Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & the Cooked - 1988

So, for some reason I got done with the cover of the remix discs (2) to accompany this album, but I didn't finish the back side/track side of them.  They've been sitting around for a month or more waiting for me to finish them, and here I thought they were already done.  Well, that will make for another post later on in the year.....

Anyway, here is the complete version of FYC's 1988 album, the Raw & the Cooked.  I was somewhat of a fan of the singles when they came out, but at that time I was hip deep in collecting rare Cure, DM and New Order 12" singles, and too busy with that to notice the album itself.  Years after the fact, I found the CD at a garage sale for 50cents, and had to make the purchase.  I wonder why I waited so long....   Some of the b-sides I've never heard before now.  I have never collected this for myself, so several of the tracks are completely new.  I'm pretty sure I've got them all on here, but even Pull The Sucker Off snuck up on my out of nowhere after I had finished the back cover once, and had to redo it.

I am scheduling this post out, as I speak, and when you read it, I'll be two days into my week of traveling.  I used to think that traveling for a living would be easy, but I was wrong.  It's hard.  Sitting in the car for 8 out of 10 hours of the day, traveling through endless countrysides, trying to convince people to buy more of product they already have too much of and I'm not even interested in it.  Spending 3 to 4 nights out of the week in hotels, strange and uncomfortable beds, smelly rooms, poor internet and phone connections.  And in these small towns, there is NOTHING to do.  This last week, I spent Thursday night sitting on a curb outside of a gas station in this town out in the middle of nowhere, playing solitaire on my iPad and smoking cigarettes, all because I didn't want to go back and sit in my hotel room.  Wow, what fun!  I guess that as time goes by, I'll get used to it. But, right now it's rough.  Hate it.  All this, knowing that my wife and boys are at home without me.  So it is...  The things we do for our families.

So, I'll post the remix discs for this album later on in the year.  The cover I did for the discs is awesome, so they'll stand as a good set on their own.  Enjoy this album, though, and I'll see you on Friday.

Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & the Cooked - 1988

PS - You will all be happy to know that with my new job, I got a new company car.  There is no CD player in the car, so I have to Bluetooth music from my iPad.  I now understand with 100% certainty the absolute necessity of proper Mp3tags and volume leveling.  So, from now on, all of your Mp3s will be properly tagged and leveled.   Also, would any of you prefer I post both MP3s and M4As?

The Smithereens - Green Thoughts - 1988

This is another one of the albums that I remember specifically while reminiscing about Chicago in the 80s.  I got this cassette probably the last month or so that I lived there, and was my cruising tape during my last couple dates.  It was hip, progressive, catchy and rather manly.  I was so very concerned about superficial things like that, back then.  I specifically remember driving north down Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, just past the Art Institute, right before going in between the buildings.... But, that's only a memory.  (Guffaws and slaps his knee)

To me, it has stood the test of time, sounding as sweet and thunderous today as it did back then.  To me, it is probably their best album, followed closely by their Especially For You album and their Live EP (The Seeker kicks ass).  Only A Memory, House That We Used To Live In, The World We Know and Especially For You stand out to me, and side two is a little weaker, but still really good.

After this one, they had a couple other good albums, but none that compared to this.  Their Beatles cover album and their version of Tommy are pretty good, but that's not their own material.  They are still playing strong today, and I would love to go see them live.  A twenty song set, in a club with a low ceiling, smokey, and about 200 people.  A short, two foot stage and no grandeur.  Love it.

I THINK I have all the tracks, here.  When I originally compiled this, I think I remember that there was one or two tracks that I couldn't find.  I could be wrong.  If you have any tracks that you think need to go on here, let me know, and send me the tracks!

The Smithereens - Green Thoughts - 1988

Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back the Clock - 1988

 

Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back the Clock - 1988

Yeah, I know, I teased Angstytimelord about this a little before I left.  Try as I might, I am a closet-fan of this album.  Around the time that I was big into Wang Chung and Duran's Big Thing and Sting and A-ha and GM's Faith album, I did have this one, too.  This wasn't my sister's album, this was me hiding in the closet with my Post Punk bands put away and I'm listening to this on my headphones.  At the time, I found it sheik to be a Post Punk/Punk who listened to NO and DM and Cure, and proud of it.  These other bands I kept on the back burner in a low profile, but didn't deny them.  JHJ, though, I completely denied, but secretly listened to them on an unmarked cassette.  What a coward.

