December 17, 2014

EP-iphanies: “Village Fire: Five Offerings From James” [French 12″]

As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to 33⅓ or 45!

 

Regular readers of the Analog Kid Blog know all about my love for James. My wife often refers to the band as “Jim,” as if they are all good friends of mine and should therefore be addressed in a less formal manner. Imagine my surprise when I recently discovered that the very first James 45 was, in fact, entitled Jimone.

Jim

“Jim!”

Jimone was released way back in 1983, meaning James have been releasing music for over thirty years now. That first single contained three songs that would eventually appear on the 1985 Village Fire EP: “Whats The World,” “Folk Lore,” and “Fire So Close.” The other two songs on Village Fire come from James II, the band’s second single (also released in 1985). One of those is “Hymn From A Village,” a song the band still occasionally performs live whenever they feel like driving the crowd into a true frenzy.

My copy of Village Fire was one of the first records I ripped to mp3 back when I first acquired a USB turntable about four or five years ago. My skills at digital transference have improved significantly over the years, so I recently decided to let ‘er rip on Village Fire once again. The results can be heard below, and they are pretty spectacular. I can’t take all of the credit, though– I have to thank my good friend (and Analog Kid Blog benefactor) John for providing me with such wonderful equipment. The high-end gear makes it so easy to rip vinyl that a child could do it…

mccoy

“A child could do it!!”

 

Village Fire_ Five Offerings From James [320 kbps] 1

James: Village Fire (Five Offerings From James)

Factory Records, 1985

320 kbps vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. “Whats The World” (James)

Whats The World

2. “Folk Lore” (James)

Folk Lore

3. “Fire So Close” (James)

Fire So Close

4. “If Things Were Perfect” (James)

If Things Were Perfect

5. “Hymn From A Village” (James)

Hymn From A Village

___________________________________________________

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.

How Was It For You_ [U.K. CD Single]

James: “Hymn From A Village” [Live From Manchester] (James)

From the U.K. CD Single How Was It For You?

Fontana Records, 1990

Hymn From a Village [Live]

 

The Smiths_ Singles & B-Sides

The Smiths: “What’s The World” (James)

From the U.K. cassette single I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish

Rough Trade, 1987

What’s The World? [Live]

 

“Brain and brain…what is brain?”

Brain

Posted by on December 17, 2014 in Rock and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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December 15, 2014

The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (“The Producers”)

“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!

 

Last January, I featured the song “She Sheila” from The Producers in one of my “Texas Radio & The Big Beat” posts. Here’s what I wrote about the band:

The Producers were a fantastic power-pop band from Atlanta. They only made two records during their initial run, but they received a lot of airplay in Dallas. In the late ’90s, I heard “She Sheila” on the radio during a flashback segment and completely lost my mind– how could I have forgotten about this pop masterpiece? The band’s two albums had just been released on a single CD, and I immediately ordered a copy from Amazon. That CD is now long out of print and worth a fortune. No, I will not sell my copy to you. But I promise that I will share it with you on a future “Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” post…

I am sometimes very bad about keeping promises, but for once I am going to come through like a champ! Today’s “Lost Boys” entry is The Producers, the band’s stunningly great self-titled 1981 debut album. My friends, this record is simply one of the best power-pop albums of all  time.

12 songs. 37 minutes. Pure pop perfection.

Later this week, I’ll also feature the band’s second album entitled You Make The Heat. It’s almost as good a record as this one, and that’s really saying something. Don’t be stupid, be a smarty. Come and join the power pop party!

 

The Producers

The Producers: The Producers

Portrait Records, 1981

 

1. “What’s He Got” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

What’s He Got?

2. “I Love Lucy” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

I Love Lucy

3. “Who Do You Think You Are” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Who Do You Think You Are?

4. “Life Of Crime” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Life Of Crime

5. “Certain Kinda Girl” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Certain Kinda Girl

6. “You Go Your Way” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

You Go Your Way

7. “What She Does To Me” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

What She Does To Me

8. “Body Language” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Body Language

9. “Sensations” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Sensations

10. “Here’s To You” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Here’s To You

11. “Boys Say When/Girls Say Why” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

Boys Say When/Girls Say Why

12. “The End” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

The End

_______________________________________________________________

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.

