:: Archive 24 :: 576 - 600 ::

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.

Do read all the blurb, as there's often links to extra tracks lurking in there... ; )

Tracks are only available for a 'limited time' folks (sometimes months!), so get them while you can!



Now for the science bit! To access the music, please click on 'Download' and you'll be whisked off to those nice people over at Sharebee. 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...

600
:: Opus III :: Evolution Rush :: Download

Opus III were a techno/house music outfit who promoted a strong positive environmental message throughout their lyrics and imagery. The group consisted of vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw and producers/musicians Kevin 'The Fly' Dodds, Nigel 'Spider' Walton and Ian Munro. Kirsty was a very tall, shaven-headed beauty with a fondness for cat suits, facial piercings and odd things stuck to her head. They had success both on the UK singles chart and the USA dance charts. Their first single, 'It's A Fine Day', was a cover of an acappella song written by poet and musician Edward Barton. It was recorded by his girlfriend Jane and was self-released by the pair in 1983 and upon a re-release by Cherry Red Records, reached number 5 on the UK indie chart. Opus III's version was released in 1992 on the PWL International label and reached number 5 on the UK single chart, and number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play Chart. Here's Opus III performing the track live on 'Top Of The Pops', with Kirsty twirling a pair of new-age metal balls in the palm of one hand. The song, now considered a house music classic, is also the basis of Orbital's 1992 track 'Halcyon' and Hawkshaw even appears in the video, playing a housewife who is 'under the influence'. Norwegian artist Erlend Øye (Kings Of Convenience, The Whitest Boy Alive) also covered the song on his DJ-Kicks series album release. 'Evolution Rush' was the B-side to 'It's A Fine Day' and was also included on Opus III's debut album, 'Mind Fruit', which contained their second single release, 'I Talk To The Wind'. This was not a big chart success in the UK, only reaching number 52. Opus III's second album, 'Guru Mother', surfaced in 1994 and produced another US number 1 dance song with 'When You Made The Mountain' (video). A third dance chart entry, 'Hand In Hand (Looking For Sweet Inspiration)' hit number 14. The group disbanded soon after their second album and Hawkshaw went solo. She is still a major presence in dance music, lending her vocals to a number of electronic and dance tracks over the years, including collaborations with Delerium, Tiësto and once more with Orbital. Trivia! Opus III was the name of an early Moog synthesizer.

599
:: 2 Unlimited :: Automatic Megamix :: Download

Producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde met in their hometown of Antwerp, Belgium and worked together under the name of Bizz Nizz. Their single 'Don't Miss The Party Line' (video), was a substantial hit across Europe, including here in the UK where it reached number 7 in the singles chart in April 1990. It's success came as a great surprise to the duo and encouraged them to continue working together. In early 1991, 19-year-olds Ray Slijngaard and Anita Doth (stage name Anita Dels), were introduced to DeCoster and Wilde, who had just created an instrumental track called 'Get Ready For This' that they had decided needed some vocals. They asked Ray to perform a rap for it and the band was initially meant to be a solo project with Ray fronting the act but when he added female vocals from Anita, they were so pleased with the result that they agreed to work with them as a duo, and thus 2 Unlimited was born. They were signed to PWL Continental/International in the UK, run by Pete Waterman of Stock, Aitken & Waterman and released 'Get Ready For This This'. Waterman, taking note of how extremely popular instrumental rave music had become, decided to remove most of the vocals. 'Get Ready For This' was an instant hit, peaking at number 1 in the chart and was the twelfth best-selling single of 1991. A follow-up single, 'Twilight Zone' (live on 'Top Of The Pops' here), followed in January 1992 and also reached number 1 in the UK, selling 234,000 copies. To capitalise on this success, the album 'Get Ready!', was released in February. Two further singles were released; 'Workaholic' (4) and 'The Magic Friend' (11), which helped the album go on to sell 2.6 million copies worldwide. This megamix is taken from the 'The Magic Friend' CD single. Although Ray and Anita were initially sceptical about the track, DeCoster and Wilde wanted to push 'No Limit' (video) as the lead single from the act's second album. 'No Limit' was released in January 1993 and it became their most successful single ever and is by far the best remembered by the general public even today. The single topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and in the UK where it sold 532,000 copies and ended up the fourth best-seller of 1993. 'Tribal Dance' was released as a single shortly before the second album, 'No Limits!' hit the shops in May. I'm looking for the limited edition UK CD release, which is in a soft pack with a free pop-up if anyone knows where I can find one! Three further singles were issued; 'Faces' (which was considerably different in pace to previous releases, 8), 'Maximum Overdrive' (15) and 'Let The Beat Control Your Body' (6). The 'No Limits!' album was even more successful than the first, selling in excess of 3 million copies. Despite the phenomenal success the duo were enjoying, they were criticised heavily by the music industry and the press dubbed them "2 Untalented". Ray and Anita were dismissed as hired help and the lyrical depth of their songs was questioned. In May 1994, the duo's tenth single 'The Real Thing' was released and it proved that their fans were still interested as they sent the single to number 6 in the UK. The title was aimed as a dig at the several other similar sounding Euro Dance acts who had appeared to copy the 2 Unlimited sound. Their third album, called 'Real Things', was instantly certified gold in the UK and 2 Unlimited became the first dance act to achieve two number one albums. Only two other continental European acts have had more UK number one albums - Pavarotti and ABBA. 'No One' (17) surprised many fans by being a straight-forward pop record when it was picked as the second single release. By the end of 1994, they had sold another 322,000 singles in the UK alone and they were winning more awards than they had room for on their mantelpiece, such as the 'Smash Hits' Best Dance Act award, which they won two years running. Ray and Anita were thought to be performing around 200 shows a year during this time and they were performing to huge crowds at venues such as Wembley Arena in London. Whilst they were very popular all around the world, major success always eluded 2 Unlimited in the United States. Only 'Get Ready For This' charted at number 83 on the Hot 100 in October 1994, three years after it was released, eventually peaking at number 38. In March 1995, 'Here I Go' charted at number 22 in the UK and broke the duo's run of eleven consecutive UK top 20 hits. The moody ballad 'Nothing Like The Rain' was intended to be the forth single release from 'Real Things' but it did not receive a release in UK. In October 1995, 2 Unlimited released their first compilation album, 'Hits Unlimited', prompting rumours that they were about to split up. The single 'Do What's Good For Me' was another top 20 hit and their 27th appearance on 'Top Of The Pops'. In April 1996, shortly after the release of the single 'Jump For Joy' in the Netherlands, both Ray and Anita announced that 2 Unlimited was over. It later emerged that they were no longer getting with each other, that there was disagreement about direction 2 Unlimited were taking, that they had been denied more creative input and they also felt that they were not receiving a sufficient share of royalties earned by the project. Anita was unsuccessfully sued by DeCoster, before she went on to DJ, record a single with reggae artist Mad Cobra and in 2000, release a solo album called 'Reality'. Ray created his own label called X-Ray Records, released two unsuccessful solo singles in 1997 and had some success in 1999 with the group V.I.P. Allstars. Anita continues to tour clubs as part of the group Divas Of Dance, whilst Ray now lives in Monte Carlo with his wife and his son Rayvano. As they still owned the rights to the name, DeCoster and Wilde recruited two new singers and tried to re-launch 2 Unlimited but the project wasn't a success in the UK. Having both continued to perform their old hits off and on separately in nightclubs and student union nights around the world, Ray and Anita reunited on April 11, 2009, to perform together for the first time in 13 years at an  'I Love The 90s' concert in Belgium... Trivia! In France, 'Let The Beat Control Your Body', was changed to 'Let The Bass Control Your Body' to avoid any confusion with the slang word "bite", meaning "penis"! Bonus tracks! Click here for another two techno-rific megamixes from the 'Let The Beat Control Your Body' CD single. I love megamixes!

598
:: Johnna :: Out Of The Dark :: Download

Johnna Lee Cummings was a member of US girl group Boy Krazy, whom she had some club and dance chart success with between 1991-1993. In the UK, Boy Krazy never caught on at all, however. After leaving her band mates, Cummings signed a record deal in 1995 with PWL International (Opus III, 2 Unlimited, Undercover). Under the name Johnna, she released her debut single, the techno-house flavoured 'Do What You Feel', in 1996 and it stalled just outside of the top 40, reaching number 43 on the UK singles chart. The follow-up single, another bangin' up-tempo house-pop track, 'In My Dreams' (video), faired worse despite some initial dance club success, and only managed number 66 on the chart. Johnna then released her only album, 'Pride', which was comprised entirely of up-tempo dance tracks. When I was introduced to Johnna's solo stuff, I was told her album sounds, "like Deuce meets 2 Unlimited", and that's a pretty good description! 'Out Of The Dark' is my favourite track on the album. The album was a complete flop, with the press and record-buying public completely snubbing it. It failed to make any impact on the chart at all. Nevertheless, PWL continued to promote the album with another single release, this time 'Let The Spirit Move You', which hit an abysmal number 126. The album's title track, 'Pride' (a gay-by-numbers club anthem - video) was released as the fourth and final single offering from Johnna. It was produced by Motiv 8 but once again, Johnna dodged any kind of chart success, the track only hitting number 85. Johnna's album, along with Boy Krazy's output, is now available to purchase on iTunes. Click here to buy the whole album! If you want to, anyway... Now out of the music business, Johnna's current lifestyle is examined in the short documentary, 'Expect Less' here. Trivia! Johnna was briefly engaged to a former kickboxing champion, Mike Vieira.

