August 20, 2014

EP-iphanies: “Prime Mover” By Rush [U.K. 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!

 

If I was forced to pick my least favorite Rush album, my answer just might be 1987’s Hold Your Fire. I think it’s easily the weakest of the band’s often synth-heavy ’80s albums, although it’s not the synths that bother me– after  all, I love Power Windows and that album is swimming in keyboards. No, my problem with Hold Your Fire is simply that some of the songs just aren’t up to Rush’s usual high standards– and from what I’ve heard, guitarist Alex Lifeson seems to agree with me.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Hold Your Fire is without merit. I absolutely love “Time Stand Still,” and “Turn The Page” is another song that I would love for Rush to bring back on their next tour. I think my favorite cut on the record just might be “Prime Mover”– it shows a playful side of the band that many critics often seem to overlook, and it’s also catchy as hell. The U.K. 12″ for “Prime Mover” also contains two live tracks from the Grace Under Pressure tour, including a live take of the rarely-played “New World Man”– Rush’s only Top 40 hit in the United States.

 

Prime Mover [U.K. 12_] 1

Rush: Prime Mover [U.K. 12″]

Vertigo/Polygram Records, 1987

Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. “Prime Mover” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

Prime Mover

2. “Tai Shan” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

Tai Shan

3. “Distant Early Warning” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

Distant Early Warning [Live]

4. “New World Man” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

New World Man [Live]

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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.

Hold Your Fire

Rush: “Time Stand Still” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

Time Stand Still

Rush: “Turn The Page” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

Turn The Page

Both taken from the album Hold Your Fire

Mercury Records, 1987

 

Power Windows

Rush: “The Big Money” (Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

From the album Power Windows

Mercury Records, 1985

The Big Money

 

Posted by on August 20, 2014 in Rock and tagged , , , , , , .

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August 19, 2014

Groovy Tuesday: Santa Esmeralda’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”

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 Gloria Gaynor on your ass at any given moment, so just be ready!

 

1977 was the year of the record-breaking Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, but it was also the year that another album came out of nowhere to sell almost twenty million copies worldwide. That record was Santa Esmeralda’s Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, and it might just be the best disco album of all time. This is the part of the blog where I usually tell you a bit about the band and where I was when I first heard the song, blah blah blah– but not today.

Today, we dance!

A Time to Dance - Hearts and Laserbeams

bowie

dance

 

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood 1

Santa Esmeralda Starring Leroy Gomez: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

Casablanca Records, 1977

Vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood/Esmeralda Suite” (Benjamin/Marcus/Caldwell/Skorsky/de Scarano/Ray)

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood/Esmeralda Suite

2. “Gloria” (Morrison)

Gloria

3. “You’re My Everything” (de Scarano/Skorsky/Gomez)

You’re My Everything

4. “Black Pot” (Skorsky/Gomez)

Black Pot

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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.

Santa Esmeralda_ Singles & B-Sides

Santa Esmeralda Starring Leroy Gomez: “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” [7″ Version] (Benjamin/Marcus/Caldwell)

Casablanca Records, 1977

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood [7″ Version]

Posted by on August 19, 2014 in Disco, Soul/R&B and tagged , , , .

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August 18, 2014

45 RPM: Echo & The Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar” [U.S. 7″]

Here’s your ticket to some of the best (or, perhaps, most infamous) 7″ singles ever released! No adapter is required, although in my opinion the device pictured below is right up there with the Atari 2600 as one of the best inventions of the 20th century.

45_adapter

The Analog Kid Blog has been in existence for almost a year now (!!!), and today it dawned on me that I have yet to feature even a single song from one of my favorite bands: my precious Echo & The Bunnymen. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I wasn’t really an Echo fan back in the ’80s– it’s not that I disliked the band, but for some reason they just never seemed to be on my radar. 1987’s “Lips Like Sugar” changed all of that for me. It’s a truly perfect pop song, and I’ve been a Bunnymen believer ever since.

