First, Last for Everything (disconet remix)

1983 new wave magic

Touch by Secession simply an Synth Pop New Wave masterpiece

Simply a Synth-Pop new wave masterpiece.  Produced by the likes of the brilliant John Rocca from Freez. The Scottish group had a string of dance hits in a short period from 1983 to 1987.  They released only one about called A Dark Enchantment in late 1987. TOUCH ZIP

There is actually even another version with the female handling the leads.  But I prefer the guy.  In my zip I've got four versions including the super long Hot Tracks edit.

Touch (Part 3)

Spend my life without your touch, I cannot satisfy

All my dreams
Simple as can be
Just to see us
Walking side by side
It won't be easy
But even I can see
If we're to survive
We'll have to compromise our pride
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
Spend my life without your touch, I cannot satisfy
I can tell
By the look in your eyes
That I'm wasting your time
Don't turn your back on me
Turn your back on me
What can I say
What can I do
To keep from losing you
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
Spend my life without your touch, I cannot satisfy
All my dreams
Simple as can be
Just to see us
Walking side by side
It won't be easy
But even I can see
If we're to survive
We'll have to compromise our pride
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me
I really need your touch
I never hurt so much
I really miss your touch
Give your affection to me



A LIST OF SYNTH POP NEW WAVE GROUPS

YOU HURT ME BUT NOW YOUR FLESH LIES ROTTING IN HELL

Berlin based Shark Vegas was a new wave group that toured with New Order and was signed to Factory Records.  I love this kind of electronic Factory sound.  Sort of similar to Section 25.SHARK VEGAS ZIP

Interestingly enough though a U.K. release (licensed from West Germany), the track was a flop in Britain but got a lot of club play in the U.S.

You can hear Bernard Sumner's distinctive guitar riffs at the very end.  The harder sounding b side sounds as if it could be a New Order song.

How Classy was Scritti Politti? My 80's idol

  REFRESHEDGreg Wilson Edit LINKS FROM A 2010 BLOG, REFRESHED EVEN FURTHER JULY 2016

                                                                                                         photo credit Steve Elm






photo credit Furio Andreotti

CABARET TIME!
AN ABSOLUTE ZIP
BIG SCRITTI ZIP
I'll admit I've always had a weakness for a falsetto, from the soulful Stylistics to the disco pop of the Bee Gees. But there was one singer that took it to the max for me and became my idol in the process.

Wales born, Paul Julian Strohmeyer recorded under the alias Green Gartside as the lead vocalist for Scritti Politti. Scritti began recording in 1978 as a post punk band and reached their peak in 1984 as a synth heavy, sampling and midi-sequencing electronic dance pop act. They were active even as  recently as 2006 with the l.p. White Bread and Black Beer. Though only Green Gartside remained from the original incarnation.


Scritti Politti seemed to have their hands in many bags, influenced by many genres of music from soul and reggae to disco, funk and synth. Using super high quality experimental production techniques and getting a hand from the legendary Arif Mardin (Bee Gees and Chaka Khan to name a few) they were able to capitalize on the Synth Pop that was hot in the early 80's and still hold onto to enough of a disco sound to make music that was supremely danceable.

They also featured superb graphics and marketing. A new Scritti Politti 12" was bound to have a beautiful picture cover and many of their fans became collector's who wanted to have the latest pressing even if they already had the song in their collections. Not unlike the rabid Smiths fans of the time.

They broke in a big way with their double A side of Wood Beez (pray like Aretha Franklin) and Absolute. What does it mean that each night he goes to bed he prays like Aretha Franklin? Damned if I knew but it sounded great. The song also includes one of my favorite lines from a song:

"there's nothing I wouldn't do including doing nothing."

Green's voice was just perfect. It seemed to caress the music.  Falsetto but not fem. Lyrics full of irony and mock philosophy. Intelligent pop.

The music was synth but not techno. Danceable but not agressive. Kraftwerk meets Abba.

Fred Maher of the band Material joined Scritti Politti as a drummer and this is when they catapulted to fame.
Cupid and Psyche 85 sold as an l.p. in America because Perfect Way became a pop hit in 1985. It went all the way to #11 pop and for two seconds a few people knew who Scritti Politti were. The mix by the legendary Francois K. didn't hurt. Though this sort of disappointed me cause they felt so English import to me and furthermore Perfect Way was one of the worst songs on the l.p. But alas it coined them a one hit wonder destined for inclusion in one of those VH1 run-downs on whatever happened to thems.

They should have made it big with Hypnotize.  But at least it was their most attractive 12" cover.  The Word Girl is also genius, pure reggae in falsetto.

By this time I was growing out my hair to look more like my idol Green. At one point I succeded though I had more of a natural wave that made my locks fall into curls at the bottom. By the time I moved to New York City in 1988 and became a club monster I started incorporating extensions and what had been curly interspersed with straight hair became more like dread locks. Hey the look worked for a while there. Now it kind of looks silly in retrospect but doesn't everything twenty years later?

By the time Provision came out in 1988 I didn't care about Scritti Politti much anymore. But once in my heart always in my heart so here I post a more recent picture of Green Gartside and I can always wish for some major triumphant come-back that will make me worship at the temple of Green once again.

Kroma Sexy Films

Enrica Maldini is Kroma. She had a one off Italo Disco/Synth Pop/New Wave hybrid release in 1984.

Sexy Films

Originally based out of Rome her release came out on DJ Claudio Casilina's label Jumbo.  Later she moved to the Cote d'Azur in France and became a fashion designer.

Bagarre

Sorry about the break folks.  Classes started and I was back to teaching.  Hopefully it was worth the wait cause I have some real delicious rare italo disco goodies to throw your way.