597
:: Boy Krazy :: Good Times With Bad Boys (Jewels & Stone Mix) :: Download

Boy Krazy was a girl vocal group based in New York City, comprised of Kimberly Blake, Josselyne Jones, Johnna Lee Cummings, Renée Veneziale and Ruth Ann Roberts (a former Miss Junior America). Their debut single, 'That's What Love Can Do' (video), was written and produced by Hit Factory trio Stock, Aitken & Waterman and was released in 1991. It failed to make an impact in both America and here in the UK, where it only reached number 80 on the singles chart. Shortly after it's release, Veneziale left the band. Carrying on as a foursome, the group released their second single, 'All You Have To Do', in 1992 and once again it failed to chart (UK 91). That same year, previous release 'That's What Love Can Do' had been picked up by DJs and was finding some success in clubs across America and gained some substantial airplay on US radio stations. The track was remixed and re-released (video), finally becoming a hit in the states, reaching the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 in early 1993, peaking at number 18. Their debut album, 'Boy Krazy', was released in 1993. The album was first released in North America and Canada, and then throughout Europe and Asia. The American release differs in that it features a guitar-driven version of the track 'On A Wing And A Prayer', whereas the European and Asian release features a Euro-pop mix more in keeping with the typical Stock, Aitken & Waterman's sound. It featured their follow-up single, 'Good Times With Bad Boys', which also hit the Billboard Hot 100. This is the Jewels & Stone remix of the track, which sounds a little similar to 'Aint No Love (Aint No Use)' by Sub Sub Featuring Melanie Williams to my ears! A fourth single, 'Love Is A Freaky Thing', was planned and remixes were even commissioned but the release was abandoned when prominent singer Cummings left the band in late 1993 for a solo career. The remaining members tried to carry on as a trio, even beginning work on a new album, but their efforts were unsuccessful and the group split shortly after. After the group's demise, Ruth Ann Roberts changed careers and has become well known in the professional wrestling community. She now goes by the name Rue DeBona and co-hosted WWE's 'After Burn'. She is also married to her former co-host, Josh Lomberger and hosted 'Firebrand', a short-lived internet TV show on the ION network. Cummings solo career was unsuccessful and in July 2007, she appeared in 'Expect Less', a short documentary in which she discusses her life since the hey-day of Boy Krazy, by filmmaker Kimberly Craig. Josselyne Jones (or Josselyne Herman-Saccio as she is now known) became a producer and agent, founding Josselyne Herman & Associates in New York City. Renee Veneziale sang with a few other unsuccessful bands, among them Fig, Delux and RnR. She has also worked as a theatre actress and is currently a yoga teacher. In August 2009, Boy Krazy's album and singles were all re-released digitally through iTunes, including some never-released remixes of their singles and 3 unreleased new songs ('Exception To The Rule', 'I'll Never Get Another Chance Like This' and 'Don't Wanna Let You Go'), which were outtakes from their album. Click here to visit the iTunes store for clips and purchase links!

596
:: e-male :: Let's Dance :: Download

"We are e-male, we just can't fail"... Talk about setting yourself up for a fall. Here's a rather bemusing boy band, formed back in 1997, with a gimmick - they were all on roller-skates. You couldn't make this shit up! The members were all ex-cast from the 'Starlight Express' 'musical, you see ("The world’s only musical performed entirely on roller-skates!"). So, e-male were Chris Copeland (AKA e-go), Julian Essex Spurrier (AKA e-mense), Jason 'JP' Pennycooke (AKA e-lusive), Paul 'PT' Aloysius (AKA e-nigma) and finally Adam Floyd (AKA e-zee). Their nicknames, or 'e-names' (groan), were all, apparently, different "aspects of the male" and the band name stood for "Everything Male". Why do I think e-mense was a reference to the size of Julian's cock? Desperately trying to make roller-skating and the internet sexy at the same time, e-male released only one single, 'We Are e-male', on EastWest Records in January 1998. It was a Stock/Aitken production and fell short of the UK top 40 when it peaked at number 44. Here they are performing the track on TV. The presenter really capture's the spectacle perfectly  when she says, "...we’re all quite stunned by it". Check out the 'We Are e-male' video here, in which they can be seen wearing midriff-exposing tops and leaping over giant desktop computers, whilst they bleat, "check us out at our e-male address!". Unfortunately for them, the rest of the world was too busy downloading porn and bidding on eBay... A second single was planned, e-male even appeared on 'The Freddie Starr Show' performing it, but it was never released and other than that, I know little about it, not even it's name. However, there's one other e-male track in existence and it's this one here - a cover of David Bowie's 'Let's Dance'. This appeared on 'Dance Covers Sensation', a 1998 Japanese compilation on Cutting Edge Records, which collects together cover versions performed by Stock/Aitken's Love This Records roster. A couple of the more interesting covers on this, by the way, come from Newton (Culture Club's 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?') and Cheryle Curtis (A-Ha's 'Take On Me')... A slightly different mix of 'Let's Dance' was also on one of those gay CDs you expect to find in Clone Zone and Prowler, called 'It's A Man's World', on Blast Records (a spin-off label from Almighty Records). Anyway, e-male supported Westlife on tour and after they split up, there was talk of a solo career for Chris Copeland who was in talks with Westlife's manager, Louis Walsh, but nothing came of it. Adam Floyd has been working as a roller-skating coach for 'Starlight Express' since his bizarre brush with pop music but I don't know anything more on what the others got up to... P.S. There's another boy band called Emale (no '-'), who released a single called 'You Are The One/Keepin' It Real' in 2002 and there's also a Japanese DJ known as E-male. Bonus track! This is a buy 1 get 1 free kinda moment but the undeniably similar Fe-m@il were a girlband that briefly existed in 2000 and comprised of Ans, Nicci, Lauz, Sally and Oyana. They issued just one single for Jive Records, 'Flee Fly Flo' (video), which reached number 46 in the UK singles chart. Think B*Witched, with a Las Ketchup meets Spice Girls 'Wannabe' sort've annoying nonsense sound... A second single, 'The Party', was produced by Bob Kraushaar (Billie, Lolly, S Club 7, etc.) but never saw the light of day... I wonder if it was any good? 'Flee Fly Flo' appeared on 'Now That's What I Call Music! 46' (it must've been a bad year for 'hits'!). Flee... Fly... Flop. Click here for that!

595
:: Alison Jordan :: The Boy From New York City :: Download

'The Boy From New York City' was the lone US hit single for The Ad Libs in 1965. The song went on to chart again several times with covers by Darts in 1978, The Manhattan Transfer in 1981 and Alison Jordan in 1992. Allison Jordan (that's the correct spelling by the way, with two 'L's) originally started her career at the age of 5, singing and dancing at two of the top theatre schools in the country. As a teenager, she entered a talent contest on BBC 1 TV show, 'That's Life!', presented by Esther Ranson, in 1992. She won the contest, which was decided by a public telephone vote, and the competition prize was a recording contract, a bit like a precursor to 'The X Factor' I suppose. In fact, Simon Cowell was involved in this, too! As was two-time Grammy nominee music producer Nigel Wright (who has had a hand in everything from Take That, Sonia and Boyzone to musicals like 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Starlight Express'). Allison got to release 'The Boy From New York City' on Arista Records and it reached 23 in the UK singles chart in 1992. Unfortunately, they spelt her name wrong on the sleeve so she became Alison Jordan (with just the one 'L'). The track sounds an awful lot like something Sonia might have released around this time or indeed a 90's UK Eurovision entry (had it not been a cover version). Here is Esther, with Allison's single in her hand, showing us a very exciting behind the scenes video, followed by a 'live' performance. Look out for a young Simon Cowell, then working as an A&R consultant for BMG, around the 1:18 mark! Presumably the single wasn't the huge hit they were expecting, as she was promptly dropped by the label. But then a second single appeared! 'Heart And Soul' was released as a 7"-only on the tiny independent label Vivo Records, which was all financed by her Dad. Here is a clip of Esther clutching a copy of the second single, whilst Allison performs the track 'live' on 'That's Life!'. Going for a bit of a Kylie look, much? Lovely... The next we heard from her was some 3 years later, when she got hired for Italian Eurodance act Cappella in 1995, replacing original 'vocalist' Kelly Overett. Kelly, an ex-SL2 dancer, had not sang a word on any of Cappella's top 10 hits ('U Got 2 Know', 'U Got 2 Let The Music', 'Move On Baby', etc.) but Allison was recruited with the express purpose of being able to sing. Unfortunately, by the time the group released 'Tell Me The Way' (17) in 1995, Eurodance was rapidly going out of fashion and the accompanying album, 'War In Heaven', was relatively unsuccessful. Jordan left the group soon after. After a brief hiatus, Allison decided to pursue her long time interest in the paranormal and supernatural, and in 2004 founded a monthly publication entitled 'The Paranormal News'. Gosh!

594
:: Cappella :: Take Me Away (Featuring Loleatta Holloway) (7" Edit) :: Download

Cappella were an unartistic dance act (and proud of it!) manufactured by an Italo-house production team ran by Gianfranco Bortolotti. Clearly influenced by the assembly-line aesthetics employed by Motown and Stock, Aitken & Waterman, Bortolotti utilised up to ten different studios, at least a trio of producers for every recording and scores of session workers. He co-ordinated the work of long-time producers DJ ProfXor, RAF and DJ Pierre to create dozens of European club and chart hits under various aliases such as Cappella, The 49ers, Clubhouse and East Side Beat. Bortolotti's productions are recognisable for their use of cheesy melodies, samples, piano lines and diva vocals, making him largely responsible for the Italian house phenomenon of the late '80s and early '90s. Each single produced by Bortolotti's push-button production blueprint machine, Media Productions, underwent rigorous testing and remixing for maximum airplay in each country of it's release, with only Bortolotti holding the final say on what was released in each territory. Cappella first appeared in 1987, with 'Bauhaus (Push The Beat)', a club hit throughout Europe and the UK. The following year brought the continent-wide top 10 hit, 'Heylom Halib' (video), which presaged a wave of similar-sounding Italian house tracks during 1989-90. Bortolotti had a Cappella album produced, also titled 'Heylom Halib', released on Swanyard Records (the label that also brought us Technotronic's chart smashes) and scored further hits with the similar sounding cash-in singles 'Be Master In One's Own House' and 'House Of Energy Revenge'. He recruited seminal diva, Loleatta Holloway, in 1993 for the single 'Take Me Away' (released on PWL Continental in the UK), which was less successful on the chart but a much better record if you ask me. After several additional hits throughout 1993 (including 'U Got 2 Know' - which is basically Siouxsie And The Banshees 'Happy House' sped up - video), Bortolotti decided to make Cappella an bona fide act with the addition of two British performers to front the project - Rodney Bishop (formerly of Positive Gang) and Kelly Overett (a vocalist and dancer who had worked with SL2). The singles 'U Got 2 Let The Music' (video) and 'Move On Baby' (video) became Cappella's biggest hits, hitting number 1 in several countries during 1994. The album, 'U Got 2 Know' (there is a copy in every charity shop in every town!), did appreciably well, and this Megamix was featured as a bonus track in some territories. Overett had decided to leave the group by 1995 and she was replaced by one Allison Jordan. Soon after, however, Cappella appeared to be running out of steam. The 1995-96 singles, 'Tell Me The Way' and 'I Need Your Love' barely made it into the European charts and their 1996 album, 'War In Heaven' fared poorly, although it managed to secure an American release. A Cappella best of CD/DVD was released in August 2005 and the 'group', minus Jordan, continue to exist with an assortment of new singers... "B-back! Your body's possessed by a track!".

