Stegzy's Music Project

A commentary on Stegzy's album collection

Dec 18

Filigree & Shadow – This Mortal Coil [#468]

by stegzy

FiligreeandshadowClassic goth moonings brought to the listener by Ivo Watts-Russell’s 4AD label and their rag tag bunch of artists brought together under one banner.

Filigree is TMC’s second offering. Like other TMC offerings, the personnel making up the band are picked from a variety of 4AD artists such as Dead Can Dance (Peter Ulrich) and Cocteau Twins (Simon Raymonde) but while not as popular, well known or groundbreaking as the first, It’ll End in Tears, Filigree does hold its weight with some interesting interpretations of obscurely excellent songs. Originally released as a double album with each side an aural blend, the masterful production was lost on release in CD format and moreso in digital file.

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1986 Cocteau Twins Peter Ulrich This Mortal Coil

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Dec 3

Falco 3 – Falco [#457]

by stegzy

Falco_Falco_3_CD_coverIn 1986 I embarked on a journey to France with my school. An exciting time made more memorable by the purchase of a Sony Walkman clone from the duty free shop on the ferry. One boy did it, then another, and another until the entire school trip had parted with 40 francs for a nice bit of future tech. This was 1986. Jet packs and holidays on Mars were only 14 years away.

Of course, portable personal cassette players were relatively new to us all and, in our haste to become future boys, we’d all over looked one important thing – None of us had anything to play on the cassette players. All that was available was the mixed bag of cassettes in the school minibus mostly consisting of GCSE French lessons, Now That’s What I Call Music compilations, Status Quo and stuff left behind by long forgotten sixth formers.

The bag was passed round and each boy would select two cassettes from the bag at random to borrow and listen to. My selection consisted of a mix tape of eighties hits and Falco 3. The mix tape broke and snarled itself up in the workings of the Walkman clone so Falco it was. And so began a nearly twenty year treasure hunt for the album that kept me company during my trip to France with my school.

In the years following that holiday I tried to get the album on CD but no matter how often I went to the F section of HMV in Liverpool’s Church Street or Virgin Megastore in Clayton Square, I couldn’t find the album. So it wasn’t until the great internet download frenzy of the noughties, that I managed to obtain this piece of aural gold.

Of course, most people will know Falco for his eighties hit Rock Me Amadeus and there their experience of his music ends, but the Austrian had such great talent and there are many many other good songs that he penned.

Sadly Falco’s career was short and ended following a tragic accident with some drugs and his 4×4 in the Dominican Republic in 1999.

1986 Falco

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Mar 21

Classic rock: 1986 – Various Artists [#277]

by stegzy

R-4900619-1378895322-4895.jpegClassic rock: 1986 – Various Artists

The last in the Time Life trilogy. 1986, that year renown for hair, rock, drugs, more hair, more stadia and yet more hair. With a bit of rock.

But lo! See the track list. Yet again our compiler has been at the stig bin in the bargain section of Woolworths once more and has managed to surpass the previous compilations with another atrocious selection.

1-1 –Georgia Satellites, The Battleship Chains
1-2 –Meat Loaf And John Parr Rock ‘N’ Roll Mercenaries
1-3 –ZZ Top Velcro Fly
1-4 –Big Country Look Away
1-5 –Europe (2) Rock The Night
1-6 –Cinderella (3) Night Songs
1-7 –Billy Idol To Be A Lover
1-8 –Pretenders, The Don’t Get Me Wrong
1-9 –Robert Palmer I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On
1-10 –Ultravox All Fall Down
1-11 –Kate Bush Hounds Of Love
1-12 –Mr. Mister Broken Wings
1-13 –Talking Heads And She Was
1-14 –Steve Winwood Higher Love
1-15 –Eurythmics When Tomorrow Comes
2-1 –Daryl Hall Dreamtime
2-2 –Psychedelic Furs, The Pretty In Pink (Film Version)
2-3 –Tina Turner Typical Male
2-4 –Peter Cetera Glory Of Love
2-5 –David Lee Roth Yankee Rose
2-6 –Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Tuff Enuff
2-7 –Robert Cray Band, The Smoking Gun
2-8 –Stevie Ray Vaughan Superstition – Live
2-9 –Alice Cooper (2) He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)
2-10 –Great White Shot In The Dark
2-11 –Poison (3) Talk Dirty To Me
2-12 –W.A.S.P. Wild Child
2-13 –Y&T* All American Boy
2-14 –Status Quo In The Army Now
2-15 –Julian Cope World Shut Your Mouth

