mp3



Here you will gain exclusive access to my own personal record collection! I try to bring you mp3s of rare tracks, deleted material, long forgotten artists, total flops and down right obscure shit. Often, my choices were only available on vinyl or were just plain unreleased, the aim being to indulge an old fan or inspire a new one. I try not to post up forthcoming releases or anything that's too readily available. Honest, Gov!

There's a tenuous thread running through the tracks but your requests are always welcome and I'll try and squeeze them in amongst my own fancies... eventually.

Tracks are only available for a limited time folks, so get them while you can!


Now for the science bit! To access the music, please right-click on 'Download' and 'save target as...' to your computer. Tracks are ripped at 192 kbps and wherever possible taken from the highest quality source available. All of the music offered here has been purchased by myself and is part of my own collection. Tracks are for evaluation purposes only and wherever possible, purchasing is always encouraged. If you own any of the material posted here or anywhere else on this site and are very cross with me, please email me with threats and such like...

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:: Cookie Crew :: Got To Keep On (12 Inch Version) :: Download

Cookie Crew were a late 80s/early 90s Rap duo from Clapham in South London. MC Remedee (Debbie Pryce) and Susie Q (Susan Banfield) broke away from a 13-strong Rap collective called Warm Milk And The Cookie Crew in 1983 to find their career as a duo a bit more fruitful. In 1985, they won a national Rap championship and recorded two radio sessions for John Peel's radio show, which got them a contract with UK Dance label, Rhythm King (S'Express, Bomb The Bass, Betty Boo). They were plonked in the studio with the production trio The Beatmasters, who helped develop Cookie Crew's sound in a House music direction, resulting in the single 'Rok Da House' (video), released in July 1987. The single flopped at number 78 in the UK singles chart but was a massive hit in clubland, which encouraged a re-release which peaked at number 5 early the following year. The track is often quoted as being the first Hip Hop/House record. Moving labels to FFRR, Cookie Crew scored more hits in 1989 with 'Born This Way (Let's Dance)' (23) and the Edwin Starr-sampling 'Got To Keep On' (17), as well as releasing their debut album, 'Born This Way!', which managed to reach number 24 in the UK album chart. Now working with producers like CJ Mackintosh and Dancin' Danny D, Cookie Crew released a second album in 1991, 'Fade To Black', which featured the single 'Secrets (Of Success)' (53) and 'Love Will Bring Us Back Together', which failed to chart. By 1992, FFRR's parent label London Records were keen to steer the duo towards a more pop-oriented style of Rap but the girls wanted to pursue a more of a orthodox Hip Hop/Rap style. Unable to reach a compromise, they parted company with FFRR and eventually retired from the Rap scene. Debbie and Susie have remained involved with other projects within the music industry, apparently... Trivia! Susan Banfield is the sister of The Pasadenas' singer Andrew Banfield! Watch French & Saunders hilariously sum up the whole female Rap/Hip Hop/House scene of the late '80s here (taken from their third TV series, circa 1989).

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:: Wee Papa Girl Rappers :: The Power And The Glory :: Download

Sisters Sandra Lawrence and Timmie Lawrence were Wee Papa Girl Rappers, the first female British Rap/Hip Hop group to achieve chart success in the UK. Signed to Jive Records, the duo issued their debut single, 'Faith', in 1988, which hit number 60 on the chart. The track was an underground success, featuring sneaky samples of, amongst other things, George Michael's 'Faith'. They managed a more respectable number 21 on the chart with it's follow up, 'Heat It Up', which was one of the first tracks to carry a remix by legendary producer Kevin Saunderson (listen here). Their commercial peak came with their third single, 'Wee Rule' (video), which hit number 6 and came from their first album, 'The Beat, The Rhyme, The Noise'. Their next two singles failed to have the impact of earlier efforts, with 'Soulmate' reaching number 45 and 1989's Jeremy Healy-produced 'Blow The House Down' only hitting number 65. They released a second album in 1990, 'Be Aware' (that's where this track comes from), which saw the Wee Papa's working with the cream of UK House music talent of the time, such as Coldcut, Dancin' Danny D and Clivillés & Cole. They also continued sampling a whole host of classical, funk and soul tracks, sometimes without credit. However, despite strong material they never returned to the top 75 and their last four singles, 'Get In The Groove' (1990), 'The Bump' (1990), 'Best Of My Love' (1991) and 'Wee Are The Girls' (1992) all tanked severely... At the time, and even still to this day, Wee Papa Girl Rappers are viewed with a certain amount of embarrassment by the British Hip Hop community, chiefly because of their pop-oriented sound. However, as one of the first acts to break through to the mainstream, they brought Rap and Hip Hop music to the attention of a wider audience and greatly helped the establishment of British Hip Hop, helping pave the way for such subsequent, similarly styled, chart-topping acts, like TLC. So there! Pick up their 'Be Aware' album, if you can, to hear what 'Boomania - Part 2' would've sounded like!