Of course, I picked a bit of a bad time to finally become a fan. Ian McCulloch left the band shortly after “Lips Like Sugar” for a solo career, and Will Sergeant tried in vain to keep the band going with a new singer. The dynamic duo would eventually join forces again in 1995 as Electrafixion, and the next year they finally made their return official with a return to the Echo & The Bunnymen name. Ian and Will been making great Echo records together ever since.

The U.S. 7″ single for “Lips Like Sugar” contains a unique edit of the song, and it also has a great b-side in “Rollercoaster.” For some reason, “Rollercoaster” wasn’t included as a bonus track on the otherwise excellent 2003 deluxe reissue of the band’s self-titled 1987 album. That reissue didn’t include the 12″ mix of “Lips Like Sugar” either, so I have included it as a bonus track. I have also included a song from the fantastic new Bunnymen album Meteorites— if you have the means, I highly suggest picking one up!

Lips Like Sugar [U.S. 7_]

Echo & The Bunnymen: Lips Like Sugar [U.S. 7″]

Sire Records, 1987

 

A-side: “Lips Like Sugar” [Single Version] (McCulloch/Sergeant/Pattinson)

Lips Like Sugar [Single Version]

B-side: “Rollercoaster” (McCulloch/Sergeant/Pattinson/de Freitas)

Rollercoaster

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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.

Echo & The Bunnymen_ Singles & B-Sides

Echo & The Bunnymen: “Lips Like Sugar” [12″ Mix] (McCulloch/Sergeant/Pattinson)

From the U.S. 12″ Lips Like Sugar

Sire Records, 1987

Lips Like Sugar [12″ Mix]

 

Echo & The Bunnymen

Echo & The Bunnymen: “Lips Like Sugar” (McCulloch/Sergeant/Pattinson)

From the album Echo & The Bunnymen

Sire Records, 1987

Lips Like Sugar

 

Burned

Electrafixion: “Zephyr” (McCulloch/Sergeant)

From the album Burned

Sire Records, 1995

Zephyr

 

Meteorites

Echo & The Bunnymen: “Constantinople” (McCulloch/Sergeant)

From the album Meteorites

429 Records, 2014

Constantinople

 

Posted by on August 18, 2014 in Alternative, New Wave, Rock and tagged , , , , , , .

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August 15, 2014

EP-iphanies: Iron Maiden’s “Running Free” [U.K. 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  or 33⅓ or 45!

 

Iron Maiden’s Live After Death is one of my all-time favorite live albums. The metal masterpiece was recorded live on the epic 1984/85 World Slavery Tour, and I was lucky enough to see the show in Dallas on March 4, 1985. Two weeks later, I was visiting my father in Newport Beach for spring break when Maiden took up residence for four straight nights at the nearby Long Beach Arena. I was dying to see them again, but I had no car and Dad wasn’t really into the whole 666 thing (understandable, I suppose). Most of Live After Death came from these Long Beach shows (as did the live video), so in a way I was able to be there after all. I’ve seen Maiden just about every tour since, but nothing has ever topped the Powerslave tour for me.

The U.K. 12″ for the live version of “Running Free” contains two songs that were excluded from the Live After Death album. Both were originally recorded during the Paul Di’Anno era of the band, so at the time this release was the only place to hear these songs with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. “Sanctuary” has remained a staple in Maiden’s live set over the years, and “Murders In The Rue Morgue” is a particular favorite of mine. I have also included a rare live version of the instrumental “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” as a bonus track. Up the Irons!

Running Free [U.K. 12_] 1

Iron Maiden: Running Free [U.K. 12″]

EMI Records, 1985

 

1. “Running Free” [Live] (Harris)

Running Free [Live]

2. “Sanctuary” [Live] (Iron Maiden)

Sanctuary [Live]

3. “Murders In The Rue Morgue” (Harris)

Murders In The Rue Morgue [Live]

___________________________________________________

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.