You Make The Heat

The Producers: “She Sheila” (Henderson/Holmes/Famous/Temple)

From the album You Make The Heat

Portrait Records, 1982

She Sheila

 

Mel Brooks & John Morris: “Springtime For Hitler” (Mel Brooks)

From the film The Producers

Embassy Pictures/MGM, 1968

 

 

Posted by on December 15, 2014 in Alternative, New Wave, Power Pop, Soundtrack and tagged , , , , , , .

3 Comments

December 11, 2014

Lost In The Flood: Hard-To-Find ’70s Albums (Neil Diamond’s “Double Gold”)

The Analog Kid blog has been featuring out-of-print ’80s albums on “The Lost Boys” series for quite a while, and now it’s time for the ’70s to join the party! “Lost In The Flood: Hard-To-Find ’70s Albums” will give you the chance to listen to some great music from the ’70s that can no longer be easily acquired on-line or at your local record store (especially since many of you probably no longer even HAVE a local record store!).

 

Neil Diamond began his recording career with Bang Records in the mid-’60s, and all of his famous early singles (“Solitary Man,” “Kentucky Woman,” and “Cherry Cherry” among them) were released by the label. By 1968, Neil had moved on to greener pastures with Uni/MCA (and, eventually, Columbia), but that didn’t stop Bang from capitalizing on Diamond’s new-found stardom. The label released multiple compilations without Neil’s involvement in the early ’70s, and one of those albums was 1973’s Double Gold.

Double Gold was released at the height of Diamond’s post-Hot August Night fame, and it’s actually a really nice collection of the majority of his Bang recordings. It even contains two songs that never appeared on a Diamond album for Bang: “Crooked Street” and “Shot Down.” Both are likely demo recordings that were never intended to be released, and Diamond certainly wasn’t happy about their inclusion. These two songs were excluded from the 2011 compilation Neil Diamond: The Bang Years 1966-1968, and neither track has ever been officially released on CD.

The rest of Double Gold features the best stereo versions of songs from Neil’s two Bang albums (1966’s The Feel Of Neil Diamond and 1967’s Just For You). The Bang Years compilation from 2011 sounds fantastic, but it features the original mono mixes rather than the stereo tracks. Many of these mixes are quite different from their mono counterparts, and in some cases even the vocal track is different. Double Gold will certainly never see the light of day on CD, so I have done my best to properly transfer these classic recordings to digital for you. If you’re a Neil fan like I am, I’ve got the feeling that you’re going to die when you hear them…

 

Double Gold

Neil Diamond: Double Gold

Bang Records, 1973

Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. “I’m A Believer” (Diamond)

I’m A Believer

2. “Monday, Monday” (Phillips)

Monday Monday

3. “The Long Way Home” (Diamond)

The Long Way Home

4. “I’ll Come Running” (Diamond)

I’ll Come Running

5. “Red Red Wine” (Diamond)

Red Red Wine

6. “Solitary Man” (Diamond)

Solitary Man

7. “New Orleans” (Royster/Guide)

New Orleans

8. “Cherry Cherry” (Diamond)

Cherry, Cherry

9. “Some Day Baby” (Diamond)

Some Day Baby

10. “Girl You’ll Be A woman Soon” (Diamond)

Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon

11. “Shilo” (Diamond)

Shilo

12. “Do It” (Diamond)

Do It

13. “Oh No No (I Got The Feeling)” (Diamond)

Oh No No (I Got The Feeling)

14. “Love To Love – Trio Music” (Diamond)

Love To Love- Trio Music

15. “Thank The Lord For The Night Time” (Diamond)

Thank The Lord For The Night Time

16. “Kentucky Woman” (Diamond)

Kentucky Woman

17. “The Boat That I Row” (Diamond)

The Boat That I Row

18. “You Got To Me” (Diamond)

You Got To Me

19. “You’ll Forget” (Diamond)

You’ll Forget

20. “Crooked Street” (Diamond)

Crooked Street

21. “Shot Down” (Diamond)

Shot Down

_______________________________________________________

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.

