VA - 1986 - Sounds From True Stories

This soundtrack to the Talking Heads film True Stories was the second release in a planned trilogy, the last of which -- the film's actors covering the Talking Heads songs from the album -- never surfaced. Fortunately, this second volume did, a selection of background music and non-David Byrne tunes written for the film. Of the Byrne-penned selections, only a few borrow from Heads songs, and the original compositions, perched somewhere between Penguin Cafe Orchestra and a general Americana feel, are pleasant. Meredith Monk's "Road Song" does Byrne one better in this department, and Carl Finch's incredibly silly "Mall Muzak" suite pokes cockeyed fun. The only proper songs here are Terry Allen's "Cocktail Desperado" and Steve Jordan's Tex-Mex "Soy de Texas," both romping good fun.

1 Cocktail Desperado
2 Road Song
3 Freeway Son
4 Brownie's Theme
5 Mall Muzak
6 Dinner Music
7 Disco Hits
8 City of Steel
9 Love Theme from "True Storeis"
10 Festa Para Um Rei Negro
11 Buster's Theme
12 Soy de Tejas
13 I Love Metal Buildings
14 Glass Operator

¡Aquí!

VA - 1995 - New Wave Club Class-x, Vol. 4

1 Cramps, The – Human Fly
2 Normal, The – Warm Leatherette
3 Grace Jones – She's Lost Control
4 New Order – Everything's Gone Green
5 Jah Wobble, Jaki Liebezeit and Holger Czukay – How Much Are They?
6 Suns Of Arqa – Acid Tabla
7 Bauhaus – She's In Parties
8 Red Zebra – I Can't Live In A Living Room
9 Names, The – Calcutta
10 Psychedelic Furs* – Heartbeat
11 Paul Haig – Heaven Sent
12 Anne Clark – Our Darkness
13 Nitzer Ebb – Let Your Body Learn
14 Altered Images – Happy Birthday

¡Aquí!

Cure - 1989 - Disintegration

Expanding the latent arena rock sensibilities that peppered Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by slowing them down and stretching them to the breaking point, the Cure reached the peak of their popularity with the crawling, darkly seductive Disintegration. It's a hypnotic, mesmerizing record, comprised almost entirely of epics like the soaring, icy "Pictures of You." The handful of pop songs, like the concise and utterly charming "Love Song," don't alleviate the doom-laden atmosphere. The Cure's gloomy soundscapes have rarely sounded so alluring, however, and the songs -- from the pulsating, ominous "Fascination Street" to the eerie, string-laced "Lullaby" -- have rarely been so well-constructed and memorable. It's fitting that Disintegration was their commercial breakthrough, since, in many ways, the album is the culmination of all the musical directions the Cure were pursuing over the course of the '80s.

		1		Plainsong	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	5:12
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		2		Pictures of You	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	7:24
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		3		Closedown	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	4:16
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		4		Love Song	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	3:28
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		5		Last Dance [*]	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	4:42
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		6		Lullaby	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	4:08
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		7		Fascination Street	Gallup, Smith, Thompson ...	5:16
Composed by: Gallup, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		8		Prayers for Rain	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	6:04
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		9		The Same Deep Water as You	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	9:18
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		10		Disintegration	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	8:18
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		11		Homesick [*]	Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	7:06
Composed by: Gallup, ODonnell, Smith, Thompson, Tolhurst, Williams
		12			Gallup, ODonnell, Smith ...	6:30

¡Aquí!

Dexys Midnight Runners - 1982 - Too-Rye-Ay

For one brief moment, Dexy's exploded into America's consciousness -- and what a song to do it with! "Come on Eileen" combines ramalama rock & roll, soul delivery, and Celtic/country flavor into a perfect musical fusion and an irresistible U.K. and U.S. number one hit. Both the song and its video were such hits that years later, ska/punk band Save Ferris made a minor splash with its own version of the tune, while Garth Brooks appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit dressed as the capering, bedraggled Rowland. The rest of the album is nearly as successful, with quite a few numbers that should have matched "Come on Eileen"'s fame. Given that song's obvious debt to Van Morrison's similar fusions, it's no surprise that Dexy's tipped their hat with a great cover of Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said," another big British single. Throughout the album, Rowland's distinct, unique voice takes the fore, but the revamped Dexy's lineup proves it was the original version's equal, if not better. Given that only trombonist Big Jimmy Patterson remained, and even then only for two tracks, recruiting a new band able to create the "Celtic soul" Rowland dreamed about turned out to be exactly the right move. Excellently produced by Rowland and the legendary Clive Langer/Alan Winstanley production team, Too-Rye-Ay sounds like an old soul revue recorded on-stage, no doubt an intentional goal. Other highlights include the opening jaunt "The Celtic Soul Brothers," which just about says it all both in title and delivery; the slow swirl of "All in All," and the vicious ballad "Liars A to E."

