PART 4: THE BARGAIN BIN FEEDING FRENZY CONTINUES
English, Electronic & Eighties.
A New Wave of Bargains.
Since the emergence of the Beatles and the Stones, the British have established a blistering pace of innovation, reaction and counter-reaction.
By the late seventies, as punk exploded in a ball of flames, any act with a toe in the sixties had either decamped to the States (Fleetwood Mac) or the country (Paul McCartney).
As Johnny Rotten bellowed about anarchy and hating the Queen in his I Hate Pink Floyd t-shirt, even Led Zeppelin started to sound middle of the road.
Punk, if nothing else, was a return to DIY and a return to the clubs. Yet the frenetic anti-establishmentarianism having shifted the needle back towards teenage rebellion and a much needed catharsis, we were again reminded that the kids are alright and they want to dance.
Perhaps the journey is best encapsulated in the mod stylings of The Jam. Their first album, In the City, is decidedly punk. By the time they got to Precious, they were starting to get the funk.
Discos were turning into clubs; it was wall-to-wall four on the floor. Synths, drum machines, and sequencers were becoming commonplace. Bands like The Human League emerged where every member was either a singer or played “synth.”
And the clubs called for a different sort of music. The DJs weren’t just cutting from one song to the next; they were weaving continuous dance epics, with each track flowing seamlessly from one to the next.
This called for the metronome of the drum machine; the track itself extended out to its logical conclusion and long instrumental sections at the beginning and end to help the DJ transition from one to the next. Of course, it also had to be as loud as possible. That would mean the deeper grooves at 45 RPM. Add in the longer tracks, and the 12" single exploded.
Today’s selection has four 12" singles. I certainly saw a lot on the day, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the original owner was a DJ.
While the Greatest Hits collection might be good for the casual listener, they were also great for the DJ who is expected to play the hits of the day, even if the DJ himself is not really a fan. Ultravox? Well, you might be expected to play Vienna, Sleepwalk, or The Voice, but not likely much deeper than that.
We’ve got two Greatest Hit packages today. Ultravox, OMD, and finally, today’s resident oddball, The The, with their debut, Soul Mining.
Penthouse and Pavement (12") — Heaven 17
Taking their name from the record bar scene in A Clockwork Orange, Heaven 17 projects corporate futurism in their slick silver-grey business suits. It takes a few blinks to decide whether it’s ironic or not, considering the concerns around the corporatisation of rock that machine music might entail.
Maybe in real life they were just keen observers in the mail room, soaking up the new corporate version of us and them.
But Heaven 17 knows the score. Those corporate types in the penthouse hate the fact that the artists, bohemians, and clubbers on the pavement are having more fun than they are.
Bargain-o-meter: 6 out of 7.
Love Song (12") — Simple Minds
While Love Song was Simple Minds' seventh single, it was the first time they caught my attention in Australia, and to this day, it remains my favourite Simple Minds song. In the past, I had a copy of the 7", which always got a regular spin, so I was somewhat excited to see this 12".
I wasn’t disappointed.
It sounds even more vibrant than I remember it. The opening instrumental salvo of punctuated synth, electronic-sounding percussion, and squawling guitar jumps out of the speakers.
The film clip with Jim Kerr as DJ and the protagonists trapped in a nightclub neatly captures the cultural context of the times.
Bargain-o-meter: 7 out of 7.
Just Can’t Get Enough (12") — Depeche Mode With Vince Clarke still with the band, Can’t Get Enough is considerably more effervescent or poppy — depending on how you look at it — than their later work.
At the time, a guaranteed floor filler, with this 12" being the most club-like with its extended minimalist electronic percussion intro, giving the DJ plenty of lead-in. In fact, the entire track has been remixed significantly in comparison to the 7". So much so that for purely sitting down and having a listen, I think I’d prefer the 7", which emphasises the important bits.
Still, the synth bridge has an icy Visage vibe which I rather like.
Bargain-o-meter: 4 out of 7.
Bring on the Dancing Horses (12") — Echo and the Bunnymen
Not strictly an electronic act, although the Echo in their name derives from their initial use of a drum machine.
Bring on the Dancing Horses is a solid track, yet fails to capture the incandescence of The Cutter or Killing Moon. Also, as far as dance music goes, it offers more of a gentle indie sway rather than a cut loose on the dance floor moment. As such, of the four 12" singles here, it’s the least compelling from a dance perspective, yet the additional sonic punch is worth the price of admission.
After a string of four classic albums signified by the album covers designed by Martyn Atkins with photography by Brian Griffin, this was the moment my interest began to wane. To paraphrase Ian McCulloch, he’d made it, and now he was breaking it.
Bargain-o-meter: 1 out of 7.
The Best of OMD — Orchestral Manouveres in the Dark
While familiar with Enola Gay and their massive hit, If You Leave, most of this is new to me. McCluskey and Humphreys were dubbed the Lennon and McCartney of synth-pop. From this distant perspective, in a world where synth-pop has become a chart mainstay, this assessment feels a little over-optimistic.
Overall, I find the earlier material on side one preferable. The sequencing and sounds are more inventive while remaining melodic and accessible. Maybe a little overblown, but nothing compared to…
Bargain-o-meter: 5 out of 7.
The Collection — Ultravox Ah, Vienna, what can I say? Does this mean nothing to me? Midge Ure certainly has a decent set of pipes, better than Steve Strange, his former bandmate in Visage.
Yet I struggle to have any sense as to what these songs are about, and they lack Strange’s personality. Yes, completely overblown, but they sound great. Vienna, Sleepwalk, The Voice, Dancing with Tears in My Eyes.
The Queen of new wave.
Bargain-o-meter: 3 out of 7.
Soul Mining — The The
For all intents and purposes, The The is Matt Johnson.
Having lost this one in my great vinyl sell-off of the early 21st Century, I’m glad to have this one back.
For an album with periods of very high rotation over the years, it felt like catching up with an old friend who hadn’t aged so well.
This particular disc is the extended version which includes Fruit of the Heart and Perfect. Neither adds much, and being tacked on the end of side one and side two, respectively, disrupts the programming, with both Uncertain Smile and Giant being much better run-out tracks.
The The have the opposite problem as Ultravox. The songs have significantly more emotional impact, yet the sequencing on tracks like Giant doesn’t quite deliver the punch it once did. Electro-pop wasn’t one of The The’s key strengths, and unsurprisingly, Johnson went for a more suitable rock band approach on subsequent albums.
Bargain-o-meter: 2 out of 7.
This is the fourth part of the Bargain Big Feeding Frenzy. You can read the third here: