Put The Needle On The Record - Week #9

Put The Needle On The Record Week #9 Pet Shop Boys - Please

I think we all have albums we haven't played in years and this feature, hopefully, will encourage you to play the featured album we choose each week.

For this weeks feature we go back to March 1986 and the debut album by the Pet Shop Boys, "Please", this album had the honour of being the first album I played on the car stereo in my first car! A brilliant album and I am still a massive fan today and they are one of my all time favourite bands (although the last 3 studio albums haven't been that good, "Hotspot" being the best of the last 3 albums, "Electric" is bloody awful!).

The album featured 4 singles, the debut single "West End Girls" (which reached number 1 in the UK Singles charty), "Love Comes Quickly" (Which scraped into the Top 20, peaking at number 19 and for me was a weak choice as a 2nd single, they should have gone for "Tonight Is Forever" or "Why Don't We Live Together?"), I must admit I thought there music career was going to be a short one, after this single struggled chartwise, thankfully, "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)" was a bigger hit (reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Chart), it also featured one of my favourite Pet Shop Boys B Sides "Was That What It Was" on the 12 inch vinyl record, and finally, "Suburbia", which was re-recorded for the single release and once again featured 2 superb B sides on the 12 Inch vinyl, "Jack The Lad" and "Paninaro" (the single reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart).

The album peaked at number 3 in the UK albums chart.

Track listing

Two Divided By Zero
West End Girls
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
Love Comes Quickly
Suburbia
Opportunities (Reprise)
Tonight Is Forever
Violence
I Want A Lover
Later Tonight
Why Don't We Live Together?

So if you have the album in your collection and have n't played it in a while, dig it out and give it a spin!

Kraftman To Release New 5 Track EP

This coming Friday (March 1st) Kraftman will be releasing a new 5 track EP called "AZ-5", "AZ-5" is the button that was pressed at the Chernobyl Nuclear plant that was supposed to have aborted a safety test, instead it triggered the explosion in reactor 4 which caused the 1986 disaster.

Track listing for the EP:

AZ-5 (Radio Edit)

Moskow Diskow (English Version) (Telex Cover Version)

AZ-5 (Arvid Tuba Remix)

Moskow Diskow (English Crossing Borders)

AZ-5 (Detonation 12 Inch Version)

The EP is available via Bandcamp here

The EP will also be available at leading Digital Stores soon....

View The Promo Video For AZ-5 Below:

View The Promo Video For AZ-5 (Arvid Tuba Remix) Below:

Kraftman - Chernobyl (Album Promo Film)

Kraftman releases his new album "Chernobyl" very soon that features 10 brand new tracks, the album is a concept album all about the Chernobyl disaster.

Here is a special promo film made to promote the album:

Here is the track listing for the album:

Chernobyl 1986

Anatoly Dyatlov

AZ-5

Radiation

Uranium-235

Meltdown To The Core

90 Seconds

Acute Radiation Syndrome

In The Red Forest

Ballad For Pripyat

The CD edition will also include a complete Concept Mix, that features all 10 tracks and other recorded elements.

The CD will be available via the Kraftman Bandcamp page, Razgrom Music and Poponaut:

Kraftman Bandcamp Page

Kraftman - Chernoyl CD Via Razgrom Music

Poponaut Website 

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #8

 Put The Needle On The Record Week #8 Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses

I think we all have albums we haven't played in years and this feature, hopefully, will encourage you to play the featured album we choose each week.

For this weeks feature we go back to September 1987 and the 6th studio album by Depeche Mode, "Music For The Masses", one of my favourite Depeche Mode albums, it packs a punch with some wonderful tracks, such as, "Never Let Me Down Again", "Strangelove" and "Behind The Wheel".

I bought my vinyl copy of the album from HMV in Manchester (I must have spent a hell of a lot of money there in the 80s & early 90s!)

4 singles were released off the album, "Strangelove" (which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart), "Never Let Me Down Again" (which surprisingly only reached number 22 in the UK singles chart!), by the way, the vinyl 12 inch mixes are awesome, "Behind The Wheel" (which only reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart - again surprising) and "Little 15", which wasn't intended as a single, however, a French record label wanted to release it, I have no idea why because it is one of the weakest tracks on the album (it dented the UK singles chart reaching number 60)

The main reason I rate this album so highly were the fantastic 12 inch singles and CD singles they released, which for me is one of Depeche Mode's finest periods

In 2006 a surround Sound DTS version was released and the sound and mix are truly fantastic and well worth getting if you can get your hands on a copy.

The album peaked at number 10 in the UK albums chart.