I have often heard people lump these guys in the same category as Glass Tiger.  I firmly disagree.  Although their styles might be similar, JHJ is/was light years ahead in songwriting ability.  It's surprising to me, though, that I found the album tracks to be more of my favorites than the singles were.  As a whole, the entire album meshes well, sounds great, and is an EASY listen from beginning to end.

I didn't know and didn't research any of their mixes or b-sides until it came time for me to do this disc.  I had to hunt them down and rip them from Youtube, so the sound quality isn't 100%.  It's still good, though, and listen-able.  The mixes were tricky to identify, though, as some of them are labelled differently on the official singles, even though they are the same, and then there was even more variation in the labelling once they got on Youtube.  There are a lot of "New Mix" "Remix" "New Version" for the same mix across the board.  I originally had almost two discs worth of mixes, and narrowed it down to less than one.

It's good to be back, but I still have a variety of other projects that I'm working on, so I will try to stay on target.  I have finished posts ready through mid-July, so I still have a buffer in place.  I just want to work on my other stuff, too.  I'll see you tomorrow, though, with another "Welcome Back" post....

Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back the Clock - 1988

 Johnny Hates Jazz - Remix the Clock - 1988

Manufacture - Terrorvision - 1988

I had just discovered Skinny Puppy a few weeks before, and now my eyeballs were open for anything that might be similar in style, as I was smitten.  I saw this one on vinyl, the beautiful Gilmore cover, dark brooding song titles and the same record label.  Awesome!

This was the first time I heard Sarah McLachlan, too.  As the End Draws Near is by FAR the best song on the album.  The music is good, not bad, but not close at all to SP.  I tend to think that they weren't trying to sound like SP, as SP has a sound all it's own.  I would put Manufacture's first album more in line with Front Line Assembly and the likes.

I have pretty much everything on here, let me know if I've missed anything....

Manufacture - Terrorvision - 1988

INXS - Live In San Diego - 1988

And then there was this....

For my thoughts on INXS and KICK and this tour, please read THIS and THIS.  Especially that second one.  That's about the night I went to see the show.

As for this particular recording, it's pretty good.  It's from an FM Broadcast, so you have the limitations of the recording, there.  A tad muffled and it honestly doesn't sound like a soundboard, but it probably is.  It's the best live recording I can find from this fantastic tour....

The cover was nigh impossible.  This graphic was from the concert poster and T-shirt.  I could not find one good solid quality high def pic of it.  I had to cut and paste, retrace, recolor, re-everything.  But, the finished product is absolutely perfect.  I love this cover.

INXS - Live In San Diego - 1988

 

Erasure - Crackers International - 1988

I want everyone to know that this is probably my least favorite Erasure album/EP from the 80s and 90s.  I think the lead singles, Stop and Knocking On Your Door are freeking obnoxious.  Of course, the other 3 tracks on the EP are great. The Christmas songs and Hardest Part are really true sounding Erasure tracks.  I'd put them on a GH album any time.  But those other two....  ugh!  They grate on my nerves! The remixes really save the day, though.  Mark Saunders, one of my top 10 remixers, really pulls both of them out of the mire for me.  The other mixes aren't bad either....

I wanted to post this album, though, because of the Christmas theme.  This is my last post until the 28th, as I'll be out of town for the holiday, and I wanted to wish all of you a happy holiday.  Merry Christmas, folks.  I hope you all are able to spend time with the ones you love, eat to your heart's content, and keep the peace and remember HIS gift.  That's all I've got for you, have a great weekend!

Erasure - Crackers International - 1988

INXS - Kick - the Remixes - 1988

My original post for the Kick album can be found way back HERE.  You can read that to find out exactly what that album means to me when I listen to it.  A pure teen-angst melodrama that left it's marks on my soul for life.  After reading all my posts about loves lost, I begin to wonder if my whole life has been one continuous chain of longing and pining for women that left me hanging due to my own inability to act on my feelings.  I let them come and go without so much as a fight.  It's a wonder how I ever found my wife and kept her long enough to marry me....  But, I digress.

