Put The Needle On The Record - Week #30

Put The Needle On The Record Week #30 Erasure - The Innocents

For this weeks feature we go back to April 1988 and the Erasure album "The Innocents".

This album was the 3rd album released by Erasure and the follow-up to their big breakthrough album "The Circus", I saw the band live at the Manchester Apollo when they toured to promote this album, it is a fantastic album, probably one of my favourite Erasure albums, the duo were on fine form, as it includes some of their finest songs they have written, "Ship Of Fools", "A Little Respect" and "Chains Of Love", the first 2 regulars throughout the years in their concerts, their are other gems to be heared on this album too, such as, "Heart Of Stone" and "Phantom Bride", both could have been singles, I also like the track "Yahoo!", cheesy but infectious.

The album became their first to top the album charts and the album enjoyed success in America, due to heavy exposure on MTV, it made the billboard top 50. It was produced by Stephen Hague, who of course, produced "Please" by Pet Shop Boys and some tracks on their album "Actually". A brilliant producer back then.

Three singles were released off the album, they were of course "Ship Of Fools" (Which reached number 6 in the UK Singles chart), "Chains Of Love" (which reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart) and "A Little Respect" (which reached number 4 in the UK Single Chart and also reached number 14 in the American Billboard Top 100).

The album also reached number 1 in the UK Album Chart and was their first album to top the charts.

Track Listing

A Little Respect
Ship Of Fools
Phantom Bride
Chains Of Love
Hallowed Ground
Sixty-Five Thousand
Heart Of Stone
Yahoo!
Imagination
Witch In The Ditch
Weight Of The World
*When I Needed You (Melancholic Mix)
*River Deep Mountain High (Private Dance Mix)

*CD Bonus Tracks

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!

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #29

Put The Needle On The Record Week #29 Marc Almond - The Stars We Are

For this weeks feature we go back to September 1988 and the Marc Almond album "The Stars We Are".

"The Stars We Are" was the 4th studio album released by Marc and is one of my favourite Marc Almond solo albums, quality from beginning to end. The album includes the number 1 he had with Gene Pitney, "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart", however I prefer Marc's solo version, which appeared on the original album release, as the duet was recorded after the album was completed, later editions did include the Gene Pitney duet. The album features 22 musicians including Almond and is a heavily orchestrated album.

The album featured 4 singles, "Tears Run Rings" (which reached number 26 in the UK Singles Chart), "Bitter Sweet" (which reached number 40 in the UK Singles Chart), "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" (which of course made number 1 in the UK Singles Chart) and "Only The Moment" (which reached number 45 in the UK Singles Chart).

Other strong tracks that could have been singles were, "The Stars We Are" and "These My Dreams Are Yours", brilliant tracks.

The album also reached number 41 in the UK Album Chart, which really surprised me! Should have been a top 10 album at least. as ever I am listening to this album whilst do my research on the album and writing this feature.

Track Listing

The Stars We Are
These My Dreams Are Yours
Bitter Sweet
Only The Moment
Your Kisses Burn
The Very Last Pearl
Tears Run Rings
Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart
The Sensualist
She Took My Soul In Istanbul
*The Frost Comes Tomorrow
*Kept Boy
*Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart (With Gene Pitney)

*CD Bonus Tracks

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 #108

Edition #108 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

Office For Personal Development - Invisible To Me
Mayah Camara & Sellorekt LA DREAMS - Critical
BlakLight - Blind Vision (Dominatrix Remix)
Haberdashery & Markymix - In My Arms
Supercraft - Asleep
ETH - All Must Come To An End
Francesca e Luigi - Paralyze And Trick Your Wife (Single Mix)
Disreflect - Heaven
Red Cell - Haunted By Your Beauty
Kretz - Critical level
Nici - The Sum Of Every Mistake
Retrograth - Plastic Ocean
Nature of Wires + Machina X - Static Icons
Final Selection - You
Massive Ego - In Your Own Darkness
Office For Personal Development - You Are In Control
Volker Milch - Emotion (Mix 2024)
Piston Damp - Hard To Love You
Roxanne - Can't Stop This Feeling
Melo - Only The Lonely
April Afternoon - Walking Through Your Day
George & The Imagination Machine - Dancing On A Highwire (Rob Stuart Remix)
Eckotrigger - The One
Maschine Brennt - Elektron (2024 remix)
Supercraft - Nothing More
PreCog - Never Try
Haberdashery & Markymix - Enjoy The Silence
Exciting Valence - Dance And Smile
Disreflect - Blind Two
ETH - White Lies
Nici - I Won't Be A Slave
Eye New Dark - Smile My Dear
Mayah Camara & Sellorekt LA DREAMS - Electric Chemistry
Office For Personal Development - Do It All Over Again

Put The Needle On The Record - Week #28

Put The Needle On The Record Week #28 Howard Jones - Dream Into Action

For this weeks feature we go back to March 1985 and the Howard Jones album "Dream Into Action".