The Bang Years_ 1966-1968

Neil Diamond: “Hanky Panky” (Barry/Greenwich)

Hanky Panky

Neil Diamond: “Red Rubber Ball” (Simon/Woodley)

Red Rubber Ball

Neil Diamond: “La Bamba” (Traditional)

La Bamba

Neil Diamond: “The Time Is Now” (Diamond)

The Time Is Now

From the album The Bang Years: 1966-1968

Columbia Records, 2011

 

Note: the four bonus tracks are the only four songs that Neil Diamond recorded for Bang that do not appear on Double Gold. So yeah, this post contains every single solitary song that Neil released on Bang Records. Neat, eh?

Posted by on December 11, 2014 in Pop, Rock and tagged , , , , , .

11 Comments

December 10, 2014

The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (“Light Of Day” Soundtrack)

“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!

 

Back in the early ’80s, filmmaker Paul Schrader was working on a script about a blue-collar band from the east coast. Schrader wanted to make sure his depiction of a struggling bar band was authentic, so he had his friend Bruce Springsteen take a look at a draft of the script. I don’t know if Bruce liked the script, but he sure liked its working title: Born In The U.S.A.

A few years (and about 20 million albums sold) later, Schrader was finally ready to make his movie. He couldn’t really call it Born In The U.S.A. by that point, of course, so Springsteen made up for his thievery by penning a new title song for the film. That song was called “Light Of Day,” and it’s still a crowd favorite at Bruce shows to this day.

In the movie, Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox are siblings who front a band called The Barbusters. The Light Of Day soundtrack credits four tracks to The Barbusters, but I’m not sure if Fox and fellow film bandmate Michael McKean actually play on any of the songs. “This Means War” had been released by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts a year earlier, and the version on the soundtrack sounds like it was simply remixed from the original Blackhearts session. Fox definitely does sing on the bluesy “You Got No Place To Go,” a song he also co-wrote.

Isn’t it strange that two Keaton siblings starred in movies about bar bands? I don’t even know if there’s soundtrack available for Justine Bateman’s Satisfaction, but I’m 99% confident that Julia Roberts isn’t actually playing bass on it if it does exist. It’s too bad Tina Yothers never made a rock movie, but she did star in an early-’90s TV movie about the Laker Girls. Honest– could I make something like that up?

Laker Girls

The Light Of Day soundtrack CD has been out of print for years, and I finally found a near-mint copy of the LP earlier this week. I ripped a 320 kbps copy of it last night, and I am happy to share it with you here on the Analog Kid blog. Cleveland rocks!!

 

Light Of Day_ Music From The Original Motion Picture Soun 1

Light Of Day: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Blackheart Records/CBS Associated, 1987

Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. The Barbusters: “Light Of Day” (Bruce Springsteen)

Light Of Day

2. The Barbusters: “This Means War” (Joan Jett/Kenny Laguna/Bob Halligan, Jr.)

This Means War

3. The Fabulous Thunderbirds: “Twist It Off” (Jimmie Vaughan/Kim Wilson/Fran Cristina/Preston Hubbard)

Twist It Off

4. Ian Hunter: “Cleveland Rocks” (Ian Hunter)

Cleveland Rocks

5. Dave Edmunds: “Stay With Me tonight” (Dave Edmunds/John David)

Stay With Me Tonight

6. The Barbusters: “It’s All Coming Down Tonight” (Frankie Miller/Andy Fraser)

It’s All Coming Down Tonight

7. The Barbusters: “Rude Mood” (Stevie Ray Vaughan)

Rude Mood

8. Bon Jovi: “Only Lonely” (Jon Bon Jovi/David Bryan)

Only Lonely

9. The Hunzz: “Rabbit’s Got The Gun” (Joan Jett/Kenny Laguna)

Rabbit’s Got The Gun

10. Michael J. Fox: “You Got No Place To Go” (Michael J. Fox/Alan Mark Poul)

You Got No Place To Go

11. Rick Cox, Chas Smith, Jon C. Clarke & Michael Boddicker: “Elegy” (Thomas Newman)

Elegy

________________________________________________________

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.

Streets Of Philadelphia [U.S. CD Single]

Bruce Springsteen: “Light Of Day” [Live]

From the U.S. CD Single Streets Of Philadelphia

Columbia Records, 1994

Light Of Day [Live]

 

Bruce Springsteen_ Singles & B-Sides

Bruce Springsteen: “Born In The U.S.A. [The Freedom Mix]” (Bruce Springsteen)

From the U.S. 12″ Born In The U.S.A.