I saw these guys the summer of 1988 in Chicago with a bunch of friends from work.  It was an indoor show, but still packed out about 20-30,000 screaming people.  It was the second time in my sheltered life that I saw (and smelled) people smoking pot in public, and I was more surprised to see that no one cared about it, too. (The first time was the Def Leppard concert, but I was too ignorant to know what it was, what it smelled like.  I thought it was just cigarettes...)

It was a great show, although I didn't know half the songs because I only knew this album.  I had a blast, anyway.  I had been to Def Leppard's Hysteria tour earlier that summer, but this time was probably the best.  The kids I was with were hyped, and the crowd seemed really upbeat, compared with the headbangers at the Leppard concert.  Everyone was having a great time.

After the show, we tried to go downtown and eat at Ed Debevic's Restaurant, but by the time we made it there, the place had closed, as it was shortly after midnight.  Big dummies that we were, we fucked around downtown until about 230am before the cops chased us down and threatened to bring us in for breaking curfew.  We were lucky no one tried to jump us being young and foolish in a big city.

I don't think we actually got back to my friend's house until about 430 or 5am.  Fortunately, his parents weren't as strict and controlling as mine, so staying out all night wasn't a big deal to them.  I had told my parents I was spending the night at his house after the show, had they known I was out so late in the city, they would've flipped out.

That next week I sported my kick-ass (no pun intended) concert t-shirt.  I loved that shirt so much.  I still own it today, and would love to wear it.  Alas, I weigh about 100lbs more now than I did then, so I look like a big, misshapen bag of mashed potatoes if I try and wear it.  And, I don't want to stretch it out and ruin it.  I've seen it on ebay a couple times going for about 200.00, but I don't think I could ever part with it.

Not all the mixes are on here.  I filled up one disc, and pitched the worst.  If you're looking for any that aren't on this set, let me know, and I'll see if I can get them to you.

In March I'm planning to do a "Live Week", and I have a recording of one of their shows from this album.  I'll be posting that, then....

INXS - Kick - the Remixes - 1988

Iggy Pop - Instinct - 1988

It's been a rough night, so I'm going to keep this one short and sweet.

I bought this album because it has a fucking kick ass cover.  When I bought it, I didn't know who Iggy Pop was, nor his past career.  I listened to it, and liked it, but I mainly played it in my car as a kid so people would think I was tough.  I also recently bought a t-shirt with this cover on it, so people will think I'm a tough-as-nails middle-age rocker, too.  I have problems, you see....

It's not Iggy's best, but as I said I really dig the cover.  You might like it too, so give it a shot.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Iggy Pop - Instinct - 1988

Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Chicago Edition

Happy Birthday to Me.  Happy Birthday to ME!  Happy Birthday to Myself, Happy Birthday TO MEEEE!!!

So, a present to myself is also a present to you.  A brand new "Chicago Edition" of Big Thing by my beloved Duran Duran.

This album came out the summer before I moved from Chicago to the Great Plains of the United States.  This album came out as I was relishing in my final days in a city that I loved eternally, with all my heart.  This album was the soundtrack to my life for about six months.  This album helped close a chapter on my life that I never wanted to end.

My dad got a work transfer that moved us the first day of November, 1988.  We found out about it in July, and I dreaded the arrival of the day we would leave.  Being 16, I had a part time job at a local food establishment where I had a bunch of friends.  We had spent the summer going to see Def Leppard & INXS, taking trips into the city to screw around on the streets of downtown Chicago, hung out at friends houses, taking long lunches from school during the day to mess around at a small hamburger shack just a block away from school.  I had a girlfriend that taught me how to kiss.  I had friends who got me into trouble.  I had friends who introduced me to the Descendents, Depeche Mode, New Order, OMD and the Cure.  I had friends.