593
:: Technotronic :: Take It Slow (Fab Bibulous Mix) :: Download

It's Techno-frickin'-tronic! For the uninitiated, Technotronic were a studio-based dance music project who emerged from Belgium and they dominated the charts during the early '90s. The group helped bump the heavy bass and relentless beats synonymous with house music out of the clubs and into the pop mainstream. Technotronic was actually the brainchild of Jo Bogaert (real name Thomas De Quincy), an American-born philosophy teacher who relocated to Belgium in the late '80s in the hopes of mounting a career as a record producer. Bogaert's intent was to fuse house with hip hop and he sent demos of his work to a variety of rappers, including the Welsh-born MC Eric and a Zairean-born teenage rapper, named Ya Kid K (Manuela Kamosi), at the time a member of the Belgian rap group Fresh Beat Productions. Technotronic's first single, 'Pump Up the Jam' (2), was a smash hit throughout Europe and eventually over in the USA in 1989. While the record featured the rapping talents of Ya Kid K, she was nowhere to be seen in the accompanying video. Instead, Zairean-born fashion model Felly, a photogenic, blue-lipped Amazon Goddess-like creature, was seen lip-synching the lyrics. Little did fans realize that not only was Felly nowhere near the studio at the time the single was recorded, but in truth she didn't even speak a word of English! Felly was also featured on the cover of Technotronic's debut album, 'Pump Up The Jam - The Album', but Bogaert later admitted that Felly's services had been engaged purely to establish the group with an image. When Technotronic promoted follow-up hit 'Get Up! (Before The Night Is Over)' (2) in 1990 (including appearances on 'Saturday Night Live', 'The Arsenio Hall Show' and 'It's Showtime At The Apollo'), Ya Kid K and MC Eric were revealed as the groups true performers and Ya Kid K was also rightfully featured in the video for the track. 'This Beat Is Technotronic' became the group's third hit (14) and their debut album followed, as well as an accompanying VHS. Bernard Sumner of New Order provided a single remix of 'Rockin' Over The Beat', Technotronic's next hit lifted from their debut album, which reached number 9 in the UK singles chart in mid-1990. Ya Kid K also contributed vocals on the single 'Spin That Wheel (Turtles Get Real)' (video), as part of a Technotronic spin-off act, Hi Tek 3. The track had flopped previously but it later featured on the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' movie soundtrack and a re-release climbed up the charts in late 1990. An album of club mixes by the likes of Todd Terry, David Morales and Shep Pettibone, 'Trip On This - The Remixes', was quickly issued at the end of 1990, promoted by a singles 'Megamix' (6, video). 'Take It Slow (Fab Bibulous Mix)' is taken from this album... the original version was always my favourite track from their debut and this remix is by Junior Vasquez. Memory! I can vividly remember sitting on my cabin bed at my Mam's house with my tracksuit on, listening to a 'Pump Up The Jam -The Album' cassette on my purple/yellow/pink ghetto blaster... I must have been about 12. He he... Anyway, after a short collaboration with Einstein and Melissa on the single 'Turn It Up' (42), Technotronic's third album release, 'Body To Body' appeared in 1991. It featured vocals by Réjane Magloire (AKA Reggie) and included two further singles; 'Move That Body' (12) and 'Work' (40). In 1992, Ya Kid K went solo, albeit with Bogaert still in the producer's seat. Her debut album, 'One World Nation', included 'Move This', an old Technotronic album track that was used by Revlon in a US advertising campaign, and a single release of the track peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard charts. It was the last significant Technotronic-related chart success. Another album appeared 4 years later, 'Recall', featuring Ya Kid K, Daisy Dee and Black Diamond on vocals but the group had long since passed their use-by date and it was not a success. Many updated remixes of their old hits still entertain the clubbers today and Technotronic have sold approximately 14 million records worldwide. MC Eric and Ya Kid K, who were married, have recently reunited and are now touring countries in Europe and South America as a part of commemorating Technotronic's 20th Anniversary, performing their classic hits as well as new material. Technotronic also plan to tour parts of Australia in 2010. Trivia! Technotronic opened for Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition World Tour'.

592
:: She Rockers :: Jam It Jam :: Download

Female hip hop trio She Rockers came to exist when Donna McConnell (AKA She-Roc), Alison Clarkson (AKA Betty Boop - later just Boo for copyright reasons) and Dupe Fagbesa performed an impromptu rap for Public Enemy at their local McDonald's in Shepherd's Bush, London. Public Enemy were so impressed with the girls that Professor Griff agreed to work with them and invited them over to New York to record and support them on a US tour. She Rockers' debut release was the 'Give It A Rest' single, produced by Griff, and issued by the Music For Life label in 1988. 'Give It A Rest' was apparently a dis addressed to fellow rapper Monie Love. Following the single's release, Clarkson and Fagbesa departed from the group. Clarkson has since stated she was unhappy with the outcome of the recording sessions with Public Enemy, as they didn't sound anything like Public Enemy! Also, Griff had encouraged Alison to pursue a solo career. Founding member McConnell then joined forces with Antonia Jolly (AKA Aurra), who had been a She Rocker in an earlier incarnation of the group, and landed a recording contract with Jive Records ("The Word Is Rap" was the labels slogan at the time). Here's a bit of footage of them in the studio from 'Don't Believe The Hype', a documentary covering the history of the UK rap scene. They released the singles 'On Stage/Get Up On This', 'Do Dat Dance' and the Chic-sampling 'Jam It Jam' (video) between 1988-89, and the album 'Rockers From London...' in 1990. The album featured the production talents of Todd Terry, Double Trouble ('Street Tuff') and Jo Bogaert (AKA Thomas De Quincey - Technotronic, Hi Tek 3). She Rockers also contributed guest vocals to Bomb The Bass' 'Megablast', from the album 'Into The Dragon' in 1988 and were part of the Black Rhyme Organisation To Help Equal Rights (B.R.O.T.H.E.R.) collective. Aurra also provided vocals for Merlin on his 'Weekend Girl' single on Rhythm King in 1989. By 1990, ex-She Rocker Alison Clarkson had re-invented herself as cartoon-like pop-rapper Betty Boo and the Music For Life label tried to cash in on her solo success by remixing and re-releasing 'Give It A Rest' (as 'Give It A Rest 1990'), credited to She-Rockers Featuring Betty Boo and now featuring a sample from Carly Simon's 'Why'. They even mimicked Betty Boo's sleeve art and logo but it still wasn't a hit and this would be the last She Rockers release... Along with the likes of Cookie Crew and The Wee Papa Girl Rappers, She Rockers deserve a bit of respect for establishing a British female rap presence here in the UK, don't you think?

591
:: Betty Boo :: The Number One No Smoking Rap :: Download

Making her third appearance on these pages, here's Betty Boo (again)! Alison Clarkson studied sound engineering at college as a teenager and was one third of UK all-female rap combo, She Rockers, before having a string of hits as Betty Boo between 1989 and 1992 for the Rhythm King label. Of mixed Dusun and Scottish descent, she had an unusual, cartoon-like appearance, dressing in wacky and sometimes revealing outfits, whilst delivering sassy, powerful, fun pop tunes. But we know all that already... Since her solo heyday, Clarkson has gone on to write tracks for Girl Thing ('Pure & Simple', which ended up being recorded by Hear'say), Louise and Girls Aloud. Apparently, she was offered the chance to buy a platinum disc award of Girls Aloud's 'Sound Of The Underground', which she contributed to as a songwriter. She was so disgusted she had to pay for it, she asked the record company bloke how big it was and upon being told the dimensions, she spat out, "it should just about fit up your arse, then!". Classic! Another Girls Aloud related anecdote infamously arose when Clarkson revealed she's been asked to write a track for Cheryl Cole's solo album back in 2007. Cheryl dissed the veteran pop-rapper saying she was a liar and in fact hadn't been asked at all because a solo album was not actually happening and Girls Aloud were staying together. Cheryl Cole's debut solo album is released this October, by the way... More recently, Alison Clarkson has been working with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the follow-up to 2007's 'Trip The Light Fantastic' album, along with Calvin Harris, Ed Harcourt and Metronomy. It was due to be released this autumn, but it looks like it might not be now... This track was on a flexi disc, given away free with the 28th of July issue of 'Number One' magazine in 1990 (50p!). It was in conjunction with a no smoking campaign and competition, whereby readers were invited to write a rap to finish the second half of the track off! Gordon Bennett! I wonder who won? Anyway, it's probably the rarest Boo track there is, even if it is a bit naff. Sorry it sounds a bit ropey.. flexi-discs don't age well! Enjoy! Bonus Track! Click here to download 'Boo's Megamix', which originally appeared on side B of the gorgeous limited edition gatefold remix 12" format of '24 Hours'. It's mixed by DJ Streets Ahead, a bit of a remixer de jure, who also turned in some mighty remixes for the likes of The Beatmasters, Bomb The Bass, The Wee Papa Girl Rappers and Was (Not Was). Trivia! Some of the samples used by Betty on her records include Reparata And The Delrons' 'Captain Of Your Ship' ('Doin' The Do'), The Velvelettes' 'He Was Really Saying Something' ('Where Are You Baby?') and The Beatles' 'Lady Madonna' ('I'm On My Way').