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:: Inner City :: Good Life (Magic Juan's 12'' Mix) :: Download

Tuuuuune! Dance act Inner City were formed in 1987 when Kevin Saunderson, a collage student recording out of his own basement studio, produced a techno track he felt needed a vocal. Saunderson was already earning a name for himself as one of the most influential Detroit producers of the 1980s, known for his contribution to the club scene through his releases as Tronik House, Reese, E-Dancer and Essaray. After Chicago vocalist Paris Grey (Shanna Jackson) was recommended by producer Terry Baldwin, the two collaborated on the single 'Big Fun' (video). It was released in late 1988 on the popular compilation, 'Techno: The New Dance Sound Of Detroit', released by Virgin Records and went on to a surprise crossover hit on the British singles chart. Signed to Virgin's Ten label soon after, Saunderson and Grey had another hit on their hands later that same year with the top 10 single, 'Good Life' (video - featured here in it's classic 12" mix!). Their debut album, 'Paradise', reached the UK top 20 and it's companion remix album, 'Paradise Remixed', followed in 1990. Later singles, 'Ain't Nobody Better', 'Watcha Gonna Do With My Lovin'' and 'That Man (He's Mine)', filled the dance floors around the world, but did less well in the UK charts. Inner City's second album, 'Fire', wasn't as successful either, partly because Virgin had pressured the group into becoming an American version of Soul II Soul and a hybrid of jazz, swing beat and soul had been introduced to their overall sound. Inner City returned to the charts with the addition of Ann Saunderson, Kevin's wife, on vocals in the 1990's, releasing their third album, 'Praise', and the successful singles 'Pennies From Heaven' (video) and 'Hallelujah '92'. The group then went on a hiatus, as Saunderson returned to his more experimental roots with The Reese Project. 'Good Life' and 'Big Fun' remain ever-popular dance tracks, with a regular supply of re-issues, remixes, bootlegs and compilation appearances doing the rounds each year... Buy 'Good Life - The Best Of Inner City' here for about £3.

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:: Ruth Joy :: Give Me Your Love :: Download

Krush vocalist Ruth Joy went solo in 1989 with her first single for MCA Records, 'Don't Push It'. The track was produced by dance legend Mantronix and reached 66 in the UK singles chart. She followed this up later the same year with her self-produced single, 'Soul Power', which failed to chart. It wasn't until 1991 that Ruth released a third single, 'Feel', a club hit in Europe that reached number 67 and later still, her only album, 1992's 'Pride And Joy'. Ruth's 11 track album is almost a compilation, featuring her two 1989 singles, one B-Side, her 1991 single, an instrumental and six new tracks. Of the new material, the poppy 'Fool's Paradise' is produced by Whole Hog Productions, who also worked with Dannii Minogue around this time, and 'War', which sees Ruth pair up with reggae outfit Aswad. We also have three classic Carl McIntosh produced tracks; 'Question Of Time', 'Remind Me' and 'You Bring Me Joy'. After the lack of interest in her solo offerings, Ruth returned to Krush for a second and final single... 'Give Me Your Love' is a second Mantronix production and was originally the B-Side to 'Don't Push It' (where it was called 'Gimme Your Love'). Trivia! As is widely misreported, Ruth Joy is not Ann Saunderson, wife of producer Kevin Saunderson of Inner City fame. Ann is also a UK vocalist and was involved in the House and Soul music scene in the late 80s/early 90s, for a time using the alias Karen Joy. This would appear to be where the confusion has come from, with many sites (Wikipedia, Youtube, etc.) incorrectly recognising Ruth Joy and Karen Joy as the same artist!

