or will be soon.


Red Box - The Circle And The Square
This is great news indeed. For several years an online petition has been floating around. This is one of the rare CD albums that I originally bought back in 1988, but it eventually got lost somewhere (I'm still expecting it to turn up in an attic at some point) and so a remastered version is very welcome.

Track list: For America/Heart Of The Sun/Billy's Line/Bantu/Living In Domes/Lean On Me (Reprise)/Chenko (Tenka-Io)/Lean On Me (Ah-Li-Ayo)/Saskatchewan/Leaders In Seventh Heaven/Walk Walk/Amen/R 'N' A (Bonus Track)/Stinging Bee (Bonus Track)/Enjoy (Solid Gold Easy Amex) (Bonus Track)/Speeches (Bonus Track)/Chenko (Tenka-Io) Original Cherry Red Version (Bonus Track)/Valley Original Cherry Red Version (Bonus Track)

Wild Swans - Bringing Home The Ashes
Reissued in an expanded two disc set in Europe, here in the US this album has been re-released with little fanfare. A classic concoction of post-punk guitar pop. I sold my original version for about $50 a few years back - and then regretted it.

Track list: Young Manhood/Bible Dreams/Bitterness/Archangels/Northern England/Whirlpool Heart/Bringing Home The Ashes/Mythical Beast/Now And Forever/The Worst Year Of My Life/Holy Holy/World of Milk and Blood/1982/Pure Evil

Stephen TinTin Duffy - The Ups And Downs
Another welcome reissue, available in November.

Frazier Chorus - Sue

Track list: Dream Kitchen/Storm/Forty Winks/Ha Ha Happiness/Sloppy Heart/Living Room/Sugar High/Forgetful/Typical/Ski Head/Little Chef/Anarchy In The Uk/String/Born With A Headache/Down/Spoon Head/Dream Kitchen (Extended Mix)/Typical (Extended Mix)/Forty Winks (Extended Mix)

Blancmange - Mange Tout

The Passions - Thirty Thousand Feet Over China

The Mood - The Singles Collection

Random 80's Whatever Day

Electric Light Orchestra - Buildings Have Eyes (B-Side, 1983)
Binary - The Meaning (12" Single, 1985)
Comateens - The Late Night Mistake (7" Single, 1983)
In Embrace - This Brilliant Evening (7" Single, 1985) Legal Download
English Evenings - I Will Return (7" Single, 1985) Legal Download