590
:: Echobelly :: Dark Therapy (Single Version) :: Download

Led by vocalist Sonya Aurora Madan, Echobelly fused a fluffy sense of irony with the bitter self-absorbed viewpoint of The Smiths, the decadent posturing of Blondie and a solid, crunchy guitar centre. Formed circa 1992 with Glenn Johansson (guitar), Debbie Smith (guitar), Alex Keyser (bass) and Andy Henderson (drums), the group came up with the name Echobelly from the notion of "being hungry for something". With Madan and Johansson serving as chief songwriters, they recorded their debut EP, 'Bellyache', for the Pandemonium label in late 1993. Defiantly politically correct, the group cultivated a fair amount of praise within the music press from the start and the EP hit number 15 on the indie charts. The favourable response to 'Bellyache' helped Echobelly secure a recording contract with Rhythm King, which was then part of the Epic label. Once signed, another single, 'Insomnia', was released before they broke the top 40 with a third single, indie-anthem 'I Can't Imagine The World Without Me', in June 1994. Now featuring the services of bass guitarist James Harris after Keyser defected due to personal and artistic differences, the group set about recording their debut album. 'Everybody's Got One' (or 'EGO'), was released in the autumn of 1994 to positive reviews and reached number 8 on the UK album chart. As their music racked up more airplay and rotations on music channels, Echobelly began to attract admiration from other artists; Madonna expressed interest in signing them on her Maverick label and R.E.M. requested the group's presence as the opening act for the British leg of their upcoming world tour. Echobelly returned to the studio in 1995 to commence work on their next album, 'On', which proved even more of a success than it's predecessor. Produced by Shaun Slade and Paul Kolderie (Hole, Radiohead), 'On' focused more on universal themes, instead of the more politically and ethically charged subjects found on 'Everyone's Got One'. Madan's lyrics occasionally contradicted Johansson's mostly optimistic and anthemic music, such as on 'King Of The Kerb' (which examines the seamy side of life, such as prostitution and homelessness) but overall, 'On' celebrates the endless possibilities of the human spirit. Never more so than on 'Great Things', a massive call to arms, which got Echobelly a spot on 'Top Of The Pops' (video), with Madan dressed in a school uniform, much to the delight of many a Brit Pop lad. The three singles from the release made it into the top 30 of the UK singles chart and sales of the album rose to over 150,000 in the UK, nearly double that of 'Everyone's Got One'. 'Dark Therapy' (video) is my personal favourite Echobelly single... just beautiful. Anyway, health and legal problems interrupted Echobelly's success in 1995 and 1996. Madan had a serious thyroid problem during a world tour that was potentially life-threatening, but was later cured. The group also had disagreements with Rhythm King after the label moved to Arista. The band chose to stay with Epic instead. Smith left the band before the release of 'Lustra', their third album, which arrived in November 1997. The lead single from the album, 'The World Is Flat', had appeared in August of that year, reaching number 31. By now, the Brit Pop craze of the mid-'90s was winding down and the group found themselves slowly eclipsed by such contemporaries as Elastica and Sleeper. Nevertheless, Echobelly maintained a dedicated cult following in the UK, as well as a devoted fan base within the USA and Japan. A four-year hiatus was brought to an end in 2001 when the band returned with the 'Digit' EP and their fourth album, 'People Are Expensive', which were released via their own Fry Up label. Two further singles, 'Tell Me Why' and 'Kali Yuga' followed and in 2004, Echobelly released a fifth album - again through their own Fry Up label - 'Gravity Pulls'. More recently, Madan and Johannsen performed a live acoustic show, featuring new songs and older Echobelly material, in Manchester on 9th July 2009. Sonya Aurora Madan has lent her vocals to a couple of tracks outside of Echobelly, also. She can be heard on Lithium's 'Ride A Rocket' house single, released on FFRRR Records in 1996 (click here for that) and electro act Jolly Music's 'K-Fun', from their album 'Jolly Music' on Illustrious Records, released in 2001. Buy a cheap Echobelly best of here. Website. P.S. I must be getting old because I can't remember covering Echobelly before but I did, in entry 378 back in 2007! Crikey.

589
:: Nightnurse :: Skirt :: Download

Nightnurse were a young indie rock band from London who had some success in the late 1990s. Formed by Israeli-born lead singer and previous Sister George front-woman Ellyott Dragon in 1996, Nightnurse's original line-up also included a 16 year old Charlotte Hatherley on guitar, Ben Drakeford on bass guitar and Alex Lutes on drums. The band's first success came very quickly when, to their own surprise, they won The NME New Bands Award in 1997, after only being together for a few months. As a result, they were signed to Better Records after just 6 gigs! Their debut single, 'Golem', which only received a small amount of radio and video play, failed to chart but major press ensued, with the likes of Radio 1 and MTV picking up on the band in a big way. Shortly after the release of 'Golem', Charlotte Hatherley left the band to join fellow indie rockers Ash as a second guitarist. After working with a number of temporary guitarists to fulfil touring commitments, including Debbie Smith (Curve, Echobelly) and Charley Stone (Gay Dad, Salad), new permanent guitarist Matt Platts was on board for a second Nightnurse single, 'Skirt', which charted at number 11 in the independent singles chart in 1998 and was made single of the week on XFM Radio. Touring and gigging with the likes of Rachel Stamp, Jolt, Snow Patrol, Monsoon Bassoon, Cay and Seafood kept the band busy throughout 1998 and they ventured into the studio to record their album in late 1998. The band's label, Better Records, had ran into serious financial troubles by this point, however and folded by the end of the year. Nightnurse had managed to sneak off with a couple of masters, resulting in a final single, 'IDF', which was released that year. Initially a 300-only 7" vinyl release, it sold out instantly and so the band decided to make it available in mp3 format. The single got 30,000 downloads in a week and Nightnurse achieved their place in 'The Guinness Book Of Records' for the feat. 'IDF' is recorded in the history books as being the first mp3 officially released as a single int he UK. Sanctuary Management then picked up the band and Nightnurse recorded 4 new demos at Trident Studios in South London, but this was the last that was heard of the band... Nightnurse's album, including live favourite 'Martin' (15 chaotic minutes of noise!) remains unreleased to this day. There has been some talk of the album receiving some sort of retrospective release after all these years in the near future, though. NightnurseSpace.

588
:: Ash :: Astral Conversations With Toulouse Lautrec :: Download

Chipper Irish punk-pop trio Ash were tentatively formed in 1989, when childhood mates Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton received guitars for Christmas and set about establishing a metal act named Vietnam. Following a handful of shows, Vietnam adopted the Ash moniker in 1992 and added Rick "Rock" McMurray on drums. The musicians shared a love for the raw British punk of The Buzzcocks and crafted their musical talents to take the Brit Pop scene by storm at the start of the decade. 'NME' was soon swooning over these teen punkers from Belfast and by 1994 Ash had signed with the Mushroom Records subsidiary label, Infectious and released their 'Trailer' mini-album. Ash's glossy youth was undoubtedly alluring, yet the band's Irish roots exuded a bit of American flair similar to the likes of Pavement and The Lemonheads. Wheeler, Hamilton and McMurray weren't even out of high school before three of their singles hit the top 5 in the UK indie charts ('Petrol', 'Uncle Pat', 'Kung Fu'). After leaving school in the summer of 1995, they made their mark on the UK top 40 with 'Girl From Mars' (11), 'Angel Interceptor' (14, video), 'Goldfinger' (5) and 'Oh Yeah' (6). A year after leaving school, Ash released their full-length debut, '1977', hitting the number 1 spot in the UK, and set their sights on America, inking a deal with Reprise Records. Named in honour of the year 'Star Wars' was released (as well as recognising the year Punk exploded and two of the three members birth years), '1977' displayed Wheeler and Hamilton's full-fledged love for all things extraterrestrial and science fiction-related; the record also flaunted sharp guitar hooks and exact production work by Owen Morris (Oasis, New Order, Paul Weller). Ash took to headlining major festivals — T In The Park, Glastonbury, Roskilde and Reading — and playing club dates across the globe. In late 1997, after touring with US four piece Weezer, Ash decided to expand their sound with a 4th member. Female guitarist Charlotte Hatherley (ex-Nightnurse) was added to the previously all-male line-up, marking a change in the band's sound and image. With a new bandmate aboard, Ash underwent a maturation during the late '90s, as their sound featured heavier guitars and a new gritty lyrical shift. The band's sophomore effort, 'Nu-Clear Sounds' (1998), featured the work of Garbage's Butch Vig (Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana) at the mixing board, but it also resulted in mixed reviews and diminishing chart positions. 'NME' turned on the band, criticizing Ash's new sound as "terrifying, ghoulrawk thrashnik deathcore noiseterrior sultans of satanic verse" in August 1998. Harsh words and reviews notwithstanding, Ash forged ahead with 'Free All Angels', released in April 2001, and featuring 'Shining Light' (8), 'Burn Baby Burn' (13, video), 'Sometimes' (21), 'Candy' (20) and 'There's A Star' (13). 2002 saw the brilliant compilation 'Intergalactic Sonic 7's' collect the groups singles to date (buy the 'limited' 2CD edition with bonus B-sides album 'Cosmic Debris' here!), while 2005's 'Meltdown' album, marked the band's first stateside release for the Record Collection label. Charlotte Hatherley announced her surprise departure from the band one year later, having spent nearly a decade with the group. Ash continued as a trio and released the underwhelming 'Twilight of the Innocents' in 2007, claiming that the album would be their last. Interestingly enough, they also assured their fans that they were not breaking up; instead, the group would only release singles in response to consumer trends. It was later announced that the band would be releasing 26 singles (7" and download), one every fortnight from May 2009 onwards, known as the 'A To Z' singles series... This nearly instrumental, noise-fest B-side, 'Astral Conversations With Toulouse Lautrec', was recorded by the band as a deliberate attempt to piss off the producer, Phil Thornalley (ex-The Cure), who didn't think Ash were much cop. They fired him after finishing the track. Trivia! Ash made their own teen slasher flick in 2003, 'Slashed', which was shot while the band were on tour in America. The film included star roles by Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay and was much hyped due to other celebrity performances (Moby, James Nesbitt and Dave Grohl) but it was never generally released to the public. Rumours circulated that certain scenes were too gory and would not be suitable for Ash's audience, but it was also said that Chris Martin vetoed its release due to scenes of him running around in his underpants, covered in blood and fighting demons, which may have been detrimental to his new celebrity status... P.S. I really wanted to post either 'Punk Boy' (originally by Helen Love) or 'Does Your Mother Know?' (the ABBA classic), but then I realised that this page is turning into a cover versions shrine so they've both been relegated to a bonus track bundle which you can get by clicking here! Website.