Track listing

Never Let Me Down Again
The Things You Said
Strangelove
Sacred
Little 15
Behind The Wheel
I Want You Now
To Have And To Hold
Nothing
Pimpf

CD Bonus Tracks

Agent Orange
Never Let Me Down Again (Aggro Mix)
To Have And To Hold (Spanish Taster)
Pleasure Little Treasure (Glitter Mix)

So if you have the album in your collection and have n't played it in a while, dig it out and give it a spin! By the way I play the featured albums each week when I put this feature together! 

READ PREVIOUS SELECTIONS HERE:

Put The Needle On The Record Week #1 Kraftwerk - The Man Machine

Put The Needle On The Record Week #2 Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle

Put The Needle On The Record Week #3 Erasure - The Circus

Put The Needle On The Record Week #4 The Human League - Dare

Put The Needle On The Record Week #5 ABC - How To Be A Zillionaire

Put The Needle On The Record Week #6 Thompson Twins - Quick Step And Side Kick

Put The Needle On The Record Week #7 John Foxx - Metamatic

i-Select #103

Edition #103 of i-Select has been released today on White Lion Radio

This is a series of shows dedicated to electronic/synthpop bands, that are unsigned, signed to a small independent label or self release their material.

Listen to the show on Mixcloud here

Playlist

Conny Olivetti - Navigating The Tax Free Zone
Breathe Of My Leaves - Stay (Single Mix)
Melo - The One I Love
Gary Force Field - Evolution
More - Fall Behind (Sometimes)
Positronic - Find Our Way
Split Vision - Envy
eeman & Retrograth - Testing Ground
Ironic Sweden - Universe Friend 23 (Calibeats Remix)
Exciting Valence - Just A Moment
Andy Ellis - Flower Punk Girl
Kretz - I Am A Chemical Man
RE:Active - Realtime (2024 Single Edit)
Gary Force Field - Stratospheric
O!Dorian - Punch My Heartbreak Away
Bromsen - Read about it
The Sweet Kill - Forbidden
Aerynn - Light With You
HellaMox - Heat
Vogon Poetry & Scala - Hope Of Heading Home
Change The Narrative - Audiogenika
Neon Space Men Ft Alex Braun - Sailing 7 Seas (Nuquatron Remix)
DPoint Ft E-Lect - Falling Down (Joni Panda Synthwave Remix)
eeman Ft Maria Del Rio - Question of Time
Scenius - I Want More
Gary Force Field  - Get it together
Bromsen - Merry man
Francesca e Luigi - Are You Lonely
WeAreTwo - For Always In My Life (Folk Ar Folk Remix)
Agency-V - We Can Erase You
Conny Olivetti - Troposphere

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #7

Put The Needle On The Record Week #7 John Foxx - Metamatic

I think we all have albums we haven't played in years and this feature, hopefully, will encourage you to play the featured album we choose each week.

For this weeks feature we go back to January 1980 and the first solo album by John Foxx, who was of course the original lead singer of Ultravox. I can remember clearly buying this album at HMV in Manchester and I remember I had a dreadful cold!!

This is such a unique sounding album, it sounds cold and clinical and even to this day, nearly 45 years after its original release, it sounds futuristic.

For me this album deserves to be ranked as a classic 80s album.

The album featured just 2 singles, "Underpass" (which reached number 31 in the UK singles chart), a 12 Inch promo was also released which featured a different version of the album track "He's A Liquid" and "No-One Driving" (reached number 32 in the UK singles chart). "No-One Driving" was released as a double 7 Inch vinyl, which I still have, featuring the lead track, as well as, "Glimmer", "This City" (how this didn't make the album I will never know, it is one of THE best John Foxx tracks and is certainly in my Top 3 Foxx tracks) and "Mr No". The version of "No-One Driving is a remix of the original version of the song.

Mark Reeder produced 3 remixes of "Underpass" that are simply brilliant, I definitely recommend you check those out.

The album peaked at number 18 in the UK albums chart.

Track listing

Plaza
He's A Liquid
Underpass
Metal Beat
No-One Driving
A New Kind Of Man
Blurred Girl
030
Tidal Wave
Touch And Go

So if you have the album in your collection and have n't played it in a while, dig it out and give it a spin! By the way I play the featured albums each week when I put this feature together!

Maximum 80s #121

Welcome to edition 121 of Maximum 80s here on White Lion Radio, a show that celebrates the 1980s 12 Inch Single!

This a series of shows that features some of the finest 12 Inch Singles from the 80s all in one continuous mix.

The biggest hits in the 12 Inch format from the greatest decade in music history!

