In 1982 Mike Scott, "the founder and only permanent member of The Waterboys," recruited saxophone player Anthony Thistlethwaite, drummer Kevin Wilkinson, and bassist Nick Linden to record songs for a new project that he named after a line in the Lou Reed song "The Kids." The songs would become their first album.
"A Girl Called Johnny," a tribute to Patti Smith, had been released both as a seven inch and as a twelve inch single in March of 1983, preceding the album by four months. The album also includes the songs "December," "I Will Not Follow," and "Savage Earth Heart."
The Waterboys went on to release the exquisite This is the Sea in 1985 and captured the heart of this writer. The band "are one of the most fascinating and unpredictable bands the British Isles have ever produced. A mighty musical train powered by the twin fuels of rock'n'roll and celtic soul, The Waterboys have consistently challenged critics and audience alike, busting musical boundaries and creating a motherlode of cracking music along the way."
The fifth album by The Police, Synchronicity went to #1 in the US, "ending the reign of Michael Jackson's Thriller for a while." Synchronicity won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1983.
"The album's title was inspired by Arthur Koestler's The Roots of Coincidence, which mentions Carl Jung's theory of Synchronicity. Sting was an avid reader of Koestler, and also named Ghost in the Machine after one of his works."
The first record that Waist High recalls purchasing with her own money, and still in her possession, Synchronicity was the last full-length studio recording from The Police, and their greatest success. "Every Breath You Take," released before the album, went to #1 on both the US and UK charts, and "King of Pain," and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" made it into the US top ten.
Synchronicity is "a collection that creates and sustains a mood in the sensitive listener, a feeling that remains after the last note has died away. A benchmark album from a tremendously influential band, it will stand the test of time as a genuine classic."
In February 2008, The Police announced that once they are finished touring, with their final show in New York City, they will break up again. According to Sting, "There will be no new album, no big new tour, once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for the Police."
Quoted material: wikipedia.org & Al Massa via amazon.com
One of the great songs of 1983, "Belly of the Whale" received heavy rotation on MTV and became one of their top 10 videos during their fledgling start up period, and yet the song may have been more beloved on the west coast thanks in kind to Waist High and to massive play on Pasadena's KROQ.
The short lived Los Angeles band Burning Sensations was formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1987. After departing The Motels, Tim McGovern formed one of the first "world beat bands," whose discography was brief. Burning Sensations released Belly of the Whale, Burning Sensations, and was featured on the Repo Man Soundtrack in 1984.
Of "Belly of the Whale," Andrew Chalfen had this to say: "The calypso/Latin infusion, the gentle digital reverbed synths and guitars floating out over the bay where the sea and sky melt together in a silvery thrum, the big-fish story of the lyric, it's all there, man." He also added that "Belly of the Whale" features "amazing sounds, melody lines, and hooks, and an absolutely killer chorus."
Call me biased, but "Belly of the Whale" really is one of the greater tunes to come out of the much hated new wave genre.
Tim McGovern is currently fronting the Pacific Northwest band Knucklehead, and if you click here and scroll to the playlist you can hear their cover version of the song.
Material: knuckleheadlive.com/bio's & Andrew Chalfen via littlehits.com/blog
EAGERLY AWAITED JOY DIVISION DOCUMENTARY RELEASED IN THE UK.
Joy Division was directed by Grant Gee, previously responsible for the acclaimed Radiohead OK Computer tour documentary Meeting People Is Easy.
The new documentary follows hot on the heels of Anton Corbijn's movie Control, which was released in 2007, and concentrated its story on the band's tragic frontman Ian Curtis, who committed suicide in 1980.
Featuring the unprecedented participation of all the surviving band members, Joy Division examines the band's story as depicted through never-before-seen live performance footage, personal photos, period films and newly discovered audiotapes. With poignant narratives from Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, as well as accounts from Throbbing Gristle musician Genesis P. Orridge, late legendary Factory Records owner Tony Wilson, iconic Factory Records graphic artist Peter Saville, photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn, Belgian journalist Annik Honore (speaking for the first time about her relationship with Ian Curtis) and others, the film is a fresh visual account of a unique time and place.
From director Grant Gee and producers Tom Atencio, Tom Astor and Jacqui Edenbrow, Joy Division chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and lays bare the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy.
Material: nme.com & The Works via vids.myspace.com
"The first duo of electro pop Soft Cell release a remix album entitled Heat: The Remixes through Some Bizzare/Universal in June 2008. The double album includes around 25 brand new interpretations of many classic Soft Cell singles, plus key album tracks, b-sides and rarities. All the remixes featured on the album have been reworked by genuine fans of the band, resulting in the respectful updating of a seminal electronic era. An expanded digital edition, featuring additional bonus remixes not on the CD will also be available, and some of the key club mixes/dubs will also be released on DJ-only vinyl."
Final tracklisting and sequencing still to be confirmed, but key tracks are as follows:
Memorabilia-Cicada Remix, Seedy Films-Richard X Remix, Bedsitter-Manhattan Clique Remix, Sex Dwarf-The Grid Remix, Tainted Love-Paul Dakeyne Remix, Torch-Manhattan Clique Remix, Where The Heart Is-Marcas Lancaster Remix, Numbers-Spektrum Remix, Heat-Yer Man Remix, The Art Of Falling Apart-Atomizer Remix, A Man Can Get Lost-Marcello Remix, Secret Life-George Demure Remix, Surrender To A Stranger-MHC Remix, So-The Grid Remix, Frustration-Punx Soundcheck Remix, Chips On My Shoulder-Mark Moore & Kinky Roland Remix, Entertain Me-Kinky Roland Remix, Best Way To Kill-Nitewreckers Remix, Barriers-Dark Poets Remix, Her Imagination-Monkey Farm Frankenstein Remix
In related news, Some Bizarre Records has plans to re-release the band's albums Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret,Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing, and This Last Night In Sodom in expanded packages.
Waist High favorite Introducing The Style Council was recorded in Paris in the summer of 1983. The album was initially released only in the United States, Holland, and Japan, and was heavily imported to the UK. "It is a compilation of tracks from the band's first three UK single releases. The band's official debut album, Cafe Bleu, was released the following year. The 'Club Mixes' are exclusive to this release."
The EP features the greats "Long Hot Summer," "Speak Like a Child," "The Paris Match," and "Money-Go-Round," called "a fine British-funk manifesto" by John Floyd of allmusic.com.
The Style Council was formed "in 1983 by ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent lineup grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also collaborated with the group."