587
:: Frente! :: Bizarre Love Triangle :: Download

Guitarist Simon Austin formed the Melbourne-based, Australian folk-pop band Frente! in 1991, bringing in Angie Hart (vocals), Tim O'Connor (bass - later replaced by Bill McDonald) and Mark Picton (drums - later replaced by Alastair Barden) to round out the line-up. Frente! burst into the Australian music charts with the singles 'Ordinary Angels' (video - from the 'Clunk' EP) and 'Accidentally Kelly Street' (video - it's purposely mis-spelled, by the way!) in 1992. Notable for it's light-hearted lyrics, Frente!'s debut album, 'Marvin - The Album' was also a success, reaching number 5 in the album chart and going platinum in Australia. Another single was taken from the album, 'No Time' (video), in early 1993, but it didn't fare as well. 'Ordinary Angels' finished the year as the 20th best selling single of 1992 down under, with 'Accidentally Kelly Street' finishing 29th. The band set their sights overseas in 1994, issuing 'Ordinary Angels' (which didn't chart) and 'Accidentally Kelly Street' (84) in the UK. Their biggest success here was a sweet little acoustic cover version of New Order's 'Bizarre Love Triangle', which reached number 76. Back in Australia, the 'Lonely' EP (containing 'Bizarre Love Triangle') was released in 1994, reaching number 7. The cover was also a hit in the USA, charting at number 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. Angie Hart next lent her vocal to an Australian single by Pop! titled 'Tingly', which hit number 92 when released in late 1995. Frente! released a second album, 'Shape', in 1996, but it didn't produce any hit singles. The first single, 'Sit On My Hands', peaked at number 66 in Australia, whilst the second, 'What's Come Over Me', didn't even enter the top 100. It did reach number 83 in the UK, however. The album sold poorly, peaking at number 35 and disappointed, Frente! broke up shortly after it's release to pursue other projects... Angie Hart moved on to the pop duo Splendid with then-husband Jesse Tobias, releasing their sole album, 'Have You Got A Name For It?', in 1999. The album was released only in Australia and the pair divorced in 2005. The same year, Frente! reformed for some Australian east coast dates. The line-up for these shows featured Angie Hart, Simon Austin, Bill McDonald and Pete Luscombe. Hart now fronts the band Holidays On Ice and issued her debut solo album in 2007. Trivia! Frente!'s music, especially 'Ordinary Angels', was frequently heard playing in Daphne's Coffee Shop in Australian soap 'Neighbours'... Fansite.

586
:: Muse :: Can't Take My Eyes Off You :: Download

Muse's fusion of progressive rock, electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation is crafted by guitarist/vocalist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard. Bored by the sleepy life provided by their hometown of Teignmouth, Devon, the three friends began playing music together. They started the first incarnation of their band while only 13 years old, changing the name of the group from Gothic Plague to Fixed Penalty to Rocket Baby Dolls as time passed. By 1997, the band mates settled on the name Muse and released their self-titled debut EP on Dangerous Records, followed by the 'Muscle Museum' EP in 1998. The group's emotive, passionate sound and live presence drew critical acclaim and industry buzz, and Muse signed a deal with Mushroom Records (and Maverick Records in the states). The singles 'Cave' and 'Uno' preceded their debut full-length album, 'Showbiz', which was released toward the end of 1999. Two years later, Muse issued 'The Origin Of Symmetry' and scored a string of hits with 'Plug In Baby' (11), 'New Born' (12) and 'Bliss' (22). The album also features a reworking of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's 'Feeling Good', popularised by Nina Simone, which was issued as a double A-side single with 'Hyper Music' (24). Muse successfully sued Nestlé in 2003 when they used Muse's version of 'Feeling Good' in a TV advert for Nescafé without permission, donating the £500,000 compensation to Oxfam. Celine Dion was also threatened with legal action in 2002 when she planned to name her Las Vegas show 'Muse', despite the band owning the worldwide performing rights to the name. Celine Dion offered $50,000 for the rights but Muse rejected this with Bellamy stating that "We don't want to turn up there with people thinking we're Celine Dion's backing band". Eventually Dion was forced to back down. In 2002, fans were treated to a double set of rarities and live material, the 'Hullabaloo Soundtrack' album, which captured Muse's two gigs at Le Zenith in Paris in 2001. Muse's fourth album, 'Absolution', got the usual royal treatment upon its late-2003 release and stateside fans finally got a taste when it was released on Warner Bros. the following March. A short North American tour in the spring of 2004 coincided with Muse's spot on the fifth annual Coachella Music And Arts Festival. Their fifth effort, 2006's 'Black Holes And Revelations', was preceded by the single 'Supermassive Black Hole' (video), which achieved their highest chart placing to date when it reached number 4. It's also a bit similar to Britney Spears 'Do Somethin'' (video) from the previous year! The album marked the band's brightest, most dynamic set of material to date, topping the UK and European album charts within its first week and earning Muse their second consecutive number one album. In America, 'Black Holes And Revelations' broke into the top 10. Muse toured Europe, America, Australia and Southeast Asia in support of the album, and their dynamic stage performance (which has won the band multiple awards for Best Live Act, including accolades from The NME Awards, The Q Awards and The Vodafone Live Music Awards) was captured on 2008's 'H.A.A.R.P. Live From Wembley' (the band sold out the 75,000 capacity stadium twice in 2007). The trio spent the remainder of the year, as well as the early part of 2009, in the studio recording their fifth album, 'The Resistance', due to be released in September 2009. Their cover of Frankie Valli's 'Can't Take My Eyes Of You' was performed live in 2002 on the BBC3 TV show, 'Re:Covered', hosted by  Dermot O'Leary, and later appeared on the double A-side single 'Dead Star'/'In Your World'. Trivia! In the February 2006 edition of 'Q Magazine', 'Origin Of Symmetry' was placed 74th in a fans' poll of the 100 greatest albums ever. Website.

585
:: Nina Simone :: Sign 'O' The Times :: Download

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was a Grammy Award-nominated American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist. Although she disliked being categorized, Simone is generally classified as a jazz musician. She originally aspired to become a classical pianist, but her work covers an eclectic variety of musical styles besides her classical basis, such as jazz, soul, folk, R&B, gospel and pop music. Her vocal style is characterized by intense passion, a loose vibrato and a slightly androgynous timbre, in part due to her unusually low vocal range which veered between the alto and tenor ranges (occasionally even reaching baritone lows). Also known as The High Priestess Of Soul, she paid great attention to the musical expression of emotions. Within one album or concert she could fluctuate between exuberant happiness and tragic melancholy. These fluctuations also characterized her own personality and personal life, worsened by bi-polar disorder with which she was diagnosed during the mid-1960s, but was kept secret until 2004 after her death. So, she wasn't a big stropy diva after all... it was a medical condition! Simone recorded over 40 live and studio albums, the greatest body of her work being released between 1958 (when she made her debut with 'Little Girl Blue') and 1974. Songs she is best known for include 'My Baby Just Cares For Me', 'I Put A Spell On You', 'Four Women', 'I Loves You Porgy', 'Feeling Good', 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood', 'Sinnerman', 'To Be Young, Gifted And Black' and 'Aint Got No/I Got Life' (AKA the Muller yoghurt song!). Her music and message made a strong and lasting impact on culture, illustrated by the numerous contemporary artists who cite her as an important influence (among them Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Jeff Buckley, John Legend, Lauryn Hill and Peter Gabriel). Many hip hop and other modern artists sample and remix Simone's rhythms and beats on their tracks. In particular, Talib Kweli and Mos Def routinely pay tribute to her outstanding and soulful musical style. Many of her songs are featured on TV and motion picture soundtracks, also. Nina's cover of Prince's seminal 'Sign 'O' The Times' track was originally recorded for her last studio album, 1993's 'A Single Woman'. It never made it to the final album but the outtake was released as one of 7 bonus cuts when the album was re-issued in 2008. It's full of passion and further testament to her skills as an interpreter of contemporary work. I wonder what Prince thinks of it himself? Simone recorded her now-signature track, 'My Baby Just Cares For Me', in 1958 for her debut album, 'Little Girl Blue'. The track remained relatively obscure until 1987, when it was used in a UK TV commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume. To capitalise on this exposure, the track was released as a single by Charly Records, entering the UK singles chart on October 31, 1987 and becoming one of Simone's biggest hits when it reached Number 5 - almost nineteen years after her previous chart entry! A claymation music video (here), probably inspired by Giblets 'Reet Petite' clip for Jackie Wilson's similarly re-released track (here), was produced by Aardman Animations and directed by Peter Lord. Bonus tracks! First up, click here to download the 'Special Extended Smoochtime Version' of 'My Baby Just Cares For Me', which is from the 1987 CD single. And then click here to get the sublime 'See-Line Woman (Masters At Work Remix)', from the 'Verve - Remixed' series. A couple of other Nina tracks I considered posting were 'You Can Have Him', 'Go To Hell' and 'Night Song'... definitely check those out. There is an abundance of Nina Simone CDs available so I suggest you tread carefully if you're thinking of picking up a couple. She's definitely deserving of a 2CD compilation purchase but check the small print as there's umpteen live recordings and varying quality and a lot of the budget titles make heavy use of those. Go for this one (despite the awful sleeve) or maybe this one. Simone might not have recorded one great definitive studio album as such but she herself ranked 1969's 'Nina Simone And Piano' highly so consider that one as good as any (here). Trivia! On Human Kindness Day 1974 in Washington DC, more than 10,000 people paid tribute to Simone when she received two honorary degrees in music and humanities from The University Of Massachusetts and Malcolm X College. She preferred to be called Dr. Nina Simone after these honours were bestowed upon her. Just two days before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary diploma by The Curtis Institute, a school that had turned her down at the start of her career...  "Stop sniffing the cocaine!". Website.

