The New Pet Shop Boys Album "Nonetheless" Reviewed

The Pet Shop Boys are back with a new album called "Nonetheless", that is getting glowing reviews, after several listens we have put together our review/thoughts on the album.

Loneleness has really grown on me and I prefer the album version, superb orchestration and driving beat and bass, easy to see why it was chosen as the lead single, probably their best lead single since "Love Etc".

Feel A bit of a kraftwerk and italodisco vibe, lush orchestration, that sequenced bass-line is fabulous, really like this track, great chorus.

Why Am I Dancing? ticks all the boxes for me, uplifting, melodic and another terrific sequenced bass-line, Chris has come up with some superb music on this album and Neil is on top form on this track.

New London Boy is a beautiful ballad and definitely get the connection to "Being Boring", a beautiful sound palette, reminiscent to "A New Life" and "Do I Have To?", excellent lyrics, a very nice laid back and at times sad sounding song, a reflective lookback on life.

Dancing Star The best compliment I can give this song, is that it wouldn't be out of place on "Please", I love the sound created on this track the way it takes you back to their debut album era. A strong track although a little bit short, perfect choice for a single release.

A New Bohemia Is a track I was looking forward to due to the title alone, on first listen I was a bit disappointed, however, after several listens the track has really grown on me, it has outstanding orchestration again and that chorus grabs you after a few plays. Can now see why it has been chosen as the 3rd single.

The Schlager Hit Parade seems to be the one track on the album that the media and fans feel is the weakest track on the album, not for me, I think it is superb and is a distant cousin to "Shameless", fantastic chorus and a well constructed track, it is the one track I find myself singing around the house. Pure pop, Pure Pet Shop Boys!

The Secret Of Happiness has a 60s vibe, a beautiful song and another song on which Neils vocals are brilliant, outstanding orchestration, what more can I say...perfect!

Bullet For Narcissus First off, what a great title, we are in house music territory on this one, this is my choice for weakest track on the album but is a grower and is still a song I like.

Love Is The Law closes the album and is epic and perfection on a grand scale, flawless!

I wasn't a fan of the Price trilogy (really don't like electric, super had some good moments but not enough strong tracks to carry the album, Hotspot is the best of the trilogy bunch, but again, a few weak tracks) but this is a massive return to form and despite my reservations about James Ford producing the album he has done a fantastic job on the production, like working with Trevor Horn, Ford and the Pet Shop Boys are a perfect partnership, hopefully their will be another album produced by James Ford.

This is the strongest set of songs and best album Neil & Chris have recorded in years, it's absolutely fabulous!

9/10

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #17

Put The Needle On The Record Week #17 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome

For this weeks feature we go back to October 1984 and the Frankie Goes To Hollywood album "Welcome To The Pleasuredome".

I was a mad Frankie Goes To Hollywood fan and this album was eagerly awaited back in 1984, I bought my vinyl copy on the day of release at the small HMV in Market Street, in Manchester. There was a lot of hype about the album and to some it was seen as a disappointment, I think the problem was people had high expectations after the singles "Relax" and "Two Tribes", nothing was ever going to compete with those tracks, I know I played the 12 inch single releases of "Two Tribes" to death and still rate the Annihilation 12 inch one of the greatest 12 inch singles ever released.

Over the years I have come to appreciate this album a lot, brilliantly produced by Trevor Horn, it always takes me back to the days when I lived in a bedsit!

4 singles were released off the album, "Relax", their debut single, which got banned from the Radio 1 playlist by DJ Mike Reid....fool! (which despite the controversy it topped the UK singles chart), "Two Tribes", a masterpiece, especially the 12 inch remixes that came out, (it spent 9 weeks at Number 1 in the UK Singles chart), "The Power Of Love" (which also topped the UK Singles Chart) and "Welcome To The Pleasuredome (which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart).

Other highlights on the album include their cover versions of "Born To Run", "Ferry Cross The Mersey" and "Do You Know The Way To San Jose".

It won't come as a surprise that the album topped the UK Album Chart.