A week before I moved, we all went to a Haunted House close to O'Hare airport, we ate at Ed Debevic's Restaurant, and me and the girl that I was dating at the time clung to each other all night.  I stayed out with them until 2 o'clock in the morning.  My mom waited up until I got home and gave me dirty looks, but my parents didn't do anything about it.  After that, I got into a physical fight with my dad over the move, as I didn't want to leave this place that had so much for me.  I'd never hit my father before, and I never will again.  But, I was angry and in despair.  On Halloween, the day before we moved, I worked my last shift at work, and they had a party for me.  One of the girls there, who I had chased and loved since 7th grade - and asked out many times before - suddenly broke down crying.  I asked her why she was crying, and she said it was because she didn't want me to leave because she suddenly wanted to date me and be with me and all of this stuff...  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  She gave me a ride home, and we made out in her car for quite a while.  I absorbed as much as I could, being with her, holding her tight and kissing her lips.  The girl of my dreams...  I was devastated.

The next morning, my parents took my sister and I to the train station where we would take the train to our new home 600 miles away, while they finished packing and moving all of our stuff.  The sun was shining an autumn gold, and  plopped down in my seat next to the window, with my sister sitting next to me.  As the train pulled out, I put my sunglasses and head phones on and started playing Side Two of Big Thing, starting with Do You Believe In Shame? As the train headed west, I stared off at the city in the distance, slowly getting smaller, and lost behind the trees and buildings surrounding the tracks until I couldn't see it anymore.  My sister asked me why I was crying, and it was only then that I noticed tears were rolling down my cheeks.

And it may seem selfish now but I'll hold on to
The memory until all this fear is washed away.

Do you believe in love?
Do you believe in life?
Cause I believe a little part of you inside of me
Will never die.

This is my album.  This is me.  I am all of this.  This album is what defines me, and I think it's the best Duran Duran album, for obviously very personal reasons.

Fuck it.  F U C K ALL OF IT.

Tonight, on my birthday, I will listen to it again and have a toast to a life I loved, I could've had, and also one that could never be.

Good night, all.

Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Chicago Edition

 Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Remixes V1

Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Remixes V2

Def Leppard - Hysteria II - 1987-88

This album had SEVEN singles.  That has to be some sort of world record.  What's amazing, is they could have released ALL of the album tracks as singles, as every single one of them was an absolute classic.  I bet I've listened to this album, literally, almost a thousand times.  It will go down as my most favorite Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album ever.

A rundown of the tracks...

-  Tracks 2, 9, 11, and 13 were all remixes that were released on their respective singles.
-  Track 1 was a remix for the Hystoria documentary, but sounds right in place here, and is good enough to be included on this compilation.
-  Track 3 was a rare (and I think unreleased) mix that I happened upon on a bootleg.
-  Tracks 5, 6, and 7 were all recorded during the Hysteria sessions, but were not released until the Retroactive compilation.
-  Track 8 was originally recorded as a b-side during the Hysteria sessions, but was re-recorded during the Adrenalize sessions and released on that album.
-  Tracks 10 and 14 were recorded during the Hysteria sessions, but were never released.
-  Track 12 was a b-side (for PSSOM) and then re-released on the Retroactive compilation.

I saw these guys in the summer of 1988 in Chicago at the Rosemont Horizon.  I was almost 17, had a girlfriend, and friends from work who all wanted to go.  Needless to say, the show was fantastic.  If I could see this show again, I would in a heartbeat.  I saw this show and the INXS Calling All Nations tour in the same summer.  What a fucking awesome summer....

Def Leppard - Hysteria II - 1987-88

A-ha - Stay On These Roads - 1988

After Scoundrel Days came out, I eagerly awaited this release.  My sister was the one who bought all the A-ha stuff, so when this came out, I prodded and pushed her relentlessly until she finally went down and bought it (I was 16 and she was 14)  I think in that first couple months, I listened to this album more than her. 

I feel that this is a fantastic album.  It continues along the same vein as it's predecessors with beautiful synths and warm vocals and melodies.  A truly terrific album. BUT...

-  I prefer Scoundrel Days to this album.
-  The original mix of The Living Daylights is really horrible.  The album mix is by far SUPERIOR.
-  I've included the unreleased demos from these sessions, and they're pretty weak.

This album was A-ha's last trendy poppy pretty-boy release.  Starting with the very next album, they actually released an album that had some balls.  That's when I began to truly respect them as musicians in it for the long haul, and not some flash in the pan.