584
:: Feist :: Inside And Out :: Download

Leslie Feist is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She performs as a solo artist under the name Feist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene. In 1991, at age fifteen, Feist got her start in music when she founded, and was the lead vocalist for a Calgary punk band called Placebo (not that one). She and her band mates won a local Battle Of The Bands competition and were awarded the opening slot at the festival Infest 1993, along with The Ramones. At this concert she first met Brendan Canning, whom she joined in Broken Social Scene ten years later. In 1995, Feist was forced to take time off from music to recover from vocal-cord damage. She moved from Calgary to Toronto in 1996 and played the bass and rhythm guitar for a couple of bands, touring with them throughout 1998, 1999 and 2000. In 1999, Feist moved in with a friend of a friend, Merrill Nisker, who then began to perform as the electro-punk musician, Peaches. Feist worked the back of the stage at Peaches' shows, using a sock puppet and calling herself Bitch Lap Lap. Feist's own debut solo album, 'Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down)' (download the full album here - its hard to find on CD!), was released in 1999. It is comprised of 10 songs and was produced by Dan Kurtz who would later form electro-pop troupe Dragonette. Feist then appeared as a guest vocalist on Peaches' 'The Teaches Of Peaches' album in 2000 and collaborated with her and 7 Hurtz as Bitch Lap Lap on the Prince cover 'Sexy Dancer', from the 'If I Was Prince' tribute album (buy here). Feist also appears in Peaches' video 'Lovertits' (here), suggestively rubbing and licking a bike. Feist would later cover this song with another Peaches cohort, Gonzales, on her compilation album 'Open Season'. They pair met whilst Feist toured with Peaches in England from 2000-2001. They stayed with pals Justine Frischmann of Elastica and M.I.A. during the tour. In the summer of 2001, Feist self-produced seven songs at home which she called 'The Red Demos' but she abandoned those and spent more than two years touring throughout Europe with Gonzales instead. In that same year, she joined formed a new version of the Toronto indie rock group Broken Social Scene, adding vocals to many tracks. While on tour in Europe with Gonzales, the two began recording new versions of her home demos, which would later become her major label debut, 'Let It Die', released in 2004. 'Let It Die' featured both original compositions and covers, and Feist has been noted both as a songwriter and as an innovative interpreter of other artists' songs. After the recording of 'Let It Die', Feist moved to Paris. While in Europe, she collaborated with Norwegian duo Kings Of Convenience as co-writer and guest vocalist on their album 'Riot On An Empty Street', singing on 'Know How' and 'The Build Up'. She also co-wrote and sang 'The Simple Story', a duet with Jane Birkin on her album, 'Rendezvous', from 2004. During 2004, 2005 and 2006, Feist toured through North America, Europe, Asia and Australia supporting 'Let It Die'. She won two Canadian Juno Awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Rock Album in 2004. Sales of 'Let It Die' totalled 500,000 internationally and she was awarded a platinum record in Canada, as well as a gold album in France. The Feist-directed music video for 'One Evening' (here), was also nominated for Video Of The Year at the 2004 Juno Awards. In 2005, Feist contributed to the UNICEF benefit song 'Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?' and by early 2006, Feist had returned to Europe to record a follow-up to 'Let It Die' at La Frette Studios. She was joined by Gonzales, Mocky, Jamie Lidell and Renaud Letang, as well as her touring band. The aforementioned album of remixes and collaborations, 'Open Season', was released in April 2006. Feist also contributed back-up vocals to the track 'Give 'Er', which appeared on the Peaches album 'Impeach My Bush' in 2006. Feist's third solo album, 'The Reminder', was released in Europe first (April 2007), and then in Canada, the USA and the rest of the world (May 2007). She once again toured worldwide to promote the album. The album features the singles 'My Moon, My Man' (video), '1234' (video) and 'I Feel It All' (video). Videos for the singles were directed by Patrick Daughters, who previously directed the video for 'Mushaboom' (here) in 2004. '1234' and 'My Moon, My Man' were choreographed by the acclaimed dancer Noemi Lafrance. A video for 'Honey, Honey' was also made, featuring the work of avant-garde puppet troupe, The Old Trout Puppet Workshop. '1234' became a surprise hit after being featured in a TV ad for the iPod Nano, hitting number 8 in the USA, a rare feat for indie rock musicians and even more notable since it hit the top 10 on the strength of downloads alone. She was lauded in the press and was featured on the cover of 'The New York Times' arts section in June 2007. 'The Reminder' has sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide and is certified gold in the USA. At the 2008 Juno Awards in Calgary, she was the top winner with five awards, including Songwriter Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Pop Album Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Single Of The Year. On 20th October 2008, she told 'The Canadian Press' that, following the success of her last album, 'The Reminder', she felt she needed to step away from the pressures of the music industry to consider her next career move and "rest for a minute"... Trivia! 'The Reminder' features the track 'Sealion', which is an adaptation of a song by singer Nina Simone. The original title was 'See-Line Woman' (a reference to sea lions was never intended) and refers to the life of an upper class prostitute. Website.

583
:: Peaches :: Operate :: Download

Merrill Nisker, previously an elementary school music and drama teacher, is the woman we better know and love as vulgar Canadian temptress Peaches. An electronica musician whose songs are notable for their heavy use of sexually explicit lyrics, Peaches plays all her own instruments, programs her own beats and produces her own albums. She released her first album, 'Fancypants Hoodlum', under the name Merrill Nisker in 1995 and went on to flirt with lesser-known musical outings such as Mermaid Café and The Shit. Before her music really career took off, she was also the roommate of fellow recording artist Feist (AKA Bitch Lap Lap). Nisker eventually developed the style and persona that would take her to international fame as Peaches, where her fearless, apolitical gender-play truly raised heads. By the time she signed with Berlin's Kitty-Yo label and unleashed 'The Teaches Of Peaches' in 2000, her pervy groovebox niche had already been well and truly carved out. Her primitive MC-ing and minimal pumping beats sounded like a sleazy backroom gang bang with Grandmaster Flash, Shirley Manson and Charles Manson all snatching for piece of the action. Peaches switched labels to XL, who reissued 'The Teaches Of Peaches' in 2002 to a wider audience, preceded by the single 'Set It Off' (video), and went on to release her subsequent material. 'Fatherfucker' appeared in 2003, an even more explicit and outré follow-up to 'The Teaches Of Peaches'. Iggy Pop provided a guest spot ('Kick It'), Joan Jett got sampled ('I Don't Give A...') and Peaches' potty-mouth ('Shake Yer Dix') runs amuck over a sweaty backdrop of punk, electro-pop and rock. She also sports a full beard on the album cover - sexy! Live shows were just as raucous and featured Peaches hanging from the lighting rig, wearing a blond wig, partaking in bondage scenes, spitting fake blood and backing dancers wearing beards and strap-ons. I picked up a pair of 'Fatherfucker' Y-Fronts at her Glasgow date that year. Snug! 'Impeach My Bush', her 3rd album, arrived in 2006. Stints supporting Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson rubbed off and this set of songs finds her moving a little closer to rock music, but her modus operandi remains mainly the same - to reverse the gender roles of sexual submission, of course! With a beefed up sound, a full live band was required for touring commitments and so The Herms (short for hermaphrodites) were formed in spring 2006. They can be seen in the 'Boys Wanna Be Her' video here. For 2009's 'I Feel Cream', Peaches worked with James Ford from Simian Mobile Disco, as well as Soulwax, Digitalism and Drums Of Death, taking her sound in a more electronic and eclectic direction. It's her best work yet and can be bought here! The just released single, 'Lose You' (video), is the best thing she's released to date. Peaches' songs, especially 'Fuck The Pain Away', have been featured in many movies over the years ('Mean Girls', 'Waiting...', 'Jackass Number Two', 'My Little Eye', 'Lost in Translation', etc.) as well as on television ('The L Word', 'Ugly Betty', etc.). She has also collaborated with many artists (Gonzalez, Louie Austin, Iggy Pop, Taylor Savvy, Mignon, Joan Jett, Beth Ditto, Josh Homme, etc.) and performed guest vocals often, such as on Pink's 'Try This' album ('Oh My God') and on Chicks On Speed's '99 Cents' album ('We Don't Play Guitars'). She is also an in-demand remixer and has provided her own unique 'remixes' (ie. often simply straight cover versions!) of tracks for a wide selection of artists including Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Le Tigre, Electric Six, Ladyhawke, etc. Click here for a trio of Peaches' remixes. Also, as it's pretty difficult to find a copy, click here to download the whole 'Fancypants Hoodlum' album (it's all a bit 'experimental jazz', mind you). Trivia! Peaches originally penned her 2006 single 'Downtown' (video) for Kelis' last album, 2006's 'Kelis Was Here', but it was ultimately rejected and Peaches released it under her own name. Website.