Listen to the show on Mixcloud here
 

Playlist

China Crisis - Hanna Hanna (Extended Mix)
Wa Wa Nee - Stimulation (Extended Mix)
Robin S - Show Me Love (Original 12 Inch Version)
The Human League - Love Is All That Matters (Extended Version)
Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie (Special 12 Inch Club Version)
Bananarama - Cruel Summer (12 Inch Version)
Visage - The Anvil (Dance Mix)
Tight Fit - Fantasy Island (Almighty Mix)
Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams (12 Inch Extended Mix)
Joe Tex - Ain't Gonna Bump No More (Special Disco Version)
Stephanie Mills - Never Knew Love Like This Before (Extended Mix)
Donna Summer - Walk Away (12 Inch Version)

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #6

Weekly feature: Put The Needle On The Record Week #6 Thompson Twins - Quick Step And Side Kick

I think we all have albums we haven't played in years and this feature, hopefully, will encourage you to play the featured album we choose each week.

For this weeks feature we go back to February 1983 and a brilliant album by The Thompson Twins, "Quick Step & Side Kick", I first heard this album on cassette at a friends house and recall there were extra mixes on it and thought it was fabulous, so much so I did a tape to tape recording of the cassette (remember those days folks, the first form of pirating music!!).

The album featured 4 singles "Lies" (which surprisingly only reached number 67 in the UK singles chart), "Love On Your Side" (reached number 9 in the UK singles chart) "We Are Detective", my favourite track on the album (Which reached number 7 in the UK singles chart) and "Watching" (which reached number 33 in the UK singles chart)

The album peaked at number 2 in the UK albums chart, a solid album from start to finish!

Track listing

Love On Your Side
Lies
If You Were Here
Judy Do
Tears
Watching
We Are Detective
Kamikaze
Love Lies Bleeding
All Fall Out

And for those that are nostalgic and had the cassette that was originally released, here is the track listing for the extra tracks in that format:

Love Lies Fierce (Dub remix of "Love Lies Bleeding")
Long Beach Culture (Extended version of "Beach Culture")
No Talkin' (Dub remix of "Lies")
Rap Boy Rap (Original 12 Inch of "Love On Your Side")
Frozen In Time (Dub remix of "Kamikazi")
Fallen Out (Dub remix of "All Fall Out")

So if you have the album in your collection and have n't played it in a while, dig it out and give it a spin!

Rubik's 80s Mix #121 (July 1983)

Edition #121 of Rubik's 80s Mix is now out on White Lion Radio and as is a New Year we have introduced a new idea into the Rubik's 80s Mix shows, each month we are going to feature songs in the charts on a specific month from the 1980s, this month we feature songs that were in the charts in July 1983.

This a series of shows that includes the very best in 80s music all in one continuous mix.

The biggest hits from the greatest decade in music history!

A show guaranteed to bring back so many happy memories!

Listen to the show on Mixcloud here

Playlist

David Sylvian & Riuichi Sakamoto - Forbidden Colours
Malcolm McLaren - Double Dutch
Marc And The Mambas - Black Heart
Eurythmics - Who's That Girl
The Cure - The Walk
Bananarama - Cruel Summer
Paul Young - Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
The Thompson Twins - Watching
KC & The Sunshine Band - Give It Up
Shakin' Stevens - It's Late
Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
Wham! - Club Tropicana
Elton John - I'm Still Standing
Kim Wilde - Love Blonde
Echo & The Bunnymen - Never Stop

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #5

Weekly feature: Put The Needle On The Record Week #5 ABC - How To Be A Zillionaire

I think we all have albums we haven't played in years and this feature, hopefully, will encourage you to play the featured album we choose each week.

For this weeks feature we go back to October 1985 and one of the most underrated albums that was released in the 1980s, "How To Be A Zillionaire" by ABC, one of the best sounding albums I have in my collection, the production is amazing, the original CD that was released I still regard as the best sounding CD in my collection!.

The album featured 4 singles "How To Be A Millionaire" (which reached number 49 in the UK singles chart), "Be Near Me" (reached number 26 in the UK singles chart) "Vanity Kills" (Which reached number 70 in the UK singles chart) and "Ocean Blue" (which reached number 51 in the UK singles chart)

The album only peaked at number 28 in the UK albums chart, which is criminal! It is also long overdue a deluxe edition release!

For me this album is a masterpiece and the closing track "Between You And Me" is one of my all time favourite ABC tracks.

Track listing

Fear Of The World
Be Near Me
Vanity Kills
Ocean Blue
15 Storey Halo
A To Z
How To be A Millionaire
Tower Of London
So Hip It Hurts
Between You And Me

So if you have the album in your collection and have n't played it in a while, dig it out and give it a spin!