Bagarre are a curious act.  I'd have to say what they are serving is actually more new wave then italo disco.  Considering their first releases came out in 1982 that's understandable.

The first single was LemonSweet.  An interesting point to make about Bagarre is that they actually have a proper English vocalist.  No funny Italian pronunciation here.  The groove is irrefutable though.  These tracks were made for the club, as oft-kilter as they are.

LemonSweet even came out on two different Italian 12".  Not sure what the story was on that but sort of interesting for the time.

The second single No Toys actually has a 9 minute plus remix which I haven't got but I do feature the album version here.
Bagarre

The third single came out in 1984 and the second l.p. in 1985 but I'm not featuring those today.  

Change Your Mind Sharpe & Numan

Gary Numan started out in 1977 as a punk rock artist in the group Mean Street but that didn't work out for him.  Apparently he was too arty and creative for them.

Luckily he kept plugging on and his next venture Tubeway Army was hugely successful.  In fact that had a hugely influential number 1 hit in the U.K. with Are Friends Electric?  Then Gary went solo and had a huge international hit with Cars.  It came to be a major symbol of the new wave scene and even hit the Top 10 in the states.

In the U.K. he continued to come up with hits but in the U.S. he remained a one hit wonder.  By 1985 he teamed up with Bill Sharpe, a jazz keyboardist and member of the U.K. band Shakatak, and they released a few Synth Pop classics including Change Your Mind which I offer you here.  It was a song that I loved very much at the time though it really didn't cross-over much.  In my towns college radio station WXCI it was on heavy rotation so I got to enjoy it often.  It peaked at #35 on the U.S.  Dance Charts.

SYNTH POP GEM CHANGE YOUR MIND

Gary Numan ended up being quite prolific.  There was even a live release in 2016 when he played the 02 Forum in London.  In 2002 the Sugababes sampled Are Friends Electric? and had a number 1 hit in the U.K. and he was brought to a whole new audience.

Speaking of current he's got a song on the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack too.

CCCan't You See Vicious Pink SYNTH POP FANTASTIC

Vicious Pink Phenomena later known as Vicious Pink were the epitome of Synth Pop New Wave.  When their debut single came out in 1984 the scene was ripe for their sound and CCCan't You See was a alternative dance club smash.  I especially love the French version which I provide for you in the deluxe zip.

Since CCCan't You See has been the most played song on my iTunes list on my iMAC for ages I figured I should honor it in some way.  It was a WBMX classic so you know they loved this record in Chicago.

The follow-up Fetish was pretty good too but just not quite as infectious.

Vicious Pink was formed in Leeds in 1981.  They broke up in 1986.  Originally they sang back-up for Soft Cell.  That's when they were called Vicious Pink Phenomena.  

 They were sure cool looking!  Josie Warden was able to sing equally well in French or in English though this didn't help the band to chart in France.

LIKE THEM ON FACEBOOK if you wanna be old school they have a MY SPACE TOO.

So Vicious

My Mine were more then just Hypnotic Tango

A FRESH ZIP OF MY MINE same as mixes mentioned below

Hypnotic Tango by My Mine is an 11 out 10 for me!  It's every magical aspect of italo disco to the third power.  This razormaid remix may even be better then the original, it's certainly longer.  This song stirs up my italo blood.  I'm really not well enough versed in music commentary to explain why.  For me it's just the feeling that I get each and every time I've ever heard it.  The castanets are fun too.  This song will never get old for me.  1983 was so important for me.  I had already enjoyed my first year at American University in D.C. and was finally free to go out to clubs every night.  Clubbing was all I ever wanted to do but in Western Connecticut there wasn't much of a reason to do so!  So in '83 I convinced my Italian parents that I had to get in touch with my ancestral roots but of course that was just an excuse to go out constantly to the Roman clubs.

Hypnotic Tango was everywhere!  On the radio and on the dancefloors and I was losing my teenage mind to it.   DISCO SYNDICATE EDIT THE INSTRUMENTAL

My Mine were three guys from Terni, near Rome and were formed in 1979.  They were originally new wave/punk but were clearly pushed in another direction.  Produced by the legendary Mauro Malavisi who had his hand in so many italo disco projects.  wonderful blog post about Mauro Malavisi and Jacques Fred Petrous.  Though Hypnotic Tango is the most well known song, Cupid Girl and Zorro are quite good and then there's also Juaresh.  MY MINE ZIP

Their first and only album was released in 1985.  In 2016 they recorded a new song called Like a Fool and went on tour in support of it.  They also added a new female vocalist.

Hell even Bananarama did a cover version, which I will have to admit I thought was brilliant even though it was a massive flop for them in 2005, peaking at #26 in their native U.K. Though those trademark harmonies were still so pretty and easy on the ear.  Their version is actually called Look on the Floor so they changed it up a little.

 LOOK ON THE FLOOR

They look a little gay, huh?  1983 was a very new wave kinda year.  Androgyny was all the rage.  Maybe they thought it looked punk!

Hypnotic tango
Tango
Tango!
Stuck in my seat can't move no way the other guys knows the game to play
I'm watchin' her
I'm watchin' me
I'm gettin' brave

Oh
Take him apart say listen to me.
Look on the floor and all is spinning round

Someone told me this was just a dance

And take a chance I ain't met before
Do you think I really have a chance?
Hypnotic tango
Tango
Tango!

Rough diamond he smiles
She looks at him

Ain't gonna be
No story in love

Take me to the dance
Floor by the hand

Give me this night
In a foreign land.
Look on the floor
And all is spinning round
. . .
Look on the floor
And all is spinning round
. . .

Hypnotic
Hypnotic

Hypnotic
Hypnotic -
Look on the floor
And all is spinning round
. . .
Look on the floor
And all is sinning round