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:: Krush :: House Arrest (The Beat Is The Law) :: Download

Pretty much a one hit wonder, Krush were a house music outfit who had a big dance hit with 'House Arrest' (video), which reached number 3 in the UK singles chart in December 1987. The group consisted of vocalist Ruth Joy (Ruth Oram) and musicians/DJs Mark Gamble and Cassius Campbell. 'House Arrest' (featured here in 12" remix form) was released by Mercury Records and produced by Mark Brydon (later one half of Moloko) and Robert Gordon. The track is considered a pioneering example of 1980s British house music, along side classics by Bomb The Bass and S'Express. Their second (and final) single, 'Walking On Sunshine' on Network Records, didn't appear until 1992 and despite being a club hit, it only reached number 71 on the chart. The four year gap was almost certainly due to Ruth Joy's solo activities between 1988-1992. She also appeared on another house music release, Love Street's excellent 'Galaxy', in July 1988 and contributed backing vocals to other artists recordings during this period, including Yazz and US popstar, Stacey Q.

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:: Stacey Q :: Incognito :: Download

'Incognito' is from 'Nights Like This', the brilliant third album by American dance-pop artist Stacey Q (real name Stacey Swain). Stacey's career as a recording artist began in 1981, when she met producer, future manager and long time collaborator Jon St. James. They formed the synth-pop outfit Q, quickly morphing into SSQ when famed producer Quincy Jones (Michael Jackson) claimed to own the copyright to the use of the moniker 'Q'. As they began to pick up acclaim and airplay, Stacey became the focal point of the group and so they began working under the name of Stacey Q, with St. James working behind the scenes. Strong-selling independent singles got Stacey Q signed to major label Atlantic and her debut album, 'Better Than Heaven' was a hit (achieving gold status), thanks largely to the million-selling chart hit, 'Two Of Hearts' (video). This is Stacey Q's  best known release and signature tune to this day. 'Two Of Hearts' has recently been recorded by Annie, produced by Richard X, for her forthcoming second album and also, Kelly Osbourne had a crack at it on the Japan edition of her 'Sleeping In The Nothing' album from 2005 (listen here). Next, she spent time touring and acting throughout 1986-87, but returned with a new album, 'Hard Machine', in 1988. Not as successful as her debut, although considered a stronger set of songs by the critics, it's lukewarm reception can perhaps be attributed to her new image. She had dyed her hair from blonde to red and opted for punk/rock chick influenced fashions, rather than the bubbly, cute blond persona she had presented previously. 'Nights Like This' was quickly recorded and issued in 1989 and although performing much the same as the previous album, it remains her most consistent and polished release.  Clivillés And Cole (C+C Music Factory) co-wrote many of the tracks and it sounds not a million miles away from Kylie's sex-pop, 'Rhythm Of Love'-era recordings. Oh, and the backing vocals were provided by Jocelyn Brown and a Weather Girl! Leaving Atlantic in 1990, it was not until 1997 when Stacey Q returned with a fourth album, 'Boomerang', which was influenced by folk music and her conversion to Buddhism... oh dear. Trivia! Stacey's vocals appeared on 'American Dream', the 2001 single by Jakatta (the one that samples the 'American Beauty' film)! Gosh! Website.

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:: Steven Dante :: Imagination :: Download

Steven Barrington Dennis, AKA Steven Dante, is a UK soul singer, most active in the 1980s, who was prone to combining Rastafarian dreadlocks with shoulder pads and sharp suits. Signed to Chrysalis Records, he released 'So Long', his soulful synth-pop debut single, in 1985. Failing to chart, Dante was moved onto Chrysalis' urban subsidiary, Cooltempo, where he released two more singles, 'Give It Up For Love' in 1986 and 'Why Can't You Sit Still?' (produced by Full Force) in 1987. Still without success, he had the good fortune to be offered a showcase slot on John 'Jellybean' Benitez 1987 album, 'Just Visiting This Planet' (along with fellow unknowns Adele Bertei and Elisa Fiorillo). Of the two contributions Dante made, 'The Real Thing' became a hit single in 1987, reaching number 13 in the UK singles chart. Here's a clip of Steven performing with Jellybean live on TV (sorry, not sure which show this is taken from). Now with  a hit under his belt and plenty of media exposure, Dante released a new solo single, 'I'm Too Scared', in 1988. The single made the UK top 40 (just), hitting number 34 and a debut album, 'Find Out', was released shortly after. A slick set of soulful pop songs, 'Find Out' features production credits from Clivillés And Cole (C+C Music Factory), Dancing Danny D (D:Mob) and Jellybean (both 'The Real Thing' and a new collaboration appear) but his first three singles are left off. Dante also recorded an unusual cover of Japan's 'Ghosts', which closes the album. The 'Find Out' CD had three bonus tracks BTW, but CD copies are pretty hard to come by. I got one a while back for about £4. Further singles were lifted from the album; 'Imagination' in 1988 and 'Love Follows' in 1989, but both failed to chart. In the 1990's, Dante appeared on several recordings by other artists, such as Danny D Presents D:Mob's 'One Day' single (1994), Shara Nelson's 'Friendly Fire' album (1995), Lighthouse Family's 'Ocean Drive' album (1995) and he sang a duet with Juliet Roberts on the 1997 single, 'Never Had A Love Like This Before'. He remains active in the music scene as a songwriter today and is currently signed to Sony Publishing in New York.