They've obviously released a deluxe version of this album already, but I felt the need to do my own version, as they (along with a lot of other artists) didn't release it in a format that could be listened to in one sitting without shuffling the tracks.  They'd back shitty demo with excellent recording to live track to remix to first and second takes to the same song mixed differently back to back to back.  I hope that with this collection, I've weeded out the garbage and made it more palatable for one listening.  I hope you agree...

A-ha - Stay On These Roads - 1988

Prince - Lovesexy - 1988

 

So, I haven't ever been this huge Prince fan.  For the longest time, his greatest hits albums were all I needed, as I couldn't connect with any of his music that wasn't drilled into me from the radio.  I always thought his music was a little too Soul, too R&B, for my tastes.  As time has gone by, I've grown to appreciate what a talented musician he was.  His death is a true loss to music in general, as he worked at it with such passion.

In the 90s I had a big kick of searching out 12" singles on vinyl.  I was always truly satisfied to find a Prince single, as there was always a remix, a b-side, and a remix of the b-side.  The singles were a must if you wanted to be complete.

The Prince era that I am most drawn to is his 80s albums - Around the World In A Day, Parade, Sign O the Times, Lovesexy, Batman and Graffiti Bridge. (I wonder why?  I mean, it wasn't like this was the time period in my life in which I was extremely receptive to music and my youth.)  Everything before and after is a loss to me.

This one is my second favorite behind Around the World, and just in front of my third favorite, Parade.  I've got all the b-sides, some demos, and all the remixes I could fit on one disc.  I had troubles coming up with a decent cover for the remix disc, as all the singles were packaged in those plastic sleeves with stickers.  And there aren't many pics on the net that I could find that would've been suitable.

I always thought this cover was hilarious...  What does that flower pistil on the white flower look like to you?  So close to Prince's lap?  Hmmmm...

Prince - Lovesexy - 1988

Prince - Lovesexy Remixes - 1988 

Skinny Puppy - VIVIsect VI - 1988

Skinny Puppy's VIVIsect VI was the very first Industrial album I ever purchased.  I remember walking into Twister's Records in  East Park Mall next to the food court, and the blond-headed punk running the counter was playing it.  I was fascinated by it.  I had never heard music like it before, and it was GREAT.  It reflected the mood I had then, having moved from Chicago to a state buried in the middle of the US.  It was angry, dark, and a little scary.

It's surprising to listen to, when the two opening tracks actually sound like they have pop hooks in them,  they were actually catchy sounding.  They opened the album strong, and followed it with Harsh Stone White, an incredible ballad.  They sample Evil Dead II in Who's Laughing Now? and the second single, Testure follows it with another somewhat radio friendly sound.  I even heard it on the college station in town, so it couldn't be that bad.  State Aid and Fritter are my two favorite tracks on "Side 2", though.  State Aid is a constant slamming barrage of rhythm and screaming, while Fritter is a horror movie soundtrack.  Tasty.

I have all the b-sides here, they're pretty abstract, but still interesting.  I added the mix of Dogshit, entitled Censor, but I was unable to fit any of the Testure mixes, which makes me a little disappointed.  I may add a disc later of SP mixes from several albums, because they're all in that shape.

The cover's the same, cuz it's beautiful.  Another Gilmore classic!  I do like the cover of Testure, too, so maybe if I make that remix disc, I'll use that one.  Anyway....

Skinny Puppy - VIVIsect VI - 1988

Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark - The Extended Versions - 1979-88

So, several months ago, I posted my "Singles Collection" of every OMD single, b-side and remix up through Dreaming.  I know, though, that listening to 6 discs straight through can be a daunting task.  I know because it's tough for me, even on a road trip.  So, I also made myself an extended/remix collection with one mix from each of their singles, if a mix exists.

It's hard to say which disc I prefer, as I have favorites on both of them.  Regardless, it's a good set, and playing through a 2-disc set doesn't take long.  Favorite tracks would include Never Turn Away, So In Love,
Messages, Souvenir, and of course the Martin Hannett mix of Electricity.

I've said before that I don't care for greatest hits collections.  I don't.  But, when it comes to OMD, and Art of Noise, a lot of times, that's the only way you can listen to them.  Don't know why.  But, as far as albums go, neither of them can really pull together a cohesive group of songs that I can like.  I guess I'm too picky.