Iron Maiden_ Singles & B-Sides

Iron Maiden: “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” [Live] (Harris)

From the U.K. 12″ Run To The Hills

EMI Records, 1985

Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra) [Live]

Posted by on August 15, 2014 in Metal, Rock and tagged , , , , , , .

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August 14, 2014

The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (“Back Into Blue” By Quarterflash)

“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!

 

The rather bizarre video for Quarterflash’s “Harden My Heart” made quite an impression on me during the summer of 1982. That was my first summer with access to MTV, and I’ll roughly estimate that I saw the video at least 897 times during that three-month span. I must also admit that I had a bit of a crush on Rindy Ross– there was just something about her blowing on that sax that little 14-year-old Analog Kid found extremely enjoyable. Like many of my friends, I bought the Quarterflash album and was even lucky enough to see them live (they opened for Sammy Hagar).

Quarterflash released their second album, Take Another Picture, during the summer of 1983. I am pretty sure that it was released the same day as Asia’s Alpha, as I remember buying both of them at the same time. This time, however, I was the only one of my friends to buy the LP (come to think of it, the same could be said of Alpha. All of my buddies owned Asia’s first record, but I guess “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” just didn’t do it for the masses). “Take Me To Heart” received a decent amount of airplay (it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100), but even then I knew that the band had lost a large amount of their clout with the kids.

By the time I was a freshman in college, Quarterflash was almost an afterthought to me. The band released Back Into Blue in 1985, and I remember seeing the record in the multiple music shops along the Drag right off the UT campus. Believe it or not, there was actually a time when I didn’t  just buy every single album by every single band I had ever heard of, and I just never felt the urge to acquire it. Many others apparently had the same reaction, as Back Into Blue didn’t even make it into the Top 100 on the album charts. It would be six long years before Quarterflash would release another record.

About three years ago, I ran across a now-rare CD copy of Back Into Blue at my local Half Price Books. It cost me $11.99, but at long last my collection of ’80s-era Quarterflash was complete. And you know what? It’s really a pretty good little record that deserved a much wider audience. “Walking On Ice” is a great song, and I probably would have purchased the album back in 1985 if I had heard it on the radio. But I didn’t hear it, and Quarterflash went away for a long, long time. But don’t feel bad for them– Marv & Rindy are still married, and they are still making music together. And thanks to YouTube, I can still watch that creepy “Harden My Heart” video whenever my heart desires…

 

Back Into Blue 1

Quarterflash: Back Into Blue

Geffen Records, 1985

 

1. “Walking On Thin Ice” (Marv Ross)

Walking On Ice

2. “Caught In The Rain” (Marv Ross)

Caught In The Rain

3. “Back Into Blue” (Marv Ross)

Back Into Blue

4. “Talk To Me” (Marv Ross)

Talk To Me

5. “I Want To Believe It’s You” (Marv Ross)

I Want To Believe It’s You

6. “Love Without A Net (You Keep Falling)” (Marv Ross/Rindy Ross)

Love Without A Net (You Keep Falling)

7. “Come To Me” (Marv Ross)

Come To Me

8. “Grace Under Fire” (Marv Ross)

Grace Under Fire

9. “Just For You” (Marv Ross)

Just For You

10. “Welcome To The City” (Marv Ross)

Welcome To The City

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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.

Quarterflash

Quarterflash: “Harden My Heart” (Marv Ross)

From the album Quarterflash

Geffen Records, 1981

Harden My Heart

takeanotherpicture

Quarterflash: “Take Me To Heart” (Marv Ross)

From the album Take Another Picture

Geffen Records, 1983

Take Me To Heart

Alpha 2

Asia: “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” (John Wetton/Geoff Downes)

From the album Alpha

Geffen Records, 1983

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

 

Posted by on August 14, 2014 in Rock and tagged , , , , , , , .

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