503
:: Elisa Fiorillo :: You Don't Know :: Download

Elisa Fiorillo was a US 80s teen pop singer in the same ilk as Debbie Gibsion, Tiffany and Alanis, albeit with less success. She had won the 1983 'Star Search' talent show at the age of 16 and was signed to Chrysalis Records in 1987 and began work on her first album. Her first release was a track called 'Jackie', which she contributed to the 'Summer School' movie soundtrack. This caught the eye of one John 'Jellybean' Benitez who approached Elisa to provide lead vocals on two songs on his 1987 album, 'Just Visiting This Planet'. One of the songs, 'Who Found Who' (video), was a worldwide hit, reaching the top 10 in the UK. Capitalizing on the exposure, Elisa released her self-titled debut album worldwide and a couple of singles to promote it; 'How Can I Forget You?' and 'Forgive Me For Dreaming'. Both singles only managed to scrape into the lower reaches of the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic. 'You Don't Know' is the best track on the 'Elisa Fiorillo' album and was nearly a single too, I think, as promo copies were produced. Not quite a roaring success then... After a chance meeting in a recording studio, Elisa then turned up singing backing vocals for Prince on his 'Batman' and 'Graffiti Bridge' soundtracks in 1989 and 1990 respectfully. She also found time to record a second solo album in 1990, called 'I Am'. The album was co-produced with David Z (Fine Young Cannibals, Jody Watley, The Jets) and was recorded at Prince's Paisley Park recording studio. Several songs from the album were produced and written by Prince himself and she had a top 30 hit in the US in 1990 with 'On The Way Up' (which stiffed in the UK at 83). Elisa Fiorillo also appeared on backing vocals again on Prince's 1991 album, 'Diamonds And Pearls'. She continued to perform backing vocals for other artists, both in the studio and live, throughout the 1990s, including Savage Garden, Belinda Carlisle and Billie Myers, among others. Elisa also turned to singing TV jingles, doing voiceover work and directing TV shows before returning to music. She released two further albums, 2002's 'Teach Me Tonight' and 2007's 'Labour Of Love'. Her later recordings are more jazz-orientated, however... website.

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:: Tiffany :: The Heart Of Love :: Download

Last time I wrote about Tiffany (210) I described her as "Stevie Nicks-meets-Chipmunk in a cashmere sweater factory". Sorry 'bout that, Tiff. After her debut album had quickly propelled Tiffany to international stardom, her career suffered as musical tastes changed towards the end of the 1980s. In late 1988, her second album, 'Hold An Old Friend's Hand' didn't do as well as her debut and it didn't provide any number one hits, although one song, 'Radio Romance', did make it to number 13 in the UK. Tiffany tried to move with the times on her third album, 1990's urban-influenced 'New Inside' (produced by Maurice Starr), but no one was interested in a sultry, grown up Tiffany. It failed to make the charts at all and she never regained her teen-appeal popularity. During the wilderness years, she's recorded several 'come back' albums and even posed nude for 'Playboy' magazine (just like her old pop rival, Debbie Gibson). In April 2005, Tiffany was featured on the TV show 'Hit Me Baby One More Time', winning the first heat and subsequently securing a place in the show's final. She performed Girls Aloud's  'Love Machine' (video), along with her debut hit. So, here's another of 80s teen sensation Tiffany's rocking B-sides. 'The Heart Of Love' was on the B-side of 'Could've Been', her 3rd UK single which reached number 4 on the singles chart. Trivia! 'I Think We're Alone Now' was originally recorded by Tommy James & The Shondells and aside from Tiffany, has also been covered by The Monkees, The Rubinoos, Lene Lovich, The Click Five, The Pipettes and Girls Aloud. More trivia! During a tour with New Kids On The Block, Tiffany briefly dated Jonathan Knight, but the relationship was short-lived due to touring difficulties. Awww. TiffSpace.