Anyway, I thought the font and cover graphic was fitting for this collection.  I hadn't made the cover for myself before, but once I got these two, I printed them off.  Looks good on my CD wall.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark - The Extended Versions - 1979-88 - Disc One

Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark - The Extended Versions - 1979-88 - Disc Two 

Information Society - Self-titled - 1988

Classic sing-along songs from the late 80s, I have always been a big fan of this album and Hack.  The rest of their music is a major Meh.  Nothing in the way of b-sides, I have the best of the mixes from the album on here.  I know that there's more, but they aren't that great and I ran out of disc space.  Maybe I can make a second remix disc called Shitformation Society, because that's what it sounds like.

ANYWAY, this brings back more memories of High School and my move from Chicago to the midwest.  It's bittersweet, but I'll get by.  I remember listening to this when one of my friends borrowed his mom's station wagon and we went for a drive.  He said "Watch this..." and opened it up in a residential area.  He got it going about 75 miles an hour, and we came to a huge dip in an intersection.  We hit it so hard, the station wagon LITERALLY caught air.  In a residential area.  In a station wagon.  He was howling with laughter, whooping and hollering, while I clutched the "Oh Shit" bar and sucked the seat cushion half way up my ass.  "That was F**king Awesome!!!!" he screamed, and he wanted to do it again.  All I could envision was smashing through some front yard and into someone's living room while the engine drops out of the bottom and the tires exploding.  Needless to say, we didn't do it again.
....

I'm really struggling today.  Work was difficult, as I had to deal with two different clients that I would like to choke the life out of.  It sucks when you have to acquiesce to a client to ensure business, and they know it and take advantage of that fact to belittle and demean you just to squeeze another dime or assert some sort of authority.  I know if I pay money for something, I expect the best for the dollar I'm spending.  But, I don't berate the salesman just because I can.  A lot of times I think that clients forget that it's supposed to be a two-way relationship and that you're better treating your sales representatives with some respect, so that way they'll actually work for you to get you the best deal.  Right now, I could slap those prick fuck douche bags with a 56% profit margin and wouldn't give a rats ass.  If they'd been fair and equitable and worked WITH me, I'd be a little more inclined to look out for their best interests.  Not now.

So, now that I have that off my chest, enjoy a little InSoc, and have a beer on me....

Information Society - Self-titled - 1988

They Might Be Giants - Lincoln - 1988

I'm going to make it through this post with trepidation, as emotionally, I am in a state of flux.  The woman I shared a cubicle with for the past two and a half years at work passed away in the night last night.  She suffered from what is called a hemorrhagic stroke and it killed her.  The guesstimate is that she didn't even see or feel it coming, and she was gone before she knew what was happening.  It's funny how you can be chatting and laughing and working with someone one day, and the next day they are gone forever, and you never even get to say goodbye.  She was only 53.  Well, goodbye, Cindy.  It was a pleasure working with you......

As I started the summer of 85, I remember seeing the video for Don't Let's Start by TMBG.  What a couple of weirdos, I thought to myself.  Not long after, Ana Ng was playing, and it definitely caught my attention.  But, the arrival of Flood was the turning point for me (and millions of others) that proved that TMBG were a definite talent force to be reckoned with.

Of course, as you all may well know, finding ALL of the material that these two gentlemen have produced is nothing short of impossible.  I would venture to guess that in their lifetimes, these two men have written and released more than a thousand songs.  I haven't done an accurate count, but my best guess would be possibly 1400-1600 songs.  If anyone has any more insight into this count, feel free to correct me on it.  I'd honestly like to know.

After Flood, I continued to listen to all of their material.  To this day, though, I find the Flood and pre-Flood songs to be the best.  

I feel that Lincoln is better than Flood in a number of ways.  The songs are written in a way that leads me to believe they were trying harder, trying so very hard to be that break-out artist.  The songs definitely seem more sincere.  I think that they knew they were on the verge of that major achievement and they wanted it bad.  They weren't desperate-sounding, just pushing themselves to the max to reach that goal.  And it shows.  The songs are all very heartfelt and full of energy and life.

Then, Flood gets released and it completely overshadowed all of their previous work.  I'm sure they didn't mind, it was growth and prestige and success.  Move on and carry on, as it is.