582
:: Iggy Pop :: (Get Up I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine :: Download

Iggy Pop (or James Osterberg to his mother) is everyone's favourite proto-punk hero. He's built a career around rock'n'roll, cutting himself up with razor blades, smearing himself with all kinds of goo (mince meat, peanut butter, etc.), wearing transparent trousers and goading live audiences into pelting him with glass bottles ("Is that all ya got?"). He started out, fresh from his family trailer park, playing drums for local rock band The Iguanas (hence the nickname) and blues group The Prime Movers. In 1967, he formed The Psychedelic Stooges (later just The Stooges) with himself as vocalist and high school friends and fellow misfits Dave Alexander (bass) and brothers Ron (guitar) and Scott Asheton (drums). They bonded over a love of British bands and began practising seriously while also living together. Iggy was greatly influenced by Jim Morrison's stage presence, while The Velvet Underground laid the seeds to The Stooges sound. Iggy was also influenced by John Sinclair, manager of fellow revolutionary proto punkers MC5, with whom he hung out a lot. The Stooges made their live debut at a private party on Halloween in 1967 and were signed to Elektra Records within 2 years. In June 1969, The Stooges decamped to New York to record their debut album, with The Velvet Underground's John Cale producing. 'The Stooges' was released in 1969 and contained 'No Fun' and 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', future punk garage classics, later covered by The Sex Pistols and The Sisters Of Mercy respectfully. Speaking to a generation who felt nothing for the hippie love-in of 1969's Woodstock, Iggy quickly became an anti-hero for disaffected youth and was soon shacked up with girlfriend Nico, who was fresh from her experiences with The Velvets and Andy Warhol's New York factory. In May 1970, The Stooges went to LA to record a follow-up album, 'Fun House', but the experience was marred by the band members' increasing reliance on drugs, notably heroin. Bassist Dave Alexander had been sacked by Iggy when he was too stoned to play a gig and Iggy was arrested for stealing cheques from his own parents. There were even rumours of the band holding up gas stations for drug money. Their gigs became smacked-out freak shows and when 'Fun House' fared worse commercially than their debut, they were soon dropped by the label. Iggy moved to Florida, taking up golf instead of heroin and self mutilation. In 1972, Iggy was persuaded, after a chance meeting with David Bowie and his manager Tony DeFries, to reform The Stooges. Without Alexander, 1973's Bowie-produced comeback album, 'Raw Power', was greeted as a flawed classic by critics. 'Search And Destroy' became the new unofficial anthem for the blank generation. Iggy and the band undertook a gruelling live schedule in support of the album but drugs and mental health problems blighted Iggy's creative growth. The label, CBS, dropped Iggy after one record. In 1975, Iggy checked in to a psychiatric institute to wean himself off heroin. Bowie, his only real friend at the time, would regularly visit him and invited him to appear on his 'Low' album in 1977. Iggy signed to Bowie's then-label, RCA and released his highly acclaimed, Bowie-produced debut solo album, 'The Idiot'. Released in 1977, the album coincided perfectly with the new wave explosion. The record entered the UK top 30 and contained the first Bowie/Pop collaboration, 'China Girl', which Bowie would later re-record for his 'Let's Dance' album. Follow-up album, 'Lust For Life', was also well received by critics, its title track later resurrected for a new generation on the soundtrack to cult '90s flick, 'Trainspotting'. The start of the '80s saw Iggy on new label Arista, desperately trying to combat his drug problems but uneventful albums such as 'Soldier' (1980), 'Party' (1981) and 'Zombie Birdhouse' (1982) did little for his career. In 1986, Iggy teamed up with Bowie again for the album, 'Blah, Blah, Blah', featuring a cover of 'Real Wild Child' (live on 'The Tube' video), which gave Iggy his first UK top 10 hit. Iggy added ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones for his 'Instinct' album in 1988 while in 1990 his 'Brick By Brick' album featured Guns 'N' Roses stars Slash and Duff McKagan, and The B-52's' Kate Pierson. And to show his caring side, Iggy also duetted with Deborah Harry on the 'Red, Hot + Blue' Aids benefit project. He resurfaced in 1993 with the album 'American Caesar' which contained his raunchiest tracks for some time. Iggy had also undertaken acting work, appearing in episodes of 'Miami Vice' and 'Tales From The Crypt' and in 1996, the film 'The Crow'. Iggy was back on song in 1999 with the album 'Avenue B', which displayed his usual raw power on tracks like 'Nazi Girlfriend', but the 2001 album 'Beat 'em Up' didn't come within sniffing distance of the charts. However, it was further testament to a man not yet ready for his pipe and slippers. In 2003, Iggy reformed The Stooges bringing in Ron and Scott Asheton to write and record four songs with him for his album 'Skull Ring'. The reconstituted Stooges subsequently went on the road for a short but riotously received tour. 2004 saw Pop opening for Madonna's 'Reinvention World Tour' in Dublin and in 2008, Madonna asked The Stooges to perform in her place at her own induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, as a protest for not inducting The Stooges. Who knew she was such a fan? Iggy currently fronts a £25 million TV ad campaign for Swiftcover, using the strap line "Get A Life"... This James Brown cover has appeared as a B-side twice; It was originally on the 'Heart Is Saved' single and then it turned up again on the 'Lust For Life' single re-issue, both from 1996. Bonus tracks! Iggy has done a few collaborations over the decades and I've picked three of the best for a little bonus bundle! Click here to nab 'Iggy & Friends', a 3 track EP which features Death In Vegas, Peaches and Deborah Harry. Trivia! Iggy Pop's 'The Idiot' LP was still spinning on Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis' turntable when he was found hanged in 1980. : ( PopShop. PopSite.

581
:: Klaus Nomi :: The Cold Song :: Download

Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 - August 6, 1983), better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. Nomi was known for his bizarrely theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, wacky costumes and a peculiar signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical pieces and opera music, to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's 'The Twist' and Lou Christie's 'Lightnin' Strikes' (video). He released five singles and two full length albums between 1981-83, with several compilations released posthumously. He is perhaps best remembered by the general public as being one of David Bowie's backing singers during a 1979 TV performance. Bowie had heard of Nomi's performances in New York and met up with him and fellow performer and friend, Joey Arias, at The Mudd Club. Impressed with the two, Bowie hired them as performers and back-up singers for his appearance on 'Saturday Night Live', which aired on December 15, 1979. The band performed 'TVC 15', 'The Man Who Sold The World' and 'Boys Keep Swinging' (no Youtube-age, sadly). Nomi was so impressed with the plastic quasi-tuxedo suit that Bowie wore during 'The Man Who Sold The World' that he commissioned one to be made for himself. Nomi can be seen wearing the suit on the cover of his self-titled debut album. Nomi was one of the first celebrities to contract AIDS, a disease poorly understood at that time. He died in 1983 at the age of 39 as a result of complications from the disease. His ashes were scattered over New York City. Although Nomi's work had not met with national commercial success at the time of his death, he garnered a large cult following in later years, including a number of celebrity fans. Morrissey, for example, ended his 1984 track selection for BBC Radio's 'My Top 10' show with 'Death', which he later included on his compilation of influential songs, 'Under The Influence' in 2003. He also used the song 'Wayward Sisters' as the introduction music for his 'Kill Uncle' tour of 1991. He used the song 'After The Fall' for the same purpose during his 2007 American tour, so it's safe to assume Morrissey is a huge Nomi fan. For a fascinating insight into Klaus Nomi's life, I recommend Andrew Horn's feature-length documentary about Nomi's life, 'The Nomi Song', which was released by Palm Pictures in 2004 and is available on DVD here. Trivia! Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring 2009 couture was influenced by Nomi and he used Nomi's recording of 'The Cold Song' in his runway show. Fansite.

580
:: David Bowie :: Breaking Glass :: Download

Here's David Robert Jones, AKA David Bowie. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. There's no denying that Bowie demonstrated remarkable skill for perceiving musical trends at his peak in the '70s. After spending several years in the late '60s as a mod, releasing three singles on Pye Records, Bowie reinvented himself as a hippie singer/songwriter. Prior to his breakthrough in 1972, he recorded a proto-metal record ('The Man Who Sold the World') and a pop/rock album ('Hunky Dory'), eventually redefining glam rock with his androgynous, bisexual rock star from another planet persona, Ziggy Stardust. Ziggy made Bowie an international star, yet he wasn't content to continue to churn out glitter rock. The albums 'Aladdin Sane' (a personal favourite), 'Pin Ups' (a covers collection) and 'Diamond Dogs' took Bowie through to the mid-'70s, where he gradually developed his sound into an effete, sophisticated version of Philly soul that he dubbed "plastic soul", eventually morphing into the eerie avant-pop of 1976's 'Station To Station'. Shortly afterward, he relocated to Berlin, where he recorded three brilliant experimental electronic albums with Brian Eno ('Low', 'Heroes' and 'Lodger'). At the dawn of the '80s, Bowie was still at the height of his powers, releasing hits like 'Ashes To Ashes' (1, video), 'Under Pressure' (1, with Queen), 'Let's Dance' (1) and 'China Girl' (2), yet following the blockbuster dance-pop album 'Let's Dance' in 1983, he slowly sank into mediocrity before salvaging his career in the early '90s with 'Black Tie White Noise'. We wont mention Tin Machine. Ahem. Even when he was out of fashion in the '80s and '90s, it was clear that Bowie was one of the most influential musicians in rock, for better and for worse. Each one of his phases in the '70s sparked a number of sub-genres, including punk, new wave, goth rock, the new romantics and electronica. Few rockers ever had such lasting impact. Given his influence on generations of musicians, it seems appropriate to bundle together a collection of Bowie cover versions. Click here to download a 12 track compilation we call 'Bowied', which features interpretations by Blondie, The Divine Comedy, Black Box Recorder, The Futureheads and a few others. Throughout his career, Mr David Bowie he has sold an estimated 136 million albums and ranks among the ten best-selling acts in UK pop history. In 2004, 'Rolling Stone' magazine ranked him 39th on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock Artists Of All Time. In the BBC's 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, Bowie ranked 29. Every home should have a few Bowie CDs, BTW... does yours? 'Breaking Glass' is taken from 1977's 'Low' (another personal favourite of mine). Buy 'Low' here for £4.99. There's about 30-odd tracks I'd happily post here from Bowie's back catalogue so maybe we'll be re-visiting The Thin White Duke again soon... Watch some classic Bowie clips here. P.S. I can't believe I just summed up David Bowie's entire career in less than 500 words! Sacrilege!