Track Listing

The World Is My Oyster (including Well & Snatch Of Fury)
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Relax
War
Two Tribes
For The Victims Of Ravishment
Ferry Cross The Mersey
Born To Run
San Jose (The Way)
Wish (The Lads Were Here)
The Ballad Of 32
Krisco Kisses
Black Night White Light
The Only Star In Heaven
The Power Of Love
Bang

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!

White Lion Radio Presents...Selections From The Blitz Club

Rusty Egan has curated a special 4CD/4 Vinyl Box Set that features music he played at the Blitz Club in 1979 & 1980 and is set for release on June 28th.

To celebrate this release White Lion Radio have put together a special show, called "Selections From The Blitz Club", that includes 20 tracks that are featured on the forthcoming box set.

The show is available to listen to on Mixcloud here

PLAYLIST

The Human League - Being Boiled
Tubeway Army - Down In The Park
The Normal - Warm Leatherette
John Foxx - Burning Car
Dalek I - Dalek I Love You (Destiny)
Ultravox - Hiroshima Mon Amour
Sparks - The Number One Song In Heaven (Long Version)
OMD - Electricity
Ultravox - Passing Strangers
Kraftwerk - Radioactivty
Japan - Life In Tokyo (Short Version)
Blondie - Heart Of Glass (12 Inch Version)
M - Pop Muzik (12 Inch Version)
Landscape - Japan
The Cure - A Forest
Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short
Telex - Moskow Diskow
Silicon Teens - Memphis Tennessee
Simple Minds - Changeling
Visage - Fade To Grey (Dance Mix)

The CD & Vinyl editions of Rusty Egan Presents Blitzed! is available at all major music retailers.

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #16

Put The Needle On The Record Week #16 David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

For this weeks feature we go back to August 1980 and the David Bowie album "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)".

I have always found it really difficult to get into a full album by Bowie, with the exception of the fabulous "Scary Monsters" album, what a superb album it is, easily his best and most cohesive album. I bought the album on after hearing the single "Ashes To Ashes" single, which is my favourite Bowie track, by strange coincidence it was the first single my long term partner bought, she also rates it as Bowie's finest track, the stars must have aligned!!

It is one of those albums on which every track could have been a single, as well as the singles released I really do like the tracks "It's No Game (No 1)" and Because You're Young" and "Teenage Wildlife".

4 singles were released off the album, "Ashes To Ashes" (which reached number 1 in the UK singles chart), Steve Strange of Visage is featured in the promo video for the song, "Fashion" (which reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart - the B side was an edited version of another track off the album "Scream Like A Baby"), the title track "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" (which reached number 20 in the UK Singles Chart and once again featured an edited version of another album track "Because You're Young") and "Up The Hill Backwards" (which reached number 32 in the UK Singles Chart).

It will come as no surprise to learn the album hit number 1 in the UK album chart.

Track Listing

It's No Game (No. 1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (No. 2)

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!

I-Select #105

Edition #105 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

Eric C. Powell & Andrea Powell - Saturn (Radio Edit)
Slave To The Squarewave - Love Unknown (Rob Stuart 2024 Remix)
Video L'Eclipse -  Signals
Melo - Glitter
Lifelong Corporation - Noises (Clean Mix)
Teleskop - Porcelain Blue
Mind Machine - Always Tomorrow
Nano Ona - Have Courage (Arvid Tuba Remix)
Vogon Poetry & Scala - Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Luxxery - Strangely Familiar
Hyperfield Ft Toni Sewell - Therapy
Glenn Main - Calima In The Sky
Jigsaw Sequence - Cry
Split Vision - Greed
Eric C. Powell & Andrea Powell - World Falls Away
O!Dorian - Come On I Want You
Melo - Paralyzed
The Frost -  Modulations
Slave To The Squarewave - India (Rob Stuart 2024 Remaster)
The Subtheory Ft Pet Twin - Song Of The Damascene
Breathe Of My Leaves - Godzilla (Single Mix)
Kraftman - AZ-5 (Arvid Tuba Remix)
Ironic Sweden - Lost Eden
Lunar Plexus - I'll Watch Over You (Felicity's Lullaby)
Poppy Blond - Misty Blue Eyes
Wainscott - Say Anything
Video L'Eclipse - Another Day
Mind Machine - Mortuary You
Logic & Olivia - World In My Eyes
execunit - Rust
Melo - Cut Me Loose
After The Rain - Wearing Like a Clown (Single Version)
Eric C. Powell & Andrea Powell - The Station
Blokeacola - Lost Connection
Slave To The Squarewave - Skydiving (Rob Stuart 2024 Remix)
Glenn Main - Calima Islolation