But, it's fun to listen to it all now....

They Might Be Giants - Lincoln - 1988

Secession - A Dark Enchantment - 1988

I mean, I'm just going to be openly honest here.  I've downloaded a lot of music, and I've downloaded a lot of music I've never listened to, nor have I even heard of.  I had a request for Secession, and on a whim, saw that I had quite a lot of their material. Once I researched it, I had everything from this album - singles, b-sides and all.  But, guess what.  I'd never heard them before.  I've barely heard OF them.  But, the descriptions that the bloggers gave in their posts said "Hey!  Listen to this stuff!  It's Great!!!"  So, I downloaded it, I have it, I compiled it, and now it's yours.

Don't think this is a common place thing.  I just happened to have the stuff, and even then I've been debating on posting it. I'm not always big on special requests.  I take suggestions and whatnot, but I'm not planning on becoming a wishlist site so you can grab and go.  You have to stay and read my meanderings as well.

So, here's to!  Grab it while it's hot!  If its good, more power to ya!

Secession - A Dark Enchantment - 1988

PS - I am going to be out of town for the holiday weekend, and won't be posting anything on Saturday, Sunday or Monday.  So, that being said, tomorrow night is going to be a VERY SPECIAL POST with some stuff you're going to want to have.  So, come back and don't miss it!

Big Pig - Bonk - 1988

The summer before I moved away from Chicago, I spent listening to the likes of Big Pig, INXS and Midnight Oil.  The Australian wave of rock in 1988.  Despite the fact that the only big hit off this album wasn't even written by them, Big Pig put out a great album with some impressive tracks.

I posted a want list from this group about a month ago, and I have to say that most of the "Gold" disc is from that awesome contributor.  The Year of the Pig track is interesting, as the unreleased songs that are on it are actually rough demos and you can hear the producers coaching the singer on one of the tracks.  Very cool.

I have most of the mixes here.  There are still a few missing tracks, though.  If you find one that I've missed, please post a link in the comments below.........

Big Pig - Bonk - 1988 - Disc One

Big Pig - Bonk - 1988 - Disc Two 

Morrissey - Bona Drag - 1987-1989

Bona Drag is a wonderful collection of singles released between 1987 and 1989.  Wiki has the best descriptions as to what was on it and why, whole little back story included.  This was my first exposure to Morrissey solo, and it's what kept me with him through good and bad to today.  This collection set the standard.

I reworked this collection as a mix of the original release, the 2010 re-release, some additional random b-sides that had been left off, some demos, and finally some unreleased tracks.  All of them are pretty easy to find, so don't get to worked up about finding that long lost hidden treasure, it isn't here.  But as for treasures, this one abounds.  I can think of six without even looking at the track listing.

I preferred the picture sleeve of the EDILS single over the original Bona Drag release.  I feel the pic totally captures the spirit and the mood that is Morrissey.  His handsome face, yet he raises his hand to hide it.  Classic.  And his hair looks great, too.  As for the back, I just took a standard stock pic of marbleized paper art from the internet, and it worked.

Morrissey - Bona Drag - 1987-1989

REM - Green - 1988

Just so you know, I listen to American music, too.  Just not as much.  There's a few really good ones out there that I'll eventually publish (like the four disc version of Smashing Pumpkins' "Melancholy").

This came out my junior year in high school, and was all over the radio.  It's a great album, very radio friendly, and intelligent.  Fortunately, when this came out, I wasn't too political, yet, otherwise I may have had problems with it.  As it was, I listened to this one quite a bit, even got my Dad listening to it, and that's a feat.

REM has always had a crap load of bonus material when it releases albums.  This one was no different.  Also, the quality of the bonus material on Green was exceptional.  Sometimes, the bonus material is worthless.  Not here.  What some REM fans may like about this collection is the ultra-rare Cyclone mix of Orange Crush.  Why is it so rare?  It's a fan mix and was never released, but it's a fantastic mix, so I had to include it.  Again, arrangement on this, due to the cohesiveness of the album, was to dump all the bonus material at the end.

As for the covers, I always loved the picture sleeves from the singles.  So, that's what you get!

Thanks, enjoy!

 REM - Green - 1988