“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!
I’ve never seen the 1982 British film Party Party— in fact, I wouldn’t even know of its existence if I hadn’t stumbled upon a vinyl copy of the soundtrack at Waterloo Records in Austin in the late ’80s. Movie soundtracks are often the source of some great rare material, and the Party Party soundtrack is a pure goldmine for lovers of ’80s new wave music.
Bananarama turning a Sex Pistols classic into fun dance music? Check.
Sting (making his solo debut) ripping through some classic ’50s material from Little Richard and Little Willie John? Check.
Midge Ure tearing through David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” long before Nirvana made it hip to do so? Check.
Most of the tracks on Party Party are cover songs, but there are a couple of original tunes. Madness hit the U.K. Top 5 with “Driving In My Car,” a song that was never released on a Madness record in the United States. The true rarity on Party Party, though, is the title track from Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Costello must really really hate the song, as it has never been released on any of his (multiple!) album reissues. “Party Party” is one the true obscurities of the Costello catalog, so I did my best to clean it up and make it sound pretty for you. This is an old piece of vinyl, though, and I used to play the LP all of the time back in college. Maybe someday I’ll actually get around to watching the movie– if Party Party is half as good as its soundtrack, it’s a keeper.
Party Party: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
A&M Records, 1982
Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid
1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions: “Party Party” (Elvis Costello)
2. Dave Edmunds: “Run Rudolph Run” (Johnny Marks/Marvin Brodie)
3. Altered Images: “Little Town Flirt” (Del Shannon/Maron McKenzie)
4. Bad Manners: “Yakety Yak” (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)
5. Sting: “Tutti Frutti” (Richard Penniman/Dorothy LaBostrie)
6. Bananarama: “No Feelings” (Glen Matlock/John Lydon/Paul Cook/Steve Jones)
7. Madness: “Driving In My Car” (Mike Barson)
8. Modern Romance: “Band Of Gold” (Edythe Wayne/Ron Dunbar)
9. Bad Manners: “Elizabethan Reggae” (Ronald Binge)
10. “No Woman, No Cry” (Vincent Ford)
11. Sting: “Need Your Love So Bad” (Little Willie John)
12. Midge Ure: “The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie)
13. Chas And Dave: “Auld Lang Syne” (Traditional; Arranged By Hodges Peacock)
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Sex Pistols: “No Feelings” (Glen Matlock/John Lydon/Paul Cook/Steve Jones)
From the album Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols
Virgin Records, 1977
David Bowie: “The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie)
From the album The Man Who Sold The World
Mercury Records, 1970
Freda Payne: “Band Of Gold” (Edythe Wayne/Ron Dunbar)
From the album Band Of Gold
Invictus Records, 1970
Bob Marley & The Wailers: “No Woman, No Cry” [Live] (Vincent Ford)
From the album Legend
Island Records, 1974
The Coasters: “Yakety Yak” (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)
From the album Greatest Hits
Atco Records, 1958
Del Shannon: “Little Town Flirt” (Del Shannon/Maron McKenzie)
From the album Little Town Flirt
Big Top Records, 1962
Little Richard: “Tutti Frutti” (Richard Penniman/Dorothy LaBostrie)
From the album Here’s Little Richard
Specialty Records, 1955
Little Willie John: “Need Your Love So Bad” (Little Willie John)
From the album Fever
King Records, 1956
The Analog Kid 
A few notes :
I have seen this movie.
DON’T. OH, GOOD GODS, DON’T.
Imagine a titz’n’zits flick as American as Porky’s, then make it as English as the Kinks or XTC. Now, make it bad.
“Maybe someday I’ll actually get around to watching the movie– if Party Party is half as good as its soundtrack, it’s a keeper.” That’s exactly the same reasoning I had, and boy howdy did it bushwhack me as a result.
But oh, man, that soundtrack was the sound of my life for a few years. My family had it on both cassette and vinyl (thanks, Target cut-out bins!), and we played it practically on infinite repeat for ages.
Costello does, in fact, hate that song – when he did those box sets replicating all of his singles, this was the only one not in them. I think he’s gone on record about it at one point, even. (Love it myself…)
And there was a CD release of the soundtrack sometime around … 1995, I believe? It was part of a series of soundtrack reissues that also included Joe Jackson’s score for “Tucker”. I don’t know how hard that is to find these days, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for.