579
:: Petula Clark :: Colour My World :: Download

Petula Clark is the most commercially successful female singer in British chart history. She was trained to sing by her soprano mother and took to the stage by the age of 7. She became a fixture on British radio, hosting her own regular show called 'Pet's Parlour', which played patriotic songs designed to boost the morale of wartime audiences, at just 11 years old. After entertaining British troops alongside fellow child stars Julie Andrews and Anthony Newley, Clark made her film debut with 'A Medal For The General' in 1944. By the dawn of the 1950s, she was a superstar throughout the UK, with over 20 film roles under her belt. In 1954, 'The Little Shoemaker' became her first top 20 single on the Nixa label, while 1960's 'Sailor' (by then recording for Pye Records) was her first number 1 hit. After selling over a million copies of 1961's 'Romeo', Petula married publicist Claude Wolff and relocated to France, where she established a strong fan base, enjoying hits with 'Ya-Ya Twist', 'Chariot' and 'Monsieur'. Riding the wave of the British Invasion, Clark was finally able to penetrate the US market in 1964 with the Grammy-winning 'Downtown', the first single by a British woman ever to reach number 1 on the American pop charts. It was also the first in a series of American top ten hits (most of which were written and arranged by Tony Hatch) which also included 1965's 'I Know A Place' and 1966's 'I Couldn't Live Without Your Love' and the number 1 smash, 'My Love'. At the same time, she remained a huge star throughout Europe, topping the British charts in 1967 with 'This Is My Song', taken from the film 'A Countess From Hong Kong'. In addition to hosting her own BBC TV series, she also starred in the 1968 NBC television special 'Petula', which triggered controversy when sponsors requested that a segment with guest Harry Belafonte be cut in deference to Southern affiliates... ultimately, the show aired in it's intended form. As the 1960s drew to a close, Clark's commercial stature slipped, although singles like 'Don't Sleep In The Subway', 'The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener' and 'Kiss Me Goodbye' still charted on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1968, she revived her film career by starring in 'Finian's Rainbow', followed a year later by 'Goodbye, Mr. Chips'. In later years, Clark focused primarily on international touring, headlining the 1981 London revival of Rodgers And Hammerstein's 'The Sound Of Music'. After starring in the 1990 musical 'Someone Like You', which she also co-wrote, she made her Broadway debut in 'Blood Brothers' in 1993. Additionally, in 1988, an updated remix took 'Downtown' back to the UK top ten again. Petula continues to perform and record today and she was presented with the 2007 Film & TV Music Award for Best Use Of A Song In A Television Program for 'Downtown' in the ABC series 'Lost'. Clark also holds the record as the female singer who has been awarded the most gold records in British pop history! There were three excellent Petula Clark 2CD anthologies released in the 1990s which come highly recommended, if you wish to dig deeper. These are 'With All My Heart - The Nixa Anthology 1956-59', 'Downtown - The Pye Anthology' and 'Music - The Pye Anthology Vol. 2'. That's a total of 150 tracks and is pretty much all the Pet you'll ever need! Find them at Amazon, here. I might know the track 'Colour My World' track from the recent DFS furniture shop TV ad! Petula's signature tune will of course always be 'Downtown'. We've cobbled together a special 4 track 'Downtown' EP bundle, which features 4 versions of it from 4 decades; The classic original version from 1964, the cheesy disco version from 1976, the rather dated PWL-ified '88 remix version and the 1999 remix. Click here for that! Can you stand one more bonus track? Well, here's what I consider to be the best cover version of 'Downtown'. No, it's not Emma Bunton's version... It's The B52's of course! "Maybe I'll see you there, if I can do my hair...". Trivia! In 1997, Queen Elizabeth made Clark a Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire (what the heck does that mean?). More trivia! Clark was a matron of honour at the 2002 wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest.

578
:: Dusty Springfield :: Where Am I Going? :: Download

"To be the star they wanted, I had to hide behind a mask, and I chose mascara" (Dusty Springfield). Mary O'Brien was the young woman behind one of the greatest voices our country has ever produced - the fragile-voiced, panda-eyed, giggly girl-next-door, Dusty Springfield. Desperately insecure and hidden under thick make-up and a golden beehive hairdo, she was one of the best-selling British singers of the 1960s. I featured Dusty in post 417 and always felt a little bit disappointed that I posted something from her '80s comeback period! ('In Private'). So, now we're plundering her '60s catalogue to bring you this - 'Where Am I Going?'. It can be found on her third album of the same name, from 1967, which also features the funky 'I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face', which Saint Etienne based 'Nothing Can Stop Us' around. 'Where Am I Going?' was originally from the musical 'Sweet Charity' and I really like the lyrics to the track, like "Run where it's foul, or run where it's fair, no matter where I run, I meet myself there". It's very melodramatic and the strings are just to die for. One of my favourite Dusty recordings, without a shadow of a doubt. The album 'Where Am I Going?' is generally considered an artistic success, with Springfield tackling a variety of styles from jazz to soul, to pop and even show tunes. While not as successful as her previous two albums were, 'Where Am I Going?' was praised by fans and critics alike for showing a mature and sophisticated sensibility, despite the many different styles of music, but it flopped commercially. Trivia! Dusty's 'I Only Want To Be With You' was the opening song on the very first edition of 'Top Of The Pops' in 1963. More trivia! Ever the perfectionist, Dusty ended up recording 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me', her first number 1 single, leaning out from the stairs, halfway up the stairwell of the Philips recording studio, singing into a mic dangling in front of her, just to get the right echo sound for her vocal! A little bit more trivia! 'Where Am I Going?' was sampled on the track 'Zenophile', from the 2004 album, 'Destroy Rock & Roll', by Mylo. Here's a smashing piece on Dusty by Bob Stanley from 'The Times'. This compilation is an essential purchase and was the very first Dusty CD I ever bought. And finally, watch a nice performance from the second series of the BBC show 'Dusty', from 1967, here.

577
:: Kiki Dee :: Why Don't I Run Away From You? :: Download

Kiki Dee (real name Pauline Matthews) kicked around Britain as a white soul singer for the better part of the late '60s and early '70s, singing backing vocals for Dusty Springfield at one point. 'Why Don't I Run Away From You?' was released in 1965 and despite being a big hit on Radio London and Radio Caroline, the track didn't trouble the charts. Kiki's debut album, 'I'm Kiki Dee', was released in 1968 on the Fontana label. She went on to become the first British Caucasian signed to Motown, aged 19, releasing the 'Great Expectations' album in 1970, before hooking up with Elton John, who signed her to his Rocket Records label and gave her the first notable hits of her career, 'Amoureuse' (13) and 'I've Got The Music In Me' (19). In 1976, at which time John was the biggest pop star in the world, he wrote and duetted with Dee on the single (and karaoke staple) 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', which promptly topped the charts all over the world. It did not, however, make Dee a long-term star, though she scored a couple of subsequent top 40 hits. Her 1981 hit, 'Star' (video), was recorded for the BBC 1 TV programme, 'Opportunity Knocks' and reached number 13 on the UK singles chart. It was to be her last solo top 40 hit. She performed at Live Aid in 1985, reprising her duet with John and she even joined forces with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics for 1987's 'Angel Eyes' album, with mixed results. Towards the 1990s, Kiki had turned to the stage with some success, especially in 'Blood Brothers' in the West End. In 1993, she and John recorded another duet, on a version of Cole Porter's 'True Love' (previously recorded as a duet by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly). 'True Love' was included on Elton's 'Duets' album, which also saw him team up with George Michael, Gladys Knight, PM Dawn, Nik Kershaw, Marcella Detroit and RuPaul. To date, Kiki has released a total of 35 singles, 3 EPs, 11 albums and has recorded in 6 different languages (English, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Hindi). Kiki's Rocket-era albums, plus 1981's 'Perfect Timing' for the Ariola label and 'Angel Eyes' on Columbia, were released on CD for the first time in 2008 and just last week, a new best of collection appeared. Check them out here if you like. As a bonus, here's another Kiki track, 1968's 'Magic Carpet Ride', which despite being just a B-Side, is now a Northern Soul classic, don't you know. Trivia! When Kiki's 40th birthday arrived, she didn't have a boyfriend and so Elton John sent her a huge box of sex toys as a gift. How nice. Budget-style website. P.S. I don't like Elton John very much. I quite like 'Wrap Her Up', but he's not coming up next...

576
:: Hazell Dean :: You're Too Good To Be True :: Download

You may remember we featured Hazell once before (post 386). I can surely dispense with a blow by blow account of her career, then... ? So, 'You're Too Good To Be True' originally appeared on Hazell's first proper album, 'Heart First', on Proto Records in 1984. It was the first full-length album to be produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman (excluding 'Searchin', which was produced by Ian Anthony Stephens) and Pete Waterman has later proclaimed it to be the very first Hi-NRG album, a genre usually limited to single releases. Not sure I agree with that, not when stuff like Miquel Brown's 'Manpower' album was out the year before... but anyway, because we're dead nice, click here to download the full 'Heart First' album in it's entirety! It features 12 tracks, including the original UK cassette-only bonus track, 'Evergreen', which I've added myself from the 1996 'Greatest Hits' CD (the one with the original recordings on, not one of the umpteen re-recorded bargain bin shite releases). The other 11 tracks are ripped from the 1997 CD re-issue of 'Heart First' on Infinity Records. I've even chucked a jpeg of the artwork in for Christ's Sake... Now we interupt this blurb for an important safety warning! Respect yourself and your musical equipment, do not attempt to stand on your bongos like Hazell Dean has done in the photography on the album cover! End of safety warning. Hazell re-recorded 'You're Too Good To Be True' and issued it on the B-side of 'Turn It Into Love', a number 21 hit in 1988. It's this version posted here, because you'll have the original 1984 version when you download the 'Heart First' album, obviously! The song is several shades of amazing, not least of all because of the bit that goes "wooooo!". The PWL archives are being raided and digitalised this year so we should see a few Hazell Dean digital bundles appearing on iTunes in the near future... keep your eye on this site for news on those. In the meantime, grab some rare Hazell remixes and video clips from this fansite. Trivia! Hazell was managed by the late Victor Billings, who also managed Dusty Springfield and Kiki Dee.  More trivia! There's a place up here where I live in the North East called Hazel Dene. Amazing.