1986 compilations Various Artists

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Mar 20

Classic rock: 1985 – 1989 – Various Artists [#277]

by stegzy

Classic rock: 1985 – 1989 – Various Artists

Oh dear. It seems yesterday’s album featured some memorable songs. Today’s contains a similar selection of non-hits by bands you’ve heard of occasionally. Again, during the period 1985-1989 there were some really good songs and yet, once again, the compiler has managed to forage completely dull, non-entity tracks from their record collection. It kind of makes me think that the compiler worked in an all night garage.

With Talk Radio on.

CD1

01. Georgia Satellites – Open All Night
02. Gregg Allman – I’m No Angel
03. David Lee Roth – Tobacco Road
04. Jethro Tull – Farm On The Freeway
05. Robert Cray – Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark
06. Status Quo – Burning Bridges
07. Bad Company – No Smoke Without Fire
08. Little Feat – Hate To Lose Your Lovin’
09. George Thorogood – You Talk Too Much
10. Doobie Brothers – Need A Little Taste Of Love
11. Hooters – Johnny B.
12. Steve Winwood – Split Decision
13. Fabulous Thunderbirds – Wrap It Up
14. ZZ Top – Sleeping Bag
15. Great White – Rock Me

CD2

01. Poison – Nothing But A Good Time
02. Billy Idol – Don’t Need A Gun
03. Pat Benatar – Sex As A Weapon
04. Foreigner – Say You Will
05. White Lion – When The Children Cry
06. Marillion – Incommunicado
07. Electric Light Orchestra – Calling America
08. The Stranglers – Always The Sun
09. Big Country – The Teacher
10. Europe – Superstitious
11. Pretenders – My Baby12. Lou Gramm – Just Between You And Me
13. Huey Lewis & The News – Hip To Be Square
14. Deacon Blue – Fergus Sings The Blues
15. Cinderella – Don’t Know What You’ve Got (’til It’s Gone)

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 compilations ELO Jethro Tull Various Artists

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Nov 24

Black Celebration – Depeche Mode [#192]

by stegzy

Black Celebration - Depeche ModeBlack Celebration – Depeche Mode

This is where Depeche Mode tries to turn synth pop into some dark S&M fetish club. And it works. Later albums do it even better but this is possibly the first in their catalogue that does it. It is Depeche Mode’s fifth studio album. It succeeds in being dark by ripping the band from their poppy beginnings, like some Vince Clarke exorcism has taken place and summoned some sort of sexy winged pain mistress through a doorway to hell. To feast on your soul.

This album is delicious. It’s like licking dark chocolate off the boots of Lilith Silver. Because she tells you to.  A great album to begin a teenager’s journey into gothdom.

 

1986 Depeche Mode

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Jun 21

Music Project – Album #50 – Absolute Beginners (Soundtrack)

by stegzy

Absolute Beginners (Soundtrack)

Absolute Beginners is one of those films you’ve either seen or not. But nearly everyone knows the title tune as performed by David Bowie.

I saw the film many years ago, some time in the mid-nineties when it was already old. The young plastic surgery free Patsy Kensit looking very tasty, the fresh faced Eddie O’Connell acting his socks off and even a bit part for good old Lionel “Give us a Clue” Blair. All mixed together by jazz and soul with a light dressing of British humour. It was no wonder it was a flop.

With artists such as Sade, The Style Council and even British stalwald Ray Davies popping up, the soundtrack is a rather good old toe tapper.

Whenever I listen to it I’m immediately transported back to my vane efforts to restylise myself as an independent batchelor in my crumby bedsit in the Wavertree suburbs of Liverpool.

I didn’t grow a soul patch. Nor did I start poncing around in berets and lounge about looking moody. So I guess I got off lightly.

1986 Soundtracks Various Artists

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