		1		The Celtic Soul Brothers (More, Please, Thank You)	Billingham, Paterson ...	3:08
Composed by: Billingham, Paterson, Rowland
		2		Let's Make This Precious	Paterson, Rowland	4:03
		3		All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)	Paterson, Rowland	4:07
		4		Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)	Morrison	3:05
		5		Old	Paterson, Rowland	5:35
		6		Plan B	Paterson, Rowland	5:04
		7		I'll Show You	Paterson, Rowland	2:41
		8		Liars A to E	Paterson, Rowland, Torch	4:11
		9		Until I Believe in My Soul	Paterson, Rowland	6:59
		10		Come on Eileen	Adams, Paterson, Rowland	4:38

¡Aquí!

Fuzztones - 1989 - In Heat

In Heat was a chance for Rudi Protrudi's newly refitted and relocated Fuzztones to spread the underground garage-rock scene to the mainstream. So what did he do with a major-label contract? He surrounded himself with nameless studio hacks and recorded an overproduced, dull collection of songs that don't even hint at the power the band had on Lysergic Emanations. Instead, the Fuzztones resemble '60s biker rock, with a wasted Vox organ over the top of the thin mix. The title track and "Me Tarzan, You Jane" offer some appeal, but overall, the band sounds like a B-grade version of the real thing.

		1		In Heat	Protrudi	2:24
		2		Nine Months Later	Protrudi	3:50
		3		Cheyenne Rider	Czekaj, Tarlow	3:03
		4		Everything You Got	Czekaj	2:31
		5		Black Box	Koizumi, Tarlow	3:24
		6		Shame on You	Czekaj, Protrudi, Tarlow	3:06
		7		It Came in the Mail	Chandler, Protrudi	2:44
		8		Me Tarzan, You Jane	Chandler, Protrudi	2:32
		9		Heathen Set	Chandler, Protrudi	2:33
		10		Hurt on Hold	Portnoy, Protrudi	2:30
		11		What You Don't Know	Chandler, Protrudi	2:36
		12		Charlotte's Remains	Kennedy, Protrudi	4:10

¡Aquí!

XTC - 1996 - Fossil Fuel-The XTC Singles 1977-1992 (2CD)

Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-1992 is a splendid double-disc set that runs through every one of the group's 31 A-sides, from the nervy "Science Friction" to the lush, sighing "Wrapped in Grey." Between those two songs, XTC's craftsmanship grows remarkably fast — based on the edgy pop of their new wave singles "Statue of Liberty," "This Is Pop," "Are You Receiving Me?," and "Life Begins at the Hop," it's hard to believe that they would later write the subtle, near-pastoral Beatles, Kinks, and Beach Boys pastiches of "Love on a Farmboy's Wages," "Great Fire," and "Grass." And those songs just scratch the surface of the terrific pop singles available on Fossil Fuel: "Making Plans for Nigel," "Ten Feet Tall," "Generals and Majors," "Towers of London," "Respectable Street," "Sense Working Overtime," "This World Over," "Dear God," "The Mayor of Simpleton," "King for a Day," and "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" are wonderful songs and forgotten classics. Although XTC continually made carefully constructed albums, they were a dynamite singles band, releasing songs that were tightly constructed and impossibly catchy. They never had hits, because their unabashed pop was never in fashion; plus, Andy Partridge's voice was too pinched and his lyrics frequently too cerebral. But XTC's music stands as some of the best and most influential pop of their era, and nowhere is that more evident than on Fossil Fuel.

		1		Science Friction	Partridge	3:14
		2		Statue of Liberty	Partridge	2:52
		3		This Is Pop?	Partridge	2:40
		4		Are You Receiving Me?	Partridge	3:04
		5		Life Begins at the Hop	Moulding	3:47
		6		Making Plans for Nigel	Moulding	4:12
		7		Ten Feet Tall	Moulding	3:13
		8		Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down	Partridge	4:20
		9		Generals and Majors	Moulding	3:41
		10		Towers of London	Partridge	4:38
		11		Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)	Partridge	3:36
		12		Love at First Sight	Moulding	3:07
		13		Respectable Street	Partridge	3:07
		14		Senses Working Overtime	Partridge	4:34
		15		Ball and Chain	Moulding	4:29
		16		No Thugs in Our House	Partridge	5:10
		17		Great Fire	Partridge	3:50
		18		Wonderland	Moulding	4:15
		19		Love on a Farmboy's Wages	Partridge	3:59
		20		All You Pretty Girls	Partridge	3:59
		21		This World Over	Partridge	4:45
		22		Wake Up	Moulding	3:40
		23		Grass	Moulding	2:42
		24		The Meeting Place	Moulding	3:13
		25		Dear God	Partridge	3:37
		26		The Mayor of Simpleton	Partridge	3:57
		27		King for a Day	Moulding	3:36
		28		The Loving	Partridge	3:54
		29		The Disappointed	Partridge	3:38
		30		The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead	Partridge	5:03
		31		Wrapped in Grey	Partridge	3:46

¡Aquí!