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #15

Put The Needle On The Record Week #15 New Order - Power Corruption & Lies

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 May 1983 and the New Order album, "Power Corruption & Lies". As we know New Order was formed after the death of the Joy Division singer Ian Curtis (if you haven't seen the film "Control" about Ian Curtis & Joy Division you need to see it). The three other members of Joy Division, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Peter Hook wanted to carry but under a different name, Gillian Gilbert became a member of New Order at this point too, the rest, as they say, is history.

"Power Corruption & Lies" was the 2nd New order album and the follow up to "Movement", which, despite being a huge Joy Division/New Order fan, is an album I have never liked, PCL however is my favourite New Order album and it saw a change in their sound, with the introduction of more synths and drum machines.

New Order were famous for not including any singles on their early releases and as such no tracks were released as singles off it, also the bands name and album title weren't included on the sleeves of their earlier albums, however, they did release the monster hit "Blue Monday", the biggest selling 12 inch single of all time and of course a regular in their live set list. It was added as a bonus track on CD editions of the album in later years.

By the way back in 1980 I had the pleasure of chatting to Anthony H Wilson (Factory label boss) and we discussed the music of Joy Division and in particular the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart", my favourite single of all  time.

I like the entire album and the highlights for me are "Age Of Consent", "The Village" and the Kraftwerkesque "Your Silent Face" (which contained the brilliant line..."you caught me at a bad time, so why don't you piss off".

The album peaked at number 4 in the UK albums chart.

Track listing

Age Of Consent
We All Stand
The Village
5 8 6
Your Silent Face
Ultraviolence
Ecstasy
Leave Me Alone

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!

Maximum 80s #123

Welcome to edition 123 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

Krew - Paper Heroes (Extended Mix)
Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder - Good-Bye Bad Times (Extended Re-Mix)
Odyssey - Going Back To My Roots (12 Inch Version)
Fleetwood Mac - Big Love (Extended Remix)
Patrick Cowley & Sylvester - Do You Wanna Funk (12 Inch Version)
Thompson Twins - Doctor Doctor (Long Version)
Madonna - Deeper And Deeper (Shep's Classic 12 Inch Mix)
Ultravox - We Came To Dance (Unedited Extended Version)
Seona Dancing - More To Lose (Extended Mix)
Belinda Carlisle - (We Want) The Same Thing (Extended Summer Remix)
Imagination - Music And Lights (12 Inch Version)
Bobby O - She Has A Way (12 Inch Remix)

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #14

 Put The Needle On The Record Week #14 Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back The Clock

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 1988 and the Johnny Hates Jazz album, "Turn Back The Clock". I hadn't really come across this band and actually discovered their music when a friend was playing the album! I thought this was an amzing sounding album and the next day I bought a vinyl copy ot it, beautiful production and well crafted songs and it was a little different to ehat was around at that time. It is also an album I still play and enjoy listening to some 36 years later!

There were a staggering 6 singles released from the album, the debut single "Me And My Foolish Heart", which was released 2 years before the album and was retitled "Foolish Heart" on the album itself (which failed to reach the Top 100 UK Singles chart, only reaching number 112), "Shattered Dreams", the single that really launched their career (which reached number 5 in the UK Singles chart), "I Don't Want To Be A Hero" (which reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart), "Turn Back The Clock" (which reached number 12 in the UK Singles Chart), "Heart Of Gold" (which reached number 19 in the UK Singles Chart) and "Don't Say It's Love" (which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart).

The album reached number 1 in the UK albums chart.

Track listing

Shattered Dreams
Heart Of Gold
Turn Back The Clock
Don't Say It's Love
What Other Reason
I Don't Want To Be A Hero
Listen
Different Seasons
Don't Let It End This Way
Foolish Heart

The CD Edition included the following Bonus Tracks

Heart Of Gold (J Mendelsohn Mix)
Turn Back The Clock (J Mendelsohn Mix)
I Don't Want To Be A Hero (Extended 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!