Columbia Records, 1985

Born In The U.S.A. [The Freedom Mix]

 

Texas Flood

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: “Rude Mood” (Stevie Ray Vaughan)

From the album Texas Flood

Epic Records, 1983

Rude Mood

Posted by on December 10, 2014 in R&B/Blues, Rock, Soundtrack and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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December 9, 2014

Groovy Tuesday: Prince’s “Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic”

Every Tuesday, the Analog Kid blog goes back in time and features some of the best groovy R&B/soul songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Sometimes you’ll hear songs from individual artists or from a specific year, and other times you’ll get an entire full-length classic LP ripped directly from the Analog Kid’s vast vinyl vault. Warning: by R&B/soul, I also mean disco. I could go all Anita Ward on your ass at any given moment, so just be ready!

 

It may seem like Prince appears on almost every Groovy Tuesday, but the truth is that it’s been over six months since I featured his Purple highness. That’s just not smart business on my part, as my Prince posts consistently receive more traffic than any other artist on the Analog Kid blog. Any guesses as to this site’s all-time views leader? It’s this one:

Groovy Tuesday: Prince’s “The Black Album”

I doubt that today’s post about 1999’s Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic will generate as much interest as my Black Album post, but it’s actually almost as rare. Like The Black Album, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic is currently out of print– you can’t even download mps3 from Amazon or iTunes. The album was supposed to be Prince’s big comeback after signing with Arista Records, but it just felt a little too forced. There are way too many “superstar” appearances on the album: Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow, Chuck D, and Ani Difranco all share vocals with Prince on different tracks. It seems like Clive Davis was trying to do for Prince what he did for Santana earlier that year, but clearly it didn’t work– “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold” peaked at #63, and Prince didn’t even tour to support the album.

Despite the record’s lackluster performance, there are redeeming qualities to Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. I think Rave would have fared much better on the charts if the Stefani duet “So Far, So Pleased” had been released as a single– it’s clearly the catchiest song on the record, but apparently the impending release of Return Of Saturn meant that it had to remain an album cut. My other favorite track is “Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do,” a song that just oozes everything that I love about Prince. “Wherever” is technically the final song on the album, although there are actually two hidden bonus tracks tacked on at the end. I have separated these for you so that each song can be played independently. I know, I know– I’m cool like that…

 

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic 1

Prince: Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic

NPG/Arista Records, 1999

 

1. “Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic” (Prince)

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic

2. “Undisputed” (Prince)

Undisputed

3. “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold” (Prince)

The Greatest Romance Ever Sold

4. “Segue” (Prince)

Segue

5. “Hot Wit U” (Prince)

Hot Wit U

6. “Tangerine” (Prince)

Tangerine

7. “So Far, So Pleased” (Prince)

So Far, So Pleased

8. “The Sun, The Moon And Stars” (Prince)

The Sun, The Moon And Stars

9. “Everyday Is A Winding Road” (Sheryl Crow/Jeff Trott/Brian McLeod)

Everyday Is A Winding Road

10. “Segue” (Prince)

Segue

11. “Man ‘O’ War” (Prince)

Man ‘O’ War

12. “Baby Knows” (Prince)

Baby Knows

13. “I Love U, But Don’t Trust U Anymore” (Prince)

I Love U, But Dont Trust U Anymore

14. “Silly Game” (Prince)

Silly Game

15. “Strange But True” (Prince)

Strange But True

16. “Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do” (Prince)

Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do

17. “Segue” (Prince)

Segue

18. “Prettyman” (Prince)

Prettyman

____________________________________________________________

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.

Return Of Saturn

No Doubt: “New” (Gwen Stefani/Tom Dumont)

From the album Return Of Saturn

Interscope Records, 2000

New

 

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow: “Everyday Is A Winding Road” (Sheryl Crow/Jeff Trott/Brian McLeod)

From the album Sheryl Crow

A&M Records, 1996

Everyday Is a Winding Road

 

Supernatural

Santana Featuring Rob Thomas: “Smooth”

From the album Supernatural

Arista Records, 1999

Smooth

 

Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)

Digable Planets: “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” (Butler/Irving/Vieira)

From the album Reachin’ (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)

Pendulum/Elektra Records, 1993

Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)

Posted by on December 9, 2014 in Alternative, Hip-Hop/Rap, Rock, Soul/R&B and tagged , , , , , , , , .

2 Comments