"Dream Into Action" was the second album released by Howard Jones, the follow up to "Human's Lib" and whilst the former had 3 outstanding singles on it ("New Song", "What Is Love?" and "Hide And Seek"), "Dream Into Action" has a much better overall collection of songs, superbly produced by Rupert Hine. It is also an album that did well in the states, along with the singles released from it.

I saw Howard Jones in 1985 at The Manchester Apollo on the tour to support the album and he was amazing, analog synths surrounded him and boy can he play them, he is outstanding live. For me this was the peak of his career and his popularity.

The acid test that show an album is of the highest quality, is the tracks that could have been singles but were n't, in the case of this album, "Specialty" and "Elegy" were worthy candidates to be released as singles.

In the end 4 singles were released off the album "Things Can Only Get Better" (which reached number 6 in the UK Singles chart and number 5 in America), "Look Mama" (which reached number 10 in the UK Singles chart), "Life In One Day" (which reached number 14 in the UK Singles chart and number 19 in America) and "No One Is To Blame" (which reached number 16 in the UK Singles chart and number 4 in America), which was re-recorded with Phil Collins on drums for its release as a single.

The album peaked at number 2 in the UK Album Chart and number 10 in the Billboard album chart in the states.

Track Listing

Things Can Only Get Better
Life In One Day
Dream Into Action
No One Is To Blame
Look Mama
Assault And Battery
Automation
Is There A Difference?
Elegy
Specialty
Why Look For The Key
Hunger For The Flesh

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 #126

Welcome to edition 126 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

Men Without Hats - Freeways (Euromix Version)
The Associates - Take Me Tt The Girl (12 Inch Mix)
Paul Young - Come Back And Stay (Extended Club Mix)
E.G. Daily - Say It Say It (Extended Version)
Kim Wilde - Four Letter Word (Late Night Mix)
David Bowie - Let's Dance (12 Inch Version)
Soul II Soul - Keep On Movin' (Club Mix)
Bananarama - Love In The First Degree (Love In The House Mix)
Boney M - Rivers Of Babylon (Original US 12 Inch Version)
Sinitta - So Macho (Extended Club Mix)
Simple Minds - Someone Somewhere In Summertime (Extended)
New Order - Shellshock (Substance Edit)

Put The Needle On The Record - Week # 27

Put The Needle On The Record Week #27 Tubeway Army - Replicas

For this weeks feature we go back to April 1979 and the Tubeway Army album "Replicas".

This album is the album that started off my love affair with synthesizers and electronic music, it is a groundbreaking album in so many ways but is definitely the album that started the wealth of synth bands that followed, the likes of OMD, The Human League, Visage, Midge Ure era Ultravox, Japan, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode and so many others.

I still remember very clearly watching Top Of The Pops in, I think it would have been May 1979, when Tubeway Army appeared with the track "Are Friends Electric?", they looked like something from an alien planet, the effect it had on me and i'm sure many others was incredible, the lightbulb moment for me regards electronic music because it truly opened my eyes to electronic music and Gary Numan brought electronic music to the mainstream, that's how important this album is to me and countless others.

"Are Friends Electric?" actually made steady progress up the singles chart, however, once it appeared on Top Of The Pops, it made Gary Numan a massive pop star and this impacted on sales of the album.

The album has a science fiction concept as its core, with songs about androids and machines and a dystopian world.

The interesting thing about this album is that it still had lots of guitar on it (The Machman and You Are In My Vision) and wasn't a complete electronic album, however, the synthesizers were the key ingredients on this long player. A nod of appreciation for Numan's lyrics on this album, they are outstanding and fit perfectly with the music and the overall concept.

It is probably one of my most played albums of all time.

Two singles were released off the album, "Down In The Park" (Which failed to chart) and of course, "Are Friends Electric?" (which reached number 1 and stayed there for 4 weeks), I also think "Me I Disconnect From You" should have been released as a single.

The album also reached number 1 in the UK Album Chart.

Track Listing

Me I Disconnect From You
Are 'Friends' Electric?
The Machman
Praying To The Aliens
Down In The Park
You Are In My Vision
Replicas
It Must Have Been Years
When The Machines Rock
I Nearly Married A Human

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!