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:: New Kids On The Block :: What'cha Gonna Do (About It) :: Download

New Kids On The Block were assembled in Boston in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The members were brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. Mark bailed out early on and was eventually replaced with Joey McIntyre and the five kids went on to sell over 70 million albums worldwide, generated hundreds of millions of dollars in concert revenues and paved the way for acts like Backstreet Boys, Take That and *NSYNC. In April 1986, they released their self-titled debut album, almost exclusively written and produced by Maurice Starr, which featured bubblegum pop material. The single's lifted from the LP, 'Be My Girl' and 'Stop It Girl', tanked despite constant touring around the states. Nevertheless, Starr persuaded the label to allow the group to record a second album, 'Hangin' Tough'. Tired with their clean, cheesy image and sound, Donnie, Danny and Jordan had more input on the follow up, receiving associate producer credits on the finished product. New Kids On The Block's second album was released in September and the group began making national TV appearances on such music programs as 'American Bandstand', 'Showtime At The Apollo' and 'Soul Train'. They later landed a slot as an opening act for teen-pop act Tiffany on the US leg of her tour. Sales of 'Hangin' Tough' steadily increased as the group's national attention slowly rose. At the end of the year, the album's second single, 'You Got It (The Right Stuff)', was released. The song was given a huge boost when MTV took notice of the group and by early 1989, it cracked the top 5. Their next single, 'I'll Be Loving You (Forever)', reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart in June and their sudden rise in popularity saw them eclipse Tiffany as she ended up opening for them on their own tour this time! More top 5 singles came, 'Hangin' Tough' and 'Cover Girl', and Columbia Records also released 'Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)', a track taken from the group's floptastic debut album. The song went top 10 and jump-started the sales of that album as well. By the end of 1989, 'Hangin' Tough' had climbed to number 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and had gone eight-times platinum. They subsequently became the first pop act to garner five top 10 hits from a single album. Meanwhile, a top 10 seasonal album, 'Merry, Merry Christmas', was released in the fall, spawning another top 10 hit, 'This One's For The Children', with proceeds going to United Cerebral Palsy, the New Kids' favourite charitable cause. By early 1990, New Kids On The Block had become one of the most popular acts in the world. The following May, they released 'Step By Step', which featured more than half of the songs co-written and produced by the boys themselves. The title track became their biggest selling single and was followed with the top 10 hit, 'Tonight' (video), extending their consecutive top 10 singles chart run to an impressive nine records. The album was eventually certified triple platinum, selling close to 20 million copies worldwide. They undertook an extravagant worldwide tour that summer sponsored by Coke and a special on cable TV became the biggest selling pay-per-view show in history at the time. During this period, the group became heavily merchandised with over 140 products that were licensed with New Kids On The Block trademarks. These included lunchboxes, sleeping bags, pillow cases, T-shirts, comic books, dolls and even a cartoon in their likeness, which ran on ABC from 1990-91. A video game based on the group was also developed but never released. The group topped the list of highest paid entertainers of 1990, beating the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna. Further capitalizing on their popularity, Columbia released 'No More Games - The Remix Album' at the year's end, remixing their hits into a more rap/hip-hop style to keep up with the times and their quickly growing up fans. It was at this point that they started using the trendier name NKOTB, too. By 1991, the group had become very over-exposed and a public and commercial backlash started develop. Sensing that it was time to give the American market a break, the group released no new material that year, but they began to notice that their popularity had waned as gangsta rap and grunge become popular. The group went into hibernation to plot their next move... The group split from Starr and they attempted to make a comeback in January 1994 with 'Face The Music'. The album was not a commercial success and the group's final single to chart was 'Dirty Dawg'. NKOTB went on tour to support the album, but were forced to play smaller venues such as clubs and theatres, as opposed to the arenas and stadiums they had become accustomed to. Jonathan Knight, meanwhile, departed the tour early after suffering panic attacks and anxiety and a cover story suggesting that he had fallen off his horse and injured his back was fed to the media. Shortly thereafter, the remaining four decided to cancel the rest of the tour and the group disbanded altogether in June 1994. They officially reunited in April 2008 and are now planning a new album and an international tour in the autumn. 'Whatcha Gonna Do (About It)' is my favourite track from 'Hangin' Tough'... Check out how they've aged on their official website here!

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