Random Eighties Memories February 2020

Laughing Stock - The Boy Who Never Sleeps

(from Pipe Dreams, 1985)

Quasi Hands - Lovelife

(from Quasi Hands, 1985)

These Are Houseplants - Sunshine Anytime

(from Nashville Rock, 1987)

Playing At Trains - A World Without Love

(12" Single, 1987)

One - Son Of The Sun

(from Upstream, 1989)

Lung Overcoat - Voice In The Box

(from Climbing Up The Hill, 1986)

Aerial FX - Out Of The Window

(from Watching The Dance, 1982)

Second Thoughts - Wrapped

(7" Single, 1985)

A Drop In The Ocean - Valentine's Day

Head For Tall Trees - A Question Of Love

(from Certain Damage! Volume 1, 1987)

Monica's Interval - To Follow

(from Tortoise, 1989)

Blue Hollow - Inhale

(from Stealing A Whisper, 1986)

Vis A Vis - I Am The Night

(from Heart And Soul, 1985)

Other Bright Colors - NPR

(from Endlessly Rocks The Cradle, 1986)

Cassell Webb - Total Recall

(from Llano, 1985)

February 2020

Random Eighties Memories - January 2020

Gerry Cott - Alphabet Town / Dean Ray - In La La / Neeva - Blue Star / 3 Ring Circuits - (As Seen) On TV / Life Without Principle - Business As Usual / Tin Drum - Break Your Back / The Westmorelands - Low Tide / Inner Landscapes - Amnesia / A Drop In The Ocean - Love To Love You / The Blue Law - Oppenheimer Hat / The Sonnets - Nothing To Lose / Frozen Concentrate - He/She/It / The Sullivans - Senseless / The Pulse - Trouble With John / The Naturals - Devil Smile

January 2020

Random 80's Wednesday

This Other Eden - Sweet Wine (12" Single, 1990)
William - Club Song (7" Single, 1984)
Billy Franks - Watershed (Saint of Contradiction EP, 1986)
Mummy Calls - Mary I Swear (7" Single, 1983)

Random 80's Wednesday

Part one of the great Bandcamp / Sideroom Singles linkfest:

Pel Mel - No Word From China
Pop Mechanix - Jumping Out A Window
Stephen Cummings - Speak With Frankness
Tactics - Coming In On My Coat Tails
Seven Ballerinas - Sometimes I Feel
Look Blue Go Purple - Cactus Cat

Random 80's Wednesday

Secret Steps - Confidential (from Confidential, 1985)
West Of Eden - I'll Follow You (Disorientation Mix) (12" Single, 1987)
November Group - The Promise (from Work That Dream, 1985)
Short Romans - White Sails (from Short Romans, 1987)
The Faction - Grey Little Girl (from 2 x 2, 1985)

Random 80's Wednesday

Been a bit busy lately, partly due to my obsession with the Star Wars Card Trader app. Here's a few random tracks from my USB drive.

The Lucy Show - Wipe Out (from Undone, 1985)

Beyond Words - On The Moon (from Beyond Words, 1986)

In Pursuit - No Way Out (from City Without A Subway, 1986)

Techniques Berlin - Scarlet Woman (not sure if it was released but it was recorded circa 1985-1986)

To Heaven A Jet - Airfields (7" Single, 1981)

I should have some new rips up shortly. In the meantime, subscribe to my spotify playlist to keep up with new stuff as I find it available.

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.

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.

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)

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)

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)

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)

Random 80's Thursday

This edition of Random 80's is brought to you from Rochester, Minnesota, where I have been based this week.

Captain Sensible - The Toys Take Over (7" Single, 1988)
Indoor Life - Blue Grey Green (from Indoor Life, 1983)
Bop Baroque - Remember The New Day (7" Single, 1988)
White Animals - Big Shot (from White Animals, 1986)
The Model Citizens - The Great Suspense (from An Ordinary Urge, 1984)

I recently discovered Captain Sensible after discovering he did a cover of "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood as the flip to his excellent Christmas single, "One Christmas Catalogue". What a great artist he is, reminds me a bit of Jona Lewie, with a great sense of humour, addressing a wide range of issues, and famous for novelty songs which probably annoys him no end. Too bad apart from one or two albums his output is pretty hard to buy or download.

Random 80's Wednesday

I bought some great vinyl in Denver over my birthday - mainly thanks to Andy at Albums On The Hill in Boulder and Black And Read in Arvada. Here's some tasters.

The Lonely Now - If I Could (from Original Intentions, 1987)
Dietplan - Counting Houses (from The Melting Pot, 1986)
Mondo Vita - Technical Difficulties (from Fins De Paris, 1983)
Tom Bright - Younger Days (from Torture Land, 1986)

Random 80's Wednesday

Crazy busy at work this week, after a fantastic surprise birthday trip to Denver last weekend. Nothing too mind blowing today, just wanted to put something up for you all.



Breeding Ground - Happy Now I know (1986)



The Hooters - Satellite (1987)



Timbuk 3 - Reverend Jack and His Roamin' Cadillac Church (1988)



Big Dipper - Faith Healer (1990)



Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet (1993)

I'm absolutely shocked I have not, apparently, posted this Crash Test Dummies video before. What a fantastic, creative band they were/are.

Random 80's Wednesday

Let's see what's been playing at MFL Towers these past few days...

Wet Picnic - Cocktailed Sky (from Balls Up, 1982) 

Horizontal Brian - Everybody Wants To Be American (from Vertical, 1983) 

Salvation Sunday - Reservations (Unreleased, circa 1986) 

Z6 - You, Eugene And Me (7" Single, 1983) 

Haven Terrace - In A West Coast Town (7" Single, 1986) 

A Picture Made - God Loves A Hell Of A Man (7" Single, 1986)

Random 80's Wednesday

Nacey And Matthew - Jamie (from Electric Stares, 1984)
Sight Unseen - Is This Heaven (from Sounds Eclectic, 1987)
The Other Side - Is It Any Wonder (7" Single, 1987)
Grey Parade - The Empty Room (from The Reason, 1985)
Dan Barr - Bus Full Of Nuns (from WEBN Album Project 8, 1985)

"Jamie" is a terrific little song which I couldn't wait to post. I found the album by scanning through 1984 albums for sale on Discogs, and a quick google search led me to a YouTube post. I knew right away I needed this record, unoriginal it may be for sure, but I'm a sucker for this kind of sound - to me very reminiscent of Jimmy Jimmy and their bright young pop.